doe, ray, meme....

photo taken from http://www.birdsasart.com

so, i was just checking out rice daddies and kimchi mamas and some of them completed the following APA parenting meme that i now feel strangely compelled to complete also... i know, i'm such a lemming... but, here goes:

1. I am:
a filipina, born & raised in a northwest side chi-town ghetto. *insert old school house music here*

2. My kids are:
i think they break down this way - 50% filipino, 12.5% irish, 12.5% puerto rican and 25% a colorful goulash of misc. european schtoof.

3. I first realized I was APA when:
i was the only one who used rice to substitute for glue on craft projects in art class. and where did i get the rice? it was, of course, what little rice was left over from my lunch (of rice, smoked fish and banana chips) that i had brought to school that day.

4. People think my name is:
unique. but people also think my first name is jerillee or geruhldee or geraldine - um, *BUZZ* no. and they also think my last name is "united" or pronouced similarly - which it's not and it's not pronounced that way either. and believe it or not, i actually got schooled by an irish friend of mine for pronouncing my husband's irish last name incorrectly. i just cannot win!!!!

what a lot of people also don't know is that each letter in my first name corresponds to someone in my family. and speaking from experience, it's common for filipino parents to whip out their artistic licenses when it comes to naming the fruits o' yer loins. for example, let's say your last name is "Dy". your parents probably thought it would be so TOTALLY cool to name you "John Kenny". seriously, dude... John Kenny Dy. get it? yeah, don't get me started on my childhood girlfriends - Jingle, Joy, Jade and Jen Jen....

5. The family tradition I most want to pass on is:
i can't choose just one - family is your #1 priority, respect your elders (especially YO MOMMA!), always be proactive & volunteer to help, always be thankful for what you have, eat family meals together and ear piercing.

6. The family tradition I least want to pass on is:
passive aggressive behavior especially guilt tripping, showcasing children like *bling*, observing ridiculous superstitions, and random ignorance like - homophobia, racism and how to cure acne.

7. My child's first word in English was:
DADA! (assuming that's really english and she meant my husband...)

8. My child's first non-English word was:
LOLA! (that's "grandma or granny or gran" for some filipinos - other filipinos say "nanay")

9. The non-English word/phrase most used in my home is:
'SusMariJosep! (which doesn't really count since filipinos can't corner the market on jesus, mary and joseph.) so, i guess "Maarte!" (which loosely translated means "omigodquitbeingsuchadramaqueen!!!")

10. One thing I love about being an APA parent is:
i love being filipino so, i get to share what that all means/encompasses with my children and i also get to re-live the best parts of my childhood (as a filipina, a chicagoan and an american) with them.

11. One thing I hate about being an APA parent is:
getting mistaken for the foreign live in nanny...

12. The best thing about being part of an APA family is:
realizing how similar we are to non-APA families, and embracing our differences - a) the food is WAAY mo' bettah and b) my family is hella proud we're from the ghetto.

13. The worst thing about being part of an APA family is:
many of us (not all) don't realize that we're like all the other families and tend to self-segregate instead of reaching out to find where we do relate.

14. To me, being Asian Pacific American means:
i am a person of color which comes with so many gifts and a huge responsibility - to always be the best person (filipino, chicagoan, american, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, writer, artist) i can be, to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with others, and care for my family - the family i know and the family i have yet to meet.