My Beantown Days: Reminiscing without regrets.












Above: entrance of my old apartment where lived for almost 5 years.

To think I lived in Boston/Allston 10 years ago is mind boggling. I referred to that period of my life as the terrible 20's for a few reasons.

I found Boston to be stifling after a while and part of it was because it is a college city. I lived between Boston College and Boston University. Once you complete your four years everyone moves on and if you choose to stay you start to feel old as younger students replace the departed graduates. Quite honestly I outgrew the small city and was yearning to go to the city that never sleeps!

In retrospect being in a smaller town like Boston was the stepping stone for me when I made the decision to move to gritty/glamorous New York City a few years later. It was also the backdrop of the next 5 years as I started to embrace my identity as an adopted Filipina in America. And not to mention some of the characters I met along the way.

After doing some internet research, I quickly became immersed in Fil-Am student organizing, which sometimes felt like an unpaid job. My first year I was a member of the programming committee for the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) conference hosted at Harvard University. To this day the 1999 FIND spring conference continues to hold the record for the largest attendance of 1,500 delegates that traveled nationwide to take part in the most unprecedented conference.

Sometimes I felt out of place among the Fil-Ams I became friendly with. Part of it was my insecurity about my adoption, as if I had a disadvantage because I grew up 'more American.' I tried to normalize my feelings by building a collection of books about every aspect of the Philippines and absorbing as much information possible. I also became a frequent flier attending Fil-Am conferences and networking with other Fil-Ams easier made me feel more harmonious with my Filipino counterparts.
















Above: Paradise Club - I used to work here as a coat check girl......why?!
















Above: Quincy, MA - in the eyes of Pedro Magni

The other reason why I visited Boston on one of the coldest days this winter was to meet a fellow adoptee Pedro. He attended my alma mater, University of Massachusetts Boston and one of our mutual professors gave him my information. We met at one of my favorite dim sum restaurants, China Pearl in Chinatown and also drove to Quincy to get a glimpse of his Fil-Am stomping ground.

Driving through Allston into Chinatown was a quick time warp of my Beantown years. It warmed my heart to drive around and see familiar places I used to frequent though other spots have not changed i.e. The Paradise, what a dump! Although I thought of that period of my life negatively I realize it helped define who I am today.

GO REDSOX!