Читать книгу All About the Philippines - Gidget Roceles Jimenez - Страница 6

Mabuhay! Welcome!

Meet Mary, Jaime and Ari

My name is Mary Ong. My skin is pretty fair and I have straight black hair and almond-shaped eyes. I live in Mandaluyong City on Luzon, which is the largest Philippine island. My dad’s ancestors were Chinese merchants who first came to the Philippines more than 1000 years ago! My mom is descended from a tribe called Ifugao, who are famous for building the rice terraces in northern Luzon.

My name is Jaime Lopez. I have big round eyes and a pointed nose and light brown hair. I live in Cebu, one of the main islands in Visayas. My dad’s ancestors go all the way back to the Spanish explorers that came to this country to claim it as a colony and spread Christianity.

My name is Ari Abaza. I have curly black hair and my nose is kind of flat. I live in Zamboanga City on the island of Mindanao, which is where you’ll find most of this country’s Muslims. My dad is descended from Arab missionaries who came to the Philippines more than 700 years ago.

Together, we are a perfect blend,

just like the Filipino people.

So many different people make up this country—Malayo-Polynesians, Chinese, South Asian and Arab people who came looking for places to settle and trade. Spanish explorers and American soldiers also came here looking for spices and new lands to conquer.

It’s no wonder that our country is known as a land of many different faces, a mix of different sorts of people who are all Filipinos.