Pop Culture Icons of the Philippines

    1.     Leah Salonga
Filipina singer and actress. She is best known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and Fantine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway. She also provided the singing voice of two Disney "princesses":  Jasmine in Aladdin (1992), and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004)

     

Religion and Culture in the Philippines

Religion, specifically Catholicism, plays a major role in the lives of Filipinos. Women model themselves after the Virgin Mary, emulating her traits of humility, gentleness, modesty and honesty. Filipinos inherited Spain's affinity for fiestas, along with its belief in Catholicism. These two vestiges of Spanish culture can be seen in the many festivals dedicated to Mary.

Father Jomar Interview

During our cultural breakfast, we were fortunate enough to interview Father Jomar Legaspi, founder and president of Learn.Ph. Father Jomar is Soraya's mentor and was able to provide the class with insights about his leadership experiences and leadership in the Philippines in general. Here is our recording of the entire interview.

Cultural Breakfast Recipes

For our cultural breakfast, we served three different Filipino dishes: Arroz Caldo, Maja Blanca, and Yams. The food was so delicious we wanted to share the recipes with you! Enjoy!

Field Experience

On March 31st, we hosted members of the Filipino-American Society of Nashville. We had a mini-fiesta that included dancing, singing, and some traditional food. We were fortunate that the date of our field experience coincided with an actual festival in the Philippines. March 31st is the anniversary of the first ever mass in the Philippines. Catholicism has greatly influenced the culture and history of the Philippines so this was very appropriate. The ladies taught us more about what it was like to live in the Philippines.

Here are some videos of the traditional folk dances and the program in general.