Hi Prof,
Here's my Reflection 02.
I recognized that the person I am today was shaped by many factors. My beliefs and values were initially shaped by my family's culture and circumstances then changed by the influence of environment from the school and from work experiences. It generally evolve from my dependency on authorities (my parents, grandparents, teachers, supervisors, rules and regulations) then later formed based on my own chosen principles.
EXTERNAL (Family, Environment School and Work Experiences)
Family
My first memory as a child started when we were relocating from a place to another town in Isabela. I remember my mother, brother, sister and I carrying bags and moving to a new house. In that house I remember playing games with my siblings and cousins. My mother was the strict in the family while my father was liberal and allows us things that my mother forbid. In one occasion, my mother did not allow me to go out with my father, so I went inside waited for a few minutes then jumped out of the window and met with my father (planned all along with him). Generally, my mother guided us to be disciplined, while my father, being a happy go lucky taught us to enjoy, play and take things light. Then my father went abroad, go home and back for several years, but there was a period that he could not find another contract and have become jobless. So my mother had to apply and take domestic job abroad to fill our financial gap. That was the beginning of marital issues between them. My father cheated on my mother, my mother wanted to break up with my father but he would not want to. The start of my mother secretly meetings us, trying to take us with her and my father chasing us. Eventually, my father got us in custody. Then my mother had to head back abroad without clearing the issue between them. My father, finally, got another job opportunity abroad, so he humbly asked my grandmother (mother side) to look out for us. Those memories were vivid but we were (I am) at very young age. We stayed with my grandparents during most of our forming age. So I would attribute that family influence was hugely contributed by my grandparents. My grandmother was a typical strict tyrannical lola from the old era, even my grandfather would bow to whatever she say. She was conservative, me and my sister were not allowed to play outside for a long period of time, we were ordered never to mingle with boys (it is considered flirting). We had to wake up early, because we were told we're not senoritas or senoritos. We cannot go outside in the morning and feel the breeze, because we have to clean the house, wash dishes before displaying outside. We were raised to be respectful and mahiyain, to the extent that we were not comfortable being put into the spotlight. It was not the perfect way to raise children as I would like to raise my own children now, but we will forever be grateful to my grandmother for instilling strong foundation of good values in us. People who knew our family situation commended us for not losing good control of our lives. Some children whom parents are in abroad have often indulge in drug addiction, get into marriage early, etc. But all the three of us finished our education without causing any headache to our parents and grandparents, and that can be accounted to the discipline shaped by my grandmother. On the other hand, we were very lucky to have a lolo who would patiently cook for us (using the traditional stove fired by wood so it was not as convenient as today), walk 100 meters back and forth to fetch water for our needs everyday (for cooking, cleaning and bathing) and always the one to calmly explain the rules imposed by my lola. I have seen in him how to empower people without using force. When we have grown and got jobs, it was always great to treat our lolo, because of his attitude of being grateful, be it a small pasalubong, travel to a simple resort, etc., the smile in his face is overwhelming. Separately, my parents made amends and got back together. For me their biggest influence to us is the willingness to sacrifice for a love one, sacrifice for a certain period for an ultimate goal. They have financed our education sacrificing to work away from our town for many years.
