tryna fit it..

By serving a local community center, Filipino Cultural Center (FCC), I can't help but notice how kids or teenagers develop or become "americanize" easily right after they arrive here in the United States. I also went to the process of trying to "fit in" by doing what everybody else is doing. It is not easy to start a new life, find new friends, and also to find a comfortable environment for anyone. Everyone has their own comfort zone. My comfort zone is in the Philippines because that is where I started my life and basically found friends and people who I kick it with. Even though I didnt want to leave the good life in the homeland, my parents convinced me to come here to learn what is good life is all about. I never had to work for a single penny in the Philippines, life was good, no stress, but when I came here, everything was reverted. I had to work for my own money and look up for my own self. I learned a lot living in the US. I learned a lot about myself and especially how to deal with real life problems. Now that I tell you guys how I find the Philippines my comfort zone, I can talk about what I have been noticing from Filipinos who recently came here from the Philippines. I notice a lot of change. First, Filipinos (teenagers) are americanized even before they come here. Second, they are willing to lose their identity and culture to adapt a new culture. And last, they seem to be ashamed of being Asian or Filipino. I hang out in the FCC center on my free time and it is such a good experience for me to see how the "americanizing" process develop thoroughly. The benefit of this is that Asians who immigrate in the US are easily able to adapt in a new environment. The messed up part is is if we adapt thoroughly to american culture, we may lose our cultural identity completely. I guess the only way to fix this is if we exposed kids to ethnic studies at an early age to learn how to appreciate ones culture, and realize the real deal.

-rOvie