On The Road

***

Note: I realize that my blog doesn't necessarily have to be perfect, but right off the bat, I guess I just expected it to be. So, with that said, I'd like to reintroduce myself. Hello and welcome AGAIN to my blog. The pressure is on now, I've noticed, so here goes. Thanks again to everyone for your encouragement!

***

I commute from Chicago to the far western suburbs every day for work. Most of the time, I work day side. My 45-50 minute drive gets me home by around 7:15 on a good day. At least once a week, I work nights, so this means I don't get home until 11 and I'm about ready to pass out. Needless to say, I've learned to make my commute exciting by watching everyone around me. When I really start to pay attention, I start to notice it.

Passing me on my left side today, I saw a red two-door Celica fly by. Underneath the tail light was the blue, yellow and red flag of the Philippines. How I caught that on this car going 75 mph, I have no clue. I was about to get mad at the guy because he was obviously speeding, and then, I took notice to his flag and automatically, my road rage disappeared.

"He's Filipino," I said to myself, as if it was the first time I've ever noticed another Filipino driving somewhere on a road throughout Chicago. But every time I spot even the slightest tinge of a Filipino symbol somewhere, I still get surprised. And I smile.

On yet another occasion, I was literally parked for 10 minutes on the I-88 tollway, which is always under construction. There's not much else to do but stare off into space in such gridlock. So I dazed ahead at a silver Lexus SUV in front of me. The windows were tinted, but not enough for me to notice a dangling rosary and a Filipino flag. A friend of mine used to have the same flag, I thought. And that was yet another example. (This photo I found online is actually the same flag I was talking about. I didn't see if they had a My Shaldan air freshener, seen in the cup holder, but I wouldn't doubt it.)

This week, I'm driving my sister's car. Guess what's hanging from my rear view window? A baby blue rosary. I guess my family is very Filipino, I thought to myself today. Sure that could be the case, but really, there's got to be a reason for it, right? I grew up seeing these symbols and ornaments of national pride and religious respect fixed inside every family members' car. But why do we do it?

I can understand the flags, as well as the red, yellow and blue stickers, but how did we all end up placing rosaries and sometimes Santo Nino figurines onto our dashboards? Why is this such a "Filipino thing" to do?

Truthfully, I love how I can spot a Filipino by the car he or she drives. To some people, this may sound odd or even stereotypical, but I find nothing wrong with the fact that we all just so happen to honor this same habit, in some shape or form. In a small way, it brings me a sense of pride.

We may all be strangers, but at least I know there are Filipinos just about everywhere I go. To anyone that's ever moved away from a densely-populated Filipino area, you'll feel it, too. The day you spot a Philippines flag in a city or state where you never imagined you'd see one, you might just smile and say, Hey, they're Filipino, just like me.

At least for me, these symbols of our pride and devotion are what make my world feel a lot homier.