Final Draft

      My dad, mom, little sister, and I drive back home from school and work. Once we arrive, we're greeted by my Grandma. She comes out to help my sister gather her things and we all get back into the house. "Mano po" I tell my Grandma, while we all get settled in. "Mano po" is a gesture where you take the person's hand and you put it against your forehead. This gesture basically means that you respect them, and that you're home.
      My Grandma has been doing this gesture ever since she was 5. "I would do the gesture to my elders, just like what you do to me and your parents." she said. I never really had the time to really think about the meaning of the word, but whenever I think of it, I think of home, my loved ones, and family. It's like it was meant to be there from the start. It's a habit we all do in my family, and we never forget it. I don't really know if any other culture does this, but I do know that it originated from the Philippines, and that most people there use it to greet their elders.
      My sister is at the right age to learn the gesture, but since we're all a little busy, we tend to forget to teach her. We forget to teach her how important this is to our culture, and how important this is to our family. She's learning things from school, but she isn't learning things from our culture. I sometimes think about all the other traditional cultures she missed out on since she's never been to the Philippines. She'll be able to learn about the gesture one day. But for now, we'll just continue on the tradition with the rest of the family.
      I never really knew if I did the gesture as a child, so then I asked my Grandma if I did. "You would always do it after school whenever you get home. You would do it to me, your mom, and your aunties." she said. I never really remembered anything from when I was four, and I was a little shocked by how I did "mano po" at such a young age. I guess I was kind of a smart kid when I was little. It also shows how I was taught at a young age, which means that this is a very important phrase and gesture.
     To this day, we still use "mano po." I still use it after school when I get home, whenever I get back from a trip, or whenever I get home from a family outing. My Grandma never gets tired of seeing and hearing us do the gesture, because she knows that this also means that we give her respect. Other cultures probably have other gestures or phrases that they use to show respect and tell others in their family that they're home. But for us, this is our phrase. This is our gesture. It would be great if everyone knew and used "mano po", because it's a very heartwarming thing to say. For now, we'll continue doing this tradition, and we won't stop. Maybe in a few years, everyone else will catch on.