On the streets of Cebu, Philippines, there is always a group of people carrying blue bottled water, similar to those selling goods on the streets. Of course we usually choose not to buy it, and even question it in our head – who would buy it?
Every summer, my friends would go on a road trip together. We would leave our work, squeeze into a tiny car accompanied by our luggage, and go on the road. Our destination was usually a rural area with no one but us.
If you have ever gone to school in Taiwan, or asked your children to go to Chinese school in Canada, then you are familiar with the importance of the mother tongue. Many say you shouldn’t ever forget it, others say their children shouldn’t forget their own culture.
In 2017, DC’s superhero movie, “Wonder Woman”, came out and received lots positive reviews. Film critics praised the film because it successfully debunked the myth that “a superhero movie with a female lead could not be successful”.
I would describe my transition from highschool to university as “drastic”.
The hope that our own culture and heritage can become part of mainstream society is common to many Canadian immigrants – so much so that it is a milestone that many migrants and communities strive to achieve.
Before I graduated from university, I got a message from my friend. He was trying to sell me a ticket to Sir Paul McCartney’s concert in Vancouver. He couldn’t make it because he had to prepare for the exams.
I remember there was an assignment for my guitar class back in high school. We had to learn how to use GarageBand to record our song into a demo, and the finished file was to be submitted to the teacher for grading.
A lot of my relatives used to live in Vancouver, but they have since moved away to other places. One year, at a family gathering in Taipei, I asked my uncle why the majority of the family decided to leave Vancouver and move to places such as Taipei.
This March, we visited the Casa Gorordo Museum in the Filipino city of Cebu. During the tour, the term “mestizo” was often brought up – a Latino word meaning “of mixed ethnic background.”