Friday, March 6, 2009

The Kid and His "Opo"

on my way home from work, i rode the jeepney instead of the taxi. the passenger beside me was a kid, about 13 to 15-ish. he was conversing with someone on his cellphone and kept saying "opo". saying "opo" is part of the filipino culture of showing respect to elders, our cultural version of saying "yes" or affirmation.

growing up in a tagalog family, we were trained to say "opo" to elders or those in authority. i even trained my son on saying "opo" instead of the usual "oo" or just giving a nod.

here in davao city, where majority of the inhabitants speak bisaya, i seldom here the word "opo". there's no "opo" in bisaya and instead they just say "oo" which is the standard "yes". but there is quite a minority here who speak tagalog. so hearing this kid beside me say "opo" gave me a bit of delight. filipino kids nowadays, when talking to elders, never really say "opo" that much anymore. cultural decay? maybe. i'm not really a pure traditionalist. i admit to having some form of cultural decay myself but there are quite a few things that stuck with me - that i am proud of.

changing times, fine. i have that considered, but, it's still nice to have a piece of our cultural identity intact.

music: taya, up dharma down
costume: pajamas
snacking on: milk and cookies

Shine on and be happy!!!

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