Bridging the Cultural Gap [Show open] Mariel Gutierrez: Hi, everyone. You're listening to the Faith and Family podcast, a Christian family community that aims to promote Christian values for every phase of your family life. I'm Mariel Gutierrez. Today, we have a mother and daughter on the podcast. Leni Besa: Hi, I'm Leni Besa. And well, I immigrated from the Philippines to the United States way back; I think it was March of 1980. Darlene Alejandro: Hi! I’m Darlene Alejandro, and I was born here in the United States. Mariel: Leni and Darlene have an amazing bond, but with every parent-child relationship, there are ups and downs. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, “Asian American adolescents, specifically Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Filipino youth, report higher levels of culture conflict with parents than other groups of adolescents (Phinney et al. 2000; Rumbaut 1996).”  Darlene Alejandro: What were your hopes when you left the Philippines? Like, can you tell me about the experience and how you felt when you migrated over to the States? And who did you miss the most just help tell me about your experience moving here? Leni Besa: As a nurse, [I] gained more experience in nursing, expand my knowledge in another country like America. I wanted more financial stability so that in the future, when I decided to get married, probably, which I did, I will be able to provide security and financial stability in my family. I wasn't really lonely at the beginning because we were recruited as a group. When I am by myself, then, of course, yeah, I was lonely because I miss my parents, especially my sister, who I grew up with.Career choice and what it means to be successfulMariel: Another topic discussed was education. According to an NYU psychology publication, ‘The Model Minority’ stereotype presents Asian Americans as valuing hard work and education, despite studies which report that Asian Americans vary widely in their cultural values and level of academic achievement. Darlene Alejandro: I specifically remember the day that I was in my junior year of college.  Leni Besa: Of college, yeah.Darlene Alejandro: And I remember coming home, and I was like, “I don't know what I’m gonna do with this. I want to; I want to do aesthetics.” Leni Besa: Right, right.  Darlene Alejandro: And I wanted to, it was like, and I did all my research on my own, and I came home. And I remember Kuya (“older brother” in Filipino)  was here, and dad was here. And I was like, I don't want to do this anymore. I want to do skin care. I want to go into aesthetics. And the schooling for that was in like two weeks. So that was so from that, yeah, from the day I decided to drop out of college, go to skincare school; that was like two weeks, and I just dropped it on everyone. And I remember Dad was like, “Oh, just let her do it.” And I remember you said you were. I think you're the most concerned because I understand; it was such a quick transition. And, like, there's no certainty in…  Leni Besa: In aesthetics.  Darlene Alejandro: In aesthetics. I mean, it's not the typical, like doctors, lawyers, lawyers, stuff like that. And I remember being frustrated because I knew I wanted to do it; go to beauty school for skin care. And then I remember walking away, and I remember hearing Kuya talk to you like, “As long as she has a plan, it's okay.” Leni Besa: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that one correct. Yes. Yeah. Because, you know, like, nurses, when we are talking about, oh, my co-nurse would say, “Oh, yeah, my son is in medicine or so, so. So forth and so forth.