Category Archives: Travel/Leisure

Posted by: Stacey Maka

There are a bajilion general stereotypes about Asians. We eat a lot of rice, we carry around fake LV bags, we’re very skinny and have straight black hair, math is our strength, we’re cheap, and the list goes on and on. I do emphasize on these being general stereotypes because “Asian” can mean anything from Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, Chinese, Indonesians, Vietnamese, etc. Majority of the stereotypes out there don’t even apply for all Asians. Just like countries in Europe, South America, Africa, and the rest of the world, every country has different cultural traditions. I am from Filipino heritage but was born and raised in Canada. I grew up around other Filipinos and African-Americans but had mostly Chinese and Korean friends. I always saw the differences in our family values and upbringings. From how we academically did in school to what foods we ate, there were noticeable differences that separated us.

Because my parents never pushed their traditions on me, they didn’t even teach me to speak their language; I am not aligned with the Filipino culture. Most Filipino families I know go to church together and have Filipino gatherings at their house, in general just always together having some kind of party where there is a lot of food and socializing. When I was a child and was forced to go to a Filipino party, I always felt like an outcast. I don’t know if it was the out of sync line-dancing, or the awkward greeting everyone as your aunt or uncle and which you don’t even remember half of their names (oops), or how kids around my age all sang karaoke and danced relatively well while exuding this “swagger” about them…so trying to relate to these things was hard.

Even to this day the typical Filipino stereotypes are as follows: likes/plays basketball, listens to R&B/slow jams/hip hop, becomes a nurse, and never on time for anything (very true in most cases). If these general Filipino stereotypes apply more to Filipinos who immigrated then what about the ones who were already born in North America? I don’t follow Manny Pacquiao, I can’t sing or dance well, and I only found out what FV Foods was this January. In no way am I bashing the culture but what about that percent of us who aren’t any of these? It’s awkward enough when someone does discover I’m Filipino and uses these subjects in hopes to strike a conversation or impress me when I know nothing about them. Few would even say I’m in the “white washed Asian” category, but I truly believe this term is often used incorrectly by many people and has a confusing as well as an insulting reputation. Because according to our trusty urbandictionary.com, “whitewashed” is:

The sad thing is you see a lot kids throwing this term around as if it’s the coolest thing ever to be “white washed”. I can understand how it was growing up as an Asian in North America since all over media we are taught that “white” is the more prominent and beautiful of all races. And even in high school, I know I had this problem for sure, I didn’t feel pretty because I didn’t have blue eyes and blonde hair. That feeling probably went on for most of my high school experience but as I got older I started to love and appreciate my facial features, darker hair, and deep brown eyes. I’m in my mid 20s and can still pull off looking like an 18 year old, so I must say being Asian is pretty damn cool (Not so cool when I got carded to see The Hangover Part 2 though).

Maybe the fact that I don’t even look like your typical Filipino to begin with may also play a part in where I am now. I have light skin, my hair is naturally curly and I’m often called mestiza or mistaken for being Korean.  During college I picked up and began learning the Japanese language. I became intrigued by everything and took it to the next step by following the fashion/makeup trends in Japan, meeting friends, working for a Japanese company, and going to Japan for travel. I felt like I belonged and I could relate to the people I’ve met in many ways. I learned a lot about self-discipline, how to be on time or even earlier, how to be fair and keep peace with others, how to drink (!), and that being unique was totally acceptable. Don’t get me wrong though, not saying Filipinos aren’t any of these either. I would say Filipinos are well known for being humble and welcoming actually.

I have been to the Philippines before, and like every other country you aren’t familiar with it can be quite the culture shock. The weirdest things for me personally were when people kept commenting on my “white” skin or that I was “fat”. I had a few cries from that but it was later on explained to me that being called fat wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was just another way of saying healthy. That for sure would not pass here though (lol) but I did stand out since majority of Filipino youth over there are very slim. I have vivid memories of my grandma stepping on a cockroach the size of my palm, teaching my cousins about eating bananas with peanut butter (which they thought was totally wacky at the time), freshly cut fruits every morning, and the crystal clear blue water on the beaches. Overall just getting to see where my parents came from was amazing and that made me appreciate what I have back home in Canada.

But really no matter where you’re from, if you were born outside of the country your parents were originally from you need to go take a trip and explore your heritage. You’ll not only learn more about your family but yourself, and an entirely amazing culture you never thought could exist. It sorts out some of the mystification to say the least.