THE LOCAL FILIPINO THAT WENT TO LAS VEGAS
Written by: Chachie Abara
Date: July 3, 2022
Ryan Farinas (he/him), a second generation Filipino-American who is the only child of Mr and Mrs. Farinas of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. Personally, Ryan struggled in embracing his own cultural identity but through learning what his own culture has to offer and give, he was able to learn the language, specifically the culture, superstitious, tradition that we practice and why we do certain things that can seem to be very complex.
To this day, since the interview Ryan continues to still learn about his own Filipino identity and culture. To get a sense of how Filipinos are and which is why we’re separated from other cultures. Filipinos are regarded as such hard working people, having a mindset to work hard and live a good life and provide for their family. Our culture has so much to offer and learn about. The practices we do, the types of food we eat, it’s so interesting learning about it from our parents, our grandparents, our family.
POST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF DURING THE INTERVIEW
What I learned about myself during the interview was I had a lot to say about my Filipino culture. I realized how much I still need to learn about our culture, the way I explained my life and how my personal experiences have impacted my views on what it means to be Filipino. I feel like I also learned to speak out more and break out of my shell, being able to share my stories and experiences.
HOW CAN WE BE PROACTIVE IN SHARING OUR CULTURE?
Being able to teach not only our Filipino community but others as well. Also, continue to practice what we’ve learned from our parents, our grandparents and continue to instill it in our everyday lives to be able to preserve it for future generations to come. Also, being able to use social media as a platform to promote our Filipino culture. As well as having festivals and community gatherings to spread our culture and enjoy our traditions.
WHAT IS ONE QUESTION YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK CHACHIE?
What made you realize that you wanted to do these podcasts and want to spread awareness of our Filipino culture by creating Filipino related pages on social media?
Thanks Ryan for your question! Honestly it was my passion and heart for telling stories of our Filipinos and the curiosity of learning more about who we are aside from going back to my ancestral history with my family. -- From cresting Kasamahan Co (Reclaiming Filipino Identity) to fostering different language learning accounts like Agadal Ilokano, Speak Pangasinan. i was able to really go with community and continue to do the work in allowing them to find a platform to share their own experiences.