Modern Day Picture Bride

I’m sure a lot of you who read the stories in Takaki about picture brides felt disconnected and had thoughts of how strange things used to be. A lot of you would be surprised if this still happened in America- well, SURPRISE!

               My Aunt Cherryl came to America almost seven months ago from the Philippines. She is, what I’d like to call, a modern day picture bride because her adventure started with posting her picture on a website that connects Filipino women with American men. It may seem strange but this is what she was raised to do along with many other women in that country. She even went to college in the Philippines to get a BA in the English language. Her decision supports her family because as a sort of dowry my uncle sends the family money to support them.  

Unlike the brides in Takaki, my uncle actually traveled to her village before they were married so that they could meet and decide if their partnership would work. After eight months, she was finally approved and she was flown to the US on a temporary VISA. Because of immigration laws, they had to be married within three months of her arrival or she would be deported. I was one of the first people she met in America and I was the maid of honor in their ceremony. Cherryl was raised as a devout Catholic and so the ceremony was traditional and familiar. However, the reception was not so much. There is a small community of women who came over to the same small town just as Cherryl did. This group of women made up her brides maids and party planners. All of the food was Filipino. They played music popular in the Philippines, sang karaoke, danced, and talked in their dialects together. I believe this group is a huge support to her success in America. My family also has given her a big roll, inviting her to do things like water aerobics, parties, and other events.

She has adapted certainly well in a new land although we do like to have fun with her every once in awhile. For example, when she woke up on Christmas to find extra presents under the tree she was confused. My uncle told her Santa had left them presents. “How did he get in the house?!” she asked terrified “Did you give him a key?!” “No,” my uncle replied, “he used magic to get in.” For a good half an hour Cherryl worried about a strange man breaking into the house while they were sleeping and leaving them gifts before she realized (spoiler alert) my uncle was Santa (no, not for all of you).

Before you go judging my family too much, you must know my aunt and uncle genuinely love each other and have benefitted each other’s lives greatly. I cannot describe to you the changes I have seen in the both of them as they get further along in marriage. My uncle’s faith has grown and Cherryl has learned to be more assertive and outgoing. They are inseparable (seriously, you have no idea).