I Became Him

Growing up in the United States was different for me and my siblings compared to an ordinary American family as our father raised us in his traditional Filipino culture. We were not privy to many things as children. We had a difficult time understanding this during our adolescence. It was not until I visited his hometown before I realized the reasons why he raised us in such a manner. As a typical Filipino male, Dad rarely showed emotions and worked very hard to support his family. I never understood him nor felt close to him, until I visited his hometown in the Philippines.