![\"AsianHeritage2016\"](\"http:\/\/www.une-sen.org\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/AsianHeritage2016.jpg\")
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By Jacqueline Nanali<\/p>\n
Identity is the door that will open your soul.\u00a0 I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba.\u00a0 My parents immigrated to Canada in the early 1970\u2019s from the Philippines.\u00a0 They spoke their language to one another, but did their best to adjust to the Canadian ways for my older brother and me.\u00a0 Often conversations among the elders were spoken in their language and they would speak English to the children.<\/p>\n
As a young girl, I remember at the Elementary School I attended I would learn the French language and the school also offered Filipino language classes.\u00a0 Growing up, it didn\u2019t really occur to me how language played such a large part in connecting with others.<\/p>\n
My first visit to the Philippines in 1999 opened up a whole new experience.\u00a0 I had the same hair, eyes, and skin colour as many of the girls I encountered, but they often asked me where I was from.\u00a0 They all spoke the same language and it seemed as if they knew I did not belong.\u00a0 When I spoke English, it confirmed their assumptions.\u00a0 Some tried to communicate with me, while others didn\u2019t attempt to.\u00a0 As an adolescent, I wasn\u2019t sure how that made me feel.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t realize until I returned to Canada, that the girls I met in the Philippines looked at me as if I was a Canadian, although we shared the same hair, eyes, skin colour and ethnicity.\u00a0 Even though I was raised in Winnipeg, I would often be asked if I was born in the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Being Asian Canadian is my identity.\u00a0 I am not one, or the other . . . I am both.\u00a0 For many first generation Asian immigrants, some may still have a deep connection with their native land.\u00a0 Second generation Canadian-born Asians, like myself, seek that opportunity to learn about our parents, grandparents and ancestors.\u00a0 However, being a third generation in today\u2019s society speaks wavelengths about ethnicity and nationality. \u00a0Which is why I believe it is significant to take the time to learn and share stories about your identity because without it, Canada would not be known for its historical development of Asian Canadians.<\/p>\n
Celebrate the 14th<\/sup> year of May 2016 as Asian Heritage Month in Manitoba:<\/p>\n May 8, 2016 \u2013 Steinbach where the local Asian community members will participate for the first time<\/p>\n May 11, 2016 \u2013 Canadian Museum for Human Rights Event \u2013 Asian Fusion<\/p>\n May 12, 2016 \u2013 University of Winnipeg<\/p>\n May 26, 2016 \u2013 Asian Canadian Writers<\/p>\n May 28-29, 2016 \u2013 Asian Canadian Festival at the Forks<\/p>\n