Here are the responses:
Sender: Raquel from Winnipeg
Date: July 1, 2003
It is very difficult for children who are born here or who just grew up here to learn or keep their native language. I came here when I was about 5 and I still know how to speak the language but I prefer to speak english. My younger brother understands the language but cannot speak it in straight sentences. My youngest brother who was born here, can understand some words, but cannot speak tagalog at all. I think it has something to do with how much tagalog you speak at home. With my parents learning to speak english they would speak to us in english. Now with my two children it is even more difficult to try to teach them tagalog. My husband and I often speak to each other in english even though we know how to speak tagalog. The only time we actually speak in tagalog is if we didn't want the children to know what we were saying.
I think it's important for children to know another language and I applaud your dedication in teaching them to do so.
Sender: Agnus from Winnipeg
Date: July 2, 2003
Maligayang araw, Tita Irene!
I wish that I can speak Tagalog straight, and sometimes I think I know more French than I do Tagalog. Nanay's kinda busy as it is so she only has time teaching us Catechism rather than Tagalog. And the kids are restless and are always arguing with each other when she teaches.
When I was trying to find the lyrics for my poetry book, Sa Ugoy ng Duyan, I came across this website: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/ It's a really good website, it includes everything you wanted to know and knew about the Filipino culture. It even has a Tagalog-English dictionary and Tagalog Lessons that includes a audio clip of how the proper pronounciation is. It's a very good reference and a great site to visit.
Paalam po!
Sender: Jojo from Manila
Date: July 4, 2003
Your story brings back to my mind what my naughty daughter told me when she saw someone speaking in English. The story goes this way:
Last May, my mother-in-law's sister and her husband (a true-blooded American) came for a two-week vacation. They are based in Florida, USA. They arrived at midnight so nobody saw them as everybody was sleeping. The following day, I saw them in my mother-in-law's house exchanging pleasantries. I told my children to go there, kiss their hands and say hello. My eldest Mikey did just that while my youngest Nicky came back to me and said, "Mama ayokong magpunta dun. Hindi ko naiintindihan ang sinasabi nung maputing mama. Pag nagpunta ba tayo sa Amerika, ganun na rin tayo magsalita?" (She meant we have to speak in English also and I said yes.) "Ayoko ng magpunta sa Amerika. Hindi ko kaya yun." And then she left without going to my mother-in-law's house. Nangapitbahay na lang siya.
Baligtad tayo ano? While you wanted to teach your kids some Tagalog words, ako naman wanted them to speak in English fluently because I know mahihirapan silang mag-adjust when our plan to settle in US materializes. Baka hindi sila makahanap ng kalaro although my sister Evelyn said madali namang nakapag-adjust ang mga anak niya at ngayon nakikipaglaro na sa mga batang Kano at Mexikano. Well, let's see what's gonna happen.
