Vanessa Gomez’s Filipino parents spoke English to her growing up. Born and raised in Ottawa, she picked up a few Tagalog words and phrases but had no idea how to speak the language.
When Gomez heard about the Carleton University Filipino Students’ Association’s Tagalog language lessons, she was excited to attend.
Now with three sessions under her belt, Gomez said the lessons have offered a new way to connect to her identity.
“It just gives me a lot more clarity about certain words and the way we say things and expressions,” she said.
The association’s president, Kimberly Canlas, said she organized the weekly lessons starting in early February because she wants Filipinos to stay in touch with their roots.
“The Philippines being so far away geographically means that any connection to home is really important,” she said, “especially holding on to that identity all while trying to assimilate into Canadian culture.”
The aim of the sessions, Canlas explained, is to bridge conversational gaps by teaching basic grammar and vocabulary for everyday use.
“We wanted to essentially tailor it for Filipinos in Canada to apply it to everyday conversations,” she said. “I think that really helps kind of solidify their knowledge.”
Sessions are peer-led by native Tagalog speakers in the students’ association, each with a lesson plan and worksheets.
Gomez said the environment is conducive to learning, and the teachers are non-judgmental.
“Not all of us are Filipino, but we have that kind of collective vibe,” she said. “It’s positive, and it’s supportive.”
Fellow attendee and association member Charis Mae Villanueva said the sessions provide a sense of community, as everyone learns alongside each other.
“It’s just nice to be surrounded by people that want to learn the same stuff as you do,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva originally joined because she thought it looked like a good resource to help her improve her language skills. Her parents speak Tagalog to her, but they were never formally taught.
One of the first lessons she attended was about sentence structure — a subject she said is her biggest knowledge gap in the language.
She said the high prices of private lessons are usually a barrier to her language learning, but these $2 peer-led sessions offer an affordable option.
Villanueva’s only concern with the lessons is their listening-only approach.
“I feel more involved in the learning process if there’s a way for it to be hands-on or group work. For me, it’s hard to really feel immersed in what I’m learning if I’m just sitting and listening,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva and Gomez said they plan to attend for as long as the sessions are running.
“I’m always trying to connect to my parents’ roots or my roots, especially because I have children who are second-generation Filipino Canadian [and] they’re even more removed,” Gomez said.
“It’s really just a way to keep ties to the motherland. A lot of us in the class, we’re getting more and more disconnected from our roots. I think it’s super important to keep us tight.”
Featured image by Simon McKeown/the Charlatan
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