u/Humble-Holiday-2010

Was researching my family history and found out that I have several Sablans and Pangelinans only a couple generations back, then I found out those surnames came from the Philippines. And I also did a DNA test and found a lot of cousins from the Philippines, even more than Guam actually. The closest ones are 2nd cousins. I literally have no idea of an actual Filipino ancestor, but am I allowed to start calling myself part Filipino? I already joke around and say I’m part Mexican because that’s in my ancestry too. My personal opinion is, it’s a way to honor all my ancestors’ homelands. They were probably forced to come here against their will and dreamed of being able to go back home. Acknowledging where they came from doesn’t take away from me being proudly Chamorro.

My dad is Filipino, mom is white. I didn’t grow up with my dad, though we’ve grown closer since I turned 18. My mom comes from a big Mormon family and I stopped believing in that religion when I was like 15. I’m fluent in Spanish because I went to dual immersion school since I was in Kindergarten (my mom was hoping I could go to Latin America someday to be a missionary 🤣). Instead, I studied abroad in Spain last semester and absolutely loved it.

And a crazy thing I found out is that my dad is actually a Spanish citizen. He worked there before I was born and gained Spanish citizenship because they give Filipinos and Latinos citizenship after 2 years of working there. I can get Spanish citizenship through my dad, and I plan on doing that, moving to Spain and starting my life there. I’ve been to the Philippines too and I enjoyed it but I can’t see a future for myself there. I don’t know the language, so I don’t think I’ll ever truly fit in. Plus I don’t know my family over there very well. And I definitely don’t fit in with my mom’s family at all. They’re weird

At this point, I just want to go through life as a Hispanic person. People already think I’m Hispanic because of my last name and my appearance. If people ask, I will always tell them I’m Filipino/white. But otherwise, they can just assume I’m Hispanic like they already do. Is that a problem? Hispanic is more of a cultural label rather than genetic

I’m already a Spanish citizen now but I came here from the Philippines in 2023. Is it likely to become more difficult for Filipinos (and other non-EU, non-Spanish speaking people) to immigrate here because of backlash from the situation in Ceuta? It’s already difficult for Filipinos to immigrate here or even get a tourist visa, but the idea of moving to Spain has been trending in the Philippines in the past few years. I’ve had a lot of relatives and friends reach out to me about it. And a few of them were actually able to immigrate here within the past year. Wondering if that’s going to no longer be possible.

My parents want to go to St. Luke’s with my uncle who is getting a procedure done there. I don’t think it’s a good idea because neither of them have been to the PI before and they’re not Filipino. And my cousin (uncle’s son) is already going with my uncle, so it’s not like he needs my parents to go with him. But my parents still insist on going. Part of me wants to go with just to make sure they’re safe. But even I’m apprehensive about it. I’ve only lived in Washington and Guam. Has anyone gone there and what was the experience like? Any tips to stay safe?

I’ve been teaching ESL in the US for the past 10 years, mostly at the high school level. I have a Bachelor’s in Foreign Languages (Spanish and Portuguese), Master’s in English, Master’s in Teaching, and a graduate certificate in TESOL. There aren’t a lot of Spanish-speakers where I live, so unfortunately my Spanish is kinda rusty after all these years (probably around a B2 level now). Most of my students have been Arabic-speaking, so I’ve gotten more practice with Arabic than Spanish.

I like teaching in public schools, especially at the high school level. But I understand it’s almost impossible for a non-EU foreigner to teach in public schools. Are concentrados worth it? I’m also open to teaching university level or international schools (not my favorite, but I’d be okay)