Interact with “I Was Their American Dream” by Dranyel Tan

Household rules in her Filipino home

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:28:23 UTC

In page 30, she added an activity page for the readers to guess which among the typical teenage American norms her mom allowed her and did not allow her to do. Her mom must have not trusted the people around Malika so she prohibited her from being out after school or sleepovers. The family also have good home cooked meals that are healthy for her so they limited her junk intake. For most Filipino households, English cussing is not as disrespectful unless they are in Filipino and movie ratings are not really a concern unless there is pornographic or any sexual theme then it is not for the younger audiences.

How-To-Play with Malika and Cousins

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:28:35 UTC

Malika grew up with her Filipino family and often hangout with her Filipino cousins. In page 51, she wrote a tutorial for the games they played. The "Evil Sand Trap" is a common prank in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. Instead of newspaper, they are usually made of tree twigs and leaves with sprinkled sand on top. They can go deep enough to trap a whole leg!

Malika's Diary

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:30:55 UTC

Malika reveals her teenage self with a collage of her diary back then in page 77. The resemblance of her character in the book and real life is evident with her short curly hair that levels to her jawline. Her creativity from her teenage years, even her handwriting, is expressed in her graphic novel. She is no longer suppressing her art and herself as she expresses her cultural identity in the novel.

Instructions for the Mini Zine

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:31:06 UTC

Dress up Malika to Fit in

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:31:21 UTC

When Malika was finally in college, she attended a university in Syracuse, New York where most of the student population are White Americans. She tried to fit in with their style thus she depicts this as a game of dress up. However, if one tries to dress her up with the other outfits, they will find that they do not truly fit her but only the style that she was already wearing to begin with. This portrays how Malika can only be well fit with her own clothes, her own identity.

Choose Your Outfit

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:31:33 UTC

Microagressions Check

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:31:53 UTC

As Malika got exposed to more White people, she realizes how they perceive people of color like her. It may not seem like it is doing any harm but microaggressions are just a form of indiscreet discrimination. Almost everytime that she encountered White Americans they never fail to give her microaggressions that if they were written in a bingo card she would win the blackout.

Remember Filipino

tandranyel — 2024-05-13 20:32:15 UTC

Malika met Darren and eventually became her partner for life. She shares her cultural identity and wants him to be knowledgeable about it since he will be a part of her family. Sharing her culture through the form of memory cards is also a way for Malika and her fellow Filipino audience to remember their Filipino identity. Additionally, it is a fun activity for readers of different ethnicities to learn some Filipino facts.