Past Progressive

Amid the rush of departing planes overhead, the roaring jets resembled the whirlwind of emotions running among everyone. However, there was one emotion that stood out from all the "we are going to be late," "why do they have to leave so early," "why do we have to leave so early," and the "I hate good-byes." As the last minutes of this special reunion drew to a close with a sad farewell, I could not help but marvel at how close I had become to these individuals. Even though we had only a few short days to be together, I felt that a high level of affinity had been established. The people whom I had met were not family members, but rather strangers -- only they were not the total strangers that one might assume. We were of the same age, the same nationality, but most importantly, we owed the existence of our affinity to our mothers' pasts. Their experiences before our coming had created a bond that subliminally established itself in us, the children, and would reveal its importance upon our gathering.

The bond was formed twenty years ago -- my mother had just left her home in the Philippines to pursue a better life in "the States" as a nurse. She was not alone in this migration. Since the United States' passing of the Immigration Act in 1965, there had been a wave of other Filipinos in the medical field emigrating to America (appropriately called the "Brain Drain" in the Philippines). On her journey, she happened to meet several other women nurses who, coincidentally, were also traveling to Kansas City, where there were job openings. They immediately formed a solid companionship, working together, playing together, and at one time even sharing one apartment among eight of them. In effect, their first years together provided security and confidence in an otherwise foreign environment. Eventually, other necessities of life would lead them away from each other as some moved to California, Illinois, Texas, and to Virginia.

Two decades later, the lure of their relationship would reunite them back to Kansas City to celebrate what they had accomplished in their new life -- a secure job, a pleasant home, and most significantly, a family raised in a Filipino-American upbringing. The duty was upon myself and my peers to translate our heritage into this brand-new lifestyle.

Unfortunately, during the first night of this four-day reunion, I initially felt reluctant to meet those peers. Some of them had been sitting down quietly with a gloomy stare for quite a long time. I presumed that maybe they did not fully understand why we had come to meet -- even I began to doubt my own reasoning. Nevertheless, our hidden bond soon unveiled in a turning point of events. I presented a video that my mother commissioned me to produce. It contained photographs from the nurses' first years in Kansas City as well as music that was popular at the time of their arrival, such as the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever." Although I had obviously already seen my video several times, I took part with everyone else as a first-time spectator. The pictures and the music opened a window to the past with scenes that brought light to everyone's heart -- scenes of sadness, curiosity, struggle, and amusement. Like an exciting story, the events of the past were presented in logical and dramatic fashion -- enough to convey the link between us (the children). Suddenly, speaking to the other teens transformed into a wonderful learning experience. As I conversed, I discovered that we had collectively inherited many of our parents' characteristics, exemplifying that traits are passed from generation to generation. From our work ethic, to sports, to music, and even certain mannerisms -- the similarities that brought our mothers together had made itself present once more.

In time the first night of the reunion ended, but for me, it was the dawning of a whole new sense of guidance and direction. Though the next three days expired all too quickly, I was able to view in perspective what the spirit of togetherness is. Watching the parents reminisce about "the old days" and creating new experiences with my newfound friends, I witnessed first-hand the power of our unity. On top of all the eating, talking, dancing, playing, and laughing was my generation's exploration of our mothers' pasts and how it has effected us in similar ways. The analogies we found were amazing -- even minute and seemingly trivial details of our life appeared to be connected. Our level of comprehension of Tagalog (the main language of the Philippines), the way we treat our younger siblings, the types of classes we take in school, even what kind of television programs we enjoy -- switching places in each other's lives seemed highly possible.

The modern Filipino-American culture is still young and unwritten. My peers from the reunion and I are among the first generation to be born and raised in America. While many other people are looking toward the future, we are looking to our past, searching for leadership and camaraderie. Our mothers found each other when they were searching for the same things, and now we must do the same -- the bond that we have inherited is key to establishing a future for our heritage. By sharing the same hopes and dreams, we will succeed.

Edward Tumanut is a senior at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri.

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