THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 11 | AUGUST 2015
OPINION
13
MIGRANT NOTES
The Longing for Home
T
he longing for home is a dominant
theme in the thoughts and narratives of migrants since time immemorial. The human mind seems wired to
wish for home, and this regardless of race or culture. Anyone who has been away for a
time, whether the separation was voluntary or forced,
will go to great lengths to return to the familiar, either literally or symbolically. The penchant of overseas Filipinos to
serve rice, pancit, lumpia and
adobo during special occasions cannot only be explained
as products of entrenched habits but as symbolic attempts
to capture the smell – and feel – of that place one has left
behind.
No amount of rationalisation about how ‘bad’ the situation is in our home country and how fortunate one is
to have crossed the distance
could hide the reality that at
the end of the day, after long
job shifts, as one’s painful
muscles are eased
on a long chair,
thoughts of home
pop up to the surface like bubbles
from cold soda
shared on a hot
afternoon with
friends at a roadside store in
the village we grew up in: we
wonder how have they been
- the family and friends we
have not seen for years.
The Japanese have a word
for this: kaero meaning to go
back to one’s own village,
usually in August during the
Obon festival commemorating one’s ancestors. Filipinos
from overseas visit home during fiestas, reunions or family occasions. Those who return, albeit briefly, report of
happiness of a relaxed kind
as they re-acquaint with family and high school chums
who, for better or worse
(and much like us ourselves)
have already changed and
moved on. Is there still a place
for “me” in your hearts – we
from overs X\