Edu 280 - Individual Cultural Project

Dave Gabriel
C. Odtuhan
Individual Cultural Collage
Cultural Belonging
I am a full Filipino. I was born and raised in the Philippines until I

was 13 years old. I was born on an island called Leyte in the
Visayas region. My island is known for our delicacies such as
moron, which is sweet chocolate rice cake made with rice flour
cooked in coconut milk and cocoa powder, and binagol, which is
made from grated taro, condensed milk, egg yolks, coconut milk,
and cooked in coconut shell covered in banana leaves.
Cultural Belonging
In Leyte, we speak a local dialect called Waray-waray. Waray is considered an

Austronesian language which includes Malay, Javanese, Balinese, and many
more. However, due to Spanish influence, part of my local dialect has been fused
with the Spanish language. For instance, when we count, numbers one through
ten are in the Waray dialect, but when we reach eleven and above, it changes to
Spanish. When I think about it, it seems weird and off, but it is also impressive
that we shift into another language naturally when speaking. In fact, it feels more
natural to count in Spanish when we reach 11 than it does with the local dialect.
Since the Philippines has Filipino (standardized Tagalog) and English as its
official languages, I was also required to take these language courses in school.
So, aside from Waray, I also speak Tagalog, Bisaya, and English.
Cultural Belonging
Due to Spanish colonization, the majority of

the Philippines’ population are Christians.
With that being said, Christmas is probably
the biggest holiday in the country. We
recognize the start of the Christmas season in
September because of what we call the “ber”
months (September-December).
Interestingly, we also celebrate the Day of the
Dead and Flores de Mayo in the Philippines
from the pre-hispanic era. One of the things I
love about my culture is the different kinds of
festivals we have. The festivals such as
Sinulog, Pintados, Pasaka, and Dinagyang are
a fun and creative way to showcase each
province’s known products or to show
gratitude to the patron saints for the
blessings. It involves a lot of cultural dance,
costumes, and vibrant colors.
Early Christmas Flores de Mayo Pintados Festival

Life Experiences
One of the most significant experiences I’ve had was a near death experience
during a super typhoon in 2013. Unfortunately, my region in the Philippines
faces towards the west of the Pacific Ocean, which has one of the warmest water,
making it vulnerable to typhoons. In 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the
strongest tropical storms ever recorded, devastated the Visayas region, most
especially the islands of Samar and Leyte. With sustained winds of 195 mph and
gusts up to 235 mph, it produced a storm surge killing thousands of people and
leaving the survivors homeless. All forms of transportation and electronic
communication were ruined, and the national government could not send help
immediately. It took three days before we received any national and international
aid. This was the first time I saw dead bodies lying on the streets and people
killing each other for necessities such as food, water, and gas. Despite all of this,
I was happy to have been with my family and relatives in one house. We all helped
each other to survive by scavenging through the debris for canned foods and
bottled beverages. We also helped each other heal through late night talks. This
experience showed me a fine line between life and death, and it taught me to be
more compassionate and appreciative. Most importantly, it taught me to see the
silver lining no matter how bad my situation is.
11-year old me with

family and friends
after the typhoon
Life Experiences
Another experience that was life changing was immigrating to the US. Realistically, Leyte is
one of the most vulnerable parts of the Philippines to water related disasters, which leads
to delayed development, and poverty. Despite all the things my family and I loved about the
Philippines, we decided that it was best for us to move here in the US. I moved to Maui,
Hawaii in 2015, and the experience was overwhelming in both good and bad ways for me.
Two weeks after I moved, I had to start 7th grade despite not having fully adjusted to all the
changes. I struggled so much due to the new language, culture, people, and educational
system. I was enrolled in my school’s English Language Learner (ELL) program where I
met students from Vietnam, Japan, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and other parts of the
Philippines. I got to know more about their cultures and traditions, which started my
interests in traveling and experiencing diverse cultures. On top of that, I had the best
social studies teacher, Mr. Arase, who taught me everything I wanted to learn about
geography and Hawaiian culture. He was the type of teacher who invests and believes in
your capabilities regardless of any hindrance. He inspired me to become a teacher just like
him.
My classmates and I in ELL

celebrating after WIDA Tests
World View
I really value respect. I think the only way to develop and maintain healthy
relationships is to have respect for one another. I believe that it’s the foundation
that holds families, friends, colleagues, and partners together. When you are
respectful, you foster a climate that is supportive, and cooperative to yourself
and to others. After all, people will only remember you for the kind of person you
are.
Aside from respect, I also value giving back to the community. Coming from an
impoverished place, I have always wanted to help eliminate poverty. I believe that
getting an education is a good first step to break the cycle; this is the reason I
truly value and advocate for education. I have seen that people who live in
poverty have an already limited opportunity to pull themselves out of that
situation. For instance, although education is encouraged for children in my
hometown, many lack access to it due to transportation costs. Also, many
children are pulled out early to help their families make ends meet. In fact, my
own mom only finished elementary school, and my dad attended some high
school. Unfortunately, many of my friends and relatives are still stuck in this
continuous cycle and this is why I want to give back to the community and uplift
each other.
Children scavenging
for recyclables to help
their families.
Worldview
My family and I are Roman Catholics, but I’m not the most religious
person. The reason for this is because there are certain values that my
religion holds that I do not agree with. Back in sixth grade, I had a religion
class where our religious values were discussed, and one of the things that
made me drift away from my religion was the constant reminder that
homosexuality is immoral and sinful. Because of that, I was scared to come
out, and I hated myself for being homosexual for many years. I kept
praying for God to change me and it didn’t happen. I just got tired of
fighting myself and slowly learned to embrace my own individuality.
In terms of biases, I think I have affinity and distance bias. This means that
there are times when I prefer what is like me over what is different and
what is closer over what is farther. This happens unconsciously. For
example, I prefer to work with people who work, talk, and look like me
because I feel that I will get along with them better.
I don’t really like to limit myself with long term goals because I believe that
anything can change at any time. This means that I can set a goal, and if
that changes and I don’t achieve it, then it’s fine. However, my current goal
is to graduate with a Bachelor’s and start a career in teaching. Once I
achieve that, I want to save up and get myself an apartment with a brand
new Mazda 3. I also want to build my parents a small house in the
Philippines with everything they need.
Cultural Artifacts
I am Filipino. I like to take photographs. I love volleyball and the

beach.

Edu 280 - Individual Cultural Project

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Dave Gabriel

I am a full Filipino. I was born and raised in the Philippines until I

In Leyte, we speak a local dialect called Waray-waray. Waray is considered an

Due to Spanish colonization, the majority of

Early Christmas Flores de Mayo Pintados Festival

11-year old me with

My classmates and I in ELL

I am Filipino. I like to take photographs. I love volleyball and the

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