One of the most common problems in today’s world is when people cannot seem to find themselves and experience difficulties in being finding their true and genuine identity. However, in my case, though I once had the same problem, what I realized was it was just a matter of looking back at each striking characteristic and somehow combine them with each other. The image above is a depiction of six different identities that I believe without it, I would not be the person I am today. Though these six different traits and characteristics are different from one another, they are all somehow connected to who I am and what I have become. This is my Hybrid Identity.
Fortunately, I was born into a family that may be seen as privileged because unlike what I see on local news, the family I was born into did not have to go through a lot of hardships just to obtain the basic needs. It was way easier than what I would typically see in the news. After this realization, this then made me think further. I recalled asking my parents to buy me these toys when I was young, going home to a house that is just too spacious for my family and I, and basically them providing my wants and desires. This realization made me see how I was born into a privileged background.One of my more obvious traits is being straight male. I was born and raised by my parents and other family members to have a masculine personality when dealing with different kinds of situations, This then made me identify as a male and no other gender whatsoever. In relation to how my parents raised me, they also taught me how to place my religion and relationship with God over anything else. They do not only do this by giving me pep talks but instead, they show it by repeatedly celebrating the Holy Eucharistic in our parish and partaking in the different sacraments and traditions that they are available to participate in. When it comes to conversing and being with people in general, I can easily identify myself as someone extroverted since I have no shame in trying to make new friends and approaching people just to get to talking with them. I am also a person with an unusual blood composition. In other words, I also possess different nationalities as I am Filipino, Polish, Spanish, Chinese and American all at the same time. This makes me well-versed when it comes to understanding the demands and customs of each culture and tradition. Lastly, I have a solid educational background, finishing my high school studies in Brent International School, one of the more well-known international schools in the country, and now in arguably one of the top universities in the country, Ateneo. Through these, I believe I have the foundations of being able to make an impact and be successful in the future.
What was difficult in managing these backgrounds was the fact that I had different nationalities and I came from a privileged background. Since I look more of a foreigner than a Filipino, it was difficult for me at first to make friends with people probably because they were intimidated by me. However, due to being a straight male, being extroverted in nature, and coming from a well-known international school, i was able to make new friends especially now in college, where it is truly a way different environment from what I am used to. Additionally, placing God as the center of my life also helped because it is through my faith that I was able to have the guidance and help to get through all these conflicts, to be able to use my traits as an advantage and not treat them as if it held me back from what I want to do. Overall, these hybrid identities collectively are vital to my identity and one piece cannot be taken away from me because it still continues to play a huge role.
Robbie's SocSc 11 Blog 