1. 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
2.
3. If anyone ask me
my ethnic
background, I
emphasized that I
was half-white,
leaving out that I
was half-Filipino
4.
5. If prodded any
further, I said that
my mother was born
in the Philippines,
but that she was
definitely mixed
with Spanish blood .
6.
7. . Somehow I had
came to the
conclusion that to
be American Meant I
should exclude my
Filipino heritage.
8.
9. To include it also
might mean I wouldnât
fit in with my teenager-
I had never been to the
Philippines. I spoke
only English, and I
practiced no Filipino
customs.
10.
11. 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
12.
13. Though I have been
raised in America
and have lived the â
Americanâ culture,
this doesnât mean I
should deny that I
am also a Filipino.
14.
15. My Filipino
heritage has a
claim on me that
has been waiting
to be explored
further-waiting to
include me-and in
16.
17. .. Growing up as a
mixed Asian and
American has
made me aware
that it isnât
necessary for me
to be 100%
18.
19. 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.
20.
21. 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.
22.
23. Comprehension Check
1. What is the text all
about?
3. What did the writer
finally realize about the
integration of different
cultures in him?
24.
25. âą 3. Which culture, do you
think, was predominant
in him? Why do you
think so?
âą 4. What type of text is
it? Why do you think so?
âą 5. Who could have written
it? Why do you think so?