Artifact # 5: Module 9 – Gender Stereotypes in Context

There were differences in our responses especially in our responses on jobs are typically taken by males. My partner seemed to say “Female” for those jobs such as pilot and system engineer. However, both of us had similar responses on the female-related jobs such as baby sitter and make-up artist. I think the differences on our answers came from the cultural differences as my partner grew up in the USA where stereotypes are being broken. Conversely, I grew up in a country where females’ job applications on jobs such as a mechanic or a system engineer are not even considered if the other applicants are male. It doesn’t matter if you have experience or great background; they think you are not qualified for the job because if your gender.

I chose this artifact because I think gender inequality in the workplace is an important issue. It made me realize that it is time for females to get paid equally as men and also get considered for jobs that are usually done by men.

Artifact #4: Module 10 – How long can you wait?

If I was supposed to meet someone and they didn’t show up at the appointed time, how long am I willing to wait?

Target Person	Minutes
Your parent	30 minutes
Your older sibling	20 minutes
Your boyfriend or girlfriend	20 minutes
Your best friend	25 minutes
Your colleague	15 minutes
Your client	40 minutes
Your boss	45 minutes

I would wait longer for the the boss and/or the client because those are professional and set appointments. I would only wait longer for them because there might be a benefit in waiting for them. The boss/client might even see how patient I am if they ever come and those are plus points for me. However, I have shorter waiting times for the family and friends because I think they would understand better if I didn’t wait too long for them because they are closer to me and they know me better.

Artifact #3: Module 13 – Happiness and Physical Health

Simple things and moments make me happy. Some of these are staying indoors when it’s raining and drinking hot cocoa, cleaning the house and seeing the result, and cooking. I do think that the things that make me happy change as I age. When I was a child, seeing Barbie dolls at the mall made me happy but now getting A’s on my courses make me happy. However, there is one thing that never changed – eating. Eating makes me extremely happy ever since I was a kid. Just savoring the flavors and trying to guess what ingredient is in the dish makes me so excited. Now this kind of happiness might be contradicting to physical health because the images above seem unhealthy. However, I do not always indulge in unhealthy food such as burgers. In fact, I tried to cut down my eating and tried to stay away from those kinds of food but my health got worse. I know that I have to eat in moderation and still eat healthy.

Artifact # 2: Module 7 – Self-construal and Emotion

Five happy episodes or situations that I have experienced in the past:

1. Visiting my family in the Philippines after 3 years of staying in the United States
2. Buying my first car and being able to go to places by myself
3. Meeting someone from my Chemistry class who became my best friend and boyfriend
4. Hiking for hours and appreciating nature
5. Having a friend write me a 3-page heartfelt letter for my birthday and I didn’t realize that I meant that much to her

Which are associated to “socially engaged emotions”/”socially disengaged emotions”?

(a) Socially disengaged emotions: Items 2 and 4

(b) Socially engaged emotions: Items 1,3, and 5

I picked this artifact because it challenged me to think of moments that made me feel happy. Recently, I have been more focused about negative emotions and stress that I failed to think about my happy experiences in the past. This artifact showed me that sometimes you have to reflect on your happy moments with/without others despite of stress and anxiety. Sometimes thinking of happy moments helps me cope with the difficult things I am going through.

Artifact # 1: Module 1 – What object represents my culture?

It was really hard to think of ONE item that will describe the Filipino culture. We have a lot of food and items unique to us so I had a difficult time selecting just one. However, as I was looking back at my experiences (and also watching Filipino soap operas), I realized that there is one item that every Filipino will recognize: the “Balikbayan Box”. Balikbayan is a Tagalog word which means someone who came back to their home country/hometown after a long period of living somewhere else. In my opinion,the Balikbayan box symbolizes Filipinos’ love for their families. They usually send these boxes when they cannot physically come home to their families. These boxes usually contain food such as chocolate and canned goods (SPAM and Vienna sausage are among their most favorite ones), clothes, shoes, and household items. To Filipinos, sending these items are a way to be with their loved ones without being physically there.

I think that Filipinos’ wholehearted love for their families is what makes them unique. They would sacrifice everything, even themselves, just to make their families’ lives better. This is also close to my heart because I sent a Balikbayan box to my family in the Philippines a few years ago. It took me almost 2 months to fill it with my Mom’s favorite chocolates and SPAM and it also took more than 3 months until it arrived. What makes it special is when they receive it and they seem so happy while unboxing it. It made me feel like I was there when they were looking at the items I sent them. There’s nothing more special than seeing the smiles on your loved one’s faces – and this is why I chose the Balikbayan Box.