“Puhon, puhon;” Language and Resilience of the Filipino | Von Ryan Abrantes | TEDxAvenuesWorldSchool

Resilience has been the subject of a lot of research in recent years; being highlighted as an important factor for coping and thriving in our very challenging section of human history. Filipinos, in the Philippines and abroad have always been depicted in popular media as a resilient people. Their ability to smile, have fun, and bounce back during tough times has always been one of their defining characteristics. In his TedX talk, Von Ryan Abrantes leads a reflection on how some Visayan words and phrases which he learned from his Visayan parents can help us understand the resilience of the Filipino people. He talks about the different contributors to building resilience and how his experiences proved the role of these contributors to his development. Von Ryan Abrantes is a Science teacher from Valenzuela City, Philippines. He got his degree in Secondary Education, major in Physics, minor in Mathematics from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. He has worked in different schools in the Philippines including the University of the Philippines Integrated School. In September 2021, he joined the Upper Division of Avenues: The World School, New York campus as a high school Science teacher, co-coach for the robotics team, and chemical hygiene officer. Von has a wide array of interests which includes music (he plays the piano and the violin), history, literature, comics, and art. He grew up in a culturally rich family practicing the Catholic faith whilst being faithful to their Chinese and traditional Filipino animist beliefs. Von speaks the Bulacan dialect of Tagalog and English. However, his parents, both hailing from the province of Leyte, speak the Visayan language as well. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx