FInal Post - Life in the PI

This past month spent in the Philippines was an incredible experience. Studying abroad in the Philippines granted me the opportunity to experience first hand what life is like in a completely different part of the world. It was amazing to witness the diversity within the islands, as well as the diversity that existed between the different people that inhabit these islands. Our month in the Philippines opened my eyes to many of the realities that people living in other countries must face on a regular basis, many of which I had not been exposed to living in America.  In comparison to the United States, there was an abundance of difference to absorb and contemplate as we traveled throughout the Philippines, a country that is still very reminiscent of the hundreds of years of colonization that it endured. The amount of knowledge, culture and history that we were exposed to while on this trip was priceless, helping each of us find our own individual place in relation to the world that surrounds us. One of the best things about this trip was that it allowed me to connect with others of all different backgrounds. All of my experiences in the Philippines, both individually and as a group, are invaluable to me. As I continue to absorb and process everything that we experienced this summer in the Philippines, I become more and more aware of how much perspective this trip has given me.           

As I sit back and reflect on my experiences, it's hard to put any of it into words. When people ask me how my trip was, it seems nearly impossible to be able to even slightly express what it was truly like being in the Philippines for even just a month. Just as others don't know what life is like in the Philippines without going there themselves, I play the role of the outsider as well, being that I am a white American visiting the Philippines, I will never fully experience what most Filipinos living in the Philippines do. Yet, despite my own difference, I attempted to connect with others in search of what a ‘true’ Filipino is, hoping to connect with them and experience that myself. As I got to know more and more people, connecting with various people throughout our excursions, several things became apparent to me. Despite all of the hardship that plagues the Philippines, the most notably thing that I noticed was that people there are happy. This fact alone acted as a true wake up call, reminding me that as much value as American society places on money, it’s not money that buys one’s happiness.

Initially I was unsure of what to expect when arriving in the Philippines. Having heard about the Spanish, American, and even Japanese occupation that the Philippines endured for over 300 years combined, I was curious as to what the remaining effects would be. As we delved deeper in Filipino culture, it become apparent that even almost 75 years after their independence was declared, the Philippines is still heavily dependent on both American culture and politics. It was sad to realize that for over 400 years, the Philippines were developed solely under colonial rule. In his piece, Ileto expresses his own opinions on the dynamics of the relationship between the United States and the Philippines. One topic that he focuses on is ‘amigo warfare,’ the Filipino style of resistance in which Filipinos were friendly towards Americans during the day or when confronted, but at night or when no one was looking, they were guerrillas (Ileto, The Philippine American War, Friendship and Forgetting). I found the fact that Americans identified this shifting of identities as anything other than a mirror image of their own tactics to be ironic, after all, it was the Americans who staged a mock battle in order to make it seem like they were protecting Filipinos, when in reality, they tricked, tortured and killed them mercilessly for their own advantages.

The United States’ primary goal was to colonize the Philippines for it’s own advantage, while falsely stating that it was for the sake of the Filipinos rather than for their American imperialistic ideals. The Americans brought with them their own customs and beliefs, placing claim on anything they desired. In their conquest, the Americans stole from, killed, and abused Filipinos, implementing their own system of ideals in suppression of the native Filipino identity. After years of being told that they were inferior to Americans, Filipinos began to shift their perspective into one that focused on this belief, leading to the belief that "Mother America" is owed a lifelong inner debt, or utangna hob, by the Filipino people she nurtured” (Ileto, The Philippine American War, Friendship and Forgetting).

Through their colonization of the Philippines, the Americans acted under a veil of secrecy, disguising their goal of complete control of the Philippines as a mission to reeducate and civilize the people of the Philippines, although the Americans never had any intentions of implementing their systems throughout the islands for the sake of Filipinos. In his piece, Constantino discusses how effective capturing one’s mind can be, stating, “The molding of men's minds is the best means of conquest.” As a result, education “serves as a weapon in wars of colonial conquest” (Constantino “The Miseducation of the Filipino”) . A major component of the implementation of an American system was the reeducation of the Philippines. As Constantino points out in his piece, the educational system introduced by the Americans had to correspond, and was designed to correspond, to the economic and political reality of American conquest (Constantino “The Miseducation of the Filipino”).

Another way that America hoped to restructure the Philippines was through the implementation of their own national language, English. By replacing native Filipino dialects with English, America helped to dissolve Filipino identity and maneuverability by limiting their ability to interact with, and counteract American colonization. By setting English as a standard in the educational system, America created a new generation of Filipino-Americans, one that “had already come of age thinking and acting like little Americans.” As a result of this new educational system, the native Filipino was misled and misinformed, replacing any Filipino nationalism with a new surge of American nationalism.

Colonial mentality has been defined as a specific form of internalized oppression following colonialism (David and Okazaki, The Colonial Mentality Scale for Filipino Americans). The colonial mentality that came about as a result of this Americanization of the Philippines is directly reminiscent of America’s treatment of the Philippines. The new mentality adopted by Filipinos was measured as five correlated factors that reflect five distinct ways colonial mentality has been manifested by Filipinos. David and Okazaki identified these manifestations as “internalized cultural and ethnic inferiority, cultural shame and embarrassment, within-group discrimination, physical characteristics, and colonial debt” (David and Okazaki, The Colonial Mentality Scale for Filipino Americans).

As I spent time connecting with Filipinos, I began to understand how much colonial mentality still affects the Philippines today. An overwhelming number of people I spoke to communicated a desire to visit and move to America, expressing jealously of my own position as an American. Many of them spoke of ‘the American Dream,’ but when asked what this meant, had no clear explanation for; they simply maintain this concept of colonial mentality, and the idea that life is better in America. Ironically enough, it was the people of the Philippines who showed me how good life can be despite not having much. As a foreign visitor, I constantly observed and thought about not only the differences between America and the Philippines, but about all of the differences that I found between myself and the people of the Philippines.

Overall, I am confident that this trip has changed who I am. This past month initiated a changed within myself that has significantly changed who I am as a person and how I view the world. I have been very humbled by this entire experience, and now view myself in relation to the rest of the world in a much more selfless way. As I travel more and more, I realize that there are many different ways of doing things. At times, I’ve learned, it is best to just go with the flow, accepting that not everything is like it is at home. Being immersed into Filipino culture allowed me the opportunity to find my own self in relation to the world around me. More than anything, I have found myself focusing on the perspective that I’ve gained, as this trip alone has given me more perspective than anything else I’ve experienced.  It has given me perspective to look outside of myself and perspective to look outside of my own comfort zone.

One of the best aspects of this entire trip was the group dynamic. Being able to experience such an adventure oneself is an amazing experience, but being able to share it with others makes it an incredible experience. It was a privilege to be able to go on this program with such a diverse group of individuals and it was rewarding to see what everyone had to offer each other, because each of us were of a vastly different background. The combination of each individual and personality on this program allowed a family-like dynamic to develop, which, as we all know, can set the stage for some excitement.

Personally, I benefited a lot from being a part of this group. As always, when in a group, each person has something that they can offer to the larger group as a whole. Over time, it was interesting to see people’s personalities develop as they learned more about each other, becoming closer and closer as the days passed. It was impossible not to become connected to each member of the group, as they essentially became a member of our family, living, eating and sleeping in such close quarters. Being a part of the group, my biggest advantage was being able to get a firsthand insight into so many different perspectives. As mentioned, with each of us coming from such a different background, many viewpoints different from my own were brought up. I was able to see a lot of things from another’s perspective, which is an eye opening experience, ultimately resulting in a  higher level of understanding.

When working and living together as a group, one must remain selfless. There are many times that one must consider others before they consider themselves. At times, within the group, issues arose, but mostly simple matters. Any time there was a concern, people dealt with it accordingly, putting the issue on the table and reaching a common resolution. When issues arose within the group as a whole, we sat down as a group and reach a resolution. For the most part, everybody supported everybody in any way that they could. People offered each other everything from snacks, food, medicine, sunblock and bug spray, to whatever else might have been needed by another in the group. When decisions needed to be made, they were brought up within the group. Everybody’s opinions were accounted for, and as a group, we tried to respect and accommodate everyone. When it came down to it, for the most part decisions were based off of what we could do that would satisfy the biggest number of people.

The contributions that everybody brought with them are innumerable. Individually, each member of this group acted as one piece of the puzzle, which when put together, is completed. Each member helped to balance the group as a whole, offering insight into areas untouched by others. Personally, I know that each member of this group helped to teach me more about myself and my own position in the world. Time after time, I was left speechless; dumbfounded by a realization or point brought forth by another member of the group that I had never before considered. Each of us are walking away from this experience with a new family to remember and keep in touch with. Everybody found their niche within the group and it was rewarding to be able to see everybody laugh and smile together as we counted our last moments together. Even now, two weeks after the program ended, I think that we each are still realizing how much this trip has changed us, how affected by everything we were, and how rewarding it was to be a part of our group. As the weeks pass and I continue to process our summer in the Philippines, I become more and more thankful for how much perspective this trip has given me.   

Works Cited

Constantino, R. (1982). Miseducation of Filipinos. In I In A.V. Shaw & L.H Francia, Vestiges of war. (pp. 177-192). New York: New York Press.

David, E.J.R., & Okazaki, S. (2006). The Colonial Mentality Scale (CMS) for Filipino Americans: Scale construction and psychological implications: A review and recommendation.
Journal of Counseling Psychology 53 (1), pp. 1–16. 

Ileto, R.C. (1998). The Philippine-American War, Friendship and Forgetting. In Shaw,A.V. & Francia, L.H. Vestiges of war. (pp. 3-21). New York: New York Press.