Filipina Josie Rabaya Tato Akintide is a one-of-a-kind mom. She not only manages to raise her three children and excel in her career as a nurse in a foreign country; she also teaches her little ones Filipino values despite the fact that they are far away from the Philippines; and are, in fact, of American-Filipino-Nigerian descent.
Josie and her husband, Adedoyin Akintide, a Nigerian-born US citizen, have found a balance in their home life– creating an atmosphere of mixed cultures seamlessly mingled into one.
Josie was featured in an article by Eunice Barbara Novio in the Inquirer, where she shared how she and Adedoyin teach their own cultures to their three small children. Adedoyin is a member of the Yoruba tribe.
These are some of the highlights of their story:
“Our children learned how to greet in the morning and with the elders in Yoruba language while kneeling down (for girls) and prostrating down (for boys). It’s a similar gesture of ‘pagmamano’ for us Filipinos, which they know how to do as well,” Josie shared.
“I think they can speak and understand Filipino more than Yoruba since they get to listen to home conversations with my mom (who is now in the US). And of course, there’s the Filipino Channel,” she adds.
According to Josie, Filipinos and Nigerians are similar in many ways, such as supporting extended family. As such, other family members are also able to mold and influence the children.
Josie’s father-in-law tells the children a lot of stories about their Nigerian ancestry. A former historian and an active figure in politics, the old man proudly tells his grandchildren about his life as Akure tribe’s prince, reminding them that they have in them Nigerian royal blood.
Social gatherings are more of the traditional Nigerian gatherings as most of Adedoyin’s extended family members are already in the United States.
Read on to find out how Josie and Adedoyin fell in love
Overcoming stereotypes
Josie admits that she was afraid of black men when she first arrived in New York.
“It wasn’t my plan to marry a foreigner and a black man at that. My first time in the subway, I was so afraid of the black men because of the stereotype attached to them,” she told the Inquirer.
It was while working in a hospital in Queens that Josie met Adedoyin, who was then completing his one-year medical internship.
After spending some time in New York, Josie learned that skin color is not an issue. By the time Adedoyin proposed to her, Josie had gotten over her fear of the stereotype. She said “yes”.
Josie has worked in the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and is currently working in a non-profit organization, Capital Caring.
But more than success in her career, Josie hopes to raise her children as “citizens of the world.”
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Also read: 3 Amazing traits that all Filipino moms have
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