Goodbye Amsterdam and hello Luxembourg! Despite the delayed and extensive bus ride over to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, I have am completely satisfied with how the day went with all considered. In my previous post, I mentioned a bit of disappointment with how this trip has sobered my imaginations of Europe. Coming into Luxembourg has completely reinvigorated my thoughts of that fairy tale atmosphere of castles, forests, and a thriving medieval style city. The city itself in unbelievably beautiful; it is clean, well-maintained, preserved and restored to modern brilliance. The first view from atop an outpost along the bridge to the city center was simply breathtaking, overlooking the river valley below, the full moon shining bright through the clouds, and the city just beginning to light itself up.
Allow me to backtrack just a bit, because the meat of the day consisted of our time in the Indonesian Commemoration Center. With this visit came a very compelling realization for myself and several others that I discussed this with. This is the idea of tradition and heritage: of remembrance and identification. The reason that this struck me so is that I am a second-generation Filipino-America; my parents came from the Philippines 30 years ago in search of a better life. Although they had relatively more choice in the matter in comparison to the Indo-Dutch, I can sympathize with the struggle for identity in a multicultural world.
To paraphrase a quote from the Humphrey Delacroix’s lecture, we have a choice about which identities to maintain. This idea tells me that we are not obligated nor expected to hang onto our roots. But at the same time, our family heritage is inescapable; it is a part of who we are and what we will become. I often identify myself as simply American, yet I will never deny my family heritage. Delacroix explained how this concept of remembrance is often lost in the second generation, but brought back to light in the third generation. I would hope I can help to bridge that gap from my parents to my future children, to create a sense of belonging to their home country the United States as well as a lineage unconstrained by national boundaries and cultural obstacles: I seek a balance, a moderation.
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