My Life’s Sources
Waldhauer Family Crest
When attempting to find the framed photograph of the Waldhauer family crest in my grandmother’s house, it apparently had disappeared with one of my family members recently after my grandmother’s death. Since I was unable to trace who received this historical artifact, my brother linked me to this website so I could research our adopted family’s crest. My birth name was originally “Chanel Kealoha Story” and was shortly changed after my adoption by my biological aunt and uncle. After the adoption, my name was then legally changed for the sake of sounding “biblical”, according to my adopted parents. Based off of the findings from the Historical Research Center, breaking up the name “Waldhauer” brings about the occupational origin of my adopted family. When cutting my last name in half, the German meaning for each half consists of:
“Wald” = Forest, “Hauer” = Cutter
This surname derives from the term “walthawaere”, which also means “woodcutter”. Having this skill set during the medieval time period was considered a middle-high occupation since the majority of homes were constructed of wood. This occupation also contributes heavily to the Waldhauer family crest, which features three red pine trees atop their own individual mounds. These mounds are also placed directly in the center of the blazon. According to The Historical Research Center, “In Norman French, the blazon (coat of arms) description would be “on a mound of three vert; three pine trees gules, placed in fess.” The trees obviously representing the connection of the family’s occupation, but being particularly pine trees, it symbolizes death and eternal life for each family member. The triple feature of pine trees are found as the center focus on the shield and also directly above the knight’s head. The three mounds, or simply hills, featured under the pine trees has no symbolic meaning, but is used solely for artistic purposes. Despite this, it is the only vert (green) colored item on the entire crest which represents hope, joy, and loyalty in love. The argent (white/silver) color of the background behind the pine trees and on the flowing banners on both sides represents innocence, beauty, purity, and gentleness. The guelz (red) color of the pine trees signifies nobility and the qualities of military strength and fairness. This also explains why there is a knight placed directly above on the crest. In addition to the shielded head, an interesting set of bull horns are located above it encompassing another set of three guelz pine trees. These horns symbolize the characteristics of strength and fortitude, which are apparent due to the characteristics needed to work in a woodcutting business in the medieval times.
Comparing my adopted family’s occupation back then to now is really astounding. My adopted dad/biological uncle was a Command Sargent Major in the Air Force and served for twenty-six years before retiring. He was also employed by the United States Postal Service, and was a corrections officer for a few years before his final retirement. My adopted grandfather a.k.a. “granddaddy”, was a veteran of WWII and later on won renowned awards for attending church service every single Wednesday and Sunday for fifty-one years. Seeing how my adopted family’s history has progressed from such a simple, yet noble service to a more militant career focus is pretty fascinating as well. I now know the values and major symbols that my family’s last name comprises of.
“The Historical Research Center — Coat of Arms, Summary of Family Name History and Heraldry Glossary.” The Historical Research Center — Coat of Arms, Summary of Family Name History and Heraldry Glossary. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
“Lady Gaga and the Life of Passion”
In this article, David Brooks ultimately discusses how Lady Gaga lives in her own indestructable bubble of fierceness filled with passion for her work while remaining true to herself. His inspiration to write this piece focuses in on Lady Gaga’s intimate attention for pure honesty to one’s self. Due to his admiration for Gaga living life with such passion, he brings light to how this sense relates to all humans. David Brooks describes his idea of passionate humans stating, “[they] start out with an especially intense desire to complete themselves. We are the only animals that are naturally unfinished.” This passion for living life to the fullest and with purpose is something I see in a lot of my family members. One of the main ones includes my mother, Tia Chaleen Payumo. Why? For the simple fact that she successfully acquired a passionate life by paving the way for herself.
Having grown up in the Philippines, a third world country filled with very strict cultural values, she wanted to explore more of the world. She knew outside of the Philippines, there would be a substantial amount of entitlement for women, since in her country — women could work, but it was expected that most of the money be made through marriage. My mother, being the feminist and hard-working soul that she is, took this as an incentive to do greater things with her life. When she turned eighteen, she decided to leave the only place she’d ever known and travel to the United States. Acquiring a passport was an accomplishment in itself because entry to the United States was a very long and strict process that not many Filipinos approve of. Something more applaudable was obtaining enough money for such an expensive plane ticket to travel. Her father aka my grandfather, Daddy Eddie, was the Treasurer of the city of Norzagaray. Although our family was better off than many others, even getting enough money to raise a family of nine was almost impossible. Through persistent saving from her job, my mother earned just enough to get on the plane.
Yes, she was one of the thousands of Filipinos to immigrated to America with little to no money in hopes that she’d find a job right when she landed. Thankfully, Hawaii is a very open state welcoming of Asians, allowing her to get any kind of job. Throughout her travels, my mother got to experience different foods from all over the US and even some internationally. She traveled to Japan, New York, Kentucky, Georgia, and Hawaii just living off of working different kinds of random jobs. The fact that my mother didn’t fear coming into a new country by herself and being so willing to put herself out there is amazing to me. “Who would you be and what would you do if you weren’t afraid?” asked David Brooks. This sense of passion to experience different parts of the world is a characteristic that has transferred to me. I strive to be just as adventurous and passionate about traveling the world without fear like my mother has.
Brooks, David. “Lady Gaga and the Life of Passion.” The Seattle Times. 2015, New York Times News, 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
“Rice as Self: Japanese Identities Through Time”
Due to the many cultures that I’ve been blessed to experience, it is extremely difficult to choose just one actual dish that represents my familial background as a whole. Because of this, I have chosen rice since it is the only unifying factor that I have found to be present within all of my different families’ meals. This includes my adopted family (Filipino and Caucasian), my biological family (Filipino, Japanese, Hawaiian), and my friends’ families that I consider mine (Mexican, Venezuelan, Puerto Rican, Irish, African American). Having barely lived with my “biological” family, which includes my Filipino mother and my non-biological Japanese step-dad, I haven’t fully experienced the true Japanese importance of rice. Yes, my step-dad is Japanese, but he has become completely Americanized just like myself since we both were born and raised in America. Since he doesn’t have the true understanding of its history and worth like many Japanese citizens do, I figured “Rice as Self” would be the perfect source to gain a better understanding of the culture I know so little about.
In this Princeton novel, Ohnuki-Tierney describes in vivid detail the major roles rice has played in Japanese history. He writes, “The quantitative value of rice, then, is a curious one: the presence of a small amount of rice is essential, but a large amount is desirable only when the standard of living is low,” (Ohnuki-Tierney, 1993, 43). He simply states that rice is viewed as a valuable entity, not necessarily monetarily, but more so in terms of literal food. To better explain, Ohnuki-Tierney states, “Contrary to the image of the workaholic behind the Japanese economic miracle, a view exists in Japanese culture that wealth is a gift from a deity rather than a result of sweat. The rational choice of the “economic person” is an inappropriate model for understanding the importance of rice as wealth to the Japanese,” (Ohnuki-Tierney, 1993, 9). I found this to be extremely interesting seeing as it contradicts to the hard-working motto my mother and my step-dad have acquired through the American culture. In America, we have it engrained in our heads that when we work for it, we deserve it and that we are the reason we earned it; which, in turn keeps us striving to earn more. This is the complete opposite in Japan — instead, they view their payment as a reward from a deity and that it is a moral responsibility to contribute to the country’s efficiency. Similar to how Americans see money as a necessity to survive, the value of having rice to survive is just as substantial. Although it seems that the Japanese aren’t too concerned with wealth, they do still find rice as a comparison to differentiate themselves from many other countries. They view and value their short-grain rice at a substantially higher amount when compared to the Chinese. They’ve even been incredibly stringent on restricting any importation of other foreign rice types. They do view themselves more highly than many western rice growers and even compared to all other Asian countries.
It not only represents a monetary value, but plays a role in the Japanese social aspect as well. Ohnuki-Tierney affirms, “[harvest] rituals also embody the singly most important social role of rice — its use as food for commensality at both a cosmic level between deities and humans and among the folk,” (Ohnuki-Tierney, 1993, 9). Since commensality plays such a vital role in any cultural institution all over the world, rice brings people together at a deeper level. “People who eat together become “we,” as opposed to “they,” and the food shared becomes the metaphor for the social group,” (Ohnuki-Tierney, 1993, 9). This explains why the Japanese might also use sticky rice so commonly in their most internationally famous dish — sushi. The sticky texture and pure white of the rice featured in the common Japanese’s everyday meal exemplifies the strong bond held together by the people. Metaphorically speaking, the sushi is held together with the main component of rice as the bond that holds the most flavorful ingredients together. Another social role includes how rice is also tied to every Japanese individual at a very young age. This introduction provides an immediate bond between mother and child. It’s use as a substitute for breast milk (since some mothers are unable to produce) is used right at birth, allowing a critical linkage between rice, mother, and child to form.
Rice is the representation for the Japanese “self”. It is the people and within them, literally and figuratively. They used it as a comparison for their wealth towards other countries and even use it to provide social connections to their families, friends, coworkers, and so on. This ever-present importance of rice has been constructed since their first cultivation of the grain, and will continue to play a strong role for centuries.
Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. Rice as Self: Japanese Identities through Time. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1993. Print.
“White Love: And Other Events in Filipino History”
Spending my first four years of life in the Philippines with my grandparents and aunts, I never realized how Americanized my family’s household was and continued to strive to be until I moved back to the United States myself. The transition from life in the Philippines to life in Georgia was for the most part similar. My aunt still cooked some Filipino meals, but also included some Americanized meals as well from my uncle’s side. It wasn’t all that different since American fast food chains had found its way to my homeland — of course the main one being McDonald’s! Speaking English is another one of the major and most common characteristics found within most of the Philippines and the majority of my Filipino household spoke it fairly well. It is taught within every school and is made a huge enough deal to be deemed as a necessity for survival.
Many Filipinos who are bilingual in either English and Tagalog, English and Vasayan, or English and Ilocano proudly represent their knowledge and skill, especially when striving to be nurses or educators in first world countries. This is especially true with my aunt that adopted me, her English and writing are impeccable. However, my other aunts, mother, and uncle still struggle with a few of the pronunciations and sentence structures but are fully capable of having normal conversations with any English speaking individual. The house structure in my Filipino home were for the most part as modern as a third-world country could get, but wasn’t too different from my home in Georgia either. Besides the automatic hot water and air conditioning, houses in the Philippines didn’t differ much. There was still electricity, cars, computers, fast food, and typical aspects that can be found in America available in the Philippines.
According to Vincente L. Rafael, there is an existence of the “desire for nationalist modernity and intimate the beginnings of an authoritarian aesthetic” (Rafael, 2000, 15). The appetite of many Filipinos to be as wealthy and modernized as America has been engrained in my family since I can remember. Since America first step foot onto the Philippine islands and tried to assimilate Filipinos into their culture, there was at first a disdain for but as time progressed, many Filipinos realized parts of the American methods were more efficient than their original routines. Strangely interesting, many Filipino politicians are Filipino celebrities as well. One of the most famous being Manny Pacquiao — boxer turned Filipino House of Representatives member. Finding educated individuals with popularity is really only known nationwide as celebrities. They may not have originally started out as politicians, but eventually find their way trying to help their country. In addition to politics, many Filipinos strive to have it modeled after America’s democracy, but the existing government is already notorious for corruption. The original setup of an “oligarchy that was favored by many seemed to turn into a constitutional authoritarianism” in the eyes of many student demonstrators, (Rafael, 2000, 45). The national religion was catholicism, which was prominent since the Spanish colonial period, but has since transitioned to Christianity since American influence. This transition is one of the most obvious signs of “white love” the Philippines has inherited.
To this day, many dream of traveling to the U.S. and living the American dream to help provide for their families back home. Luckily for my family, my mother made that dream happen and has proven that white culture has definitely influenced our household back in Norzagaray, but we still never forget where we came from. We still hold our traditions close to our hearts, but have become more open to what works the best in constantly evolving times.
Rafael, Vicente L. White Love: And Other Events in Filipino History. Durham: Duke UP, 2000. Print
“The Philippines — A Global Studies Handbook”
Being born in Hawai’i and spending the majority of my life in the U.S., I never fully learned all aspects of my true heritage. Besides spending the first four years of my life in my homeland and eating the foods passed down through generations of my Filipino ancestors, I still don’t know that much about the culture of my people let alone its history. In this book, author Damon L. Woods breaks down the kinds of people in the Philippines. Being one of the farthest Asian countries in the East with a close proximity to Hawaii aka America, it is evident why there are a handful of immigrants. Woods breaks up much of the inhabitants into “the Hispanizeld, the Chinese, and ethnic minorities”, (Woods, 2006, 6). Although everyone is considered as “one people”, there is still a strong sense of division within its people due to the presence of foreign invasions from Spain, Japan, and America. This explains why there are many of these cultural characteristics as part of the Filipino culture. According to Woods, there is no known source for where which the Filipinos derived. The assumption is that people crossed over the land bridge that happened during the Ice Age and these people were those with the dark pigmented skin similar to Micronesians and Negritos. This still has not been proven scientifically, but most of the languages, even with barriers are all similar to Spanish. Whether this is from the colonization period or from prehistoric times, it is unknown.
The Chinese and Spanish have had an impactful influence on the Filipino culture since they created relations, whether negative or positive, that began in the 1500s. The trade between the Chinese and Filipinos lead to much discrimination at first, but then sprouted into “the rise of the mestizo class, the illustrados… the result of the relationships between Chinese men and Filipinas”, (Woods, 2006, 11). Similar to many other countries that stayed long enough, the intermixing began even further disconnection between the original Filipinos and now created a whole new separate society. These cultural differences all then lead to differences in each subgroups cultures, languages, etc. They all still ate the mainly the same food since many recipes were still passed down. Some recipes added a twist that featured new culture’s additions, but for the most part still held true to the traditional Filipino ingredients.
Woods, Damon L. The Philippines: A Global Studies Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2006. Print.
“Joseph Kim: The family I lost in North Korea. And the family I gained.”
This TED Talk covers the story of Joseph Kim and how he managed to escape his struggles in North Korea. He lived there during the great famine and ended up watching his own father die due to the lack of food. Along the way, his mother disappeared and his sister went off to find money and food, only for her to never come back. After losing all parts of his family, he had no one else and ended up doing what he had to in order to survive — even if it meant stealing food from food carts in the black market to working sixteen hour days in coal mines in exchange for a semi-decent meal. Joseph realized that he could make a choice — to continue living this way, putting his life at risk, or to escape the country, also putting his life at risk. At the age of sixteen, he ended up running away to China as a fugitive, but was still not widely accepted or even helped. After meeting another North Korean, he was given the opportunity to move to America as a refugee. Here, he lived in a foster home in which he found his new family yet still maintained his honor to his biological family that sacrificed so much for him. Paying respects to his father, he took advantage of getting a great education since that’s the main wish his father had hoped for him. He ended up making the Dean’s List on his first semester of high school, even though in North Korea, he had not even made it past elementary school. Ultimately, he ends his TED Talk with hope being his main source of motivation to survive.
“Not just any kind of hope, but the kind of hope that when I was starving in Korea, that I’d find food the next day. The kind of hope that there is still another day to reunite with my sister. The kind of hope that kept me alive.”
This huge leap relates to how my mother decided to move out of the Philippines, but under less strict and severe conditions. In addition, it relates to my personal story of how I moved out of my aunt and uncle’s home (also my adopted parents) after experiencing physical and emotional abuse to live with my newly found family — the family that allowed hope to be grown in myself. The kind of hope that gave me a positive outlook on life, that made me feel at home, that also reassured me that there were still people in the world I could consider family. Even though me and Joseph still had some traumatizing experiences, we both appreciate the good times spent with our family despite the circumstances.
“The Family I Lost in North Korea. And the Family I Gained.” Joseph Kim:. N.p., June 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
“Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups: Filipinos and Japanese”
Reading through the different sections throughout this massive encyclopedia has provided me with further insight on knowledge I had already known that related to my family.
When specifically reading about Japanese immigrants that traveled to America, it mentioned that many traveled here through the plantation contracts in Hawai’i. I found this incredibly interesting since my stepdad’s grandparents fall under this time frame. Having traveled by boat to work on a sugar plantation for two years, they ended up on Maui, working for barely anything. Whether or not they were part of the 150 Japanese workers that immigrated in 1868 by the Hawai’ian Trading Commissioner is still unknown, but they certainly contributed to this massive migration to Hawai’i.
“Immediately after Pearl Harbor, a group of “enemy aliens,” including over 2,000 Japanese, were arrested by the FBI, and curfew regulations and other restrictions were posted for Japanese-American neighborhoods.” (Thernstrom, 1980, 565).
Considering the fact that my stepdad’s family never moved off the islands, it also made me wonder how they even survived through the Pearl Harbor incident. Learning about the circumstances they had to live under until the war ended allowed me to realize how harsh times were back then. It also brought about a sense of pride that the Japanese people who had to endure this treatment were proven to be completely innocent. Their overall moral character as a whole was praised because of their loyalty and committment to America.
When reading about Filipino immigration, it was interesting to read since I originally thought that they too came to America under contracts. According to Harvard’s Enclyclopedia, “The earliest immigrants came as American nationals, after the Treaty of Paris (1899) ended the Spanish-American War and gave possession of the Philippine Islands to the United States,” (Thernstrom, 1980, 356). In addition, the first Filipino immigrants were actually students and not under contracts since their country was taken over by the U.S. government. Many of my mother’s friends have taken advantage of this opportunity well into the 1970’s just because they knew life in America was the best alterative. Despite this popular move, my mother traveled here through a different course, but nonetheless, she still added to the rich history of Hawai’ians millions of immigrants.
Thernstrom, Stephan. “Filipinos and Japanese.” Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard U, 1980. 354–571. Print.
“Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies”
Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate focuses on how food is more than just a nutritional provider. It does more than just fill up an empty stomach. It carries important messages of love, hope, grief, and even history from the cook, the sender, to the eater, the receiver. Esquivel tells the tale of a heartbroken Tita, the main character, and describes how she utilizes specific recipes to translate her emotions to Pedro — their only form of absolute communication. Esquivel emphasizes how Tita’s secret to making such delicious recipes is “to make them (her recipes) with lots of love,” (Esquivel, 1992, 240).
Besides the emotional focus, the recipes that Esquivel utilizes throughout her story are focused on historical Mexican recipes. Each recipe has played a role in Tita’s family’s history. From the first step of preparation to the way it it is presented on the plate, the procedures have been handed down from generation to generation. The flavors itself carry the traditions and memories of Tita’s ancestors all the way down to her era.
Finding the “tradition-bearer” or the “Tita” of my family was one of the first assignments of this project. The one who cooks and continues the family traditions throughout the years and especially during the holidays. While trying to figure out who exactly the “Tita” is in my family, I took into consideration how Esquivel depicted Tita to be one filled with passion towards cooking and is a person of great moral.
This helped me narrow down my search and made me realize that along with my aunt, I too carry the traditions that my biological mother and her boyfriend have now bestowed upon me. From my adopted family’s side, my aunt and uncle both enjoy cooking traditional Filipino cuisine. They passed down their culinary skills and even a few family recipes. For my immediate family, my mom doesn’t like to cook since her and her boyfriend typically eat out late at night. Therefore, I’m the “Tita” of this particular family since I won’t hesitate to cook up a good old fashioned home cooked meal for the family.
Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Print.
“Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole”
“Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh oh”
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s “Over the Rainbow” has been a Hawai’ian classic since its release in 1990. Since that date, IZ’s remake has touched the hearts of many and has even been featured on numerous movies filmed on the Hawai’ian islands.
This song in particular relates to my mom on a personal level just because it touches base with her accomplishments. Her most profound achievement has been making it to America and surviving all on her own. She’s proud of how far she’s come — dreaming to move out of the third world setting she was so used to, to traveling the world by herself. From the perspective of my mom’s boyfriend, he sees this song as the perfect representation of all immigrants that have once had a dream and made it come to life. The meaning of making it to America, the land of freedom and opportunity, has been stressed more times than I can count by both of my parental figures.
How exactly? They play this song at every celebratory event. Whether is be graduation to even a simple Christmas feast, any guest in attendance is bound to hear this song before the night ends. Playing this song for me and my sisters has been their way of honoring and recognizing how hard work can accomplish great tasks.Through this simple method, it’s been the theme song for me and my two sisters to never stop dreaming, no matter how impossible our dreams may seem.
Kamakawiwoʻole, Israel. Somewhere over the Rainbow the Best of Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. Mountain Apple Co., 2011. MP3.
“Henry’s Place – Waikiki”
“Henry’s Place” —located on 234 Beachwalk Street, Honolulu, Hawai’i. This hole in the wall shop has employed me since I first visited my mother in 2008, and has also been the ultimate symbol for my family in recognizing how hard work can lead to great things. I am also reminded on a daily basis that to continue its greatness, we must continue to take care of it and seek improvement. Thus, my sisters and I work there when we can since it is the “family’s” store a.k.a., the reason why we all are living as comfortably as we are.
This mom and pop shop has been running since 1982, and since then, has occupied three different locations all throughout famous Waikiki. From its inception, my stepdad’s father — Misturu Takahashi, has made it his personal goal to provide fresh fruits and quality foods without all the fancy frills many corporations try to sell. That’s why “Henry’s Place” has become so famous to many Japanese tourists, and even a popular spot for locals to eat at during late nights.
What does it sell exactly? Fruits, ice cream, sorbet, and sandwiches have been the top selling items. Originally, only locally — grown fruits were sold, but since the competition has evolved, so did the store. That’s when Henry, Mitsuru’s son and also my stepdad, created their own secret recipes for all fifty-three ice cream and sorbet flavors. Don’t let these simple white cups fool you, they are jam packed with more than just locally grown fruits. They are filled with the memories of long nights of experimentation, and even longer nights of continuous pursuit of perfection. After all the recipes were created, only a few employees and family members were granted access to them. Luckily for me and my sisters, it has been made official that we will be able to pass these recipes down to our future kids when we inherit the store.
Keeping the store in the family along with the recipes is a major part of our family history. It’s not solely because of the majority of our memories were made here, it’s also because my mom and stepdad have sacrificed everything in them to keep this store running. For that, I’m forever appreciative and proud to have this store as part of my family’s history. It’s the reason I even chose to major in Finance and Economics, and why I even dare to dream of becoming the Chief Executive Officer of my own company.
Kealoha, Chanel. “Hawaii.” Henry’s Place — Waikiki. Wix, 20 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
“Rice — Live in the Philippines”
It is apparent that rice plays different roles within every meal, depending on the country. One part of myself that I was not so sure about is my Filipino side. I know that in Japanese culture, it is indeed a staple food featured in almost every meal. If not, there’s always a substitute for it, which are rice noodles. I wondered if it was the same for Filipino culture as well.
Based off of this article, both Filipino and Japanese culture are similar when it comes down to the necessity of rice. Both cultures feature it in their traditional meals, ranging from the beginning to the end of the day. In addition, both cultures have also crafted their own recipes that encompass their own distinct flavors. Filipino cuisines are more flavorful with a variety of colorful plates, whereas Japanese foods tend to be more neutral in both flavor and presentation.
Although both the Japanese and Filipinos feature rice with every meal, it is more of a side dish in Filipino culture that helps fill up the body rather than being a main concentration to the overall meal. In the Philippines, rice is a practical food, making it insanely cheap and affordable for everyone. Despite its lesser importance in this particular culture, it does not undermine the internationally acclaimed production of rice in the Philippines. Accoridng to John Miele’s article, “There are hundreds of different varieties of rice in the world. Indeed, many were pioneered or bred by the Rice Institute of the Philippines.” In addition, Filipinos tend to favor medium grained rice that is fluffy after being cooked, and absolutely hate the American long grained rice due to its lack of flavor. This fluffy white rice is the type that I grew up eating, and is the only rice my family likes to eat.
“Rice.” Live in the Philippines. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
“Philippines: Banaue Rice Terraces”
This video follows an American couple on their travels to the Banaue Rice Terraces, which is a somewhat difficult site to get to. It is one of the most historical rice plantations that is filled with 2,000–3,000 years worth of rice agriculture, and it’s located in the naturally rich mountains of Ifugao, Philippines. According to Kobzeff, it has now turned into a major tourist destination and has even been deemed to be “the Eighth Wonder of the World” for its endless amount of terrace length.
The video features narration by the couple in which they describe how they utilized Filipino transportation to get to their destination. The most common source of transportation are referred to as “jipneys”, and they are essentially cheap cabs that resemeble small motorcycle-type cars. A typical ride is around 200 pesos, or about four dollars. The transportation is fairly cheap in American dollars, but for any local Filipino, it is rather expensive when traveling far distances.
In addition to providing the Filipino markets with delicious rice, the terraces’ location in the mountainous region offer great scenic views of nature. This video was extremely helpful in providing me visual aid of how plantation life is like in the Philippines. It is similar to the tropical plantations in Hawai’i, featuring similar weather and an island type of lifestyle.
Kobzeff, Christine. “Philippines Vlog: Banaue Rice Terraces.” YouTube. YouTube, 03 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.