Agsubli Kadagiti Ramut (Returning to Your Roots)
Nagemigrante dagiti lolo ken lola ken dagiti dadakkelko sadiay Pilipinas ditoy Hawaii. Napanak idiay “Motherland” idi walo a tawen laeng ket adu a nalipatakon. Idi Febrero, a kasla ti maysa a pudpudno ti padpadasko idiay Pilipinas. Inadalak ti maminsan nga Ilokano a klase idi freshman-ak idi 2008 idiay University of Hawaii at Manoa. Timmulong dagiti a klase (Ilokano, ethnic studies ken IP) para kaniak tapno ag-amamiris-ak ti Filipino a kultura. Gapu ta dagitoy a klase, ammuak ti sinno siak itatta. Ammuak a maymayat.
Idi sinubli idiay Pilipinas iti final a semestrek iti Universidad, daytoy a kasla ti “perfect timing.” Napanak idiay balay ti lolo-ko para bassit nga aldaw laeng. Ngem mayat daytoy ta adda rikriknak iti kina-humble ken nagkitaak dagiti a lugar ti paggianan ti tatangko.
Uray no awan nagadu dagiti kuarta idiay Ilocos, nakaragragsakda. Idi nga ubingak, kinayatko ti kitaem dagiti daddakelko ta trabtrabahoda wenno ageseskuelaak. Ditoy Hawaii, manganak ti cereal iti bigat ken awananen dagiti dadakkelko idiay balaymi. Ngem idiay Ilocos, napno ti balay agkadua dagiti familia ken gagayyem. Umayda amin ti mangmanganda a timpuyog. Mailiwak daytoy. Mailiwak daytoy ta ditoy Amerika, awan ti tiempo amin ken na-busy-mi unay unay agkadua dagiti errands. Kayatmi amin dagiti kuarta ta naimportante ditoy Amerika. Ngem adda much more ti biag.
Ket, Ipategmo ti kulturam.
“Ammuem ti sinnoka. No awan ti kultura, awanka.”
————————————
English:
My grandparents and parents emigrated from Philippines to Hawaii. I went to the “Motherland” when I was only eight years old and I already forgot a lot. So in February of this year, I had my first real experience in the Philippines. I’ve studied in Ilokano classes since I was a freshman at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2008. Classes like Ilokano, Ethnic Studies and IP have helped me to explore my Filipino culture. Because of these classes, I know who I am now. I know myself better.
When I returned to the Philippines during my final semester at the university, it seemed like “perfect timing.” I was able to stay at my grandfather’s house for only a few days. But it was great because I felt humbled and I got to see the places where my dad spend his days growing up.
Even though they don’t have a lot of money in the Ilocos, they are very happy. When I was a child, I wanted to spend more time with my parents because they were always working and I was always in school. Here in Hawaii, I eat cereal in the morning for breakfast alone and my parents have already left the house.
But in the Ilocos, the house is always full with family and friends. I miss this.
I miss this because here in America, none of us have time and we are all very busy running errands.
We all want money because it’s important here in America. But there is so much more to life.
Anyways, embrace your culture.
“Know culture, know self. No culture, no self.”
