missing the Philippines

By Taylor M

It’s important to know where we and our family are from. Melross Poblete is a senior at Yerba Buena High School whose family immigrated from the Philippines, and he’s been able to learn about where his heritage is from, from experiences there in the country.

Both of Poblete’s parents were born in The Philippines, moving to the U.S. before he was born. Poblete has grown up here in California. When Poblete was younger, his family would take trips to The Philippines, his last trip to the country being in 2016.

“It was always a tradition to go to The Phillipines to see my relatives, my grandma and my grandpa there,” he said.

One of the stronger memories from his trips that he had recalled during our interview was the time he had gotten lost in a shopping mall, being about 5 years old at the time.

“I’m a little kid with no sense of what’s going on. I’m lost, just crying, everyone’s looking at me. Only to find out my family was just right behind me the whole time,” he laughed, recalling the memory.

“At the time, it probably wasn’t a favorite for me but looking back on it, what my family thinks, a pretty nice memory,” he continued.

He also spoke about the things he enjoyed about The Philippines, and his visits there. He said, “I love the place. It’s so tropical, all the heat and that stuff, the vibe, the food, music. Just everyone. It’s so different from the Bay Area.”

Poblete made it a point in our interviews that he loved the feeling of The Philippines, the “vibe” as he put it. Later in our first interview, Poblete said that he felt more free when in The Philippines compared to the Bay Area.

“Compared to here, I feel like I have more restrictions, like stuff I can’t do and places I can go to,” Poblete explained.

“Like, it’s a new place. Like my first time going there, it was like a fresh start. Being refreshing,” he continued.

Although, when I asked if he’d ever like to live in The Philippines, he said no. He went on to explain that it’s extremely hot, which is not helped by the humidity of the tropical environment.

Unfortunately, the 2016 trip Poblete took to The Philippines would be the last to date. In 2018, Poblete’s grandmother unfortunately passed, and he and his family have not traveled to The Philippines since. “When my grandma passed, it caused a lot of drama and problems in my family,” he said.

Despite the hot climate and passing of his grandmother which caused some drama within his family, Poblete would really like to visit the country again. There’s still so much more to see, and so much more to learn.