Can you believe it’s been six months of quarantine? The TFAL Crew, including sleep deprived new dad Joe, came together this past Wednesday night for a TFAL Live where we engaged in a lively discussion about hustles. We talk about how quarantine and covid has impacted or inspired side hustles. The conversation also delves into the world of multilevel marketing “luxor shaped” enterprises.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

What is your hustle? How has covid impacted it? Let us know, leave us a voicemail at 805.394.TFAL (8325), tweet at us at @tfalpodcast, or tag us on instagram @tfalpodcast.

In this episode the TFAL crew, with Kat Carrido Bonds filling in as a guest host, have a discussion with Isabel Sandoval, the artist behind the lyrical and delicate drama LINGUA FRANCA. LINGUA FRANCA follows Olivia, played by Isabel Sandoval, an undocumented Filipino trans woman, working as a caregiver to Olga, an elderly Russian woman, in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. When Olivia runs out of options to attain legal status in the US, she becomes romantically involved with Alex, Olga’s adult grandson, in the pursuit of a marriage-based green card. 

LINGUA FRANCA made history as the first film directed by and starring a trans woman of color to screen in competition at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival. The film continues to make history by being acquired by ARRAY, Ava DuVernay’s media company, joining DuVernay’s impressive slate of film and docuseries projects by BIPOC creatives.  
LINGUA FRANCA is available on Netflix. Watch the film and join the Cinema Sala x Array: #LinguaFrancaWatchParty Weds, August 26th, 5pm Pacific Time and participate in the live discussion with @isabelvsandoval and @ARRAYNow.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

Being raised in the United States, we as Filipino Americans have learned American cultural practices that we’ve grown accustomed to and even embraced – eating hotdogs in a bun, trick or treating, camping, Superbowl parties, calling in sick after Superbowl Parties, weekend BBQs, or even being treated to a meal on your birthday.  There are even American cultures that many Filipinos practice in the Philippines as a result of American colonialism/capitalism – playing basketball, speaking English, listening to U.S. pop music, etc.  Yet, there are still times when our Filipino American sensibilities still clash with our perception of normative “American” (read: white) cultural practices.

On this episode, we engage some of our listeners live on Facebook and Instagram on the topic of “culture shock” as we discuss “American” cultural practices that we may still have questioned internally, but were too afraid to ask when we were growing up.  Is it weird to call elders by their first names?  Do parties serving little to no food feel like an absolute sham?  Should I walk outside without wearing shoes?  We also talk about our own cultural practices that we, as Filipino Americans, may have hidden from our peers, either because we were too embarrassed or did not fit into the normative culture.

Reflect with us and remind us that we aren’t alone — so that Filipinos and other people of color who grow up in the U.S. won’t be embarrassed by their cultural practices, but rather have the courage to embrace it so that others might do the same.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

Got any examples of American things that shocked you (or still shock you)?  Let us know by leaving a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.

Have you ever thought about how do you get your news?  Obtaining news has quickly evolved over the years.  Just in the TFAL crew’s lifetimes, the ways we have consumed news has transitioned from physical newspapers to local afternoon TV news to news sites then to social media feeds. In this new era of rapid information consumption where facts are outweighed by opinion, who and where we get our news from has detrimental consequences. 

In this episode, the TFAL crew has the honor of speaking with Maria Ressa, long time Philippine journalist and CEO of Rappler. In 2018, Time Magazine named Maria one of “The Guardians on the War on Truth” as a Person of the Year in 2018, and then named her one of the most influential people of 2019 for her fight to keep the freedom of press alive in the Philippines in the Duterte era. In this conversation, we discuss how social media has manipulated journalism and the way people think, how it’s deteriorating democracy in the Philippines, and why it is important for Filipino Americans to understand what is going on. 

Note: We recorded this episode hours before President Duterte signed the Anti-Terror Bill into law on July 3rd, 2020, fundamentally changing the constitution of the country and making dissent illegal. The administration has been slowly dismantling freedom of the press taking advantage of how social media’s reach has fundamentally changed how people think. This is a dangerous time and, as Maria Ressa urged in our interview, we must all remain vigilant in fighting for democracy.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For Folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

If you would like to support Rappler’s pursuit for freedom of the press, you can donate here: Rappler Crowdfunding

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder is the book Maria mentions in the episode. 

You can view Maria’s Princeton Commencement speech here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-1ip9eRNNU

Or read the full text of her commencement speech here: Princeton Commencement 2020 Speech

The late Asian American activist Grace Lee Boggs towards the end of her life began to devote her activism to the urban agricultural movement in Detroit.  She believed that urban gardening provided nutritious food, beautifies neighborhoods, and creates and sustains neighborhood social capital,  More importantly, she believed that urban gardening had the capability to be a “quiet revolution,” a movement that liberates people from the pitfalls of industrialization and corporate agriculture.  If this Grace Lee Boggs is right, then many more Filipino Americans need to take this movement seriously and join.

In this episode, we talk to Richard Garcia, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Alma Backyard Farms, about his calling to work with communities and formerly incarcerated people to set up urban gardens.  Listen as he talks about his calling to help others, why he started urban gardening, how to grow the vegetables that Filipinos love, and his ideas on restorative justice.  Additionally, as in many episodes we have done, listen to the TFAL crew’s experience (or lack thereof) in gardening.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For Folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

Finally, check out and support Alma Backyard Farms here and watch this short video of what they’re all about!

The murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others at the hands of the police department has ignited outrage all around the world and once again, exposed the deep wounds of racism and inequality in the United States. While it’s easy to dismiss this unrest as somehow “outside” of the Filipino American community, it is impossible to ignore our role.

As Filipino Americans, we are certainly complicit to racism in the United States.  How many folks in our community make snide remarks about Black people?  How many Filipino parents send their children to private school because too many Black or Latinos attend the local public schools?  How many 2nd and 3rd generation adopt African American culture without paying homage to its founders or giving back to the Black community?

One of the calls from Black Lives Matter leaders is to help educate our own communities on how we perpetuate and reinforce anti-Blackness.  In this TFAL episode, we have an intra-community discussion on anti-Black racism in our communities and in our society.  We speak to long-time community advocates Kimmy Maniquis and Kalaya’an Mendoza.  Listen as we discuss how the Black Lives Matter Movement is important to all Filipino Americans, how we can talk to our friends and family who aren’t supportive of anti-racism, and how to support the Movement in multiple ways.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For Folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

Here is the video we referenced in the podcast about Kalaya’an, his faith, and talking with a Catholic priest:

Early in the TFAL podcast journey we discussed therapy and mental health in Episode 2. As time has progressed the TFAL community has asked to continue the discussion around mental health. In this episode the TFAL crew has a conversation with Alyssa Lia Mancao, a therapist based out of Sherman Oaks, CA, who also goes by Lia. She specializes in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy and Inner Child healing.

When quarantine began the concern over the physical toll of quarantine was not the only health crisis that was addressed. Mental health became a major concern for many due to  the increase of isolation. The CDC posted these guidelines on how to manage stress and anxiety under quarantine. The TFAL crew and Lia discuss her journey from a social worker in the justice system to her own private practice. Lia shares how therapy practices have changed because of the global pandemic and offers coping strategies like ‘Name it to tame it’ as a way of handling stress and anxiety. The conversation also delves into how mental health can manifest physically through somatic symptoms. 

Lastly, at the time of the recording several actions were taking place across the country in response to the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless Black Americans. The TFAL crew and Lia briefly discuss ways to participate in the Black Lives Matter movement and how to be allies in our communities. More info on Lia’s personal practice can be found here: Alyssa Marie Wellness. Follow Lia on instagram: @alyssamariewellness

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For Folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.

What has your mental health journey been like during quarantine? What coping mechanisms have worked for you? Let us know by emailing us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL.