This Filipino American Life

Have you ever been in constant pain and could not figure out why? Have you ever felt a knot in your back and felt like you could never break it? What happens when family trauma transcends generations and physically manifests itself in your body? In this episode of TFAL join Elaine and Producer Mike as they talk with Jen Soriano about her journey with chronic pain. The conversation dives into how somatic symptoms can manifest within our bodies. Jen chronicles her journey in her book “Nervous | Essays on Heritage and Healing.”    Pick up “Nervous | Essays on Heritage and Healing” by Jen Soriano wherever books are sold. Or if you are able, check out Jen while she’s on her book tour! Here are some upcoming dates:   Nervous: IG Live Event with Margeaux Feldman @softcore_trauma Tuesday, August 29, 2023. 12-12:30pm   Nervous: Powell’s Books Conversation with Janice Lee Thursday, August 31, 2023. 7-8pm Preorder a signed copy of NERVOUS from Powell’s   Nervous: Chicago Conversation with Barrie Jean Borich Wednesday, September 6, 2023. 7-8:30pm   Nervous: Seattle Heart-to-Heart with Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe Tuesday, September 12, 2023. 7-8pm   Nervous: Virtual Celebration with Adrienne Maree Brown Wednesday, September 13, 2023. 1-2pm   Follow Jen Soriano on Instagram (@jensorianowrites) for more events!   Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. Have you had experience with chronic pain? What steps have you made towards healing?  Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com

The podcast discusses the pronunciation of Filipino last names and the act of code-switching. It explores the debates around respecting people's preferred pronunciations and shares personal experiences of name mispronunciations. The hosts also debate the combination of ketchup and rice, delve into the personality of Mr. Roxas, and discuss the influence of teachers on name mispronunciations and assimilation.

This past month an overzealous group of fans found their way to Lea Salonga’s dressing room after a performance of Here Lies Love. The interaction was then uploaded to the internet for the world to see.   SORRY, NOT SORRY. Christopher Carpila, who drew backlash for uploading the viral Lea Salonga dressing-room video, remained firm in his stance to not apologize to the Broadway star, stressing that he didn’t do anything wrong. READ: https://t.co/cSWs4Hm3uh pic.twitter.com/1sf6fW2A6n — Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) July 19, 2023 In this episode the women of TFAL talk about the do’s and don’t’s of encountering public figures. Listen as Elaine, Gerlie, and Kat share their experiences with interacting with public figures and the cringe factor of this Lea Salonga video. Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. Have you had a similar experience? Did you think this Lea Salonga interaction was cringe too?  Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.

Where do Filipino Americans hang out?  Where is the place where they are allowed to tambay (Tagalog slang for loitering from the English “stand by”)?  Where are can one find Filipino immigrants and Filipino Americans alike in public places? According to some sociology scholars, the third place in modern capitalist society refers to spaces that are the home (“first place”) and the workplace (“second place”). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, clubs, bookstores, stoops, porches, parks, barber shops, etc.  To many, these third places serve as locales where people come together for friendship, community, and dialogue.  They can even serve as a places where the sense of belonging and discussion they foster become essential to democratic institutions. In this TFAL episode, Joe and Ryan (united to form Bernardo Carpio) discuss places where Filipino Americans hangout.  Listen as they talk about what places they’ve seen Filipinos hang out at, what “loitering” means and the racial and class politics behind it, how to create community as public spaces become more commodified, and what physical spaces Filipino Americans need to connect and strengthen our community.  This conversation may see odd and philosophical, but we promise we weren’t high while recording this!! Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. Where have you seen Filipinos hang out?  Do you have a place where you and other Filipinos hang out at?  Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com. PC: Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley

Most Filipino Americans today live in the suburbs – Daly City, National City, Carson, Jersey City, Skokie, Oxon Hill, and on and on.  When you think of the Filipino American community since the 1970s, we are by and large a suburban community.  There are reasons for this, of course, many of which we focus on in this TFAL episode. In the first iteration of “TFAL presents Brown Bag Baon,” Joe has a conversation with Dr. James Zarsadiaz, Associate Professor of History and Director of the Yuchengco Philippines Studies Program at the University of San Francisco, to talk about the history of Filipino American suburbanization.  What is the history of Filipinos in American suburbs?  Why are so many Filipino Americans attracted to suburban life – whether in working-class or middle-class suburbs?  What kind of racism do they face there?  What kind of politics are Filipino Americans (and Asian Americans in general) engaged in their suburban towns?  How does suburban living foster a unique style of Asian American conservatism?  Using his research on the history of the East San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles (Walnut, Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, Chino Hills, etc.) as an anchor of discussion, James and Joe unpack the complex and layered history, culture, and politics of Filipino American suburbanization. Make sure to grab a copy of James’s book Resisting Change in Suburbia: Asian Immigrants and Frontier Nostalgia in L.A.! Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. Did you grow up in the suburbs?  Do you live there now?  What are your experiences living in a suburban community?  Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.

Did you know April is financial awareness month? A perfect time to drop this episode with MONEY OUT LOUD author Berna Anat. Berna is your Financial Hype Woman/Manang/Ate/Tita. The moniker “Financial Hype Woman” is her made up way of saying she creates financial education media that lives at @HeyBerna all over the internet. Listen as the crew talks about their own journeys with financial planning, dealing with money, and how that applies to our Filipino American family dynamics. Get your copy of MONEY OUT LOUD at your local independent bookstore like BelCanto Books in Long Beach, CA. In fact you can get a ticket to An Evening with Berna Anat: Money Out Loud on Wednesday, May 3, 6pm at KUBO LB (3976 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA). Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. Did you grow up with financial planning? How has your financial journey been like? What are your financial tips? Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.

We’re back at it again. Part 2 of the ultimate Filipino food tournament!  Listen as we decide between Sinigang and Tinola, Pancit Palabok and Pancit Bihon, and many other hard matchups. Laugh as you listen to TFAL Food Appreciator Ryan nearly gets an aneurysm from our food debates. And of course, find out what is the ultimate Filipino food! (According to us anyway). Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we loved recording it.  Let us know your thoughts!  Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.

This time of year is one of our favorites. It’s March Madness and April is Filipino Food Month. To celebrate these two occasions, the TFAL developed a Filipino Food Bracket! In this Part 1 episode, we explain the parameters of this tournament and go through the first round of 64 Filipino dishes (ulam-only). Listen as Ryan goes crazy over some of our choices, we get Kat to serve as our tiebreaker, and Producer Mike picking meat-only options. Unfortunately, Joe had babysitting duties so we had to cut this short. However, Part 2 comes out next week! Note: Yes, we know there is a glaring omission. We’ll course correct in Part 2. Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. Do you think we got this right? Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.

Pursuing a career in academia can be both rewarding and challenging. It often requires a significant amount of dedication, hard work, and resilience. From navigating graduate school to being on the job market to balancing research, teaching, and service, scholars face a range of unique experiences and pressures. For Filipino Americans, the added layers of being imperial and racialized subjects compound the already challenging experience in this sector. In this TFAL episode, Joe talks to his old school academic colleagues – Jennifer Nazareno, Nic Ramos, and Precious Singson – about their experiences living the academic life, including the joys and struggles, the opportunities and obstacles, and the lessons learned along the way. Listen as we discuss why we wanted to go into academia, the roadblocks that we either pushed through or circumvented, our views on the field of Filipino American Studies, and advice for someone who is interested in academia or finds themselves “stuck” in its alluring yet sometimes toxic web. This episode certainly leans the “nerdy” side, focused on a small subset of Filipino Americans. However, we hope this discussion will offer valuable insights and inspiration for your own career and life journey. Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. What are your experiences in academia?  Got a hot take on Filipino American Studies? Let us know! Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.

Tell us if you’ve heard this one: “What size is your panty? You’re not large.. you’re size H… HUSKY” We can still remember listening to this joke in college (before youtube), in an MP3 file that circulated the dorms.  Never had we heard a stand up comic that sounded like our uncle. Listening to Rex Navarrete for the first time had the feel of backyard shenanigans with a relative, telling stories, and laughing hysterically.  His Filipino accent hit home for many of us, and his stories were relevant to our own lives growing up. It really felt nice to be heard and seen; to know that we weren’t alone, but most importantly, that we can laugh about ourselves unapologetically. We’ve talked about Filipino jokes and humor before. But this is so special for the TFAL Crew because Rex has been such a formidable part of so many of us growing up. On this episode, we got a chance to talk with the OG, Original Gago himself, Rex Navarrete. Listen as we discuss his origin story as among the first Filipino American stand-up comics, his opinions about stealing jokes, and some advise he has for young Fil Am comics out there. Rex really tapped into comedy like no other, bravely going into a medium that may have been unfamiliar to millions of Filipino American.  And we lapped it up. Thank you Rex, for being a pioneer.  You are the Filipino American comedian that paved the way for comedians that are Filipino American. Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here. *Unfortunately, Producer Mike was unable to participate in the interview with Rex. He and Resident Reality Checker, Gerlie, were busy eating free food somewhere. Here are some classic clips of Rex we referred to in the episode: Husky Boy SBC Packers ESL Class When was the first time you heard Rex’s stand up performance? Leave us a voicemail (805) 394-TFAL or email us at  thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com. Check out Rex’s website for info on his latest show schedule.