The Philippines is in the Southeast region of Asia, consisting of 7,100 islands. The national Filipino language is Tagalog, however, there are more than 87 languages and dialects in the Philippines. The Philippines takes its name from Philip II, the king of Spain during the Spanish colonization in the 16th century. While under Spanish rule, some of the Spanish culture influenced the Filipino culture. For example, the Spanish colonizers established Catholicism in the Philippines. Now Catholicism is the dominant religion in the Philippines. In 1898, the United States acquired the Philippines from Spain. This transition caused American culture to influence Filipino culture. During World War II, Japan occupied the Philippines. Nevertheless, the Philippines gained liberation in 1945 at the end of WWII. After learning a bit about the Philippines, I would like to share some of my memories in my home country.
My first memory is the local Taho vendor screaming “Taho!” down the street. Taho is a savory snack. The Taho vendor has two large canisters (with handles) attached to a long pole on either side. The vendor puts the long pole on their shoulder or their back to hold the canisters. One of the canisters is filled with silken tofu while the other canister has separate holders for arnibal (Tagalog for brown sugar), sago pearls, and the cash box. Even though Taho is a simple snack to create on your own, it is nostalgic to come running down the stairs as little kids when you hear “TAHO” to see the Taho guy make it in front of you. Taho tastes like this sweet, soft, and creamy treat. When I came to the States, the ice cream truck reminded me of the Taho guy where little children come running for ice cream.
This will be weird to say but I miss the Filipino Jeepney. A Jeepney is a colorful and bright public transportation vehicle. To help visualize it, think of a school bus but painted with colorful designs. It has no door in the front and back of the vehicle. There are also no windows on the sides. It is a bit crowded inside because of the tight seating. A Jeepney can hold up to 25 people at the same time, but many people find ways to exceed the capacity of 25 riders. For example, people have hitched a ride on Jeepneys by hanging on the side or riding on top of the Jeepneys. I have a big family so we used to own a Jeepney, and it would be a big family ride traveling. I miss riding the Jeepney because I miss seeing the view of the city while being close to family. The St. Petersburg Downtown Looper reminds me of the Jeepneys because the Loopers are colorful and an easy and cheap means of travel in the city like the Jeepneys.
My last memory is the beautiful views in the Philippines. For example, Palawan’s beaches and caves are gorgeous. I remembered how the water was so clear. My cousins, older brother, and I found sea creatures in the water- bright pink starfishes, beautiful hermit crabs, and a school of little fishes swimming in groups. The cave that I visited in Palawan is the Puerto Princesa. There are boat tours to go through the Puerto Princesa underground cave. At the beginning of the tour, you are given a headphone set, you can set the language to English or Tagalog. The headphone set is for the tour. The headphone displays audio visualization of the sights in the cave. For example, it will give a description of the shiny cave wall features. In addition, the tour guide, guiding the boat throughout the journey, will point out special features in the cave. One feature that I remembered was a figure of the Virgin Mary praying. I remembered the tour guide showing a stone with his flashlight and pointing out the features of the Virgin Mary praying. The tour guide said that the small stone in front of the big stone is Mary’s hands put together in prayer form. The big stone is Mary’s body as she is kneeling on the floor praying. I could not see it, however, my brother said he could see it. I was just amazed at how beautiful the cave walls are. The walls were a beautiful shade of shiny yellow. I was surprised that the bats were not loud or disruptive throughout the journey. I loved this experience because it felt surreal, but also the tour guide was funny. My tour guide made little shadow puppets with his flashlight and hands. Overall, the beaches and caves were an extravagant experience that I enjoyed.
In the end, I miss the Philippines a lot! I like thinking about the small moments in the Philippines from the past. I plan to visit the Philippines again in the future, but until then, I am happy looking back at the small things in my life. I hope everyone can find happiness in the small moments of life.