Growing up in a different country has made me appreciate my
birth country less. I always thought that for something to be beautiful, it has
to be the obvious. I thought I'd always be the "I'm not proud to be a Filipino" type of person. Well, I was wrong.
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| Boracay, Philippines. Source: jaredamistad.hubpages.com |
I was born in the Philippines, but grew up in Dubai. For me,
Dubai is the city where almost everything is perfect. It is my happy place, my
comfort zone, and my home. Philippines, however, was the opposite. It made me
so sad and homesick when I had to spend my entire college life here in the
Philippines. A lot of the things that I can do in Dubai, I can’t do here. I
can’t go out and walk without inhaling pollution in the streets, without
fearing that your valuables might get stolen, or that you might attract too
much attention by the brands that you wear. When asked to define Philippines,
my answer was always corrupt, polluted, dirty, uncivilized, and possibly all
the other not-so-good things I can think of. But then, my professor once said,
“How can you appreciate other things when you can’t even appreciate your own
country?” He’s right. If I can’t see the beauty of my own country behind its
flaws, how can I learn to love the different sides of what life has to offer? I
have to learn to look beyond the imperfections to appreciate how beautiful one
is. For two (2) years of living here in the Philippines, I realized just how
blessed I am to be born in such a rich, happy, and God-fearing country.
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| Philippine eagle at Mount Apo National Park Source: news.nationalgeographic.com |
In the Philippines, there are always different sides of the
story to tell. It can be action-packed with the jeepneys, the pedicab drivers,
the taxis and even the buses, when they try to squeeze in-between lanes to
avoid heavy traffic jams. On the other side, Philippines can also be romantic and
serene when it comes to spending nights in white sandy beaches while enjoying
the calm breeze and the sound of the crashing waves. I can go on and on about
how beautiful and diverse Philippines really is. But for me, what I love most
about my country is the Filipinos’ spirit of “bayanihan” (it is when Filipinos
become one to help and to achieve a common goal), and optimism. Through
whatever storm we may face, we would always find reasons to stay happy and
thankful. That’s the kind of attitude that differentiates us from the others.
That’s what makes Philippines one of a kind. Then, I realized, that is what makes me proud to be a Filipino.
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| The "Bayanihan" Spirit in the Philippines Source: flowerblooms-elvierose.blogspot.com |
To find real treasures, you must be a hunter. You must have the
courage and the passion to explore. Understanding the richness of a country’s
history, its culture, its way of life, its people, and how they differ from the
other countries, will open your eyes to a whole new perspective. Always try to
look beyond the modern infrastructures, the mainstream country must-haves, and
be open to new learning and discovery. A country will always be more than just
a country. You might find things that are not admirable and pleasant. But then,
what is a country without its flaws?
As seen on Huffington Post
