"Earning a BA in Philippine Language and Literature has helped me mostly in a cultural aspect. After graduating in 2011, I was transferred to Kauai for work in 2014 where the Filipino population was concentrated due to the size of the island. Although I've been exposed mostly to Ilokano language on Kauai, knowing basic Tagalog and Kapampangan has been the bridge to helping me grasp bits and pieces of conversational Ilokano. I currently am a store manager for Safeway, and being taught cultural things such as 'hiya', 'utang ng loob', 'chismosa', 'yabang', and 'maarte' has really helped me understand my employees and Filipinos in general. Being a manager with many Filipinos, helps me relate from a cultural perspective especially coming from an American-born culture raised in a Filipino household. I'm able to make that connection with my workers when there are those who sometimes misinterpret from a 'Local' or 'American' perspective. Simple things like asking for vacation (sometimes one month) or favors takes a lot of courage - it's not in the culture to expect things even though it is asked of in advance, and when those favors or vacations are granted, the sigh of relief and gratitude shows immediately from some workers which I appreciate in this world we live in where there is a huge sense of entitlement."

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