An Untraveled Trip

I was very fortunate to have a very diverse high school from people being all of the world, from the teacher to the students. Juts having conversation with someone in my high school made you feel like you took an untraveled trip. From students and teachers sharing the differences and similarities in the culture. In my high school experience I got to meet one of my good friends, she is originally from the Philippines, and I am originally from the Dominican Republic, so when me and my Filipina friend would get together and talk about our culture I would notice the difference but also the similarities. Juts talking to with her at times it felt like I took an untraveled trip to the Philippines.

          Form my Filipina friend I learned about the food, the languages, and family. In the Philippines you could find two main languages English or Tagalog, at times I would ask her if she could say some things in Tagalog and at times it sounded like she was saying something in Spanish. Later on I learn that the Philippines were conquered by Spain. This is why I find that someone of their words sound similar to words in the Spanish vocabulary. Something that I found was a cultural similarity but at the same time a difference is asking for our parents or grandparents for a blessing. In the Dominican culture to ask for a blessing we say, “bendicion”, meaning blessing and the elder would respond, “que dios te vendiga” meaning may god bless you. In the Philippine asking for a blessing is putting the back of your hand on the elder forehead and it’s their form of blessing in the Filipino culture. Living in New York City is like living in an airplane that lands every second in a different place in the world. You would be guaranteed to meet someone from a different culture every day.