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 

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