ing the annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC), one of our biggest cultural events of the year. She was awe-inspiring to say the least, and we all saw her profound passion in rallying the Fil-Am community to be immersed in the traditional arts. The next day, we had the Fil-Am History workshop. XPO then provides us with a brief but insightful historical background about our Fil-Am forefathers, the lives that they lived away from the homeland—and the significance of knowing our past in order to understand the impact that we potentially have in the present. Then we culminate the week at Paige’s house for a more light-hearted workshop (Lumpia Night!), where we gathered to learn, complete with a demonstration, and finally (and most importantly) eat freshly cooked lumpias while hanging out. From this night on, it is never acceptable to mix up The Lumpia with the eggroll.
Heart to Heart with Lolos + Lolas
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& Folk Story Night
nd finally, as October came to an end, we have the most heart-warming learning experience yet in our Heart to Heart with the Lolos and Lolas. We heard these elders talk about their struggles as immigrants, their involvement in the Second World War, and how times have changed between then and now. These Lolos and Lolas are among those who fought for the United States but were never recognized for it—one of the many battles that the Fil-Am community is still fighting to win. However, they also taught us many
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things about life and love, and one of the most interesting things that they talked about was the seemingly longgone ways of courtship, and how an old-fashioned, respectful kind of love is still one of the best kinds out there. To top it all off, Barkada celebrates Hallow’s Eve through Scary Stories Night, where everyone gathered to share personal and folk stories. Just because some of us just enjoy scaring ourselves when the occasion calls for it. And thus this concludes your