This week, we went back to the West Center for another LEG. An elderly lady walked towards the table closest to me and placed her walker on one side and looked around as if she didn’t quite know exactly what the event was for as she sat down. I immediately approached her and introduced myself. She shook my hand and introduced herself as, “Cora.” She said through a chuckle, “I’m not sure what’s happening here, they just told me to go, so I’m here!” She sounded a lot like my own grandmothers. She pointed at the Filipino sun on my shirt and asked if I was Filipina and if I could speak Tagalog. We ended up spending most of our conversation in Tagalog, which I hadn’t done in a while! She asked me where exactly in the Philippines my family was from, as we Filipinos tend to do when we meet other Filipinos in America (at least those generations who have relatively recently migrated to the U.S.). I told her I’m from Pampanga, and to my surprise, she started saying several phrases in Kapampangan, my native dialect! She told me she wasn’t Kapampangan herself, but she is from another province, Pangasinan. She had just picked up on those phrases and as well as several others in different Filipino dialects, just from being exposed to them throughout her life. I was so impressed. When Cora spoke in Kapampangan, I was flooded with feelings that reminded me of my family and my home. Language can be such a significant barrier as people try to communicate and make connections with others, but even knowing a simple phrase can sometimes have such a big impact on how an interaction and connection can develop. I wonder how many people Cora has connected with by using such phrases, in the same way she had with me when she first said, “Mekeni” (“Come here” in Kapampangan) and gestured for me to sit next to her. When we settled in our seats, Cora asked what the event was and so I explained to her that we were there for an intergenerational “Story Sharing” event and told her a bit more about the LCS program. She loved the idea of the event and said she would be willing to go again. I learned that she’s actually a volunteer at the West Center and had been volunteering there for 16 years! She shared with me that throughout her time as a volunteer, she’s seen the West Center help countless seniors in the community the way it has helped her as well. Her favorite events to go to are the bingo days, where she buys herself 6 cards at a time. When she’s not volunteering or playing bingo at the West Center, she’s usually out with her friends dancing or occasionally trying her luck at the casino. I asked her was her life was like when she was my age, at about 20 or 21 years old, and she replied, “Masaya”. In Tagalog, “masaya” means happy and fun, or the feeling of having a good time. She was already married and had kids at that time. She asked me how many kids I had and then corrected herself, saying that I probably didn’t since our generation seemed to get married and have children much later than her generation. Eventually, it got to a point where I didn’t need to be actively asking her questions anymore. By that, I mean, it wasn’t so much like facilitating a discussion but rather we were just having a conversation and getting to know one another. It was like talking to my own grandmothers and in a way, it was also like talking to a friend (she even shared some “chismis” with me, or “gossip” in Filipino, about some of her friends!). Within the hour that we spoke, we had shared stories about family and friends, love and heartbreak, and happiness and sacrifice. I’m very thankful for the time I was able to spend with Cora and I am so grateful that she was willing to share all of those memories about her life with me. When it was about time for us to wrap up, I told her that we were coming back and her face lit up. She asked, “Kailan? When?”. I look forward to seeing her again when we go back to the West Center for our HAP later this month! (From the title, “Kapilan” means “When” in Kapampangan.)
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Claudia MabantaWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
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