Two Worlds Apart

March 27, 2011 – Two Worlds Apart

It’s Sunday, 7 days ago I left San Diego not knowing what to expect.  I was expecting something foreign, strange, new, and different.  I feel all of that but there is this faint feeling of familiarity.  It is nothing familiar with America, but a familiarity with the Philippines and my family.  The province I am living at is small and everything is in walking distance.  I am able to walk to the market, to the school, to the church, to the cemetery, to my clusters homes, I am able to walk anywhere within twenty minutes.  It reminds me of the comfort I found when I visited the Philippines.  The dirt roads, chickens and roosters roaming around, stray dogs living in the streets, kids looking at me in curiosity, and the signs that on the stores that I can hardly understand.   But it is more than the physical appearance of the village that reminds me of my parent’s homeland.  It is the people.  It is the welcoming into the homes, it is the generosity of food at each serving, it is the humility that also reminds me of the PI.  I have an appreciation of all that this family is doing.  They are not only helping me with the language but they are giving me a better understanding of the culture and the people of Ukraine.  I see the sense of pride in my host dad, Sasha, when talked about being in the army.  It reminds me of my own father joining the American Navy.  I see the sense of humility in my host mom, Katay, when she cooks and serves the meals.  It reminds me of my own mother who cooks day in and day out to feed all of her many children.  I see the sense of confusion in my babusya as though it was my own grandma confused.  And I see the youth and excitement in my host brother as I would see in my own cousins.  Although the Philippines and the Ukraine are two worlds apart, they are two worlds that are very similar.  The people are a close knit community, they are friendly, they are hardworking, they are humble, and they are very proud of who they are.