The Office Barong

 

Last December, I bought two office barongs in Manila. The office barong is the cheaper version of the pineapple Barong Tagalog, the traditional shirt for the Tagalogs. Filipino males wear them when they go to work and that includes teachers as well.

I decided to wear them to school to set an example to my students that they can have fruitful lives in Australia while not losing their original identities. I also encourage them to wear their own clothes if they want to.

In buses and trains, Caucasian people do stare and hesitate to be beside me. When I go to shops, Caucasian attendants are also taken aback. Those are the only times that I am reminded that I am wearing something that Aussies have not seen before.

Unfortunately, it is getting colder here in South Australia and such a shirt is very unsuitable as it is made to be worn in a muggy and hot climate.