Journal 3 - Filipinos in Daly City

            Before reading this article, I did not think about how those who immigrated to a new country could be considered as betrayers to their mother country. Instead, I thought it was riskier and more heroic to leave one’s comfort zone in pursuit of their personal goals. Vergara Jr. cites different sources who echo the same message, that each Filipino should think about their mother country before themselves (143) because doing otherwise would be selfish. However, I believe that immigrants travel for many reasons, one of which could include wanting a better lifestyle for their children. As a child of refugee parents who escaped the Vietnam War, I do not believe that my parents left Vietnam out of greed – they wanted to live peacefully with the rest of their family members without constantly fearing for their safety, so their next best alternative was leaving for the United States. Not only did they want to survive, but they also wanted a better lifestyle for their children and I would not disregard their efforts as nonheroic. Bravery comes in different forms and does not need to be judged on one scale of contributing to one’s mother country. Living in a different country does not prevent immigrants from thinking about their native country and how to contribute back; for example, my parents donate to a charity in Vietnam that builds wells for clean, accessible water in villages. Of course, not everyone will not always give back to their home country, but it is also not accurate to decide that those who travel outside are betraying their country.