I was born in Houston, Texas but I moved to the Philippines with my mom when I was 4 so she could get her nursing and graduate degrees. We moved into my grandparents’ home. I was the oldest grandchild, so I was the only kid in the house for a while.
Before you go to grade school, you have kindergarten and prep. I started in kindergarten at the same Catholic school my cousins, aunts and uncles went to. History is taught in Tagalog, the native language, but I struggled in first grade, so I took the course in English with some non-Filipino students.
My mom moved back to Houston when I was 11. By this time, many more of my family members were living at my grandparent’s home so it was always full. I always had a roommate, whether it was my aunt or cousin. I didn’t want to leave them or my friends, so my mom let me stay.
One of my favorite traditions was what my cousins and I called Grandpa’s Day. My grandpa was a politician and was always very busy with work, but every Wednesday, he’d take all of the grandkids to the mall to watch a movie and eat dinner.
My grandmother had a big influence on my love for food. Growing up, I would almost always sit next to my grandma at the dinner table as the oldest grandchild. She would always scare me and tell me that I wouldn’t grow if I didn’t eat. If I looked away at dinner, she’d pile more food onto my plate. She’s definitely the reason that I’m not a picky eater.
Some of my favorite foods are adobo chicken and pork sisig, which is basically pig face served on a simmering plate and I love leche flan and halo-halo for dessert. I try to take my friends to the Filipino restaurants around San Antonio but I miss the food there so much.
Though I moved back to Texas after high school graduation in the Philippines, I go back at least every year to visit my family. I love Filipino culture, especially around Christmas-time and I’m grateful that I was able to spend my formative years there.
Story: Claire Schenken, Photo: Sujaan Lal