1. Why do Filipinos Love balikbayan boxes?

Filipinos love balikbayan boxes because for them it

means that it is the love of the sender through the
“pasalubong” or gift, where it contains many things
like appliances, clothes, perfume, shampoos and
many other things that are branded and came from
America or any other country.
2. Why do you think the boxes symbolize? Why do
they seem to be more important than their
contents?
I think it symbolizes as love for the family and
friends. Balikbayan seems to be important than their
contents because it means to the Filipinos that you
will always remember them even though you are
very far from each other.
3. When the narrator notes the Filipino-ness of the
balikbayan boxes, what does he feel toward his
fellow Filipinos?
For me, I think the author feels proud towards his
fellow Filipino. In this story he shows that we
shouldn’t be ashamed of being a Filipino Citizen
because he elevated the good attitude of Filipino
towards culture and family even in a small things
like remembering them through balikbayan boxes.
4. What does the airport symbolize?
I think the airport symbolize as a “warehouse” or
storage of the Balikbayan boxes. Because in the
phrase “Everywhere Vince turns are boxes, boxes
and more boxes.” The author describe the setting of
the airport like a storage or warehouse.
What do you think is the real message behind the
anecdote or the “turban legend”?
I think the real message of the anecdote is that
Filipinos will always love their families by
remembering them. Through that balikbayan boxes,
it can say that love will always prevails even though
you are far away from each other.
Do you think that Filipinos who live or work abroad
suffer from homesickness? Explain your answer.
In the Philippines there is a saying that, “Iba pa rin
talaga kapag nasa sariling bansa.” And because of
that, I think they suffer from homesickness. In my
experience, my Aunt who works in abroad is always
saying that they misses us and she alwayswanted to
go home. Because she struggles to express her
feelings because of the language barrier towards
foreign people and most importantly, family is
always the best listener and adviser on when you
have a problem.
7. The author luggage is Louis Vuitton. How does
that help characterize the narrator?
Louis Vuitton is a Brand name of a Bagsthatcost or
worth a half to one million pesos and because of that
“Louis Vuitton” word, I think it helps me to
characterize the narrator as a wealthy man.
8. Do you think when the Filipinos are abroad, they
are proud of being a Filipino? Why or why not?
I think that Filipinos who are in abroad are proud of
being a Filipino. Because OFW or even Filipinos
who migrated in a certain country, they always apply
the culture of the Filipino in other foreign people,
like for example when they are raising a foreign
child, they accept or treat him as her own child or as
part of a family by teaching him our culture like
being courteous to the olds and may other things and
that’s only one reason why Filipinos should be
proud of being a Filipino.
9. The title “Turban Legend” is a play on words to
a phrase “urban legend”. What does “urban
legend” mean? Why was it change to “Turban
Legend”?
In Meriam Webster Dictionary, Urban legend is a
story about an unusual event or occurrence that
many people believe is true but that is not true. And
I think it is change to turban legend because in my
own opinion the anecdote is said to be true about
Filipinos about balikbayan boxes but because of
story of Jing that has many loopholes or unexplained
things it makes the anecdote unbelievable and looks
like an urban legend.
What is the significance of the story?
The importance or essence of the story is that in the
Filipino culture, Family are the most important thing
on earth that should always be remembered even
though you are miles away from them. The things in
the balikbayan boxes that are expensive is not only
a “gift” but it represents the love of the sender to
their family.