Episode 2: Francis Mendoza (he/they/sila)
AD: Belonging is a four-part Outside Voices mini-series created in partnership with Merrell. Merrell believes in sharing the simple power of being outside. They provide innovative, thoughtfully designed footwear and apparel products that enable anybody to pick up their gear and feel adventurous, confident, and ready to enjoy the outdoors.
Francis: So we would long drive all the way to Canada to meet family members in Richmond, near Vancouver, or to Portland, or you know, to Colorado, and that was our way of being outdoors, but going to rest stops and whipping out the rice cooker having adobo.
that's how I sort of belong in this this outdoor world. My introduction into it.
[INTRO] Sarah: You’re listening to Outside Voices Podcast. We’re using our Outside Voices to redefine what it means to spend time outside and connect to nature. I’m your host, Sarah Shimazaki. Let’s get started.
Sarah-Narration: If you’re listening in order, you know that this is episode 2 of our four-part mini-series “Belonging”. “Belonging” features four individuals who identify as immigrants or first-generation, and shares stories about their personal and cultural connections to the outdoors. We’re launching this mini-series during the first week of July, around the federal holidays Canada Day and American Independence Day to challenge and redefine notions of what it means to be “outdoorsy,” or “American,” or “Canadian” and celebrate EVERYONE’S right to find belonging outside. For this next episode, I’m excited to introduce you all to a fellow Filipino American, who also like me, lives in the Bay Area.
Francis: My name is Francis Mendoza and I go by he/they/sila pronouns. they is for gender non binary affiliation. And then Sila is the tagalog for them. But in you know, you could also say siya, which is he or she, but I decided to go with they the plural because I recognize that my ancestors are within me, and that they walk with me. So that is another layer upon why I use sila instead of siya, which is again in tagalog, "they".
Sarah-Narration: Francis is a naturalist, environmental educator and Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion consultant. When I first met him, he was working as a park ranger out in the East Bay hills, and he now works as the Community Development Manager for the Children & Nature Network. But rewind, because first, I wanted to know more about where Francis grew up.
Francis: I'm from the Philippines. I came here when I was five years old, identify as a first generation Filipinx. And I have two daughters, both in high school now.
when I was, you know, younger than five, of course, a lot of them Memories are not really, you know, specifically descriptive of conversations or people but more of like the sights and the smells and sounds that I would hear from the sounds of the jeepneys. And the little motorcycle carts that would shuttle people around us to public transportation, to the smells of the dogs that would, you know, be free market dogs all over the palanca or the farmers markets that people would visit. And then lastly, just the cacophony of insects that I would hear at night, as we fall asleep with the with the window open, because it was so hot, and humid in the tropical environment that we would wear, not wear, but have mosquito nets around our beds, but have our windows open at night. And you could hear all of that as you went to sleep.
there are traditions that are passed down and a lot of superstitions as well in, in Filipino culture that that I've been trying to, you know, figure out what what's behind that? You know, is it something that allows you to get out and be free and independent? Or is it more for like a, you know, slow your roll and be a good son or daughter to your parents and follow your elders? So yeah, superstitions like not really going out and exploring the world. Going not going camping. And you know, it's not necessarily a superstition. But there are all these mythologies, mythological creatures, in the Philippines that prevent, folks, one of which is Aswang, which is very famous. And, you know, we'll get into the details. If you Google Aswang, you'll see how you know, malevolent, it can be, but it prevents a lot of people from getting out there, and exploring their natural world.
Now, another thing is, my parents would say, Why do you want to go camping? And why do you want to go, you know, outside when you got a perfectly good bed at home? Well, I always wanted to, and I always ask them to go to summer camps and stuff. And no, I wasn't able to. But instead, we would have backyard family parties,
when people oftentimes find out that I'm Filipino, they say, Oh, I love lumpia. And lumpia is, you know, sort of a very stereotypical staple food for Filipinos. It's fried egg roll, you know, lots of different meats and vegetables in it, but I was the one as a kid having to roll up all those damn lumpia hundreds of them for a family party.
Sarah-Narration: Oooh I could really go for some hand rolled lumpia right now, that sounds delicious. So, another way Francis’ family enjoyed time outside was by going on good ‘ole American road trips, but it’s a family pastime that actually started in the Philippines for them. They called it “long driving” and they continued to long drive after immigrating to the states.
Francis: So we would long drive all the way to Canada to meet family members in Richmond, near Vancouver, or to Portland, or you know, to Colorado, and that was our way of being outdoors, but going to rest stops and whipping out the rice cooker having adobo. And then just sleeping in the car because you know, couldn't really afford to, to go to a motel every couple of nights. So that was our form of seeing the stars for the first time, you know, in a light, unpolluted area, to seeing some national parks. And that's how I sort of belong in this this outdoor world. My introduction into it.
one of the things that I did a couple of weeks years back was went with my daughter to Canada, we took a road trip, and we would stop at rest stops and will instead of rice cookers, we took out the campstove. And we cook ramen, because we both have a love for ramen. So, you know, we still continue that tradition to this day.
Sarah-Narration: I got to chat with Francis a few days before father’s day and he mentioned that his family was planning a big camping trip, just a few minutes from his house, in the East Bay hills.
Francis: We grew up in Union City. And one of the parks close to here is a park that actually worked at up until about a few months ago, coyote hills Regional Park in Fremont. And we would just go to that park, not just my family, my brothers and now their kids. And you know, we have all these cousins and play cousins that we have that we haven't seen since the beginning of the shelter in place. So it's going to be nice to see them this weekend. But we would just go there and have picnics and go biking. And that was our form of being outdoors as well not necessarily go into the back country with a pack or a camping you know, to summit peaks, but but just being outdoors with family and community. I would oftentimes see folks from Latin x cultures having quince there and parties with pinatas and it was just a place that I I hold near and dear to my heart
there's something to be said with gathering and community and having fun, and being as loud as you want to be. But there's also something about the solitude and the mental health benefits of being out in nature. And a couple of years back, my eldest daughter, she was able to go to a camp in nearby Point Reyes National Seashore, that I, you know, admittedly, so I sort of pushed her into signing up for it. But after she went to that camp, she was so appreciative of me doing that, because she had the best time of her life. So yeah, both of them are really in tune with nature, and are really looking forward to this camp out this weekend.
Sarah-Narration: So, Francis just shared so many incredible stories and family traditions and a diverse number of ways he essentially grew up outside. At Outside Voices, we are constantly thinking about and unpacking this term “outdoorsy,” and something I love hearing about from others are the ways they are not only redefining it, but also reclaiming it through a connection with their ancestors.
Francis: coming from a country that a lot of people considered third world, and, you know, polluted and I had this, I had no idea about the long history of oppression, through colonial states, imperialism through the United States. And then also just the subjugation of how one should be out in nature. But all of our ancestors were naturalists, many of them, medicine people, many of them so in touch with, with nature, that their indigeneity continues to them to this day. So that's where I'm seeking my own indigeneity as just as a human being on this land on Ohlone land, but also as a professional caretaker, used to be a park ranger and naturalist for many years. And that, you know, gave me the sense of responsibility to take care of the land that I'm on, and then also the drive to learn about my own indigeneity.
there is no one way to be outdoorsy, as you know, whatever way you show up in nature is how you're going to show up. And we shouldn't have folks who judge or base their opinions on you. stereotypical way. One example that I oftentimes point to having worked at the East Bay Regional Park District, and coyote hills Regional Park, specifically is how problematic Leave No Trace principles can be where we, you know, we oftentimes espouse Leave No Trace, so that we don't destroy the environment. But this destruction of the environment is a new concept. For the indigenous folks who have lived here and all over Turtle Island. They left traces of themselves through ceremony through offerings. And it's something that we should really, you know, just not so much say, blanket statement, leave no trace. But definitely acknowledge the original peoples here, and how they've taken care of this land through burning practices and through traditional ecological knowledge. So all to say that, that is how you can be outdoorsy, you can be outside and you can honor the land. The people who have been here from the beginning and who are still here, do that. And also just be out here, wearing chinchillas, you know, or chanclas or watches or Air Jordans. It's a way for us to just be outdoors in whichever way we want to be. And as long as we're taking care of the land and paying reverence and honor to it, it's a valid way of being out there.
Sarah-Narration: A few years ago, at the suggestion of a friend, Jack Chin, Francis started using the hashtag Asian Outsider.
Francis: being an Asian outsider means that you are never fully accepted in environmental circles. Because oftentimes there's stigmas around being non white, and Asian and specific, specifically, and being an outsider in these conservation circles, but also, just being outside, you know, that's sort of the play on the words. So yeah, I stayed with that hashtag. And I put it in a lot of my posts. And it allowed, it's allowed me to see so many other folks who are just in the same position as I am the either immigrants or second generation immigrants who also weren't encouraged to go camping who also wanted to go into these scientific fields and biological fields, and use their degree for becoming an environmental educator or naturalist. And there's a lot of us out there, it's really connected me with a lot of folks doing good work.
that word belonging is one that I was talking to my daughters about it like, the most difficult time I had in school wasn't like, applying for colleges, academically, I was doing okay. I got into UC Berkeley and then got a teaching credential at Cal State Hayward at the time. And so, you know, the social aspect of just finding a place to sit at the lunch table in middle school was what was difficult for me. And I just felt like I didn't belong, you know, he had to the stereotypical groups, right, like the nerds, the jocks, the skaters, and that was just sort of, you know, I found that I fit into all of those groups, just depending on how confident you are, how you portray yourself, and how, how you feel supported by your community. And, you know, I told them about that they were surprised because I come off as a pretty extroverted you know, enthusiastic, dynamic person whenever I talk to folks, but there's always that That insecurity there that I've that I felt just just looking for, for affinity groups and spaces to belong to. Now, I've felt that oftentimes as a person of color, an Asian person, an immigrant, we didn't have these places to belong to in the outdoor equity world. Off, you'll see heroes elevated like john Muir, you'll see folks who are white conservationists, and those are the folks who had been uplifted for so long. But just through, you know, our own studies and through revelations of history and movement, the Chinese labor workers who have been here from the beginning to Filipinx folks who were on Spanish galleon ships who made contact with the Chumash the long, you know, multi generational history of Filipinx fish boat and shrimp boat workers in the Gulf Coast, it's just something that we've been doing from the jump, and we do it well. So I've seen Filipinx park rangers at Angel Island, here in the Bay Area at Crissy Field, point reyes, and they're they're doing wonderful work, and I am honored to be considered a part of that group that are bringing these wide open spaces that belong to everybody, to especially the youth, the folks who are not, that are not able to access them, folks with disabilities, other marginalized communities, beloved communities that oftentimes don't have as much access to them as folks who have the resources to get there. So I'm glad to be a part of that.
[OUTRO]
It is an absolute privilege, being able to chat with fellow Filipinx folks and share our stories and voices, so HUGE thanks to Francis for joining and thank you to everyone for tuning in!
Our beautiful logo and cover art was designed by Brooklyn Bell and this lovely music you hear at the beginning and end of every episode was performed by Olivia VanDamme and produced by Jamison Blue Stegmaier
All credits, links and resources can be found on our website: outsidevoicespodcast.com
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Outside Voices Podcast is a project by Resource Media. Belonging is a mini-series made in partnership with Merrell.
Until next time.
AD: Special thanks again, to our friends at Merrell, for partnering with us on Belonging, a mini-series featuring immigrants and their relationships to the outdoors. Merrell believes that no matter who you are, where you come from, who you love or how you move — Everyone should be welcome in the outdoors and wherever life takes us.
