In this episode, we profile Fatima Lacanlale. Fatima’s journey to Boston has taken her from the Philippines to the Bay Area to the Bay State with stops in Utah and Tennessee in between. During our conversation, Fatima discussed her immigration story and the tales behind her different moves throughout the US. She also shared her personal hobbies in the arts — including an upcoming series of 12 paintings that depict life in the Philippines.
Listen to the full conversation below, or subscribe to our show on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Transcript
[MUSIC]
Kaitlin Milliken: Hello, and welcome to the BOSFilipinos Podcast. I'm your host, Kaitlin Milliken, and this show is obviously made by BOSFilipinos.
In each episode of our podcast, we highlight a different aspect of Filipino life in the Greater Boston area. So today we’ll be profiling a member of that community: Fatima Lacanlale. Fatima’s journey to Boston has taken her from the Philippines to the Bay Area to the Bay State with stops in Utah and Tennessee in between. With each move, Fatima has had to refine her ways of staying connected with her culture and her family.
During our conversation, Fatima and I discussed her immigration story and the tales behind her different moves throughout the US. We also discuss her personal hobbies in the arts — including an upcoming series of 12 paintings that depict life in the Philippines.
Thank you so much, Fatima for joining us for this episode of our show.
Fatima Lacanlale: Yeah, thank you so much for having me. Glad to be here.
Kaitlin Milliken: To introduce you to our community. I'd love for you to sort of run through where you've been. I know that you grew up in the Philippines. Where did you grow up?
Fatima Lacanlale: Yeah, I grew up in Pampanga. It's like an hour away from Manila. And then I moved to the US back in 2010. I left with my three siblings that are here. Now. My mom left us when I was, I believe 10 years old, my auntie took care of us — her sibling.
When my mom and my dad, you know, got separated — I would not call it divorce because we don't have divorce in the Philippines, it's called an annulment — we got super poor. And my mom just wanted to take care of us and the best for us. So that's why she sacrificed herself to be away from us. And she married this 72-year-old man. And it was very challenging for her. But since it's for us, nothing matters, as long as it can help us achieve and have a better life here in the US. She did what it took to get here. And then when she got here, she started working in retail as well. And then sending us money back in the Philippines until she got her US citizenship, and she started taking us in here. And now I'm super thankful my mom did that every day. I'm always grateful to be here. There's not even one rice that I can take and throw in the trash. Because from my experience in the Philippines, when my mom and my dad got divorced, we were like sleeping on the streets. My mom couldn't even buy me a 50 pesos bag. But now my mom keeps giving me bags now I'm like, “Mom, stop sending me.”
Kaitlin Milliken: That's such a Filipino mom thing. I don't know what it is with the moms and the bags, but it's like always with the bags. So you said you were living with your aunt and your siblings, when your mom was in the US until you were reunited. Can you tell me a little bit about your siblings? Like are you the oldest? Like tell me a little bit more about your aunt, that type of stuff.
Fatima Lacanlale: My big brother, He’s 27, 28. I'm 27. My sister, she's 26, and my younger brother, he's 25, I believe. So we're not far away, far apart from each other. And they're super amazing. I like how we get along. And now we're all matured like we're supporting our mom, getting into our lives. It's just like really good feeling, like how we've grown so much from each other. But we used to play a lot in the cornfields or like those waters. I miss those kinds of stuff.
And my auntie. Her name is Sonia. She is amazing. She is my traveling buddy. She's like my mentor. Shehe was so strict and conservative though, like I didn't like that. But thank you so much for doing that. Because when you're so young, you're like 16, you're so happy with your boyfriend you forget things like, what's real life is but she helped me prevent my life from going to a different path. So I'm so glad that she helped me with the right direction.
Kaitlin Milliken: Your mom petitioned for you and your siblings to come to the US. How old were you when you immigrated here?
Fatima Lacanlale: I mean maybe before 18 because I think the law at that time like you have to be minor.
Kaitlin Milliken: What was it like getting to live with your mom again, after having so much time lapse that you weren’t living in the same house and seeing each other every day?
Fatima Lacanlale: Actually, my mom traveled at least a few times back to the Philippines when she was here. And it was awkward to be honest not seeing her for years. So when she came back to the Philippines, it was really awkward. Like I've spent so much time with my auntie and just like seeing you in real person. Are you even real? Like, “Are you really my mom?” And because at that time when she left us with my auntie I can still remember I was singing “Open Arms” in the karaoke, I'm crying. “I wish you can just come back here. And like, don't leave us.” I didn't understand it at that time. But it all made sense now but just looking back at that time, it was very sad. But now I really have a great relationship with my mom. I call her almost every day just checking in with her.
Kaitlin Milliken: That's great. So when you came to the US and you were like living with your mom, like What are the things that helped you guys bond and become close?
Fatima Lacanlale: Yeah, she took us, she gave us a tour and the whole San Francisco thing. And then we went to Disneyland. I can't believe I, my first time to Disneyland was 18. I was like, “We're too old for this.” And then she took us to Vegas, “Fine. I'm old for this.” And then took us to Reno. And then every time we went, she days she's off, she would take us to restaurants and stuff like that. And we go for a picnic and those kind of stuffs.
Kaitlin Milliken: What were what was helpful during that time in terms of like making friends and having connections with other folks in the US outside of your family?
Fatima Lacanlale: I graduated high school in the Philippines. And then when I moved to the US, in order to support our financial aid, they asked us to wait for a year in a day. So they asked me to either go to community college or go back to high school while waiting. So I went back to high school here Balboa High School in San Francisco. I mean, it's in Balboa. So it's like, there's a lot of Filipino communities there, especially like our school too, as well. So they have their own separate like group and stuff. So it was easier to find. And everyone was just so friendly. They know what it feels like to be coming here in the US. And they would take us to Jollibee, the all the closest restaurants. So it was a lot easier. So I got two high school degree. And after that, I spend my time at City College of San Francisco and after City College, I went to University of San Francisco to get my bachelor's degree in business management.
Kaitlin Milliken: So you graduated with a degree in business management. Did you know that you wanted to be in the tech space? Or was like your first job? Did that just happen to be in tech? What brought you into that field?
Fatima Lacanlale: Yeah. So at first, I wanted to become an architect, because I love like, sketching, drawing and those kind of stuff. And then I want to become an economist. But it didn't work out for me. And but since I love — growing up, like I saw my families in the Philippines are so entrepreneurial people. So that's where I was like, “Well, I want to learn about business management, like what is the difference between here and the Philippines, so that I can help and maybe apply some and share some to my family in the Philippines.” So that's why I took that degree and um, I love it. It's awesome.
Kaitlin Milliken: So like sort of the hustle comes from what you were seeing from and learning from relatives who were like doing more entrepreneurial things in the Philippines. Can you talk a little bit about what those like entrepreneurial, like things were that inspired you to be like, “That's something I could see myself doing.
Fatima Lacanlale: My Auntie's always been in business. And I've always, she always she would always take me with her. And whenever she does business proposals and those kind of stuff, I kind of got inspired, of doing what she was doing. And like running her own business, just like not relying to other people and seeing it being successful. I know there are some ups and downs and challenges, but she's super strong, like mentally like to do it. So if she can do it, I can do it as well.
Kaitlin Milliken: We talked on the phone before interview you had gone from San Francisco, then I believe you went to Tennessee next. What was your next stop?
Fatima Lacanlale: Yeah, I went to Nashville, Tennessee. I lived there for a year.
Kaitlin Milliken: So you did San Francisco to Tennessee. I forgot. Did you move one other time before coming here as well?
Fatima Lacanlale: Yes. Moved to Utah.
Kaitlin Milliken: What were some of those differences between like the different areas that you lived in, especially when it came to your Filipino identity?
Fatima Lacanlale: I really love Nashville. It's like a music city. And it's really fun. But I didn't find many Filipino communities there. But maybe if I went far away from Nashville, I could have find them. But it wasn't a thing for me. And then we moved to Utah. And when I was in Utah, there's a Filipino community there. But just Utah was amazing. Like you can find national parks. They're amazing things to find there. But the weather wasn't meant for me. We were like, “Okay, let's try Boston.” And Boston is just perfect. Summer is perfect winter. I love Seeing the snow. And it was just working out for me. But I just wish that, you know, since we moved here is to find a Filipino community. But since, you know, maybe COVID happens, it kind of prevented me to find those activities, those events, because when we were in San Francisco, like they would create this events that you can go to. And it's just like, really fun. I forgot what it was, but it was in San Francisco downtown and all the Filipinos gather with music with food with, like, you can walk around like a fair.
Kaitlin Milliken: What made you want to move out of the Bay Area, you know, especially having the family and friends that you had, like, in that place? What prompted you to start your journey to these other places?
Fatima Lacanlale: I mean, it was hard. Like, I've never been away from my siblings, and my mom or like my family. So I really wanted to feel how to be independent. And when I moved to Nashville, oh my gosh, I wish I didn't ask to be independent, because so hard. I was super homesick. It was a really like, adventure for me. So it was hard, but I think I'm getting used to it. I just like probably being independent. Because when I was in the Philippines, like, yeah, you have your relatives, you have maids, they're like, they do everything for you. So it was hard for me to do things here in the US, especially when I was by myself. Like I had to literally learn how to cook, making sure I really clean like everything, and stuff like that, and then making sure that I'm having income too as well to survive. So, but definitely, it was worth it. To be honest, it was really a good adventure. I feel like moving to different cities. It's like, knowing different cultures as well. It's my pleasure to travel. Like literally, it was really worth it.
Kaitlin Milliken: Great. And I also know that you're a painter. Can you talk a little bit about, you know, how you got into painting what inspires you? And all of that?
Fatima Lacanlale: Yeah, absolutely. So when I was an elementary in the Philippines, there was a painting competition. So, I won that, and they gave me this encyclopedias, books. There's so many of them. Ever since then, when I was in high school with this, all girls school, I joined the art club. And then when I got into the US, like, it kind of changed a little bit. I've been busy with different stuff. But now since like working from home, I've been kind of getting back to that one. And also, you know, sending paintings to my mom. paintings. There are so many paintings a lot in our place. Like I know from other people, they have a different ways to relieve their stress. But for me, it's just like very relaxing. I actually have planned for myself, I want to do this, like 12 series of paintings. It's basically I want to start my own photography, like about people in the Philippines. Like because there's so many kids in the Philippines that are on the streets. I just want to capture those, like very inspiring moments of those people in the Philippines.
Kaitlin Milliken: Do you have to wait to travel before you start that project?
Fatima Lacanlale: I'm planning to go back to the Philippines end of this year. So hopefully that happens. But definitely, I've been following a lot of Filipinos in the Philippines who are photographers and there are so amazing picture. So I'm kind of doing that as an inspiration first, and then I'll start doing next year.
Kaitlin Milliken: When did you decide that that was a project that you wanted to do?
Fatima Lacanlale: Actually was last year when this COVID happened. And I had so much free time and gave me something to think like what I really want to do for my life. And I was like, I see people on Instagram like famous artists having their 12 series like one example is like nature, like or months or whatever, seasons. I'm like, what do I want to do for myself or my 12 series? And then I was like, “Well, why don't I just like leverage where I grew up, you know, like what was like to be living in the Philippines, and I want to capture that and paint it, and see it, and see it every day, and it's like a reminder for me like how lucky I am to be here.”
I can't wait to go back to the Philippines and start like different 12 different styles of people that are living on the streets. It's either like children playing on the streets or a Lola sitting on the street or like anything like someone carrying like the taho thing you know, those kind of stuff. So that's why I called my 12 series like 12 different scenarios of lifestyle in the Philippines.
Kaitlin Milliken: And are you looking to focus on like your hometown or any specific geography? I know that you said you're going back I don't know to where.
Fatima Lacanlale: Definitely most likely Pampanga but for sure, when we go to Manila, go to the Divisoria. Like maybe I would like capture some of those stuff or go to Subic which is like super close to Pampanga, or maybe in Boracay. So I feel like, whatever I go to the Philippines, that's what I would capture. I mean, something that is super capturing that would really resonate. It's very compelling. I will not say dramatic, but something that would break your heart just looking at the picture.
Kaitlin Milliken: So this is my final question for you. Do you have any advice for like Filipinos or Filipino Americans that are looking to move to Boston on how they can make it feel like their home?
Fatima Lacanlale: I mean, from my experience, I know, so it's a big city, so. But don't be afraid of new opportunities. You know, since you don't have probably don't have any family in town, treat your new friends and co-workers as your family. And remember, you can call your family anytime. So I think that would be the best thing I can do. Other than that start following people on Instagram, I started following you, the BOSFilipinos, everyone like who's cooking here, like just to find the community here and this where I found you.
Kaitlin Milliken: Great. Well, I think that's a great note to end on. Thank you so much Fatima for your time.
Fatima Lacanlale: Of course. Thanks for having me.
[MUSIC]
Kaitlin Milliken: This has been the BOSFilipinos Podcast. I'm your host, Kaitlin Milliken. Music for our show was made by Matt Garamella. Special thanks to Fatima for joining us. If you liked this episode of our show, you can subscribe to the BOSFilipinos Podcast on your streaming platform of choice. You can also follow us on Instagram, @bosfilipinos, to stay connected. If you have ideas of what we should cover, you can let us know at bosfilipinos.com. Thanks for listening and see you soon.