Banana Q: a Filipino-Flavored Podcast

Ep 65: How Can You Achieve The American Dream?

We interview two Filipinos who moved to the US through two of the most common routes:

• Angelli Angara - moved to Phoenix through sponsorship from her employer
• Cydric Macapagal - got his green card through a US Citizen Petition from his parents living in California

We talk about their experience in transitioning to the US and whether Hollywood portrayal of American life is close to reality. 

Angelli co-hosts The Retrospectives: A Nostalgia Podcast

Cydric hosts Journey To The Eats Channel

Ep 64: What are Signs of a Midlife Crisis?

A listener requests if we can talk about midlife crisis, so we do just that. We read the history as well as some symptoms of midlife crisis. We share our thoughts and own experiences on the matter. Note that we’re only in our thirties and not experts on this subject!

Links:

The Invention of Midlife Crisis

Signs You've Hit Your Midlife Crisis

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Ep 63: What Were Your Hobbies as a Kid?

We talk about why hobbies are good for you. We share what hobbies we had as kids compared to our teens, twenties and thirties. We end with tips on how to find a hobby.

Source: How To Find a Hobby via NYTimes

Ep 62: What is OFW Life Like in New Zealand?

We interview Ray, a co-host of The Nerdy Fans podcast, about what it's like to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. He talks about why felt compelled to leave the Philippines, and walks us through the path that made him an Overseas Filipino Worker in Auckland, New Zealand, where he is at his happiest.

Check out: The Nerdy Fans Podcast

Ep 61: What is the Price of a Philippine College Diploma?

We talk about the price of a Philippine college diploma - not just the peso amount but the blood and sweat and tears that accompany it. We read a letter from our listener Diane Peralta, who shared the inspiring story of her friend Kuya B who could not afford college and what she sacrificed to help him pay for it. We share the experiences of our own friends who had similar circumstances and also talk about our own scholarship stories. Dee opens up about her college friends’ plan to pay it forward through a memorial scholarship.

Ep 60: Do You Believe in Ghosts?

On All Souls Day in a parallel universe we visit the grave of a friend who died in an unfortunate habal-habal accident. With our returning guest, Jeric of Langga Speaks Podcast, we story-tell three ghost encounters that will give you the chills for Halloween:

• A teacher at the University of the Philippines in a storm
• A nurse at an old hospital
• A student at the University of Santo Tomas

We also discuss the difference between All Souls Day in the Philippines and Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico and share which horror films we find the scariest.

Notes

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Ep 59: When Do Friends Become Family?

We talk about why we humans need friends and how we usually make them through the different stages of life. We talk about how some friends become family, and share the seven traits of true friends who ascend to that level.

Dee would like to dedicate this episode to her friend Ronald Roz, who passed away a few days after this episode was recorded. He was her college classmate and later on housemate for 4 years in Makati. He was truly like family to her.

Ep 58: What are Pros & Cons of OFW Life in Japan and Hong Kong?

In this sequel to episode 4, we talk about why we left Singapore and why a lot of Filipinos consider it to be a transit place. We share where we wanted to go and how we ended up in Japan and Hong Kong instead. We make a "pros and cons list" as we compare cost of living, food, weather, safety, cleanliness, language barriers, and culture of our new country against the ones we previously lived in. We end on what we miss and if we have any regrets about moving.