Watch the Chicago Bulls take on the Miami Heat on Saturday, February 6th!

What are you doing on Saturday, February 6th? Nothing? That's great because your lovely FIA staff members are selling tickets to a Chicago Bulls game where they will be taking on the Miami Heat on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 AT 7:00PM. Tickets are being sold for $46 per person. You can purchase your tickets from your favorite staff member (i.e. me!). Tickets are limited so don't miss out!!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call/text me at (224) 578-9636 or e-mail me at Rdelro2@gmail.com and I will respond as quickly as I can. Have a fun and safe weekend! And don't forget to buy your tickets!!

Roxanne Del Rosario
Secretary

FIA Cultural's 1st Kalatong Practice

Today, in SCE 605 from 4pm-5:50pm, Mike and I held our first Kalatong practice.

We plan to perform Kalatong at Battle of the Bamboo 2010. We’re also planning on performing a second dance, which is yet to be determined.

The Kalatong is a rural dance that is named after the 3-foot bamboo object that the dancers wear around their necks or waists. They beat this object in a fast rhythm, believing this will bring luck and drive away evil spirits. (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Kalatong --- WHOA! I did not know there was such a thing as WIKIPILIPINAS, did you?!)

(Another) Did You Know:
There’s a thing called a “Kalatong Festival”?

Learn more about it here: http://batangrizal.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/kalatong-festival/

Thanks to those who attended and showed up to today’s practice. I hope you all had fun with this new and exciting dance!

We currently have 12 sticks stored in the FIA office for this dance, but I have another bundle at my house! We know some of you didn’t get the chance to practice with the sticks today, so Mike and I are thinking of having the dancers switch off during the dance so that everyone who is interested in dancing Kalatong will get a chance to. How’s that sound?

Next Practice:
Thursday, January 28
SCE 605 @ 4PM

Hope to see you there!


Lizelle Marcial
Co-Cultural Director

Cultural Awareness Update – Famous Filipinos in the News

Sports: There’s no doubt that the fight between Manny and Cotto has caused an intense radiation of Filipino pride, but what about another famous Filipino making sports headlines? Tim Lincecum, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, has recently been awarded his second NL Cy Young Award. This honor is awarded to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball – Congrats Tim! And make sure to read more about it all at huffingtonpost.com.

News: Educator and Filipino Efren Penaflorida has recently been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. Penaflorida obtained this honor through his implementation of a “pushcart classroom” program in the Philippines. In doing so, he was able to bring education to children in poverty and keep them from getting involved in gang violence. Read more about this heroic act at gmanews.tv.

Politics: On a more serious note, the violence as a result of a recent election in the Philippines has escalated to the point at which Philippine authorities have been forced to declare a state of emergency in two southern provinces. Last Monday a group of 50 lawyers, journalists, and relatives to local politicians were kidnapped by armed men. So far, 46 murdered bodies have been discovered – 20 of which were journalists. To keep up with the news, visit nytimes.com.

God Bless,
Kristine Arboleda
Cultural Awareness Chair

Filipino-American Psychology

For those of you who were able to attend the talk with Kevin Nadal hosted by AARCC in October, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Mr. Nadal was a charming speaker, and I ended up learning a lot about how our history has influenced some of our specific Filipino behaviors. For those of you who were most weren’t able to make it (you missed out :P), here’s a recap of topics that were covered in the session:

Filipinos were colonized and therefore influenced by two different entities: the Spanish (for 350 years) and the United States (for 50 years). This mixture of different languages, traditions, and phenotypes gives us the Filipino culture that we see today – a culture that is rich and vibrant in flavors and sounds.