Mga Donya Victorina. Mga malalansang isda.

Take me out of my country and even after a thousand years, I will be glad to be back home.

I may be better at speaking English but I am proud to be a Filipino. I may be a Chinese-Spanish-Filipino but I assure you, I am a Filipino. And for the first time in my entire life I actually love Rizal right now for saying that, "Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang wika ay higit pa sa hayop at malansang isda." and that "ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan."

I mean, come on. You just left the country like what, 3 or 4 years ago and you've never been home since then and for the first time you're coming back and then you're all:

I don't want to go home
It's raining there
It's hot there
The people are meh

(Inhale. Exhale. Long sigh.)

I am annoyed. Seriously, I am and I'm blogging this in the middle of the night because I think it's worth a blog post. Because I mean, for god's sakes, it's only been what, 3 or 4 years and then you suddenly have an amnesia/washing yourself of your own race and culture. These people, I actually pity them. Why? Because overseas, they are proud to tell people about their identity, that they're Filipinos but they actually loathe it when they come home to this impoverished nation. They are actually lost. Lost in identities that are mixed with different cultures and they're desperately hanging on to what identity they have as they face the bigger world. Because abroad, they don't belong there. They may have lived there most of their lives but their roots are grounded somewhere else. They are not Canadians, not Australians, not Emiratis. They are still Filipinos abroad, even if they change their citizenships. But in truth, they don't actually have a sense of belongingness in the Philippines. They have the same blood, same race but they never felt at home because they never grew up here. It's like, they show people what a great tree they are, growing on a healthy soil but behind that, they are cutting off their own branch... and dying in the process.

I pity you,
M

P.S.
There is Nutella in this country. I'm actually eating it now, straight from the jar. It can be found in supermarkets and grocery stores. The Philippines is pretty civilized too. Not all of it is bundok, just so you know and in case you forgot in your _-year stay abroad. Welcome back.