EVEN though she was an American living in Davao City, Christen Eve never thought of herself as any different from other kids her age.
She spoke Bisaya fluently, attended church and mingled with other kids, and embraced the Davao culture.
Christen never felt like she was the odd one out, and it helped that the community she was raised in welcomed her and her family with open arms. They were treated with empathy and hospitality - a trait Dabawenyos are known for, Christen would agree.
“There's a love and kindness that Dabawenyos have that I've still not been able to find that type of community here in America, it's just not the same. There's a certain love and kindness and respect that Dabawenyos have for people and each other that it truly did shape me as a person,” Christen said.
Now 30 and living in the United States, Christen brought with her the things Davao gave - the values, the food, the friends she made, and most especially, the local language she grew up speaking for 14 years.
Christen still speaks the vernacular regularly, she shared, especially with her mom and siblings who also learned the language when they were living in the Philippines. She would often miss Davao City so she resorted to reminiscing the best and most hilarious memories she had.
She didn't think that her idea of making Davao and Bisaya-centric content on TikTok one day for fun, would lead to putting the Dabawenyo culture in the virtual limelight and inspire other people to connect with their roots.
“I would get messages of people just saying ‘I am grateful you are so proud to be Bisaya and showing your love for it,’ and they say I helped them reconnect and learn or practice Bisaya,” she said.
But just as how people appreciated that she is representing the culture of the King City of the South, Christen didn't think that speaking the language would also save her from the pain and stress she got because of an illness.
In 2021, Christen suffered from toxic mold exposure. She shared how the sickness drastically changed her life overnight - she became bedridden, suffered migraines, became sensitive to food, and lost a lot of weight.
The thing that kept her going during that time was writing music, particularly Bisaya music. Miraculously, Christen found out that speaking and thinking in Davaoeño helped to calm the intense headaches she was having.
“There would be this horrible pain in my brain, I couldn't move, I couldn’t open my eyes. Later I found out, through my brain retraining coach when you speak another language, it actually lights up a different part of your brain. Where I spoke Engish and where I spoke Bisaya was different so that actually allows my brain to calm down,” Christen said.
After a burst of inspiration at dawn about a love song, Christen continued her new-found flow of writing Bisaya music and now she is on her way to making a full album - a mix of pop and ballad.
"I worked on it for the last year during all of these health issues that I've been having. It's truly been my saving grace. I have put my heart and soul into it. It's a full display of what I went through, my heart, and my love for Davao,” she said.
Christen is now working toward a full recovery of her health and said she is looking forward to making more TikTok videos and recording her album. Moving forward, Christen is sure to bring her Dabawenyo roots into future projects.
And even though she hasn’t been able to visit the Philippines since 2007, Christen is grateful for the life she lived in Davao City.
“Thank you for your influence on me and for shaping me as the person I am today, nahigugma ko sa inyo,” she said.
The abundant southern sunshine that shone on her as she grew up, surrounded by family and the Dabawenyo community, made her the radiant person she is today. It’s seen through the positivity she spreads to the people around her, online and offline. ICM