A favorite story about adapting to life in America:

Very recently, my parents who have lived here for over 30 years became American citizens. It was a strange feeling as I've always identified them as Filipinos. Though my siblings and I are all American, it was interesting to have them take on "my" culture when I've spent my life absorbing "theirs". I know America is just as much theirs as mine, probably more so since they've been here longer, but I never noticed the lines of distinction between "Filipino", "American" and "Filipino American" in my own family until that day. But, seeing so many others pledge allegiance made me feel that "American" was enough and blurred all those lines.

On feeling truly American:

I think the most American I've felt was when I was not in America at all. On a college trip I met an Australian friend in the Philippines. Socializing with Filipinos for a month, I really got a sense of being an "other" - the other being American. I got asked alot of questions and heard many comments about good shopping in New York and quality American cigarettes. Seeing others perspectives and giving them my own made me feel very distinctly American.

On feeling not fully American:

Growing up in a mostly Irish and Italian American community, I often felt different and at times not accepted. When I was younger, kids always asked me if I was Chinese or Japanese and when I'd tell them my family was from the Philippines, they'd never know where that was. In Catholic school, when reading a Bible story from a letter to the Philippians, the teacher asked if anyone knew who they were and where was Philippi. A kid (ironically Greek) answered, "Those are Diane's people" and something about that made me feel strange. That I had a "those" people, as I'd not really identified with my Filipino culture. All my friends were American, I was born and raised here and I felt ashamed or angry that he made that comment.

Browse similar portraits: