MAFILWA SYMPOSIUM Women from diverse cultures unite

When Cinta Kaipat, a Refaluwasch, went to the U.S. mainland to take up law, she had difficulty at first adjusting to a country with such a diverse culture.

But she later on overcame that fear and even thankful that she went through that experience. “I’m glad that I left for a while because now I see myself as a cultural ambassador where I can help people appreciate the culture of others,” she said.

In living in a multicultural society, people have to bear with the problem of stereotyping either because of one’s gender or ethnic group which can be very harsh at times. “But don’t ever let that bog you down,” said Dr. Barbara Moir, dean of Instruction at the Northern Marianas College, during a symposium Saturday focusing on cultural interaction among women in the CNMI.

The forum, sponsored by the Marianas Filipino Women Association, was aimed at promoting understanding on different issues confronting the women in the Commonwealth, said Cindy Macaranas, project coordinator.

Minda D. Castro, chairperson of MAFILWA, said it was no easy for her adjusting to the life in Saipan when she first came here 17 years ago as a professional singer. “I wanted to go back immediately to Manila or Japan where I felt it would be more challenging for me,” she said. However, courage and determination to prove something to herself, made her stay.

Likewise, Apple Wuttayagon, a budget officer at NMC, suffered inferiority complex when she went to the U.S. mainland to take up her masteral degree in business. To her surprise, people were so interested in learning about Thailand as they praised the uniqueness of their culture. “I had to leave the country to really appreciate what we have. That was the time when I became so proud being Thai,” she said.

While they survived the challenges of living in a diverse culture, they all suffered the common problem of stereotyping. Asian women, for example, have always been typecast as weak, inferior and submissive by the West.

Living in a multicultural society is usually a choice which many people have to take either because of family, education or economic reasons. Whatever the reasons are, Ms. Moir said the women should take advantage of the situation because of the richness of the variety of human experience that they can learn from.

“I tell women to be observant. Watch what goes on around you, listen to what people say. Try and get to understand them about you as an individual so you can get past that stereotyping,” said Ms. Moir.

Mr. Santos said raising consciousness through reeducation is one way of coping with this problem, a huge task for everyone involved. “The change should start from one’s willingness to undergo reeducation to bring back the proper perspective on gender roles,” she said.

Cultural stereotypes are basically a matter of perception which we get from family, community, training or education. In fact, perception makes a difference in how we build and reinforce stereotypes, according to Ronel Santos, vice consul of the Philippine Consulate.

Not everybody gets the chance to live in a multicultural society, so people should take advantage of the situation and make the most of it. And sometimes, women should not just wait for opportunities to come to prove their capabilities, they have to look for them.

“If I have to sweep floors and scrub toilets just to save money and put up my own business, then I will do that. I will show them that there is more to being a woman than those traditional roles assigned by society,” Ms. Moir added. (Lindablue F. Romero)