TWO IN ONE
Through out high school,
I choose to ignore my
Filipino side. The most
important thing for me is
to fit in-, wear the latest
clothes, listen to the
coolest music, speak the

If anyone ask me
my ethnic
background, I
emphasized that I
was half-white,
leaving out that I
was half-Filipino

If prodded any
further, I said that
my mother was born
in the Philippines,
but that she was
definitely mixed
with Spanish blood .

. Somehow I had
came to the
conclusion that to
be American Meant I
should exclude my
Filipino heritage.

To include it also
might mean I wouldn’t
fit in with my teenager-
I had never been to the
Philippines. I spoke
only English, and I
practiced no Filipino
customs.

Since I came to
collage, I have been
exploring the Filipino
culture more as part of
my family history than
as my own culture.
This is a step toward
true recognition of my

Though I have been
raised in America
and have lived the “
American” culture,
this doesn’t mean I
should deny that I
am also a Filipino.

My Filipino
heritage has a
claim on me that
has been waiting
to be explored
further-waiting to
include me-and in

.. Growing up as a
mixed Asian and
American has
made me aware
that it isn’t
necessary for me
to be 100%

Now, as I begin to
study Filipino
history and culture
through research
and from my mother,
I integrate this new
knowledge with my
American culture.

This process of
integration bridges
the two identities that
make who I am. Now, I
no longer say I am
American or all
Filipino, instead I can
proudly say that I am
both.

Comprehension Check
1. What is the text all
about?
3. What did the writer
finally realize about the
integration of different
cultures in him?

• 3. Which culture, do you
think, was predominant
in him? Why do you
think so?
• 4. What type of text is
it? Why do you think so?
• 5. Who could have written
it? Why do you think so?