The Beautiful Day in The Beach by Punnisa Rotrattanathara
When it comes to going to the beach, many people might feel excited, happy, or relaxed. But for me, my first feeling is “cold,” especially when talking about the West Coast beach of America. Everyone knows that the water here is very cold, and the air near the coast is usually colder than the surrounding areas.
In the year I lived in America, I had the chance to go to the beach three times, and each time I encountered cold weather. The sea breeze constantly brings chills to the shore. Even though the atmosphere is beautiful and peaceful, the cold makes me have to wear a jacket all day long. This was another time that I got to visit the beach in Lincoln City. We went there to celebrate the 50th birthday of my husband’s friend. We left home in the morning and stopped by his parents’ house on the way. There was little traffic during the trip, but we arrived at the party in the evening just in time.
His friend rented a house on a hill for the celebration. The atmosphere around the house was amazing. There was a balcony surrounding the house, and from the front we could see the beautiful ocean view. The sunset in the evening was breathtaking. Below the house, there were stable shores, and behind it we could see another house on the hill. The wind blew gently all the time, making the place feel very romantic. That night, we partied until late and then everyone went to rest. We did not stay at the rental house. Instead, we stayed at a hotel in Lincoln City, close to the beach that we planned for tomorrow.
The following day, after fully recharging our energy, we went out for lunch and walked around the outlet stores. The weather was nice that day, around 72 degrees. We waited until 5:00 p.m. when the temperature felt perfect for walking on the beach. The wind was blowing quite strongly, and many people were walking along the shore. Some came with their families and brought their children to play in the sand or sunbathe. Others brought their dogs for a walk. We slowly walked around the beach together, enjoying the scenery without rushing. We stopped for a while to look out at the wide ocean and watched the waves crash onto the shore. When the wind started to get stronger, we decided to walk back. Honestly, this was the first time I truly felt impressed by going to the beach. I did not have to hurry because I was freezing cold like every other time before. This experience made me want to visit the beach again when the next vacation comes
United by Faith: Filipino Catholics vs. American Catholics by Darren Peleño
Did you know that Philippines is considered the largest Catholic country in Asia?
Based on 2020 census data approximately 78.8% of its population identifies as Catholic and that’s about 86 million people sharing the same faith. You might be wondering how did a country in Maritime Southeast Asia become Catholic? The answer is due to Spanish colonization from 1565 to 1898. When the conquistadors reached the Philippines they used Catholicism to rule and unify the country for over 333 years. As a Filipino immigrant I was amazed to see different variations of the catholic churches here in America, from Irish Catholics, Greek, Italian, German, Polish, Hispanic and Latino (Which I find a lot of similarities to Filipino Catholics) and so on and so forth. But three characteristics that stood out the most in how Philippine Catholicism differs from United States. These are the differences in practices, architectural style and societal role.
To begin with, what makes Filipino Catholic unique is the integration of old indigenous beliefs with Christianity. Some of us, including my mom side of the family who are from the island of Camandag believes in “Anito” which means deities or ancestor spirits who we believe that still exists with us as guardians and protectors. We also have what we call “Agimat” or “Anting anting” These are amulets crafted from animal bones, wood or dried aromatic covered in cloth pouch. These things are charged with magical chants and prayers and are used as lucky charms or to counter evil spirits and curses. In my family, my aunt makes these during Holy Week especially Good Friday, to protect us from demons or non-physical beings. On the other hand, I have noticed that here in America catholic religion is very straight forward. It’s as easy as going to mass on Sundays, understanding the scripture, doing activity work such as social services like charities which I find very communal. I was told that historically, American Catholics often stick to their own ethnic parishes. For example, my father-in-law who was born in late 40’s and an Irish decent mentioned that growing up his family only attends an Irish catholic parish. If you’re Italian, you go to Italian church, if you’re Greek, you to Greek church, if you’re Polish you go to Polish church. Everyone must stick with their own group which I find very interesting from someone who is not from here. In my country you can go to any catholic church and still will be welcomed, but I have also learned that things have changed and it’s not the norm for most American Catholics overall today.
Another significant difference is the architectural style. Here in America, I’ve observed that the churches here are built so tall. When I was in Massachusetts, I have seen gothic style Catholic churches that are designed with pointing spires and arches, they look like giant cones with very intricate patterns designed around them. You can tell that they put so much time and effort into building those beautiful churches. They are undeniably a work of art. I have also noticed that there’s a lot more painted art interiors in these churches compared to my country. In Philippines we put more sculptures and statutes to represent our saints and religious figures. A lot of our old churches in Philippines are built in Spanish colonial style era, the walls are made with bricks while the main altar is made of wood (some of the altars are often show Chinese influence through ornaments and craftmanship). You can see some of the churches have tall gates as well as the main entrance and there’s always an open space in front or on the side so vendors can sell merchandise like, rosaries, candles, prayer cards and some tasty snacks or street food.
The third thing that makes Philippine Catholics vary with US is societal role. 80% of Filipinos are Catholic, making it the dominant religion in the country. It shapes our family structure, public schools and even our politics. The positive thing about this is it teaches us to be disciplined, resilient, to care for one another and exist with shared community. We thrive even though we are faced with obstacles, we find beauty in struggles, and we always make sure that family comes first. However, it also plays a role in influencing our government and laws such as banning divorce and abortions (Which makes it the world’s strictest bans) blocking contraceptive reforms and prohibits same sex marriage. In contrast, here in America Catholicism is more about individualism and there is a separation between church and state. A lot of American Catholics sometimes exercise their own judgment over church teachings. The church follows the same values of what it’s like to be Catholic but at the same time they support progressive ideas and equality for people and not denying them their rights as citizens. Furthermore, the church does not dictate or control the laws which keeps the government to be not designed and biased to one specific religion.
In conclusion, both countries share the same principle and morals but differ in traditional and cultural sense. Philippines still experience the remnant of colonization and that manifest through our catholic faith while Americans are often open to changing norms to better ensure equality for their people. I have also learned that it’s okay to question your religion because that means you are aware of the good and bad sides of it. It also opens doors for reformation whether it’s practices, societal role or even its architecture. But at the same time understanding that our faith gives us sanctuary, community and structure to help us improve our daily lives.
