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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.