THE HOLIDAYS are a time to celebrate and reunite with family and relatives, but with offshore student-athletes away from home during the jolly seasons, how close to the motherland do they feel here in the Philippines?

With the Christmas season commencing in the country, non-native athletes showcase their experiences in their respective birthplaces in comparison to their second home, the Philippines. The GUIDON Sports features three unique stories of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) student-athletes and how they deal with the adversity that comes with being away from their families.

Appreciating our gifts

Born in Ghana, West Africa, Ateneo Men’s Football Team star Kofi Agyei first arrived in the Philippines last 2019 and never returned home since his arrival in Manila. Throughout his four-year stay, Agyei has had nothing but high praise for how delightful the holidays have been for him in the country.

Agyei has always adored the hospitality the Filipinos showed, welcoming anyone—regardless of their identity—to celebrate the holidays with them. He loved giving and receiving gifts, a practice he first experienced in the Philippines. 

Contrary to the typical Philippine setup, Agyei says that he mostly used to celebrate the Ghanan holidays only with his parents at home, as they prohibited Kofi from going outside. On the rare occasion they allow him, the Ateneo striker would hang out with his friends.

As soon as he began his journey away from Ghana, people in the Ateneo community were already present to guide him along the cultural transition. At the onset of his collegiate career, he acclimated to the holiday culture in the country alongside close friend Ange Kouame (AB IS ‘23) and Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rene San Andres. As such, San Andres had even invited Agyei to his house in 2019 to celebrate the holidays with the rest of his family.

Delving deeper into how these people have helped him grow as a person, Agyei looks up to Kouame for how he carries himself as a foreign Atenean athlete. “If you come here and you mention Angelo Kouame, everyone knows him. So, I also want to make sure that I make my name so when someone says Kofi, everyone knows [who I am], it’s a motivation for me to push myself,” he mentions.

Sticking to the theme of gift-giving, Agyei strives to give love back to the Ateneo community. “Sometimes [the game] does not really go well for me, but they still support me. It motivates me to keep pushing. I want to give a big thanks to the [Ateneo] community,” Agyei shares.

Eagerness to celebrate

From an athlete who has spent several years in the Ateneo to a newly arrived one, the appreciation for Christmas remains the same. Despite only recently leaving the United States, Blue Eagles rookie guard Jared Brown had prior experience of the Filipino holiday spirit.

Brown, a Filipino-American, was already familiar with Filipino holiday customs. The playmaker quickly points out the unique Filipino Christmas traits his family had, such as celebrating Christmas months in advance, despite it being Halloween or Thanksgiving in America. Such practices were rooted in the Philippines’ festive Christmas season, which he has observed with how Christmas songs would play in public and decorations would be up in malls as early as October.

Brown also describes how he and the other Fil-Am athletes bonded over their shared love for the holiday. The exciting feeling of reuniting with their families reminded the Fil-Ams of the Christmas spirit they once felt as little kids.

While Brown was familiar with the hardships of long separations from his family, he makes sure to support his fellow athletes that could not return to their home countries for the holiday season. For Atenean athletes unable to see their families abroad, he encourages them to see this experience as a blessing in disguise, adding that they would learn a lot about themselves in the process.

Brown’s message to the Ateneo community for the holidays—much like Agyei—includes much appreciation and pride. “[I am] super blessed to put on a jersey every game and represent the school. I hope that each and every one of you, whether it’s here in the Philippines or abroad, get to spend time with your family and see your loved ones and enjoy your time,” Brown says.

Home away from home

With hopes of one day representing her blood heritage, judoka Julliana San Ramon stepped foot in the Philippines for the first time during her freshman year of college. This decision to further her athletic career was inspired by her Jiu-jitsu teammates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who had the chance to represent their motherland.

Determined to satisfy her nationalistic thirst, San Ramon pursued her studies in the Ateneo and switched to Judo. However, this decision would not come without a consequence as Julliana’s commitment to Ateneo limited her ability to spend time with her family in the UAE. The young judoka made a deal with her parents that she would only return home every Christmas break due to her intersession commitments and the short breaks Ateneo has.

When in Abu Dhabi, the San Ramons decorate Christmas village sets and invite family friends over for Christmas. The family would also intimately drive around the city on New Year’s to observe people and watch the fireworks.

Unable to go home this past Christmas, Julliana spent the holiday season in Manila with her friends and teammates, eventually having to experience her first Simbang Gabi.

Despite the distance, San Ramon appreciates the colorful extravagance Filipinos bring to liven up the holidays by relating it to her home back in the UAE. “Sa house namin, very extra mga tao in a way na dapat may Santa Claus pa, tapos strongly encouraged mga [bisita] na mag-dress up (In our house, the people are so extravagant that Santa Claus had to be present while visitors are strongly encouraged to dress up),” she adds.

While Julliana was able to return to Abu Dhabi last year, she discerns her failure to maximize her time with her family as she was more fixated on seeing her friends first. Due to this, San Ramon has vowed to avoid making the same mistake this December and prioritize her family for the holidays.

Bearing the torch

As the UAAP season marches on, Agyei, Brown, and San Ramon are all poised to continue their efforts to represent Ateneo with pride and excellence. Their stories are a testament to the determination that overseas athletes need to have when pursuing their athletic dreams.

While their commitment to the University may be praised, their individual narratives also highlight the importance of using the Yuletide season to reconnect with the ones we love the most. With the Christmas festivities in the Philippines officially underway, there is no better opportunity than the present to make time for the people closest to our hearts.