Unit 3 - Buhay sa Kampus (Campus Life)

INTRO:

Buhay sa Kampus
Campus Life

MY FILIPINO SPEAKING DAYS                       
A reflective essay by Paul R., UCB 2004

         Even though I was born in the Philippines, my linguistic autobiography begins with me learning English as an immigrant in America. I came to the United States, specifically Pinole, CA, in 1998 as a 5-year-old toddler. Like most kids my age, I was able to hold conversations with the people around me in Filipino.  However, I really don’t remember my Filipino speaking days.

            My first linguistic memories consist of my days spent crying in kindergarten as I was unfamiliar with my surroundings and did not understand what was being said to me. However, even though I knew no English, I was able to quickly pick up the language and by the 2nd grade I was entering spelling bees. I guess all those afternoons spent watching cartoons paid off; my English language skills were probably better than children born here. As I continued to grow, my parents who were immigrants themselves, tried to immerse themselves in the English language. Soon enough, English became the primary form of communication between my parents and me. On occasion they would speak to me in Filipino but I left my Filipino speaking abilities far behind and only responded in English.

            As I continued to grow and my parents worked long hours to try and support my brother and me, my lolo and lola (grandpa and grandma) were the one constant in my life, --the constant Filipino speaker that is. I really thank my grandparents for being around and raising me from age 5 until 18. I think without them, my Filipino language skills would have completely disappeared. Even though I could no longer speak Filipino, I was able to maintain a strong listening comprehension of the language. The afternoons of cartoons turned into afternoons of TV Patrol and Saturday mornings of Filipino soap operas. All of this allowed me to maintain my ability to understand Filipino.

            Even to this day, my grandparents continue to speak to me in Filipino but as I’ve grown they’ve grown accustomed to speaking to me in English since that was my only form of response to them. I think that’s one of the reasons I decided to take Filipino in college. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to teach my children the ability to at least comprehend Filipino,  let alone speak Filipino.

            Looking back now, I wish I had not been so ignorant as to forget Filipino. I’m envious of my Chinese and Korean friends who can speak their native languages fluently. Their environment allowed them to embrace both the English and their native language whereas my environment seems to put aside the native culture for that of the American culture. I remember that once I stopped speaking Filipino, there was no looking back. I’m just glad that there are classes in college to help remedy my situation.