Hello! My name is Gene. Though I was born and raised in the States (California, then Virginia, then California again) by parents who chose not to teach me any Philippine languages, I took a keen interest in Tagalog when I was in high school. I am fully self-taught and I pride myself on my oral fluency in the language, as well as my ability to grasp the intricacies of its grammar, syntax, and morphology.
I am studying the Filipino language because I strongly agree with Rizal when he said "Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan." Tagalog, especially in its purest form, is a gorgeous and rich language. I am always trying to learn more. Because I am already (more or less) fluent in modern, everyday vernacular, I am most interested in learning "deep Tagalog".
I also have my Master's in Education and have worked as a public school teacher and administrator for the past 8 years. I enjoy helping/teaching novice Tagalog learners -- especially those that are learning from scratch, like I did.