Memoirs of an Undergrad

Do I have what it takes to be a Filipino? The one question that lingered in my mind. The only question that I wanted to ask myself whenever I played a Korean pop song on my phone, whenever I embraced the culture of another instead of my own. “I have what it takes to be a Filipino.” Nine words, every day I practiced on how to declare those nine words with passion and with confidence. But, I realized that the more I practiced, the more I doubted myself. At the end of the day, I wondered if I have what it takes to be a Filipino or not. Until, one day, my question answered itself. “What does it take to be a Filipino? What do I have to do in order to consider myself a true Filipino?” I asked myself. “Do I have to pay taxes, do community service, or donate to Philippine charities?” I kept thinking of ways on how to have what it takes to be a Filipino until my uncle overheard what I was saying. He approached me and said, “Nephew, you need to embody the Filipino spirit in order to have wh...