I was born and raised in Carson, California. I was born to parents who migrated to California, USA, from the Philippines in the 1960's/ 1970's.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been stuttering. Stuttering didn't seem very understood in the 1980's of suburban Southern California. I wasn't officially diagnosed by a speech therapist until 2005.
When I was 16 years old, my dad packed up the family to move to the Philippines. I lived there for the next 10 years.
I finished my senior year in a small town, in the province, where I became a part of my school's first graduating high school class. After graduating high school, I moved to Baguio City (a city on top of a mountain, a 3-4 hour drive from the province I was living). I attended Saint Louis University, an old Christian-Catholic university run by Jesuit priests. I initially majored in Psychology, quit, and then shifted my focus toward Philosophy. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy.
After graduating from college, I moved back to California.
On a side note, one of the reasons my family moved to the Philippines was because my mother was in the early stages of dementia, and my dad had it in his mind that she may get better if we brought her back home. After a long struggle, she pasted away in 2007. For the short time I had in getting to know her as a person, her limited presence has played a significant role in my life. Also, my relationship with my sister has gone through many ups and downs. It is one of the major relationships in my life where I have learned the true meaning of love, forgiveness, and respect.
The name of my blog is referring to some of the ways I've read and heard other PWS (people who stutter) describe themselves. When referring to people who do not stutter, the term "fluent speaker/ speech" is used. When referring to a PWS, the term "disfluent speaker/ speech" is used. In reference to that, I created this blog as my own way of giving myself "fluent speech". I see the desire to write as a beautiful gift, and an art that I really respect.
