# data[].attributes.body
I have learned a lot from English 101 class. Do I need to emphasize that again? A lot. At the beginning of the semester, I was nervous because writing is not my forte. I do not like writing essays, thesis, paragraphs; I do not like writing at all! I showed on the first day of class and sure thing, Professor Rudham said that there will be three essays for the semester and a lot of reading. I. Was. Scared. I told myself that I would listen to all the instructions to make sure I would have a decent paper to turn in. I learned so much. First, I learned to read what she asked us to read. Really read them and not skim through. I made sure I understood all the readings. Second, having an outline for the essay was extremely helpful. It made me organize all my thoughts and ideas on what write on my paper. Third, I also learned about making sure i support the quotes I have for my essay. Prior to these workshops, I get anxious of actually writing an essay because I find it hard to support my topic. However, if I actually follow my outline and just analyze them one at a time, I was able to support them. I did not think I would be able to write decent essays. Fourth, I also learned how to write in MLA format. I was able to make sure I have cited all my sources for my last essay. It was so much fun. Out of the 3 essays I have written, my favorite one was Unit 2. I learned so much about America from all the sources we had in class. It was an eye-opener especially when I learned about the struggle of African-Americans and prisoners. Moving forward, I would still work on supporting my ideas. For my quotes, I need to integrate them and not leave them hanging on its own. I will definitely keep that in mind. Although my writing is still not 100% error-free, I am proud of what I have written in this class. Overall, English 101 was a fun class. I would definitely take all my learnings when I continue with my major. Last but not the least, I am very thankful to my professor. She guided me every step of the way. She gave me constructive feedback in terms of my writing. I will miss her. Shoutout to Professor Rudham!

# data[].attributes.body
Christmas Season

# data[].attributes.body
Meredith Grey

# data[].attributes.body
Music Artist: Celine Dion
Toy: Barbie
Visual Artwork: Mona Lisa
TV or Print Ad: Coca-Cola Advertisements

# data[].attributes.headline
Between the World & Me // When They Call You a Terrorist

# data[].attributes.subject
Between the World & Me // When They Call You a Terrorist

# data[].attributes.body
"Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body—it is heritage." - Coates

"That was the year that I learned that being Black and poor defined me more than being bright and hopeful and ready." - Khan-Cullors

*The two quotes are connected because they both refer to the lives of African-Americans being vulnerable. Even if they begin to be hopeful with their lives , they get slammed with the social stigma of being underprivileged and having no future.

# data[].attributes.body
In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body—it is heritage."  - Coates

Racism, discrimination, violence are prevalent in our society now. It is normal.

# data[].attributes.body
When I moved to America two years ago, I have only been living in one neighborhood, White Marsh. I like our neighborhood. It is close to many amenities such as the mall, hospital, CCBC Essex and main highways. If I need to run a quick grocery errand, I could easily go to Target and shop there. During the summer, my husband and I go to the Avenue and have a great time at the little park they set up in the middle. However, I have heard stories where some people break into cars around our neighborhood. Once in a while, I would see a helicopter hovering around the area as if they are looking for a fugitive.  My husband does not even let me leave the house during the night. Even if I have heard stories, I don't mind it because it is a convenient place for me.

# data[].attributes.body
Although it is a diverse nation, it's not all good and glory. Discrimination, racism and violence are prevalent. It is sad if you think about it.

# data[].attributes.body
When I think of America, it is a such a diverse nation. People living in America come from different parts of the world. Some of them are in search for a better life, and some are visitors that just want to enjoy what America has to offer.

# data[].attributes.headline
What Have I Learned About Identity so far?

# data[].attributes.subject
What Have I Learned About Identity so far?

# data[].attributes.body
After learning about different identities, I have learned that each of us have our own uniqueness. It could be in terms of gender, culture or how we present ourselves in the society.

# data[].attributes.body
“Sorry, Jesse.” Boss actually does look a little sorry. “This guy is good, a real rez guy. Last name’s  ‘Wolf’. I mean, shit, you can’t get more Indian than that. The Tourists are going to eat it up.”

“The Tourists love me, too.” You sound whiny, but you can’t help it. There’s a sinking feeling in your gut that tells you this is bad, bad, bad.

“You’re good, Jesse. But nobody knows anything about Pueblo Indians, so all you’ve got is that TV shit. This guy, he’s …” Boss snaps his fingers, trying to conjure the word.

“Authentic?” A whisper.

# data[].attributes.headline
Identity Reflection II - IDENTITY INVENTORY

# data[].attributes.subject
Identity Reflection II - IDENTITY INVENTORY

# data[].attributes.body
I have never heard of Identity checklist until my professor assigned it as homework. I quickly looked at the list to see which ones I’d like to do. I looked at the US Citizenship Checklist, Cisgender Checklist, and the White Privilege Checklist.

I browsed through the US Citizenship checklist. Although I am not a US citizen, I made comparison to my Canadian citizenship. There are many perks of being a citizen of North America. Once you have the ‘blue passport’, you basically have access to variety of opportunities. Since I have wanted to travel to different countries, having that blue passport gives me entry with little to no restriction to explore the countries I’d like to visit. I qualify to receive health insurance and financial assistance to support my education. Majority of the things that are on the checklist applies to me because Canada and the US offer similar opportunities.

I did not know what Cisgender meant because it is not something I hear on a regular basis. I read the brief definition of it as being identified as the gender that matches the person assigned at birth. Well, I was born with female organs, and my gender is female so that makes me a cisgender. I have never had to tell anyone what my gender is. However, some things on the checklist made me think, “Huh?”. One example is that “I am not considered mentally ill in terms of expressing my identity”. Although I am “cisgender”/heterosexual, I get disappointed every time someone says that members of LGBTQ have mental illness and that the confusion when it comes to their gender is temporary. Secondly, when I was reading the list, I came across to “I am not expected to explain to friends, family or strangers what it means to be my gender.” I think no one should ever have to do that. I do not owe any explanation to anybody when it comes to my gender. It is my part of my identity, and nobody can take that away from me.

Although the White Privilege Checklist does not apply to me, I read it out of curiosity. I personally do not think the checklist should not be a checklist to begin with. Everyone should be treated equal. I do not like where there is still a division based on skin color. I remember years ago, I was waiting for the elevator at a hotel. A black woman was also waiting, and when the elevator door opened, there was a white lady inside, looked at the lady beside me from head to toe. I would never forget that. In the modern world that we live in today, I still cannot believe that this kind of act still exists. I do not like discrimination whether when it comes to race, color, gender etc. Why can’t everyone respect one another when it comes to their identity?

# data[].attributes.body
How do I interpret the word ‘realness’? It should be straightforward. Being real is being true, especially when it comes to my identity. I was born in the Philippines 28 years ago, and I am the youngest of four siblings. Even though I am the youngest child, I was never spoiled. As a matter of fact, I thank my parents for it. I remember when I was a little kid, I must obey what my parents would tell me. When they get home from work, my mother goes straight to the kitchen to cook our dinner. Everybody in the house must help, including the seven-year-old me. I learned how to cook rice in a pot because electric rice cooker was not a thing back then. After our meal, I would clean up and wash the dishes. I basically learned to do all the household chores at a very young age. And I am thankful for my mother for teaching me to become responsible. Continuing as a child. During the summer, we used to just stay home. My sister and I were not allowed to play outside with other kids, yet we would sneak out during our ‘siesta’ (a short sleep in the afternoon). Why would I want to miss out all the fun? That is what being a kid is for. Being surrounded with other children when I was growing up, helped me become sociable. I learned to be myself and enjoy my innocence. I had many friends in grade school that up until now, I still communicate with. Thank you, social media. Now, my relationship with my sister is not uncommon. We would fight who rides shotgun to go to school whenever our father drops us off. She always used the “I am older than you” card to make me get things for her. Nevertheless, she was and still is my role model. She is very strong when it comes to dealing with life situations, and I think I got that from her. She continues to inspire me to be ambitious. We fight on small things when were kids, and every time we’d look back, my sister and I burst out laughing.

My parents decided to immigrate to Canada. I was on 8th grade when I bid goodbyes to my childhood friends. I did not know what to expect. New country, new school, new friends. Vancouver, Canada is such a diverse city. Several numbers of nationalities live there: Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Australian, and more. The transition when I moved was smooth. I have met new friends in school, mostly Filipinos. In addition, I made sure that even though English is spoken everywhere, I speak Filipino when I am at home. I feel like even though I am a naturalized Canadian, I will always be a Filipino. That is an essential part of my identity that I do not want to disregard.

I was raised in a Catholic home. As a matter of fact, more than 86% of the population in the Philippines is Roman Catholic. I remember I would attend all church occurrence, even attending mass on Wednesdays. A sister from a local church goes to our classroom and teach Catechism. We were taught the rosary, the Saints and more. When I moved to Canada, I learned about other faiths. Some people don’t even have one, yet they say they believe that there is something out there. My husband is Pentecostal Christian. Same as me, born and raised. I do not follow some of his beliefs, and vice versa. However, I fathom to be respectful of one’s faith, especially his. Although religion is a big part of my identity, there are some so called ‘rules’ that I consider otherwise. I believe that a person can be true to him/herself by being open without limitations. I think that if someone has his/her own gender preference, that it should not be condemned by another person. I believe that everyone should be equal when it comes to gender preference because it is a huge part of their identity. If a member of LGBTQ cannot fully express his/her choice, he/she is not being ‘real’. And I feel for them. Sometimes, I think that we live in a cruel society and that it’s only black and white.

In my opinion, being authentic is being able to fully express myself without stepping on anyone’s shoes. If I need to pretend just to please others, that is not myself. That is someone putting a mask on and when no one’s around, will just take it off. I was at a friend’s house last weekend when he started to discuss about someone he knows, who he thinks is being two-faced. He mentioned that he does everything to appease his girlfriend’s family, yet he always mentions something bad about that said family when they’re not around. I believe that is unacceptable. Being fake just to impress other people is something that no one should do.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                                .WHO AM I?.

# data[].attributes.subject
                                                .WHO AM I?.

# data[].attributes.body
I was born in the Philippines.

# data[].attributes.body
I grew up in Canada. I moved to America two years ago.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm the youngest in our family.

# data[].attributes.body
Meet my nephew, Nacho. I love him very much.

# data[].attributes.body
Greys Anatomy is my favorite show.

# data[].attributes.body
My major is Nursing, and I hope to get my Bachelors in three years!