It’s been all bad news for Pilandok even before the May 14 election. So, I want to post something encouraging.My daughter auditioned for the Senior Speech in University of California (Santa Cruz) Graduation Ceremony next month. She wrote this draft 1 hour before appearing on the search committee yesterday and luckily, she was in top 3. There’s more drama about how she got into the audition because she missed the deadline for submission of entry 1 week ago.
There will be another round of audition among the top 3 contestants next week to choose the winner who will deliver the senior speech. Let’s hope that she win so that the voice of a Maranao woman can be heard in the hall of the University of California.
Baooai is her registered name. I misspelled it (just as my dad misspelled mine) so people think it’s some exotic Hawaiian name. But it’s a very generic name for Maranao girls (kung sa gamut pa, paracetamol) and for those of you who have lived in Ranao, you know what ule means.
She speaks fluent M’ranao although she’s been NRP (Non-Resident Pilandok) more than half of her life. She is very proud of her M’ranao and Muslim heritage. She tries to pray 5x a day.
She just emailed me this draft 10 minutes ago. It’s not exactly how she said it in front of the search committee and I did not edit the text, except for the blah, blah, blah and dah, dah, dah.
By the way, she does not know that I am posting her draft and she doesn’t visit this blog because she's busy.
Like I said, I just want to post something with a happy tone and get away from Ranao politics for a moment.
SENIOR SPEAKER: BAOOAIAssalamualaikum. This is the Arabic greeting for peace; it literally means “May Peace Be Upon You.”
I greet you all today with peace. For the students the peace of mind now that we don’t have to think about examinations and cramming for those exams- for the parents the peace of mind of not having to pay anymore fees. We have reached the finish line at last. Before I go on much further I just want to say congratulations to every single one of my fellow graduates.
Perhaps many of you are wondering why I have chosen this very peculiar greeting as my intro.
I stand before you all today as: a foreigner (More specifically, an alien for that is what it says on my US visa. When I was twelve and saw that word next to my name I was quite surprised and thought it unusual word choice. Up until then I never thought of myself as an alien. It seemed so out worldly.), as an Asian woman, and more importantly for me, a Muslim. Looking at me you would have never pegged me for a Muslim; certainly faces of Muslims on the news have not been that of short Asian girls wearing glasses speaking with a Filipino accent. That is the best part about living here in America that I have found which is the ability of people to be able to proclaim their identities without fear of being discriminated. Also another wonderful part of living in this melting pot is having the chance to meet people from all parts of the world. Just by attending this university, it’s as if I have traveled the world. From Somalia to Korea, Vietnam to Brazil, Mexico to Turkey. When we speak about diversity on campus being non-existent I have to say that I have had a much different experience all together. Meeting these students, getting to know them as people, as ambassadors of their countries has truly opened my eyes and helped me overcome many of my preconceived notions. I never thought that one day I would be attending an American university, speaking and thinking in this foreign language and learning so much. I was born and raised in the only Islamic city in a majority Catholic country of the Philippines. Growing up in what we would call here in America as a provincial city, we had limited electricity, no indoor plumbing, limited contact with the rest of the world really.
Blah, blah, blah…
We don’t now know what the future will hold for us. One thing is for certain that we should never forget where we come from. It is what makes us unique individuals.
Dah, dah, dah…
Whatever foreign land you may land in. Whatever foreign tongue you may start to speak and think in. Never forget who you are and where you come from. But also don’t let that stop you from becoming who you are.
Engage in simple acts of kindness towards fellow students.
Itutuloy...
SIRAOUL,WOW !!!Congratulations to your Olyli.You have done well in raising her up. I envy you. But I know I will have my chance. My 12-year old Jeremiah will be here soon. and I will have that proud look like yours when my Remrem graduates too.
ReplyDeleteTO OLYLI: ALWAYS BE PROUD OF YOUR CULTURAL HERITAGE. You are a Mindanaon!!!My prayers are with you that you will top them all!and you can show the world,that there's a part in the world that Christians and Muslims integrates and lived happily ever after. I am proud of you that you do not forget where you came from.
-auntie matet
Salamat Matets. I am hardly a role model. My love stories suck. But I am sure you'll have success with your Jeremiah because you are a good person.
ReplyDeleteOlyli came home last Saturday and she accidentally found out about this post. Kia t’ka t’kawan ako bad’n. Tig ak’n oba antona a a giya ini kis’k iyan.
ArataWata.Com is my browser home page and I forgot to log off. So, when she used my notebook, she saw her face and the story about her audition. She was not happy that she was featured in this blog.
On our way back to Santa Cruz later that night, I explained why I posted her draft speech.
I said, our people are totally lost right now. We just had probably the worst-ever local election in the history of the Republic. Pilandok did almost everything against the law and morally-wrong, ie. attempting to buy the vote of a foreign election monitor, letting children and even cats vote, shitting on the gym during canvassing, padding and destroying ballot boxes, blah, blah, blah, dah, dah, dah.
Our people needed good example to emulate. I reminded her of how the video documentary of Cat Stevens, now Yusoph Islam, in VH1 have inspired her to be a good Muslim. And that she shall be rewarded in the next life for any amount of contribution she can give for the betterment of our people, however small it is.
She was happy and the next day, she sent me a photo of her giving speech at a student gathering.
Anyways, even if she will not win to give the Senior Speech, her graduating class will still hear the language of Pilandok because she is one of the 10 students selected to say the welcome greetings in foreign language. Sallam’n iyan siran on June 16.
What I wanted to say in this post is that you (young Maranaos out there) can attain success and respect even if you REMAIN a Maranao and a Muslim. Other people will like you for what you truly are and how different you are. There’s nothing wrong with your culture and religion. You just need to live the good teachings of our Maratabat and religion.
Congratulations arata wata for having a daughter who is making you proud.
ReplyDeleteI am a mother of two girls. We are staying here in manila. I always tell them that they have to do good so as to show that muslims are not bad. In my office, i am the only muslim. But i can tell that i have gained the respects of my officemates.
I hope that my children can also make me proud in the near future just like your olyli.
Again, congratulations
Alhamdulillah. I know there are many Maranaws out there who still hold on to our culture and religion.
ReplyDeleteAya kailangan tano na mapokaw so mapiya a maratabat o m'ranao. We can do that by posting/talking about our good experiences so others can follow.
hahahahaha.
ReplyDeletepiyakasinga-singa uto na...
when she said>
miyakakaikaid kami sa kiyapakailay aime ko buntal i yo!<
that's cool.......