From: leynette@systech.com (Leynette Wissinger)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.filipino
Subject: Re: HOME-BOUND
Date: 21 Aug 92 21:15:17 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Systech Corporation, San Diego

I'm new to this newsgroup and have noticed alot of talk about going
back to the Philippines.  I would like to add my own two cents to this 
thread.  I am a filipina born and raised in the states and my father was
in the US Navy.  After raising us most of our lives here, he decided to
move the family back to the P.I. with plans to retire there...

What I found was that many people do not consider the hardship it causes
their children who are not prepared for the drastic change in lifestyle.
We did stay with my mother's family in Cubao (Manila) when we first
arrived and that wasn't so bad.  But let me tell you, it was one *BIG*
culture shock.  I found that speaking English was a disadvantage because 
people tried to take advantage of us.  I can understand tagalog fluently
(but cannot speak it) and could understand all the things people would say 
about us.  

We ended up living in a subdivision outside of Clark Air Base along with
many other filipino's who'd raised their children in the states and decided
that they wanted the simpler lifestyle the P.I. could offer (Has anyone
attended Wagner High or lived in Carmenville out there?).  But, in the
end everyone ended moving back to the states!   Many of them gave up
alot of the personal/household possessions because it cost too much to
ship back to the states.  Now my brothers and I had it alittle easier as
we had full base privileges because even though my dad was retired, my
mom was a DOD employee.  The same was true for some cousins of mine.
But many of the others had to attend off-base school and they did not
speak tagalog.  They were (for lack of a better term) hassled by the
teachers and students for being so "Americanized".  They found it very
hard to cope.  They also were put 1 year back in school when they went
to the PI and were held back another back when they returned to stateside
schools.  It was even worse for our friends whose parents moved them
into the province first.  These poor kids had NO peer support structure.

Also one of my cousins who obtained a degree in the PI found that it was
not honored here in the states when she went to seek employment.  And,
those who did graduate from PI schools found it difficult to get into
college in the states without first taking some prep classes.

So, in conclusion, please think about moving back very seriously if you
are planning on moving your school aged children with you.  It 
*really* affects your children.  I'm not saying that I did not like it
over there.  I did enjoy many things the PI had to offer (Sarsi, maids,
yardboys, sew-girls, sari-sari stores, Shoemart, my cousins and travel 
among others) but I do feel that I missed out on alot in my teen years by 
being so restricted in my activities.  This feeling is shared by many 
of the children of filipino's who did retire in the PI.  We did and still
remain close to each other as we were each others support in a country
that was "foreign" to us.

Also, if Richard Sucgang (sp?) reads this group I did get your mail from
last year, but lost your e-mail address.  I was on maternity leave at the
time that you sent the mail (from a conference in Anaheim).

...leynette
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|  Leynette Larioza Wissinger                                               |
|  Senior Software Engineer                                                 |
|  Systech Corporation, San Diego, Ca.                                      |
|  leynette@systech.com                                                     |
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.filipino