Light Christmas Reading: Follow This Blog!

I'll be spending 18 days (including travel time) in the Philippines for the holidays! Follow this blog for photos and hopefully some multimedia peaks into life in Luzon. What's it like for my parents to 'come home' after immigrating to the U.S.? What are the local customs? Why are the Philippine Islands so often overlooked? What makes the country so humble? I'll try to tackle these and much more!

Cho: The Poster Child for the Asian Harry Potter Fan

Besides Thanksgiving Break, talk of anticipation and excitement over the premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows plagued the nation. Needless to say, hundreds viewers of every age and level of obsession flocked to the box offices for weeks in advance to purchase tickets to the midnight showing.

It was expected. Fans in the hundreds attended the midnight premier, myself included, dressed as various characters from the books. KBIA, The Missourian and KOMU were seen reporting on the crowds, showing the best outfits. I thought I was being somewhat original with my costume choice, playing up my ethnicity by dressing as Cho, the only Asian character in the series. I figured hardly anyone else in Columbia would choose Cho as their character of choice because you clearly need a certain look to pull it off, an ethnic look with only a small percentage of students and residents.

This got me thinking; Why would I put so much emphasis and pride in one character, not because of her character personality traits and strengths, but because of her ethnicity. Sure, her positivity, charm and sensitivity are relatable to me - maybe because they can be viewed as stereotypical characteristics of Asian-American or Asian girls. It's more clear, however, that such traits speak to me because we are similar in the ethnic level.

The Harry Potter saga, as cheesy as it sounds, is relatable to nearly everyone and gives us a sense of commonality. We all, individually, have something we are fighting for: a relationship, a job, a football team, identity, equality, clarity, what have you. J.K Rowling has made it clear that Harry is fighting for justice and love, among other things - both of which everyone can find a commonality in.

First-time Gambler

On Thanksgiving night, my parents and I strutted ourselves over to the AmeriStar Casino in Kansas City so that I could try a hand at gambling. Unexpectedly, I got nervous. My palms started sweating, my jacket seemed to constrict my body, I began second-guessing my outfit choice wondering if it looked 'big girl' enough to blatantly back up my driver's license evidence that I, in fact, am 21. The moment we approached the guard who separated us from the shiny, beeping slot machines, he carded me. I expected it entirely, and came prepared, but once I stepped into the big kid land of lost money, I didn't feel like I stuck out that much. I would have bet that my rookie stench would give me away, but my ethnicity actually subsided its effects. Everywhere I turned, there was a 2:1 ratio of Asians to clearly native Missourians. Sure, everyone was at least 10 years my elder, but my dark complexion and black hair kept me from seeming too out of place. Finally, a situation in which my ethnicity worked in my advantage. Why did I want to blend in so much? Well, I always considered casinos a place where we are essentially voluntary victims of theft. The slot machines, although playfully deceiving, take your money as well as the card tables. If anyone could sense my apprehension as a newby, I felt that I would leave the sparkling land of gold and flashing lights as an even more broke college student. I do not think my looks saved me from my imminent demise, but I do believe they softened the blow. With my head held high, walking past several similar-looking faces, I left with a hefty 15 cents in my pocket.