Today I met a 7-11 clerk.

I was buying a bottle of water and she looked at my card.

"Ramos?"
"Yeah."
"Are you Filipino?"
"Yes."
"Full."
"Where are your parents from?"
"Sa Baguio at sa Makati."
"Ohhhh."

Something I've learned over time is that Filipino people migrate everywhere. Temporary or not, they make up most of the Philippines' income with all the money that they send back to their families to fund educations, support healthcare, and the like. I've taken a great pride in being Filipino since I began watching The Filipino Channel. To me, the life of a Filipino can be tragic, and not everyone is so blessed to be with their family members all the time.