Outro

This goes out to J.U.F.R.A.N.

Thanks:

-for building one of the best experiences of my college career.

-for helping me rediscover my voice.

-for reminding me of the importance of movement and song.

"There is no movement without song." - I said that.

Praises:

-for sharing your voices.

-for your willingness to learn.

-for your enthusiasm to get involved.

-for working so well together.

This isn't goodbye.

It's just one down.

Isang bagsak!

-Pete with the beat

"Struggling with Love"

 Hello Family,

 

                My final reflection… Oh no, Ian’s insanely long blogs are coming to an end!  Thank you for reading them… I’ve really tried to put my entire heart and all into JUFRAN.  I just never expected a lot of things when I first started this “Journey to Understand Forgotten Reasons to Act Now.”  I was first approached by JR in 456 about it.  I think I met Pete too that day.  What a trip.  I basically signed on because I guess it was fated.  Hah, hella corny, but damn it’s a trip reflecting how I first signed on to JUFRAN.  I was recovering from such a horrible Fall semester… I bet you were all surprised when I said I was  a Freshman.  I guess it doesn’t matter now.  I reminisce to our first session & I felt so out of place… New faces everywhere and I barely knew any of you.  I wasn’t active in PACE or LFS at the time.  To be real I was skeptic at first in who was going to be in our group.  I wondered if I really needed to be in JUFRAN.  Was I only doing it for the credits? No, I needed to get myself out there.  A semester in & I barely knew anyone…  I was pretty in & out at the meetings for the first couple times.  I was using Friday to get myself re-educated.  I think the turning point for me was the Retreat.  I still felt comfortable with only a certain number of people, the retreat made me feel like foundation has been laid to build on.  I started to hang out with y’all outside the classroom.  It felt very good to have Kasamas, & not just any “normal friends.”  I’ve been leaning on my Kasamas all throughout this Transitions phase that I’m going through on both sides of the Bay.  It’s crazy how my network has brought me to meet y’all.  I feel that I’ve “found my forgotten reason…”  I was lost beyond belief, before the spring.  I was a very confused Youth who needed to “find himself.”  “Kasama Kannections” really though is the basis of organizing.  I get so caught up at times in “let’s do an ED,” “Mobilization, March, Vigil,” overall the work.  But, maintaining relationships and listening to other people’s stories comes first.  Serving the people, Sharing struggles and

 

“Struggling with Love.”

 

I have really built some “Kannections” with y’all and I’m humbled by the things that we have faced together.  We’ve Bagsaked every meeting with something new every week.  Y’all some fresh folks to know.  Some of you have become brothers and sisters to me.  I say that friends come and go, but Kasamas are eternal.  I hope we can still remained “Kannected” even after JUFRAN.  I don’t wanna call this the end.  It’s really just begun.  I will miss meeting every Friday from 2-4pm.  From our Cipher names to Mt. Davidson (JR, where the pics at. Haha), to the birthday card I received…

 

This caught me off guard, as with the message behind the projector screen, It really did uplift my spirits that day since I was facing a lot of chaos at home and with my personal. 

 

I’ve gained so much from this experience and am anxious to give back somehow.  I’m so down in being a future coordinator.  My long ass blogs, I’ve written so much because I wanted to impart what I know to y’all.  Yeah, I’ve gotten a head start in developing my analysis, but it’s so useless unless I give back.  I’ve written probably an essay a week for JUFRAN, I’m not that special; you may even call me a nerd for knowing so much already. Haha.  I guess I’m in love with the movement.  I really haven’t found anything that has attracted my attention in doing this work & learning in a manner where it “Kannects” to me.  We’re all in it now.  I’m honored to be a JUFRANian for Spring 09, I hope we’ve made our mark into JUFRAN history.  I want to keep building with folks in the future.  I guess next thing for me now, is to just get deeper into LFS, it’s been a long time coming, but it was bound to happen.  I’ll be around more; I’ll be repping East Bay all the way though still. Haha. 

 

Thank you for giving me a reason again…

 

One Love,

“Ian who be screamin’”

 

ISANG BAGSAK for the now…

I LOVE JUFRAN!!!

I honestly can't believe that the semester is finally over. No more classes, tests, papers, exams or endless minutes sitting in a crowded classroom. But sadly, with the end of the semester brings the close to Jufran. Jufran has brought me so much happiness through this stressful semester. I did not think I was going to build beautiful relationships with the amazing people that I have met. I believe Jufran has helped push me to open up my creative side that has been dormant for so long. I also believe Jufran has opened up another side to me. I was never the one to step up and take charge, I would always stay back and listen to what other people were saying. Jufran showed me that I can speak up and say how I feel about anything. Working with the other Jufranians showed me that LFS is filled with so many wonderful and talented people that will accomplish so much in their lives. I will honestly miss my Friday afternoons walking into Bus 113 and seeing the beautiful faces of KC, Faye, Moo, Paul, Pete, JR, Jordan, Ian, Ruben, Ben, and Katrina. Each person made an impact to Jufran and to my life. I can honestly call each person I have met a friend. As a group we learned what Kasama Kannections truly means and exemplify it by the friendships we have made. I love each and every person with all my heart and will cherish all the memories we have made together.

FINAL POST?!?!

NOO! ='[ tear. i'm going to miss seeing your beautiful faces every Friday!

okay, so i am super behind on these posts so i'm gonna try and remember everything that we did the last few weeks =D

The day we watched the video about the political killings in the Philippines was quite an emotional experience for me. That was the first time i had seen the video and while i was watching i had a sudden realization moment. In LFS we are always speaking of the injustices in the Philippines, and I never quite understood what that meant until we watched the video. The GIANT list of countless names of political killings was the big realization point for me. The video focused on just a few of those who were killed, but when they presented the list of others i was saddened by the fact that every single one of those names was a person with a face, just like the ones they had focused on. A person with a family, with friends, with people that relied on them. i think keeping this in mind is something that keeps me organizing. we are fighting for those people. I think this workshop was very well needed and so was the discussion afterward.

The gender and sexuality workshop was another great workshop as well. I liked that we had guest facilitators who were apart of resources out in the community. I wish we actually had some more time for questions and discussion but i know the topic in general is very broad. This wasn't the first workshop of its kind i have attended but it definitely gave be a refresher of what i learned and the stereotypes we put on men and womyn. I must admit i myself sometimes follow in along in the gender roles we are "assigned" to by society, and i think it made us all realize our everyday actions.

I unfortunately was unable to make it to Dolores Park to march with you all in the May 1st rally because i was meeting my mother at her work downtown, but i was there for the afterward gathering at civic center. I didn't catch much, and because it was raining i feel we did not experience the best of it, but from what i saw there were many people in attendance. Hopefully it doesn't rain next year!

OHHH. DIWANG PINAY!!! =D this was my first Diwang Pinay and my first time being apart of the planning for an event like this. i really hope that you guys enjoyed the show because it meant a lot to us. i have to say it was quite interesting and just a little bit hectic being the stage manager for the show but i hope i did a good job.. (minus the lighting mistakes) haha. The acts were all very great and i think my favorite will always be seeing the ladies of babae dance to single Ladies--- with of course the LFS representation TONI! haha. I had a lot of fun and i hope you guys did too. AND THE SHIRTS WERE CRACKIN RIGHT?! i was so proud to be apart of such a beautiful event.

for the next couple of Jufran meetings we discussed our final project. There was a lot of ideas brought to the table but i think the one we chose was a pretty good choice. I feel like if we had more time though we could have made our mixed tape a lot better, and maybe we could have had some more tracks on it. I do love our song! and i admit to having the chorus stuck in my head sometimes! haha. Its a really good song and it was fun to collaborate and sing with you folks! as for the other idea of the t-shirt and the lit mag, i say we do them anyway! haha.

this semester was really great. I AM SO GLAD TO HAVE MET EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU GUYS! i hope we see much more of each other next semester! we should have a JUFRAN reunion every semester yo! i can't believe this semester is over, everything has gone by so fast. hope you all have a great summer!(hella cliche i know...) =D so who's up for being JUFRAN coordinators next year!!?! hehe.

--smile!
<3 moo

TAPOS.

Mga Kasama!

Kamusta? Ayos lang ba? I hope so.
Hopefully you all have survived finals week, and are ready for a 3-monthish long summer.

I know I am, even though I have one more paper to write and 2 more to revise. Please don't remind me.

As a way to further procrastinate, I have decided to work on my missing blogs, which I've nearly forgotten to do.

So here they are:


Gender, Sexuality, and <3.>

The workshop was just what I needed. It's well-prepared, the materials and discussions were very fitting for our learning experience, and it was a topic that I've been thirsty for.

I don't really know too much about the LGBTQQI community's politics, but this workshop has definitely shed some light. I know there's much more to learn about, and this is just the beginning for my future learning of the community. Truth be told, I want to identify as a member of the community, but I've always been unsure and iffy to declare it.

Yes, I will say it here: I am bisexual. Ex-bicurous, ex-hetero. I am Bi. But tell me why I still find it hard to admit? I still find it hard to identify myself as bisexual, to be honest. What makes someone bisexual? I don't know. But all I know is that I'm attracted to girls, and boys...or anything in between. I just can't help it.

But with Katy Perry's hit songs, and Tila Tequilla's MTV show, being bisexual became something...I dunno... nonfitting for me. I guess I was embarassed to admit that I'm "bi" because people might think that I'm just saying that to be considered "sexy."Apparently, girls who kiss girls is like totally in with guys now. I didn't want my sexuality to be trendy... and I'm pretty sure my sexuality isn't a phase. I've been having crushes on girls since 5th grade, and I thought I'd get over it, too... but no. I was forcing myself to get over it all along.

It helped to have a workshop just entitled to exploring gender and sexuality, because it made me feel safe to ask questions. I usually hold back a lot when it comes to this topic...but, when workshops like this happen, it seems easier to breathe. It made me feel safe to belong for awhile. Plus, Brian gave us a lot of good resources on how to be more involved in the community, too.



May Day Rally.

I didn't march, but I was there at Civic Center when everyone arrived. It was cold, damp, and very rainy. Not the best day to march...
I wanted to march so badly, but I was exhausted out of my mind. I had just come from work that day, and was unable to contact anyone who participated in the march.

Moo and I just ended up waiting for everyone else to come in front of City Hall, but I really wanted to participate-- with all my heart.

Immigration is one of the most important issues that I care about. I was an immigrant once, as you all know already, and I still consider myself to be one at heart. When you leave home and move to somewhere else unfamiliar, you usually don't know what to expect... so you stay silent. You don't ask questions. You just do everything to get into the country. You protect everything you have with silence, so you won't get kicked out.

The May Day Rally is the only day an immigrant can feel backed up, protected, and loved by the community here. It's the only day where you can march in the streets shouting, and breaking your silence against the hostility that's brought upon you by those people who doesn't want you in "their" soil. It's the only day you can demand your rights to a nation where the Minutemen Project, the INS, and ICE are more favored than other institutions.
It's one of those days where you don't live in fear.

It still bothers me that I didn't go.
But next year... I'll be there.


MIXED Tape.

The Final Project has been decided on as the "mixed tape." I opted for a literary magazine, but in the end, I didn't really care. It's what everyone wanted, so we had fun with it.

At least I did.

It was hard to get everyone together at one place, being that it's Finals week and all. Even then, going to Jordan's house late on Thursday, singing the chorus multiple times, and writing a last-minute poem in Tagalog was a lot of time. Okay, I was frustrated a lot...but y'know? That made it more fun for me. Just hearing the play backs, and seeing it all come together slowly made it seem worth the frustration.

Just so you know, I was frustrated because at the last minute, people were still arguing between doing a mixed tape or just a literary magazine. I didn't care whichever one, but some people were stern about the latter. Compromising was really difficult, and it kind of got under my skin, because I just really wanted to get over it. As a self-criticism, I think I should've stepped up myself and just helped finalize the situation. I should've just taken one side instead of going one way or another. That probably would've helped the situation, but seeing that I wasn't in the first planning process, I didn't really know if I was at the right position to step up. I had missed the first final project planning process because of an important class assignment, so I wasn't able to actually sell my own ideas for the final project... but that's done and over with, and we got the mixed tape DONE. And hell... it was fun.

I just wish Kristina was there to lend her beautiful voice. Aww Kristina, maybe next time. I hope you feel better. :)

_______________

So.There you are. As we say in tagalog: TAPOS (finished).

I hope y'all have a good summer! Don't think twice about hitting me up to kick it either. I would mos def LOVE to kick it with any of my kasamas. So HOLLER. It was nice konnecting with you all.

PAALAM!
Faye

It's A Wrap

Family,

I wanted to try and put up my reflections before I crossed that stage Sunday morning!



First, a big ups and thanks to everybody this past semester for traveling with me on this journey. What a journey it was! It was a pleasure meeting and working with every one of you. I admit, balancing JUFRAN with all the other things you need to do during your final semester of your undergrad career, was a little challenging. However, I think we also managed to have some really great dialogue and other down-time fun with one another that made JUFRAN even better. I'm sure a couple week from now I will still be learning and growing from our experiences together. Thank you again.



Revolutionizing your mind, body and spirit is a life-long task. No person can do so in one semester, including myself. I give mad respect to anybody who chooses to challenge themselves to be critical and conscious in their daily lives. Everyday, I find nuances that challenge my values, but I embrace them, for they are part of what makes the struggle beautiful and worthwhile. The people you meet along this journey, are another part of what makes the journey meaningful.



I also hope we were able to convey that what we learn/ed in JUFRAN does not just apply to Filipin@s, but to the many billions of third world people globally. We must work within a globalized mind frame and take action locally. Throughout my four years at State, I have transformed into a completely different person. I have come to better understand the concept of "peace" in its relation to justice, opening my eyes to a completely new world. As a small town boy with big city dreams, I am indebted to LFS and JUFRAN for allowing me to grow and change into a more hopeful and well-rounded person rooted in my many communities.



With knowledge comes with responsibility, and I hope that you all take the next step and realize you are an agent of change (especially as educated people of color in the U.S.). I hope to continue to build strong and meaningful relationships with each of you throughout my LIFE, and can't wait to see what's in store for us.



Trust our struggle, keep your fists up high. Enjoy the rest of your time in college, and continue to build a critical community, one heart at a time. Our children will thank us for it.

Throughout my reflection are some photos from the past 4 years at State. It's been fun!

Respect,
Jr

Catching up...

I need to catch up...
I'm sorry that I have been behind on the journals', but this is my chance to make up on all of them.

On April 17 Lyle presented a video on the political killings in the Philippines. The workshop was very emotional for me and many other of the jufranians. I honestly wanted to cry throughout the entire video. I knew there were a large number of killings happening, but hearing all of the names was hard to endure. Although the video was sad, it was also motivating. I honestly want to do something to help or just to make a difference. I believe the key thing I can do is educate others on this important issue that is happening right now in the Philippines. The video was a great visual in helping teach the issue at hand. I heard a line in the movie that was very uplifting, “turning silence into music”. Through song they were able to break the silence and tell others what happened to the many people who disappeared. People who had their voices taken away were given a second chance to tell their stories. I think the only delta for the ED would be to have more interaction from everyone. I think it would have been very interesting if we were able to hold a discussion on the issue or maybe even just have everyone speak on how they were feeling. However, the ED was informative and very helpful in educating those who were unaware of what was happening.

On April 24 Brian had facilitated an ED on Gender, Sexuality, and Love. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend this workshop. When I asked other Jufranians about how it went each person gave the same response; it was a fun and informative workshop. Sadly, instead of enjoying the day with Jufran I was in the hospital because of a headache. I later found out my headache was due to my eyes, but everything worked itself out. I do not like missing Jufran days because I feel I miss out on a lot of important information, plus I also get to miss out on kickin it with the beautiful Jufranians.

On May 1 was the May Day Rally which I was unable to attend due to PCN practice and an injured ankle. Two nights before the May Day Rally I had rolled my ankle pretty bad at dance practice. It would have been very hard for me to make the journey all the way down to Dolores Park then back to campus by 5:00 P.M. for PCN practice. I heard a lot of good things about this event and wish I could have gone. I have not gone to a rally yet and believe it will be an amazing experience. Although it was raining, everyone's spirit and energy made the day memorable. >

On May 8 we were able to meet in class and work on the final project. I was really happy to know we were still going to use the mixtape idea. I love how we were able to incorporate the literary art by putting it in the CD case. I believe this final project is going to be great because everyone had a part in it. It was also great when we were able to get the Chorus down. After KC, Paul, Ben, and I left internship we were singing the chorus at PCN practice over and over. We all agreed that the song was hella tight. I honestly think a music video would also be a great idea, but I think that can be a summer project if any of the Jufranians want to do it. It can be a great way to promote Jufran for next spring. Helping facilitate final project ideas made me realize that maybe I would like to be one of the coordinators for Jufran next spring. I honestly wouldn't mind helping the next set of folks on their journey called Jufran because it is an amazing experience.

On May 15 the Jufranians met in class and finished the final project. I wanted to be there so bad, but I couldn't because I had the flu...not swine flu. I would have loved to be there and be able to record the chorus and hear the tight verses written by Ben and Jordan. I know I texted everyone and let them know about my situation, but I feel horrible. I really wish I could have been there to help and enjoy each other's company. It makes me really sad that the next time I'm going to see everyone is the last time we will actually meet all together. I really do hope and wish that we can keep in touch with one another and still be able to go out and eat like we always do. Each and every person in Jufran has made an impact on me and my life. I love everyone with all my heart and will never forget you guys. I really do wish I could have done more, but I didn't want to get you guys sick. I know the final project is amazing and I can't wait to hear the track.

Loving Jufran Always,
Kristina Nagales