I was excited about seeing my mom and my dad again.: Becoming Minnesotan

Patrick Faunillan, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2008. Minnesota Historical Society.
  • Name - Patrick Faunillan
  • Age at interview - 19
  • Gender - Male
  • Generation - First Generation American / Immigrant
  • Date of Interview - 12.22.2010
  • Faunillan family, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1996. Minnesota Historical Society.
    Patrick Faunillan fishing with his brothers, St. Croix, Minnesota, 1998.

    The Journey

    Essential Question

    Coming to America: What did coming to America symbolize for this person?

    The Journey: How did this person get to the U.S.?

    Background Information

    The Philippines was a U.S. colony from 1898 until 1946. Because of this connection, many Filipinos learn English and are familiar with American culture. Since they are already familiar with the U.S., many Filipinos have chosen to come to the United States for education, to serve in the military, or for professional opportunities. Since 1965 an especially large number of Filipinos have immigrated to the U.S. to work in highly skilled fields like medicine.

    To learn more about Filipino history and culture, visit our Filipino Community page.

    • Chapter 1

    Download Patrick Faunillan 2
    1:12 Minutes | 1.16Mb

    Transcription

    Narrator: Patrick Faunillan (PF)

    Interviewer: Lita Malicsi (LM)

    LM: So you arrive in the United States, and of course you arrived by plane.

    PF: Uh-huh.

    LM: Okay. You were about three and a half years old, right?

    PF: Yes, three and a half.

    LM: You still remember?

    PF: Yeah, I have some memories. I remember I really liked it; it was a lot of fun. I remember there were movies. They were showing movies, and the movie screen was really big for me, I remember. And I remember sitting on my grandpa’s lap here and there. And then it didn’t seem as long as it is now [chuckles] but I guess I had a lot of fun when I was little on a plane.

    LM: Were you scared being on the plane? Were you excited? What was it like? What kind of feeling?

    PF: I was more excited. I don’t think I was scared at all, being on the plane, because I was more excited about seeing my mom and my dad again and being together. I don’t think I ever really noticed or felt that I was leaving the Philippines and not really coming back for a long time. It was just, "Oh, we’re going to go see my mom and dad and be with them again."


    Citation

    Minnesota Historical Society. Becoming Minnesotan: Stories of Recent Immigrants and Refugees. September 2010. Institute of Museum and Library Services. [Date of access]. http://www.mnhs.org/immigration
    nid: 2134