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Binitay: A home away from “home”.

Philippine American Community Center of Michigan
Philippine American Community Center of Michigan

9 days to go for my Kickstarter campaign. It was not until 2007 that I had first met Filipinos since the time of my adoption.  This is one of many homes of “Little Manila” in Michigan.  It was my first culture shock, or taste of it, If put in any simplest words.  It was the first time seeing other people who looked just like me.  It was the first time looking similarly to someone else, ethnicity-wise.  This is the Philippine American Community Center of Michigan.  Although coming here, I feel at home, at the same time I have an internal struggle of belonging.  Something is missing…

From here is when the ball was set in motion for a chain reaction of events and a series of things fell into place.

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I invite you to join me on the rest of this journey to reach back as I move forward.

–> Visit my Kickstarter campaign at http://kck.st/filipinoadoptee

–> Join our Facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/binitaydocumentary

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Myself in the others. Fitting in.

"Caught within the Whiteness"
“Caught within the Whiteness”

Reflecting while growing up, the only ‘culture identity’ i had was existing with my white Caucasian family and a product of their upbringings.  I had not known what Asians, especially Filipinos,  were really like or what to be Asian really meant.  Even worst off, the only concept I had was projected to me via visual media and movies.  At the same time, I would still identify as Filipino.   There was a clash of my  own perceptions I had about myself and how others had viewed me, depending on who it is.

Certain life events put in motion a transformation within me.

Throughout the years, I’ve challenged my own identity because of the questions that have arose.  Out of the woodwork arose a new identity each time.  I defined and redefined who I am, was, and will be.

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Sino ako? “Who am I?”

"James Beni Ronde" etched in crayon by foster family member named "Yami".
“James Beni Ronde” etched in crayon by foster family member named “Yami”.

 

Who am I?  Well before, I was born without a name or identity.  I was given the name James Beni Ronde by the DSW RSCC of Cebu, Philippines.

 

 

 

 

 

James Beni Wilson, June 2013
James Beni Wilson, June 2013

Who am I now?  I’m an ordinary college kid just like many of you.  I wake up to a nice cup of hot coffee every morning which is the best part of waking up.Coffee is my drug, keeps me sane and also unites me with friends, family and colleagues.  As you can see the background in my picture, my profile picture was taken at Starbucks.  I also like to support local coffee shops as well.

 

 

 

 

Leche Flan

 

 

I enjoy cooking but only as a hobby.  I’ve learned how to cook various Filipino foods in my past 6 years of being en-cultured among Filipinos.  My best dish which I’ve altered a bit to my own taste and made my own was my friend’s grandmother’s recipe, Lola Berenguer.

 

During off campus hours, on Sundays, I facilitate a class known as Filipino Youth Initiative.   It’s a class that was founded under Filipino American National Historical Society Michigan Chapter.  It uses a two sided trans-formative learning style where both the facilitator and the mentees engage in dialogue about aspects of the history of Filipinos in America via visual and audio media, self reflection, and oral history where they interview their family members to tell their life stories.

DSC00620
One of my mentees, Georgina.

 

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I invite you to join me on the rest of this journey to reach back as I move forward.

–> Visit my Kickstarter campaign at http://kck.st/filipinoadoptee

–> Join our Facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/binitaydocumentary

_________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The last memory of my Filipino “souls” on Philippine Soil

My first shoes. They still have dried Philippine soil on the bottom
My first shoes. They still have dried Philippine soil on the bottom

From my souls of my shoes are the remnants of old Philippine soil from when I had last set foot.

I was three and a half years old when I was last in the Philippines.  The old memory of confusion is blurred by flashes of a camera, the bright Eastern Sun blinding me, and the cement buildings and dirty streets where my footprints last print.  People challenge how I still remember that last day, but I describe it to my adoptive mother (my mom now), and she affirms every moment I reminiscence.

I recall those cement buildings standing tall against the sunlight.  I remember the streets and the fatigue from walking about with my foster parents at that time.

Tatay Pepeng, Ate Dagoy, Mama Nor and me.
Tatay Pepeng, Ate Dagoy, Mama Nor and me.

 

 

My last moment with them before my transitioning into a new family.  A permanent one promised by the Philippine government.   A new home.

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I invite you to join me on the rest of this journey to reach back as I move forward.

–> Visit my Kickstarter campaign at http://kck.st/filipinoadoptee

–> Join our Facebook community at http://www.facebook.com/binitaydocumentary

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