“Embrace who you are because it will lead you to where you’re supposed to be”
“Embrace who you are because it will lead you to where you’re supposed to be”
Kiko Rustia and I share the same passion about travelling and exploring the Philippines. Judging by the photos above, I think I’ve had my fair share of adventures in the Philippines. The first picture was taken in La Union where I first learned how to surf. The second picture was taken in Mt. Pico de Loro where my boyfriend and I hiked. I also got to travel to Pagudpod, Mindoro, Ilocos, Bicol etc. although my travels are much more mild compared to his “wild escapades”. After hearing the talk, I feel like I could really relate to him. He told us that he feels free whenever he is in the mountains. I feel the same way too. Whenever I’m in a new place, I always get soooo excited. Ang aking ngiti ay abot hanggang tengga, sabi nga ng matatanda. Whereas new kids on the block call it being “stoked” which practically means the same thing- being exhilirated and excited.
I easily get stoked especially when I get to travel to various places, explore their hidden treasures and famous attractions and most especially, when I am able to immerse myself with different cultures of the regions of the Philippines (this includes being friends with the locals). As Kiko has mentioned, the places are as imporant as the people who live in it. I can totally agree with this one. In LiwLiwa, San Felipe, Zambales, I have managed to have a special bond with the locals there. They taught me how to surf and appreciate life’s simplicity. It’s amazing to see that they are so contented with what they have. In the morning, they do their chores and work. In the afternoon, they take a break and surf. At night, they prepare and eat their supper, sometimes they drink and after they get to bed to wake up at 5am the next day. Whereas, in Manila, everything is fast-paced and complicated. We use various technologies to keep us entertained and updated. We go to different shopping malls to shop for things that we don’t even need. We go back to our house to find ourselves distracted by things on the television and Internet. We keep ourselves busy with the things that we shouldn’t even be worrying about- such as our clothes, gadgets and the likes.
Given this stark contrast of the island and the citylife, Kiko Rustia has also mentioned his experience of being judged. Boracay was the island where he first became who he is at present. In the island, he can be whoever he wanted to be but still be respected for it. With this, he transformed himself into who he really wanted to be. He had embraced some of the philosophies of the Rastas in the island and had dreads. He had piercings and quite a number of bracelets. When he came back to the city life, he was judged by his family and friends. But after a while, he was accepted by his family, and later on society in general.
So how does this apply to the culture and politics course? It is knowing your own identity. According to Kiko, we should all “embrace who you are because it will lead you to where you’re supposed to be”. For him, we should not be afraid to be judged. We shouldn’t be concerned with what other people think of us but rather focus on how many lives we’ve touched. This part of the talk tugged my heartstrings. I was always a victim of this. I always think of expectations of society, what is trending and what is “uso”. I realized that I shouldn’t bother with those expectations. Instead, I shall be comfortable in who I really am. Even if I change my looks, my identity is still there. What I’m trying to say is that identity is who you really are-kung sino ka talaga, kung ano talaga ang trip mo hindi kung ano ang suot at itsura mo. For Kiko, his self-expression for identity is his body and his distinct look, but what matters the most is what he is doing for the environment-saving it by making people know about its beauty. For me, my self-expression for identity is myself. Me. Hannah Viola. I need not change my clothes to more fashionable ones. I need not change my appearance for a mestiza look. Now, I am comfortable with myself. Instead of focusing my efforts into being someone I don’t really like, I should instead help touch people’s lives.
In class, we were taught to distinguish yourself to be able to know your politics. I think this talk opened my eyes in terms of knowing my politics. I realized that I care so much for nature and the environment that destroying it would be part of my guilt. I learned that I should take concrete steps in conserving the environment and help preserve the indigenous cultures of the various regions in the Philippines. In addition to this, I really like the fact that we are all moved by Kiko’s adventures. Everyone in class listened intently to his experiences in Batanes with the humpback whale and all. I happily realized that my feeling of being stoked with having adventures is shared by others.
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