A beacon of light for Pinoy immigrants
November 3, 2002 | 12:00am
Although I read very few books by Filipino authors, it was a sheer delight to discover an autobiographical book written by a lady civil engineer from Bulacan who is now a successful entrepreneur in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Last month in Houston, Texas, I met the author, Celia Ruiz Tomlinson, for the first time after many e-mails, phone calls, as well as correspondence through a new E-forum I’ve created called, ProgressiveTimes. I invited her to be part of the panel of successful entrepreneurs who made a lively presentation about entrepreneurship before the National Convention of Filipino American and Filipino Canadians. It was through another friend – Linda Nietes from Palos Verdes who owns a Filipiniana Expressions Bookshop – where I learned about Celia’s catchy book, Don’t Ever Tell Me YOU CAN’T, a bold title from a petite Filipina author living in America.
Immigrants in the United States – from the Philippines, China, Nigeria, India, Russia, Peru, and many other countries – have their own stories to tell, but only a handful of them get the chance to write them down. In this aspect alone, Tomlinson’s autobiography is already a great accomplishment that is worth sharing.
The 196-page book begins with a chronicle of Celia’s life as a child in a barrio called San Agustin in the town of San Miguel, Bulacan. To escape potential danger from vengeful murderers, Celia’s parents left town with all their young children for that proverbial "city of opportunity," Manila, when she was only five years old. As the Ruiz family did not have money to rent a decent home they were forced to live in a Tondo-like slum area with thousands of homeless people.
People in America who have never experienced nor seen the living conditions of the poorest of the poor will have a hard time imagining what that kind of existence feels like. They’ll have a hard time understanding the extraordinary resilience of poor individuals to change their circumstance. I was born in the barrio myself so it was not difficult for me to follow the thread of life of a Celia Ruiz Tomlinson who rose from rags to riches in America.
The candor, humility as well as the mental courage that it took Tomlinson to write her life story is truly remarkable. Reading her book brings me back to many books I’ve read and enjoyed, like Carlos Bulosan’s America is in the Heart. Tomlinson’s Don’t Ever Tell Me YOU CAN’T deals with a person who could forget the pain of her physical circumstance by letting the mind soar into the clouds of a make-believe world. Like what the noted psychotherapist, a survivor of the holocaust, Dr. Victor Frank who wrote in the classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning: A man can endure physical pain provided the mind/spirit can grab into something bigger than life itself, that even the cruelest prison wardens cannot see. This powerful yet invisible thing according to the author is called the "meaning of life," which a person alone can give to himself. The "will to meaning" varies from one individual to another, but the common thread is that innate yet inexplicable desire to be in communion with some invisible force which we human beings often refer to as the soul or the spirit.
In the pages of the Tomlinson’s book, it’s obvious that the author has acted consistently towards her goal over a long period of time, although as in many successful journeys in life, she too had to traverse countless zigzags. But those obstacles cumulatively added more colors and stronger fibers to her life’s tapestry. She describes her growing up years in the book, how she was called a "market pig" in school by those in high society, as well as her earlier struggles at Mapua Institute of Technology as an engineering student where girls are often ridiculed not only by their male classmates but also by their male teachers.
These experiences gave her the desire to succeed no matter what. Celia represents that indomitable Filipino spirit and exhibits the resiliency of a Filipino that is often compared to the Asian bamboo that bends but never breaks. The book speaks of that incredible grit that is often missing in many Filipino immigrants in America the last 10 years. Celia’s journey certainly can serve as a beacon of light for others to follow.
Success did not come easily for Celia; she had to fight for it many times. A practicing civil engineer in the Philippines during the Vietnam War, she heard that there was an engineer shortage in the US, so she applied as a third preference immigrant in l960. With only $300, her civil engineer’s diploma from Mapua, she came to America in early ‘60s with no plans, no relatives, no real friends but only her dreams.
Her journey is sprinkled with accounts of the many socio-cultural clashes that she was subjected too until she became the founder/CEO of her own engineering firm in New Mexico. It’s a long trip from the makeshift shelter in Metro Manila 50 years ago to her custom-designed house which she and her building contractor husband, Tom, built for the Tomlinsons.
This columnist seldom recommends a book to buy and read, but this time I take an exception for a deserving author, a Filipina author who is also a fellow entrepreneur at heart. You can buy Don’t Ever Tell Me YOU CAN’T by mail through our Katipunan-USA by calling Donna Delfin, (714) 336-6300 or e-mailing her at donna@katipunan-usa.org. The address is P.O. Box 8701 Fountain Valley, CA 92708. It is only $19.95 each plus $9 for Global Priority postage for outside the United States, or only $5 for handling and shipping for US or Canadian customers.
While writing this article, I received a call from Celia that she was included as one of five awardees (the only Filipino) for the 2002 Asian Women In Business Entrepreneurial Leadership Award to be given next week in New York City. AWIB, in its seventh year, is the only national association of women in business that is recognizing women who excel in their field. Congratulations, Celia! May your tribe increase not only in America but also throughout the four corners of the world!
E-mail this columnist at: erdelusa@hotmail.com or drbannatiran@ yahoo.com. And join him at: progressivetimes-susbcribe@yahoogroups.com. And visit his website at: http//www.katipunan-usa.org.
Last month in Houston, Texas, I met the author, Celia Ruiz Tomlinson, for the first time after many e-mails, phone calls, as well as correspondence through a new E-forum I’ve created called, ProgressiveTimes. I invited her to be part of the panel of successful entrepreneurs who made a lively presentation about entrepreneurship before the National Convention of Filipino American and Filipino Canadians. It was through another friend – Linda Nietes from Palos Verdes who owns a Filipiniana Expressions Bookshop – where I learned about Celia’s catchy book, Don’t Ever Tell Me YOU CAN’T, a bold title from a petite Filipina author living in America.
Immigrants in the United States – from the Philippines, China, Nigeria, India, Russia, Peru, and many other countries – have their own stories to tell, but only a handful of them get the chance to write them down. In this aspect alone, Tomlinson’s autobiography is already a great accomplishment that is worth sharing.
The 196-page book begins with a chronicle of Celia’s life as a child in a barrio called San Agustin in the town of San Miguel, Bulacan. To escape potential danger from vengeful murderers, Celia’s parents left town with all their young children for that proverbial "city of opportunity," Manila, when she was only five years old. As the Ruiz family did not have money to rent a decent home they were forced to live in a Tondo-like slum area with thousands of homeless people.
People in America who have never experienced nor seen the living conditions of the poorest of the poor will have a hard time imagining what that kind of existence feels like. They’ll have a hard time understanding the extraordinary resilience of poor individuals to change their circumstance. I was born in the barrio myself so it was not difficult for me to follow the thread of life of a Celia Ruiz Tomlinson who rose from rags to riches in America.
The candor, humility as well as the mental courage that it took Tomlinson to write her life story is truly remarkable. Reading her book brings me back to many books I’ve read and enjoyed, like Carlos Bulosan’s America is in the Heart. Tomlinson’s Don’t Ever Tell Me YOU CAN’T deals with a person who could forget the pain of her physical circumstance by letting the mind soar into the clouds of a make-believe world. Like what the noted psychotherapist, a survivor of the holocaust, Dr. Victor Frank who wrote in the classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning: A man can endure physical pain provided the mind/spirit can grab into something bigger than life itself, that even the cruelest prison wardens cannot see. This powerful yet invisible thing according to the author is called the "meaning of life," which a person alone can give to himself. The "will to meaning" varies from one individual to another, but the common thread is that innate yet inexplicable desire to be in communion with some invisible force which we human beings often refer to as the soul or the spirit.
In the pages of the Tomlinson’s book, it’s obvious that the author has acted consistently towards her goal over a long period of time, although as in many successful journeys in life, she too had to traverse countless zigzags. But those obstacles cumulatively added more colors and stronger fibers to her life’s tapestry. She describes her growing up years in the book, how she was called a "market pig" in school by those in high society, as well as her earlier struggles at Mapua Institute of Technology as an engineering student where girls are often ridiculed not only by their male classmates but also by their male teachers.
These experiences gave her the desire to succeed no matter what. Celia represents that indomitable Filipino spirit and exhibits the resiliency of a Filipino that is often compared to the Asian bamboo that bends but never breaks. The book speaks of that incredible grit that is often missing in many Filipino immigrants in America the last 10 years. Celia’s journey certainly can serve as a beacon of light for others to follow.
Success did not come easily for Celia; she had to fight for it many times. A practicing civil engineer in the Philippines during the Vietnam War, she heard that there was an engineer shortage in the US, so she applied as a third preference immigrant in l960. With only $300, her civil engineer’s diploma from Mapua, she came to America in early ‘60s with no plans, no relatives, no real friends but only her dreams.
Her journey is sprinkled with accounts of the many socio-cultural clashes that she was subjected too until she became the founder/CEO of her own engineering firm in New Mexico. It’s a long trip from the makeshift shelter in Metro Manila 50 years ago to her custom-designed house which she and her building contractor husband, Tom, built for the Tomlinsons.
This columnist seldom recommends a book to buy and read, but this time I take an exception for a deserving author, a Filipina author who is also a fellow entrepreneur at heart. You can buy Don’t Ever Tell Me YOU CAN’T by mail through our Katipunan-USA by calling Donna Delfin, (714) 336-6300 or e-mailing her at donna@katipunan-usa.org. The address is P.O. Box 8701 Fountain Valley, CA 92708. It is only $19.95 each plus $9 for Global Priority postage for outside the United States, or only $5 for handling and shipping for US or Canadian customers.
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