Tag: Tagalog Class
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Are We Empowered Yet?
That Filipino Americans are frequently labeled as “invisible Asians,” has been a topic widely written about — notably by Filipino writers themselves. It’s a well-intentioned reflective approach into understanding the reasons behind Filipino Americans’ invisible classification — according to the usual metrics by which races and ethnicities are observed and processed. Asian immigrant communities assume…
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Joseph, Salve and Eliana Amarise Kierulf: One immigrant family’s warm and inspiring story
The perfect life for typical US immigrants is multifaceted, encompassing a blend of personal achievements, cultural integration, and a raw boldness to chase and pursue their dreams. Joseph Brian Kierulf and his wife Salve, both Filipino educators now teaching in Chicago’s public schools are one such couple of immigrants. The couple plowed over vicissitudes of life, struggling but committed to spending their professional years mentoring Filipino children in Cebu…
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Seeking “hygge” amid a chaotic year-end culture that is Christmas.
It is rather ludicrous that the 353 days before December 25 each year are days with enough problems and life’s issues — full of upheaval, instability, and emotional turbulence. And yet, it is in the final 7 days of the year that pressure exacts its toll. Large swathes of the religious and consumer imaginations…
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The mini saints and ghoulish little people and adults of Halloween
They were mini saints carrying their respective instruments, attributing to their special holiness. The little St. Cecilia carried a small keyboard representing an organ, signifying her role as patron saint of music. The little Veronica showed extended arms with a length of fabric impressed with the legendary three faces of Christ from Lenten rituals. The…
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Tagalog comes to the rescue in the wintry cold of Chicago
The winter term at Rizal Center’s Tagalog Class will begin on Monday, January 19, 2026, in 2-hour sessions in 15 meetings, for a total of 30 hours. The class will meet every Monday and Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. The nurturing warmth and spirit of the Philippines’ heritage language is designed to temper the…
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Tagalog helped ease the pain of a father’s coming home
Never had a language – not mere words – played a poignant role in easing the waving aches of grief over a father who had passed away, away from the land and family he missed and loved through the years. But Tagalog did. This is the story of how the Philippines’ heritage language became the…
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In 1901, ‘Thomasite’ US teachers brought English instruction to Filipinos ; in a twist of fate, Filipino teachers from the Philippines are now teaching Chicago kids
by Connie Triggiano This year’s celebration of Filipino American History Month recalls the start 124 years ago of the Americanization of the Philippines. It began with the arrival in 1901 of 600 teachers to the Philippines from the US to establish the public educational system. The teachers planted English as the medium of instruction and…
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Summer 2025 Tagalog Class just ended
Tagalog Class offers profound experience of joy and discovery of one’s roots and country The ardent highlight was the stirring rendition of the Triumphal March from the opera “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi. And so the first graduation exercises of Rizal Center’s Tagalog class concluded. Verdi’s “Aida” is the traditional graduation march in the Philippines. Its…
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LET’S LEARN TAGALOG
The Tagalog class will meet the needs of Filipino Americans excited to learn the language of their ancestors and delight in the sounds and colors of the country their older folks left behind. The program runs for 15 sessions, each lasting 2 hours, for a total of 30 hours, every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to…
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LET’S LEARN TAGALOG
The Tagalog class will meet the needs of Filipino Americans excited to learn the language of their ancestors and delight in the sounds and colors of the country their older folks left behind. The program runs for 15 sessions, each lasting 2 hours, for a total of 30 hours, every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to…