Saturday, February 5, 2011

"Who who who who" - the Who




I am an Evangelista. I will never change my last name, not even if I get married. "Evangelista" means bearer of good news. The name itself though is misleading, and if one looked at my name and tried to guess my ethnicity from my face, one would probably say Spanish. I am Filipina. My mother is from Davao, and my father is from Pampanga. No one who is Filipino ever believes I am 100%, not even when I’m in the Phillipines. Filipinos think I'm a half-breed. Most people guess my ethnicity is Chinese, Thai, Singaporean, Malaysian, Vietnamese, everything but Filipino. The only persons who guess my ethnicity correctly are dirty old white men. I never like answering that question when dirty old white men ask because dirty old white men already know the answer. Answering this question makes me feel objectified. Strangely, I am asked this question most when I go ballroom dancing.

Though I don't get to do it often, I am a Ballroom aficionado. I can swing, salsa, foxtrot, waltz, meringue, cha-cha, and my favorite rhumba. I would also say tango, but I haven't had much practice. I take zumba classes three days a week for cardiovascular exercise which helps me keep up on the Latin dances front. Summertime you'll find me at Midsummer Night Swing, at the periphery (I'm too cheap to pay for a ticket!). I am no pro, but nothing makes me smile more than dancing or watching people dance. And I don't smile much. I have been told in the past I would be prettier if I smiled and not just by my dad. On rare occasions you'll find me at the club with a serious look dancing to my favorite-hip hop. If it gets too hot, I'll whip out my trusty fan (as pictured above). The fan is quite effective in cooling me down and appreciated by those around me. I'm an old lady, and I don't like to sweat.

All of the above dancing may explain why I'm a Gleek. If I were a member at Crunch, I would take their Glee classes. No matter. I can't wait until after the Superbowl to watch the new episode of Glee to sing along. Singing is the only reason I go to church (and no, I'm not part of the choir). I like to sing loud anonymously: church is a conducive environment for that as is the car when I'm driving by myself. And just to let you know, I am no mike hog when it comes to karaoke. "Mr. Brightside" is my signature song (which upon reflection doesn't require that much singing).

Who am I? Evangelista, good news messenger, Filipina, ballroom aficionado, Gleek, anonymous singer, mike sharer?Initially I thought to answer by telling you what I do as a career, but it ended up sounding like a personal statement for a school application. Who do I want to be? I want to be a certified diabetes educator. I know diabetes, and I teach persons with diabetes how to manage their diabetes. Plainly and simply, it's what I know and what I'm good at. I very much miss patient interaction. Nursing will help me get back to this one on one rapport that is so currently lacking in my current job; working with doctors and senior level hospital administrators in public health is not as fulfilling as patient care. Hunter is helping me become who I want to be while I continue to be who I am.

3 comments:

  1. I hope to hear more of your "good news" messages.

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  2. Dancing has always been a family event. I'm not very good at it but I love doing it anyway. Thanks for helping me to remember such great memories.

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  3. Hi Evangelista! When people hear your name they might even think you are Greek! Your name is a very popular name in my country and also big celebration for us; “the one that brings good news” from the Greek words eu & aggelo. I also want to tell you that I admire you for dancing. My sister is a ballroom instructor and I don’t know how to dance! So embarrassing!

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