A letter to the author.

A letter to the author as a response to Grace Taylor's spoken word poem, "Navigating Space."

Dear Ms Taylor,

            Hi. How’s it going? I hope all is well with you. I am writing this letter to state my thoughts, opinions and own experiences relating to your poem, “Navigating Spaces.” First of all, I really love how your poem portrays a message that almost everyone can relate to, especially those who are passionate about their own culture, origins and heritage despite any challenges. Secondly, I like how proud you are of being an Afakasi and how you are not afraid of what you perceive yourself as. My favourite line in the poem would be, “Where I’m from, I’m always half, but half for me is full. I’m a race within a race.” I think this line is a strong symbol of patriotism and love to your own country. Finally, I love it when you said that the people in your country “survived” during the colonising period, “adapted” to the new environment, but still “remembered” their old land.

As a girl who comes from a place that was colonised by many countries, I understand what it is like to have different bloods. The Philippines was first settled by the people from Malaysia. After that, we were colonised by the Spanish and Mexican for almost four centuries and then ruled by the Americans for forty years. Just like stated in your poem, we fought, survived and adapted to new way of living. But we still remember to this day our own originality. Furthermore, although I have Malaysian and Spanish bloods in my bloodline, I still define myself as a proud Filipino. I’m proud of my culture and how far my country has gone through. This is the reason why I agree and relate to your viewpoints about being an Afakasi.

Now living in the land of the long white clouds, I’ve gone through many things. Yet, seven years of living in a foreign country did not stop me from thinking and reflecting back to my home country, my culture, my roots and colours. Every day, I think about the things me and my family used to do in the Philippines. I also think about the things I’ve learned back home. I would never forget about my culture because it is what made me the individual I am today.

Yours Sincerely, 

Jodealyn Cadacio