Cultural Growth.

Alright, so Day 3, looks like I'm keepin' the ball rollin' on this guy.

Although I technically missed doing this 3 days in a row, I'm counting it as such since it's not morning morning (the sun's not up yet). So here we go, let's do this again.

So I have this assignment due tomorrow in Writing & Rhetoric II, a cultural autobiography. It's an essay, minimum three pages, double-spaced, MLA format, etc. etc.

The assignment calls for us to frame our autobiography with foodways. Pretty much, tying something about us with food and connecting it to something bigger.

At first, i struggled. I didn't know what I was going to do my paper on. I couldn't think of anything or anyway of tying something in my life to something bigger. I was at a loss, and I this is why I hate writing essays in the first place.

And then it hit me, I knew what I would write about and its connection to food and everything. I would focus my paper on the value of Kapwa. For those that don't know, Kapwa is a core indigenous Filipino value that establishes a mutual connection to all Filipinos.

Excited, I immediately got to work on my paper and I literally got it done in a half hour. As I hit save, I stopped. I pondered. I realized.

At MCHS, as nice a time as I had there, I always felt conscious of being entirely me. Being practically one of two full Asians in the school, I always felt that if I were to be my fully Filipino self I would stick out, and I hated when I stuck out.

But here at Columbia, I embrace my ethnic identity and proudly walk a full Filipino. I'm proud to say I eat rice with 90% of my meals. I'm proud to be...me.

For the 6 months I've been here in Chicago and the 7 I've been at Columbia, I have definitely grown. I've grown stronger to represent who I am inside and out.

I have culturally grown. I couldn't be any happier.