Adjusting to US Life
IT'S a cool December afternoon here in California and I've been here for nine months now.
I used to be a sportswriter back in Manila for a tabloid in our native Tagalog language before my mother petitioned me at this same time last year to join her and my sister, who have been living here for the past 30 years.
The first thing that I had to adjust to once I got here was the time zone. When there is daylight saving time, Philippine time is 15 hours ahead of the time here in our area but when there is no DST, the time gap is 16 hours. Naturally, I had to take melatonin every night to get some sleep.
Also, my mom has been teaching me how to do basic household chores like fixing up my bed and clearing out the trash, as well as wiping the dinner table clean after meals.
Watching television is what keeps me pre-occupied now while my mother and sister are working. Finding a job is difficult now because I have to keep the house guarded and I have no extra house key.
In addition, it is very cold here right now and the temperatures reach only a high of at least 10-12 degrees Celsius compared to the warmer temperatures back in Manila.
While my relatives back home are having difficulty with the political situation there, here in the US, it's as bad now with Donald Trump becoming the new president.
And people in California are dealing with a tragic fire that has killed 36 people as this was being posted.
During one of my visits to my aunt in San Francisco, I chanced upon former Ateneo Blue Eagles star Kiefer Ravena who was on vacation here for a few weeks before proceeding to training camp with the Texas Legends in the NBA Developmental League.
It's a risky proposition for Ravena to play in the NBA D League although I wish him good luck because of his desire to play in the NBA. And it's a big risk considering that he could have been a top draft pick in the professional league back in the Philippines.
Another adjustment that I had to make was joining my mother in going to Sunday Mass since she has been a devout Catholic all my life, And most of the time, I only end up eating two meals a day because my mom wants me to cut down on my weight. As much as possible, I try to cut down on my rice consumption.
I still bump into some Filipinos living in California every time I go to Mass and as much as possible, I try to speak Tagalog a little bit. But most of the time, my Mom tells me to speak English.
The next few months will be difficult as most Americans try to adjust to the presidency of Donald Trump who takes over in January. And being an immigrant, there is a lot of concern especially since my passport expired last July.
Truly, being in the US is a new challenge for me. And I hope to get a job when the New Year sets in. Hopefully, I can be an NBA writer as I used to feature NBA players who visited Manila before.
I used to be a sportswriter back in Manila for a tabloid in our native Tagalog language before my mother petitioned me at this same time last year to join her and my sister, who have been living here for the past 30 years.
The first thing that I had to adjust to once I got here was the time zone. When there is daylight saving time, Philippine time is 15 hours ahead of the time here in our area but when there is no DST, the time gap is 16 hours. Naturally, I had to take melatonin every night to get some sleep.
Also, my mom has been teaching me how to do basic household chores like fixing up my bed and clearing out the trash, as well as wiping the dinner table clean after meals.
Watching television is what keeps me pre-occupied now while my mother and sister are working. Finding a job is difficult now because I have to keep the house guarded and I have no extra house key.
In addition, it is very cold here right now and the temperatures reach only a high of at least 10-12 degrees Celsius compared to the warmer temperatures back in Manila.
While my relatives back home are having difficulty with the political situation there, here in the US, it's as bad now with Donald Trump becoming the new president.
And people in California are dealing with a tragic fire that has killed 36 people as this was being posted.
During one of my visits to my aunt in San Francisco, I chanced upon former Ateneo Blue Eagles star Kiefer Ravena who was on vacation here for a few weeks before proceeding to training camp with the Texas Legends in the NBA Developmental League.
It's a risky proposition for Ravena to play in the NBA D League although I wish him good luck because of his desire to play in the NBA. And it's a big risk considering that he could have been a top draft pick in the professional league back in the Philippines.
Another adjustment that I had to make was joining my mother in going to Sunday Mass since she has been a devout Catholic all my life, And most of the time, I only end up eating two meals a day because my mom wants me to cut down on my weight. As much as possible, I try to cut down on my rice consumption.
I still bump into some Filipinos living in California every time I go to Mass and as much as possible, I try to speak Tagalog a little bit. But most of the time, my Mom tells me to speak English.
The next few months will be difficult as most Americans try to adjust to the presidency of Donald Trump who takes over in January. And being an immigrant, there is a lot of concern especially since my passport expired last July.
Truly, being in the US is a new challenge for me. And I hope to get a job when the New Year sets in. Hopefully, I can be an NBA writer as I used to feature NBA players who visited Manila before.
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| Yours truly with Kiefer Ravena |
following your blog james!
ReplyDeleteWe miss you and keep it up !!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you can apply for a job as a sportswriter or host for ESPN, Fox Sports or any other network.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard because I don't know how to drive yet and I live 30 minutes from San Francisco
ReplyDelete