Observations on Filipinos abroad!

[FutureUSRN]

I've been to the US several times as a tourist and have observed some noticeable things about my fellow countrymen.

1. We now realized the difference between the red, amber, and green lights.

2. We also began to understand that the striped lines along the road is where the pedestrian crossing is.

3. We learned how to greet other people, look straight in their eyes, and say "how are you doing?".

4. We learned how to pay taxes properly.

5. We now understand that flashing our headlights means "I'm letting others pass first!" and not "hey, make me pass first"!

6.

7.

8.

You may add your observations too!

[Lone Stranger]

what do you mean by that? i have seen and heard filipinos here whose speaking abilities in the language is poor and yet they have been here for a long time already. "

please take it with a generous dose of salt, rep. you can imagine the tremendous pressure and anxiety filipinos suffer when they face the prospect of taking an efl proficiency test. it's a hoop we have to jump through and the general impression we imagine around that time is the english spoken in continental u.s. must be flawless. after it's done and we finally land, and hear 'de language as she is spoken' ... it's a relief!

[azhia_1357]

[color=#2d2d2d][color=#2d2d2d]you know you're filipino when....

[color=#2d2d2d]your middle name is your mother's maiden name.

[color=#2d2d2d]your parents call each other "mommy" and "daddy."

[color=#2d2d2d]you have uncles and aunts named "boy," "girlie," or "baby."

[color=#2d2d2d]you have relatives whose nicknames consist of repeated syllables like "jun-jun," "ling-ling," and "mon-mon."

[color=#2d2d2d]you call the parents of your friends and your own parents' friends "tito" and "tita." you have four or five names.

[color=#2d2d2d]you greet your elders by touching their hands to your forehead.

[color=#2d2d2d]you always kiss your relatives on the cheek whenever you enter or leave the room.

[color=#2d2d2d]you follow your parents' house rules even if you are over 18.

[color=#2d2d2d]you live with your parents until and at times even after you're married.

[color=#2d2d2d]you decorate your dining room wall with a picture of the "last supper."

[color=#2d2d2d]you keep your furniture wrapped in plastic or covered with blankets.

[color=#2d2d2d]you have a sto. nino shrine in your living room.

[color=#2d2d2d]you have a piano that no one plays.

[color=#2d2d2d]you keep a tabo in your bathroom.

[color=#2d2d2d]you use vicks vapor rub as an insect repellant.

[color=#2d2d2d]you eat with your hands.

[color=#2d2d2d]you eat more than three times a day.

[color=#2d2d2d]you think a meal is not a meal without rice. you think sandwiches are snacks, not meals. your dining table has a merry-go-round (lazy susan) in the middle.

[color=#2d2d2d]you bring baon to work everyday.

[color=#2d2d2d]your pantry is never without spam, vienna sausage, corned beef, and sardines.

[color=#2d2d2d]you love to eat daing or tuyo.

[color=#2d2d2d]you prop up one knee while eating.

[color=#2d2d2d]you eat your meal with patis, toyo, suka, banana catsup, or bagoong.

[color=#2d2d2d]your tablecloths are stained with toyo circles.

[color=#2d2d2d]you love sticky desserts and salty snacks. you eat fried spam and hot dogs with rice. you eat mangoes with rice--with great gusto!

[color=#2d2d2d]you love "dirty" ice cream.

[color=#2d2d2d]you love to eat, yet often manage to stay slim.

[color=#2d2d2d]you put hot dogs in your spaghetti. everything you eat is sauted in garlic, onion, and tomatoes.

[color=#2d2d2d]you order a "soft drin k" instead of soda. you hang a rosary on your car's rear view mirror.

[color=#2d2d2d]you get together with family at a cemetery on all saint's day to eat, drink, and tell stories by your loved ones' graves.

[color=#2d2d2d]you play cards or mahjong and drink beer at funeral wakes.

[color=#2d2d2d]you think christmas season begins in october and ends in january.

[color=#2d2d2d]your second piece of luggage is a balikbayan box.

[color=#2d2d2d]you've mastered the art of packing a suitcase to double capacity.

[color=#2d2d2d]you collect items from airlines, hotels, and restaurants as "souvenirs."

[color=#2d2d2d]you feel obligated to give pasalubong to all your friends and relatives each time you return from a trip.

[color=#2d2d2d]you use paper foot outlines when buying shoes for friends and relatives.

[color=#2d2d2d]you're a fashion victim.

[color=#2d2d2d]you can convey 30 messages with your facial ________expression.

[color=#2d2d2d]you hold your palms together in front of you and say "excuse, excuse" when you pass in between people or in front of the tv.

[color=#2d2d2d]you ask for the bill at a restaurant by making a rectangle in the air.

[color=#2d2d2d]you cover your mouth when you laugh.

[color=#2d2d2d]you respond to a "hoy!" or a "pssst!" in a crowd.

[color=#2d2d2d]you'll answer "malapit lang!"--no matter the distance--when asked how far away a place is located.

[color=#2d2d2d]goldilocks is more than a fairy tale character to you.

[color=#2d2d2d]you refer to power interruptions as "brownouts."

[color=#2d2d2d] you love to use the following acronyms: cr for comfort room, di for dance instructor, dom for dirty old man, tnt for tago nang tago, kj for kill joy, ksp for kulang sa pansin, oa for over-acting, tl for true love, bf for boyfriend and gf for girlfriend.

[color=#2d2d2d]you say "rubber shoes" instead of sneakers, "ball pen" instead of pen, "stockings" instead of pantyhose, "pampers" instead of diapers, "ref" or "prijider" instead of refrigerator, "colgate" instead of toothpaste, "canteen" instead of cafeteria, and "open" or "close" instead of turn on or turn off (as in the lights).

[color=#2d2d2d]you use an umbrella for shade on hot summer days.

[color=#2d2d2d]you like everything imported or "state-side."

[color=#2d2d2d]you love ballroom dancing, bowling, pusoy, mah jong, billiards, and karaoke.

[color=#2d2d2d]you have a relative who is a nurse.

[color=#2d2d2d]when you're in a restaurant, you wipe your plate and utensils before using them.

[color=#2d2d2d]you can squeeze 15 passengers into your five seater car without a second thought. you wave a pom-pom on a stick around the food to keep the flies away.

[color=#2d2d2d]you always ring a doorbell twice, assuming that the first ring was not heard.

[color=#2d2d2d]you let the phone ring twice before answering, lest you appear overly eager.

[color=#2d2d2d]you use a rock to scrub yourself in the bath or shower.

[color=#2d2d2d]you're proud to be filipino

[tagamargos]

14. Found out that after gruelling months of English review to pass IELTS or TOEFEL, Filipinos are better English speakers than the locals and have better command of English grammar. ( I am thinking that if we ask Americans to take IELTS, can they get an average of 6.0 or better???)

15. You learn how to open the door for the person right behind you.

[olivedrab]

You will miss bangus , tilapia and galunggong. These kinds of fish here are expensive and you can only find these at an Asian stores. Meat, well they are so cheap.

I have no clue about the other fish you mentioned, but good-sized Tilapia are plentiful for around $5 at the local Asian market, and you can ask to have them deep fried for you for free. They don't like to add salt (or any seasoning at all), though.

Anyway, at a recent big dinner at a fancy restaurant with some friends, they were shocked that a "gourmet" fish dinner was $18 and it was "just" Tilapia! :trout:

(I don't know what the exchange rate is, but I think $5 is not that spendy! :) )

[jonRNMD]

16. you learn to clean your table mess after dining in restaurants serving fast-food

17. you learn how to play Poker

[jonRNMD]

sorry for the double post

[tagamargos]

16. you learn to clean your table mess after dining in restaurants serving fast-food

17. you learn how to play Poker

18. You learn to quickly hang your newly machine-dried laundry "while it's hot" so you don't need to iron them

19. You learn how to use disposable plates and utensils because nobody wants to/ no time to/ too tired to wash the dishes after 12 hours of work.

[nrswnabee]

wahahaha...love it. i like the part about tabo, spam, corned beef...karaoke (oh so true) and daing, tuyo...don't forget pusit.. where i lived as a kid, we have that last supper carving with giant spoon and fork to match...hahahaha! who can forget that rock-scrub (hilod!) that's supposed to "complete"your bath, ouch! and up until this time, i can't taste anything if it's not sauteed in garlic, onions...

[nrswnabee]

7. Tend to forget how to speak Filipino (even after just staying in the US a little ove a year)

my pet peeve.

[Lone Stranger]

my pet peeve.

It may not be intentional. One of the coping mechanisms of cultural transition is adopting the speech of the native culture. Sudden exposure to the home culture/language can be tricky since it requires an adjustment of mindset. When a person like that is caught offguard, the switch may not be so easy so they need a couple of secs to consciously reset. (But I doubt anyone ever forgets the native language. If they say they have I'll bet they're faking it. )

[olivedrab]

It may not be intentional. One of the coping mechanisms of cultural transition is adopting the speech of the native culture. Sudden exposure to the home culture/language can be tricky since it requires an adjustment of mindset. When a person like that is caught offguard, the switch may not be so easy so they need a couple of secs to consciously reset. (But I doubt anyone ever forgets the native language. If they say they have I'll bet they're faking it. )

haha, my friend says that it may just be a temporary affectation -- she has relatives (aged 30-55) who spent less than a year in australia and england but came back with heavy accents they refused to drop when they returned "home". :chuckle

[nrswnabee]

It may not be intentional. One of the coping mechanisms of cultural transition is adopting the speech of the native culture. Sudden exposure to the home culture/language can be tricky since it requires an adjustment of mindset. When a person like that is caught offguard, the switch may not be so easy so they need a couple of secs to consciously reset. (But I doubt anyone ever forgets the native language. If they say they have I'll bet they're faking it. )

---------

did i sound like a mean, unforgiving witch??? hehe. well, it's one thing to "acculturize" or even be considerate when around non-filipino speaking people, but it's also another to PRETEND to no longer understand your mother tongue. it's just too tacky to miss....really.