9

Thursday August 9, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Of bridges of “Pasalubong”

My queen, Priyanka
Chopra is reportedly
engaged to pop star
Nick Jonas. As much
as this news excites
me, I can’t help but feel
5,000 more feelings
than just excitement.
Chopra
recently
dropped a Bollywood
movie
she
was
expected to star in, and
the director made some
not-so-subtle
hints
that it was because of
her relationship with
Jonas.
Maybe
this
means a wedding is
happening soon and
that’s great, but to
me, this seems like
one more way Chopra
is distancing herself
from Bollywood as she
gains more traction in
Hollywood.
As a Brown kid
growing up in the
diaspora, I spent my
childhood struggling
to fit into American
society
while
my
parents
desperately
wanted me to stay
connected
to
our
Indian
roots.
Now
that I’m older (and
wiser), I’m committed
to remain connected
to my heritage and
make
sure
I
don’t
live just an American
lifestyle. This is why
Chopra’s relationship,
and now engagement,
with
Jonas
shook
me
to
my
core.
Chopra
represents
the
metaphorical
bridge
I
have
in
my
mind
between
American and Indian
pop culture. Though
connected,
I
view
them as distinct and
choose to engage with
them in very different
ways.
For
example,
while I don’t really
bother
following
most
Hollywood
relationships
(obviously with the
exception of Chopra

and Jonas), I followed
Sonam
Kapoor’s
wedding
a
little
too closely and was
waaaay too invested in
every detail When I
first heard that Chopra
was
going
to
play
the
main
character
in ABC’s new show
“Quantico”, I was so
excited.
Seeing
my
childhood
idol
on
American
television
was
like
a
dream
come
true.
When
Chopra
debuted
on
American
television,
I
was
hoping
she
would be like a bridge
between
Hollywood
and
Bollywood.
But the news of her
engagement to Jonas
and pulling out of
a
Bollywood
movie
has made me feel like
she’s officially joining
Team Hollywood and
leaving her Bollywood
roots behind.
Also,
can
you
blame me for being
disappointed
that
she’s marrying a white
dude? Chopra brought
(more)
international
attention to one of
the many Indian film
industries (fun fact:
there are at least 12
official film industries
in India), and through
her interviews, she is
challenging
people’s
view of what life in
India is like. Chopra’s
presence in Hollywood
is significant. It makes
a statement and she
makes it very clear
she does not represent
the
entire
Indian
subcontinent
nor
is
she willing to act in
a stereotypical role.
Her decision to play
Alex Parrish – a role
written with a white
woman in mind – is
proof of this. So it feels
like Chopra’s decision
to marry a white boy
instead of a desi man

is another statement
she’s making to the
world.
As happy as I am for
her, I wonder how this
will change the way
Chopra is perceived.
Some people say this
is a “step up” for
her, but just because
someone
works
in
Hollywood,
that
doesn’t mean they’re
“making it.” In fact,
in terms of numbers,
the Bollywood film
industry does better
than
Hollywood
–
Hollywood
creates
about 500 films a year
while the Indian film
industry creates over
1,000 – and Chopra
was “making it” long
before she dipped her
toes in the American
film
industry.
She
had more successful
movies under her belt
prior to “Quantico”
than some Hollywood
actors
have
in
an
entire career. Others
are disappointed that
Chopra hasn’t made
more of a stand now
that
she’s
a
well-
known Indian actress
working in the United
States. My response
to this is simple: Not
every icon who’s a
person
of
color
is
going to be a champion
of
social
justice
and
assuming
they
must
is
inherently
problematic (we don’t
assume every white
icon is going to care
about social issues).
Regardless
of
Chopra’s
stand
on
different
issues
facing
both
the
American and Indian
film industries, her
supposed engagement
to Jonas still makes
me feel all the feels
and
if
it
happens,
this is a wedding I’ll
definitely be following
very closely.

Connecting to the
Philippines
and
my
identity as a Filipino
American is something I
think about nearly every
single day.
I have not been back
to the Philippines lately.
Though I wish very much
to make another trip,
current
circumstances
of life do not allow me to
yet. For now, I let myself
live vicariously through
my family and friends
who have. When my
mom or dad lands at the
airport or I reunite with
my college friends from
a long-deserved break, I
relish in the time I have
with them to listen to
their adventures in the
Philippines.
Sometimes, the stories
are
joyful:
catching
up
with
old
friends,
breathing the air of a
familiar land, exploring
new
places.
But
sometimes, the stories
are painful: death, a
funeral, mourning.
Amidst the whirlwind
of
tales,
experiences,
and anecdotes about the
Philippines,
an
array
of boxes and luggage
filled
with
surprises
almost always make an
appearance so suddenly.
Pasalubong.
In, Tagalog, one of
the
main
languages
in the Philippines, it
roughly means souvenir.
Yet
similar
to
other
languages,
English
fails to fully translate
its
significance.
The
concept of pasalubong
is an important aspect
of
Filipino
American
heritage.
Pasalubong

are gifts given to others
when one comes back
from a trip. The practice
of giving and receiving
may seem simple. After
all, isn’t it customary to
give gifts to your loved
ones? While there might
be some truth to that,
pasalubong can be more
than that. Pasalubong
may be rooted in the
idea of reciprocity in
the Philippine culture.
The aspect of selfless
remembrance
for
relatives
and
friends,
ecstatic
welcomes
for
one’s
return
home,
and
perhaps
an
unspoken
expectation
of a pasalubong could
possibly convey cultural
norms
of
maintaining
relationships.

And
though
the
word
pasalubong
can
sometimes
refer
to
items from travels of
any location, pasalubong
oftentimes relate to gifts
specifically
from
the
Philippines.
Pasalubong come as
they are in many forms
packed
in
cardboard
boxes and brown paper
bags.
They
are
the
delicious dried mangoes
and garlic corn nuts my
dad and I love to snack
on. They are the joggers
my mom thoughtfully
bought me for a fraction
of the price it would be
in the States and the
Tagalog
dictionaries
packed snugly in her
luggage
because
she
knows how badly I want
to be better at speaking.
They are even the statues
of the Blessed Mother
Mary
that
watches

over the homes of my
extended
families
but
also mine included.
While the pasalubong
from my family brings me
warmth in my heart, the
pasalubong from friends
has me feeling thrill and
adrenaline.
Pasalubong
for me is also the comic
books in Tagalog to help
me practice the language,
the fashionable barongs
perfect for any formal
occasion, and the books
on textiles from niche art
fairs in the Philippines.
My
most
prized
possessions are fashion
magazines from Filipinx
creatives (exhibit A and
exhibit B)--beacons of
inspiration to always step
up my fashion game by
stretching my creativity.
I put a great deal of
importance
on
these
items as they are things
not accessible online.
Receiving pasalubong
from my friends and
family
is
comparable
to
getting
gifts
on
Christmas
(mind
you
that Christmas is a big
deal in Filipino culture).
Even still, pasalubong is a
different kind of treasure.
Pasalubong
are
much
more
than
souvenirs.
They are bridges that
connect me to many
parts of my heritage that
exist oceans away from
Southeast Michigan. The
act of giving pasalubong
is
a
cultural
act
of
community building. In
my view, I am reminded
to never forget where I
come from. Pasalubong
are opportunities to think
about the intricacies of
being Filipino American.

By CHRISTIAN PANEDA

MiC SENIOR EDITOR

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi


By ZAINAB
BHINDARWALA

MiC SENIOR EDITOR

Kathleen Guytingco

~
~
`

`