Aaron Bagaoisan

American History 4/5

Sep. 28 2015
America and Her
I saw images of slaves with chains on their necks coming off of the boats. I wondered
why it was like that. I thought the United States was green and had a lot of money. A place where
all dreams come true. This was one of Marias first real impressions of America. Coming from
an impoverished area in the Philippines, Maria-Victoria Bagaoisan, age 43, was one of many
who were under the impression that the United States of America was full of lush greenery and
blooming with opportunity. Dreams of owning her very own house flooded her imagination, a
house where each element is finely kept and polished. The lawn is always full of life and
trimmed without a piece misplaced, as if it were turf. Neighbors waving with a smile as you
drive through the neighborhood because they are glad that you are a part of the community. As
the moon's pale light starts to illuminate the sky you can return to a home with your family full
with love. The utopian society was snapshotted and put into flyers so others around the world
could see its beauty as well, so content and romanticized, this is where people pictured
themselves if they chased the American Dream. Maria was shown this beauty through her
fathers words that created a fantasy along with the posters that shuffled throughout her town as a
young girl. Growing up, America was the destination where anything could be achieved through
hard work and determination, but she soon realized that the perfect interpretations of what
America was made out to be was not even close to her imagination. It was not what would make
her happy at all. Maria realized that what gave her happiness is something that is taken for
granted much too often: family. Early on in her childhood, Maria learned the importance of
family through an event that happened while she was growing up in the Philippines. This event
created memories that would be engraved in her mind forever.
She felt a stinging sensation in her nose and her throat started to tighten. She gasped for
air, only letting in small breaths as tears started to well up in her eyes. With all her might she had
to clench her eyelids as hard as she could to stop the tears from falling; she could not resist and
tears ensued following with the wailing of her and all her siblings. As she hugged her mother, it
seemed as if they melted into one another and all the noise in the room stopped because nothing
else in the world mattered. It could not have been a more perfect hug because she could not get
enough. As she released her clenched fists holding the back of her mothers shirt, it was the last
time she would be able to feel the compassion of her mothers hug again for many years to come.
Marias mom was deported back to Hawaii. She was left to grow up in a world without guidance
along her siblings, not old enough to be considered teenagers. Without guidance, it was a rough
start for her and her siblings. Sometimes, Maria would have to resort to asking for food from
neighbors. This was a routine that happened often for Maria growing up as a child in the
Philippines. The lack of daily things that people in America take for granted bred a feeling of
necessity and desire inside Maria as she browsed through images and magazines coming from
America. With all these experiences that an American had daily, it became a life goal that one
day she would have the opportunity to live in America and live her American Dream. This dream
would soon start through her mother raising enough money for her children to come to the U.S.
While it was slow and gradual, they eventually came in.

Maria came to America with long jet black hair and bronzed colored skin from the sun. A
young woman with less than a dollar and a dream that one day she could become a nurse and
make her stereotypical American dream come true, however, there were many obstacles that she
faced because of her appearance in order to get to this point. Her first job was to take care of old
folk in a convalescent home. Often the old people would say disgusting remarks, which she
couldnt understand because she did not know fluent english. She recalls them saying things such
as I do not want her to take care of me, shes a nigger. Even old ladies in wheelchairs would
shout at the top of their lungs GET HER AWAY FROM ME, SHES A NIGGER! From their
contorted facial expressions and rigid body language surrounding her every single day, she
pondered if this was the United States she had been yearning for her whole life. With a positive
attitude, she stuck with her job until she saved enough money and went to school to achieve her
dream of becoming a nurse. She knew that if she wanted to achieve her goals, it would take more
than just a rude comment to stop her.
Becoming a nurse was a dream that would soon fade away just like the thoughts of a
diluted American dream. Before leaving the Philippines, she made a promise to a man that she
she would come back. After a year, she fulfilled that promise and returned to the Philippines and
married the love of her life. But what she didnt know was that after returning to America, she
was pregnant with her first son. As soon as she figured out she was pregnant, Maria soon realized
that if her first son was to live a life with more opportunities, she would have to change her
priorities from her own wishes to making sure that her child is fully cared for. The most notable
change was that her dream was no longer to become a nurse, but to care for her child. This did
not stop her from attempting to become a nurse, but it would soon prove to be too much on her
plate. I worked two jobs while attempting to go to school for nursing and to support my son
without my husband. I cant do everything at once. Even though she didnt get to do as much as
she wanted or get her dream job, she was able to achieve her new dream. I loved my job even
though it was hard. It allowed me to support my kids, so yes, I did achieve my dream. Her
family is her most prized possession. Knowing all too well what hardships came without having
parents to look over you, Maria strived to support her family as best she could. You never work a
day in your life if you are doing what you love.
Your body is here, but your spirit is somewhere else longing to love or be loved. Maria
believes people in America are too infatuated with earning money and buying materialistic things
that distract them from whats really important. For example, people may not take the time to
make time for the people who care about them and go to huge extents just to make money.
Growing up in a less common background than most, the people she was raised around took their
time and cared for their neighbors. In America, it is as if everyone is rushed; they live fast and
put their happiness in a place where it doesnt belong. Constantly worrying about getting new
things, people dont take the time to love the people around them. They are missing compassion
and they are not taking the time to spend time with family. What is family to you if you would
rather be on your phone at the dinner table? The happiness painted in her mind of what America
was made out to be was the complete opposite of what she experienced firsthand. The taste of
soda was not as sweet and refreshing as she thought it was. The clothes, the cars, down to the
deep red lipstick on gorgeous women did not make her feel anymore beautiful than she already
was. What makes her happy is what most people already have but take for granted. People who
you wish to make happy without a gift in return and who would do the same for you. Family is
already there to do this for you since they love you right from the moment you are born.

Maria-Victoria Bagaoisans American dream was heavily influenced by a violent event

that was occurring in the Philippines. During the 1970s- 80s a man named Ferdinand Marcos
was elected president for his second term. Many Filipinos were enraged with this decision and
thus caused the most violent public protests in Filipino history. As time passed the protests grew,
and eventually Ferdinand Marcos resorted to declaring Martial Law because suppressing the
people was becoming out of his control. Martial Law is the suspension of all normal laws and
direct imposition of military control of civil society by the government itself. Even though
people are allowed to serve two years as president, Ferdinand Marcos served a full twenty years.
The reason Ferdinand Marcos was able to achieve this was because he suspended the constitution
and wrote another one so that it strongly favored him and his future desires.
With the Martial Law in place, Ferdinand Marcos continued to strengthen his military
power to keep his position in government. While declaring Martial Law, he gathered many
wealthy businessmen and provided them with the right to own monopolies within the economy.
With his businessmen partners now in the right place for him, Ferdinand Marcos began to let all
of the resources coming from these business to come directly to him (Ferdinand Marcos
Biography). Ferdinand Marcos had the Philippines in the palms of his hands. The incoming
resources allowed for him and his wife to become one of the richest couples in the world. He
ran the Philippines like it was his private country club, controlling the military, the parliament,
the courts, the bureaucracy, the press and several business monopolies. He and his "cronies" got
richer while the country got poorer (Ferdinand Marcos Biography).
Even after Ferdinand Marcos was out of rule, his corruption and its impact was evident in
the Philippines. Since resources in the Philippines were not distributed fairly, this crippled the
economy for the Philippines which is an ongoing issue to this day. This had a huge effect for the
people who lived there. For Maria-Victoria this caused her to live through many hardships that
could have been avoided if Ferdinand Marcos was not so selfish. Since money was always tight
during her childhood, Maria-Victoria yearned for the latest technology because she did not own
it before. Many things that came from the United States, such as flyers, had always portrayed
people drinking soda like it was water. For Maria, this led to just more than just the want for a sip
of soda. In her eyes, it always led to comparing herself to others around her who have lived in
America their whole lives and were born into a much easier lifestyle. Since she compared herself
to others at at a young age, she worked herself harder and harder as if it were a competition to
see who had the nicer house at the end of the day. Who had the nicest furniture and who had the
fastest car? Other people who went through a similar upbringing also seemed to have the same
ambitions as Maria. They wanted to get an education, go to college, and be able to live their
American dream because that is what they viewed as successful. It seemed as if the everyday
luxuries that people in America had, kept a fire ignited within the individuals who were still
working to achieve the American Dream.
Humans are naturally a curious race and can often lead to their demise. In this case, it
was realizing that the materialistic dreams that seemed to exuberate happiness were not true at
all. It was all about the people she loved the most.

Another strong influence in the 1980s that had a huge influence on people in or outside
of the United States were the yuppies. A yuppie is a baby boomer with a college education, a
well-paying job and expensive taste. Many people derided yuppies for being self-centered and
materialistic, and surveys of young urban professionals across the country showed that they
were, indeed, more concerned with making money and buying consumer goods than their parents
and grandparents had been (A&E Television Networks). During the 80s, yuppies were
everywhere and was considered the standard lifestyle if you wanted to live the American dream.
In other words, a stereotypical way to live the American dream was to get a well paying job
through the use of education and use this job to buy all of the things a materialistic mindset could
ask for. Even though Maria was not able to achieve a college education, her mind still wanted to
follow what those around her were working towards as well. Your body is here, but your spirit
is somewhere else longing to love or be loved. These words could never be more true in this
era. People worked to get what was pleasing to the eye because they thought they could have
never dreamed they could have possibly own it. However, when they saw it was possible to have
it through hard work and determination, they became blinded to what was really important.
There is more to life and a person that what meets the eye.
Through the 80s, it seemed as if the American dream was more focused around the idea
of competing against others. The way they valued life was based on what they owned because it
was a clear visual example of how hard the person worked to achieve what they had. A hard
worker has always been considered a virtue in anyone's life, but during this era it was an
especially valued quality.
America has always been advertised as a place where you are rewarded accordingly to
your contribution to society. Coming from nothing and having an ambition to own everything,
this created a drive like no other for people who grew up with a similar background such as
Marias. It did not help that everywhere you looked, people flaunted what they had. If people feel
they are part of the minority in society, they will do whatever it takes to feel like they are
accepted. People will go to great lengths to be accepted by the people around them. That is why
the people around you affect who you will be in the future. Right down to what makes them an
individual, soon to make them lose their sense of individuality. Just like the so called yuppie.