Rocel Ocampo shares about her struggles learning to speak Tagalog with her family.
Being a second-generation Filipino-American can be challenging, especially when your parents are strict, traditional first-generation Filipinos.
Growing up, my parents always used Tagalog in the house, whether it be to address me or my siblings, or just saying simple phrases like, “Mahal kita, anak.” Which meant, “I love you, my child.” My parents would always try to push me to learn it, and I always found myself learning more and more, especially with the help of my grandma. As I got older, they began to use Tagalog more frequently, especially because my siblings and I could understand way more than a few sentences.
I remember one summer vacation when my family and I visited the Philippines. We went to one of the SM malls, a large shopping center filled with stores. I went with my cousins, and I struggled to speak Tagalog. They often suggested that I just use English to make it all easier for us.
I recall them asking if I was hungry and wanted a snack, but I couldn’t form a complete sentence in Tagalog. Even with the language barrier, we still had a great time. We watched a new movie and then went to an arcade to play games. We shared food, shopped together and laughed. It didn’t matter whether we spoke English or Tagalog; we all felt the same happiness and connection, regardless of the language difference.