Polish | Filipino

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I am half Filipino, half Polish, and 100% proud American. My Mother is from the United States, but originally from Poland, and my Father is from the Philippines. My Father came to this country as a physician and my Mother was working at the hospital where he eventually worked. My Mother was smitten by his looks and my Father loved my Mother's good-girl charm. Both of my parents are Catholic making the religious component of mixing two different cultures easy. 

Growing up, my two sisters and I knew we had Polish roots as well as Filipino. Parties and holidays meant an interesting combination of Polish kielbasa and pierogies as well as Chinese food since every Filipino loves it. Even though we had very different cultures on our parents' sides, we grew up very American. That said, I grew up learning how to survive since my Father survived in the jungle of the Philippines from 1941-1945, when the Japanese Imperial Army occupied the country. I never learned to truly enjoy football or baseball, but he taught me how to shoot slingshots, catch animals in the backyard, build fires etc. That later inspired me to pursue furthering my outdoor education and eventually becoming a survival instructor and author.

So much of my culture on my Father's side is the concept of protection and security. You can't survive a war without it. I will never compromise or do something that will jeopardize my wellbeing. I could never be with someone who takes ridiculous risks or throws caution to the wind.

I'm proud of who I am. However, Filipinos have been called the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of ethnicities, and it is fun letting people guess what I am. Believe me, I've been mistaken for many backgrounds. My parents are elderly, and they come from very different times. They have a bi-racial (White-Asian/Pacific Islander) relationship and it worked for them for over 50 years. They no doubt had people comment about my Mother being with a ‘Brown man’ and even though my Father is the nicest man on the planet and a true gentleman, some intolerant people would have rather seen them with partners who match their backgrounds. My view is just as tolerant as theirs. 

I have had an incredible journey through my Filipino culture by training in Sayoc Kali, a Filipino Martial Art (FMA). That training has helped me mentally and physically and it introduced me to the founder of the system who I consider a mentor and even dedicated part of my first book to. Being Filipino and training in FMA, I have been able to travel to multiple countries and represent the system. I'm not an Associate-level instructor and Mataas Na Guro (Assistant Keeper of the Knowledge) responsible for record-keeping and scribing history. I feel strongest in my Filipino identity because of Sayoc and I love the tribe I've been accepted into.

I will get to Poland and the Philippines at some point but not in the near future given the pandemic we're living through. That kind of put travel plans out of the country on hold. When I was younger, I had people call me racial slurs. It bothered me when I was younger but now I just laugh at anything derogatory sent my way. I've learned to value the opinions of my friends, family, and tribe. As I get older, I appreciate the diversity I have in my life and enjoy the company of others like me. I value their perspective more and what I can learn from them.

I'm one of only 4 teachers in my school district with Asian blood. I work in a city of 68,000 with hundreds of teachers. I've had the opportunity to share my culture in the classes I teach (World History, Geography and Cultures, etc) and students have come to love the cultural artefacts in my room. I would say, yes, they are very considerate.

If I could be reborn on this planet, I would love to have the sum total of all the knowledge I accumulated the first time around. I know this isn't possible and my time is limited in this life. For that reason, I work to be a better version of myself every single day. I wake up with purpose, set goals for my day, and never waste time. I want to leave the world a better place than the way I found it. 

I am a teacher through and through and I appreciate the opportunity to share my story with you. My life has been dedicated to helping others learn and from the age of 16, I was an educator. I started off teaching kayaking and canoeing, then swimming lessons, then bushcraft/survival skills and of course at the high school level. Even my magazine writing and the book I wrote focuses on teaching skills and providing information to my readers. A few years back, I created a permanent endowment fund in my hometown to send underprivileged children to summer camps. That fund will be around long after I'm gone.

I'm doing really well during coronavirus. I'm a full-time high school history teacher so making the switch to distance learning was not easy. However, my colleagues and I are professionals and our students are great. We're making do. To manage the stress, I'm getting outdoors to hike, fish, run, etc.