Ali Puti: Emirati by birth, Filipino at heart

Meet Ali Puti, an Emirati who speaks Filipino language fluently.

Transcript

00:00If you think about it, little by little, you will lose your reason.

00:05If you are like a bird, little by little, you will fly away.

00:10My name is Ali Yusuf Ahmad Al-Sulaiti, UAE nationality.

00:17I am from Tagarito.

00:19In Tagalog, my name is Ali Buti.

00:22The first time I met the Filipinos, I thought they were mistaken.

00:26I asked them, why do they call me Ali Buti?

00:33They said, because you are beautiful, and in Tagalog, Buti means white.

00:39Their life is open.

00:45I am happy to be with them.

00:47A lot of people ask me, why do you only speak Tagalog?

00:54I feel that they are friendly, like a family.

00:59That is why I want to be with them.

01:02I was born in 1986.

01:07I had a Filipino friend.

01:10I asked them, what does that mean?

01:18I thought about it.

01:22If they ask me again, I will answer them.

01:29Sometimes, I write so that I won't forget.

01:32I force myself.

01:38I force myself to speak Tagalog.

01:41In 2000, I was happy.

01:44I knew that I could speak Tagalog.

01:49I really liked it.

01:51It's like driving a car.

01:54At first, you don't know how to handle it.

01:59Gradually, you learn.