As delectable as a Pinoy dish

I enjoy watching movies about people migrating to other places. Like the characters in these movies, I also have a dream of migrating to another country someday. The Philippine movie industry has made lots of movies about Filipinos working or living abroad. Some stories end up as tragedies while others come up with a "happy ever after" ending. No matter what the ending, is movies like these often leave a question to most viewers–to take the risk and go for it, or just stay where we are?

One movie I enjoyed watching repeatedly is American Adobo; topbilled by Christopher de Leon, Dina Bonnevie, Cherry Pie Picache and Ricky Davao. The story tells about the colorful life of a group of Filipino friends who migrate to the land of milk and honey. Each of them has different persona-lities and situations to deal with. Mike (Christopher), an unhappily married man has a nagging wife who looks down on her fellow Filipinos. His two kids are also problems. He seems to be clueless on how to deal with them. He wants to return to the Philippines, where he believes he should be. But he cannot leave his family behind. Mike represents migrants who leave their heart in their homeland. Somehow, adjusting to their new home is such a hard task. This is very rare because most of the time, people who migrate feel at ease in their new home.

Then comes Marissa (Dina), a migrant who is a success working in the corporate setting. She chooses to be a martyr to her American boyfriend even if she knows he is unfaithful to her. Filipinas are known to be martyrs. They would rather accept the pain and keep it to themselves rather than break up a relationship.

Next is Gerry (Ricky), a mama’s boy who migrates to the US, only to find out that his mother would still haunt him there. She makes endless long-distasnce calls to force him to get married soon. What he keeps inside him is a deep secret he doesn’t dare reveal, especially to his mother who expects him to give her grandchildren. He is a closet homosexual. Gerry represents the Filipinos conservative culture, that until now, has a hard time accepting homosexuals who come out in the open.

For the playful Filipinos, there’s Raul (Paolo Montalban), a hunk of a womanizer who ends up getting scared because one of his sex partners is said to have AIDS. He represents some Filipinos who are never content with a one-woman relationship, and ends up paying or the consequences of their actions.

Tere (Cherry Pie Picache), is the ever-conservative, religious Filipina migrant. She never had a relationship and longs to have one soon. But she always ends up being fooled, or being told that she’s "too good to be true."

She represents the so called "Maria Clara" nature of the Filipinas. This is something hard to deal with because she is a conservative woman who migrated to a liberated country..

While watching the film, I began to see the different situations a migrant might face. Some scared me while others encouraged me to pursue my dream of migrating. If I were to choose a character which would represent me, I would choose Tere. I’m 24 and never had a relationship.

Soon, like Tere, I hope to find my love in another country because maybe the one for me is not in the Philippines. Just like Tere‘s, I will bring with me the Filipino values I have learned.

The film shows the good and the bad sides of migrating.

In the end, the story gives out a hopeful ending for the characters. Mike finally decides to go back home to his homeland, the Philippines..

He feels happy and contented, especially after finding a new love, Emma (Sandy Andolong), who also comes back home from the US.

Marissa finally drops her unfaithful boyfriend and starts her life again. Gerry summons up the courage to come out and tells his mother and friends (except Tere because she already knows) the truth about him. His mother is disappointed but accepts the situation anyway. His friends were shocked at first, but they end up thinking there is nothing wrong about being a homosexual.

Raul gets scared he might be affected with AIDS, but fees relieved he tested negative for it. He changes into a better person, choosing only one girlfriend he truly loves.

As for Tere , she finally finds true love where she least expects it – during a fire that broke out right in her home.

Five different people with five different situations and one nationality that keeps them together: that’s what the film is all about. American Adobo is an ideal film for those planning to migrate or those who just like to have an idea of what is it like to live in a foreign country.

One more point the movie wants to convey is that we need friends to complete our life, the way the five characters in the movie have each other. It’s so like an adobo dish which has a lot of ingredients that go into it.

So do we take the risk of migrating or not? Never mind the problems that might come, because challenges are only natural, whether one migrates or not. The most important thing is how one handles and solves the problems.

There is this famous quote that says, "If you always stay along the shore and don’t go farther, you will never see what’s in store for you on the other side.." But then, it really takes courage to go and settle in a foreign land.

After watching American Adobo, I still stand by my desire to migrate to another country.

But it surely made me realize it is not easy settling in another country. I enjoyed watching the movie because it made me more and more excited about migrating.

Maybe, when I’m there (wherever and whenever it may be) I will also have a colorful life like the movie’s characters do. I also hope to find fellow Filipino friends. Maybe, we can also cook up our adobo recipe: "Australian Adobo," "Canadian Adobo," "English Adobo." Whatever it is, the Philippines’ very own adobo will surely suit any country– the way Filipinos manage to it in in any country.