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"!

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You may add your observations too!

[cebutops]

Having been in the states for four months, i find the speed one must drive on the freeways very scary. Also, it has been hard to give up depending upon the horn of the car to demand the right of way...ha ha...sound familiar???

[lawrence01]

Having been in the states for four months, i find the speed one must drive on the freeways very scary. Also, it has been hard to give up depending upon the horn of the car to demand the right of way...ha ha...sound familiar???

[Rep]

Having been in the states for four months, i find the speed one must drive on the freeways very scary. Also, it has been hard to give up depending upon the horn of the car to demand the right of way...ha ha...sound familiar???

Yes, it is scary on the freeways if you are not used to it. Here in California, the maximum speed on the freeway is 65mph which is equivalent to 100kph.

Regarding the honking of horn, I think it depends on what part of the US you are. Here in the northern California area, rarely you will hear drivers use their horns even if there is a heavy traffic they will just wait for their turns and yield to those who are first. And pedestrians have always the right of way, the moment you put your feet on the edge of the sidewalk or curb, drivers will stop and signal you to cross/pass.

[stillpinay]

Can someone tell me the filipino word for the rock used to remove dead skin while bathing?

[shandylady]

Can someone tell me the filipino word for the rock used to remove dead skin while bathing?

It's "PANG-HILOD" sweetie and its English counter part is PUMICE STONE.

hope this helps.

xoxo :wave:

[Aquarian]

I am going to Ca. this coming week to accompany my husband as he will attend a training....

Is it alright to bring "dried" calamias and big Parol with lighting effects? I'm afraid there might be a problem at the customs in LAX.

Dried Camias should be okey, especially the vacuum-packed kind. It's the Parol that might cause you inconvenience, if you're having it hand-carried. There is a size limit to the hand-carried items since they should fit the overhead compartment, or the space under the seat in front of you. You can go to your specific airline's website for the list of allowable hand-carried items on international flights. My experience in LAX, so far has been alright. Some custom officials might ask what is inside your Balikbayan box, or if you are carrying your Parol, what is it for. Mostly, if your stay is long, they won't mind our Balikbayan boxes. But, if they will see in your ticket that you are just staying for a few days or a week or two, and carrying 2 big boxes, they might get curious what is inside those boxes.

[name2be]

that filipinos are still filipinos by heart...

[RNHawaii34]

i don't know if they have calamansi there. when i went there, we couldn't find any so i settled for lemon instead, which tastes so differently. i think fresh mango is now available but is soo expensive!!

there's no lansones as well. we were charged $50 at the immigration port for not declaring it hehehe.

we have calamansi, papaya, guyabano, atis ( not as good like we have back home though), chico, banana, mangoes( hayden variety), [color=wheat]jackfruit, kaimito, dalandan( the sweetest ever!), most of these fruits,normally you don't see people eat it, it sad because it just fell off the tree and rot, or eaten by the birds...i guess people here thinks it's "nakakaumay" ( sickening/tiring to eat). oh, did i forget to mention pineapple???? yeah, we have that here owned by dole. i like the local fruit juice they called passion fruit, ( or liliko'i by the locals) i remember we have that in the philippines, but it's called "mirinda"??, it's sweet, and very delicious if you drink it cold. i haven't seen lansones, but we have sweet lychee..unfortunately we can't bring fruits and vegetables from outside to the islands because it is a no no.

[FutureUSRN]

Yeah...hawaii is still part of the US.....I was in California three years ago and I went to one of the restaurants in LA and I tried to order for a Pineapple juice....the order taker went like this: WHHAAAATTTT?

[RNHawaii34]

Do they have BAEG in the West Coast?

BAEG ya SINAGSAGAN na INASIN also known as alokon or himbabao in Ilocano. It is rich in vitamins A, B and C, and contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium and iron.

It is mixed in the Ilocano dish inabrao, or a vegetable stew of tomatoes, sitaw (string beans) and patani (fresh lima beans), flavored by pieces of grilled pork. In Pangasinan it is called baég, with the requisite Pangasinan guttural e that all Filipinos outside of the province find so hard to pronounce (it is like the e in brother, or the second e in eagle - easy, right?).

In Pangasinan it is most commonly cooked with pakbet, a mix of okra, eggplants, tomatoes, palya (ampalaya, bitter gourd/melon), all put together in a boiling pot of sinágsagán and agát (luya, ginger).

Alokon.......oh my god that stuff is soooooo gooodd!!!!! ilokanos mixed it with monggo.........my god it's the best!

[RNHawaii34]

yeah...hawaii is still part of the us.....

hawaii--located in the middle of the pacific ocean, is actually the 50th state of the united states of america. it became a part of the u.s. since aug. 21, 1959. the only state which is not attach to the mainland u.s.a. hawaii ( other than the 49th state: alaska). is the only state of the u.s. who used to be ruled by monarchy. there is always a misconception by many that people in hawaii still lives in a grass shack, and we wear grass skirts,and dance hula all day, or just frolicking on the beach.. which is funny, but not true at all. hawaii, just like any other states in the u.s.mainland. it is modernized and populated too. we are surrounded by the u.s. military bases ( pearl harbor, anyone? ),for the past 10 years, high rise buildings are popping like mushrooms. we have heavy traffic, crimes, unemployment, and homeless problems, crystal meth abuse, but not as bad as they have compare to the mainland usa. cost of is expensive too. a decent 3-4 homes will cost you $500,000.00 up. bu, the good part of living in hawaii is, the diversity of it's culture. where everybody gets along well, wether your black, white, yellow, brown, red...people are so polite. the weather is perfect as well, we have sunshine all year round,not too hot, not too cold. this is one of the most visited place during winter time ( that explains why we local resident refused to go to waikiki area on winter time). we don't have snow, but they have it on the higher elevations like the top of mauna kea, hale'akala volcanos, but we don't have the annoying freezing winter like in the mainland us. the beaches are very clean, and well maintained by the city and county workers, and it's beautiful! i could never get tired of it !! there are lots of filipinos in hawaii, mostly ilocanos. the interesting fact i heard is that filipinos actually was one of the first group of migrant workers for sugar cane plantations ( way back in the early 1900's), other than the chinese, puerto ricans, japanese, portoguese, etc. they worked hard, and never came back home since. most filipinos here have big homes, thanks to the homecare nursing boom, i bet the homes in forbes park (?) are nothing compare to the filipino homes here..a lot of us works as a nurse, hotel workers, carpenters, and other kind of jobs..you will be surprise to see "old" filipino men doing yardworks, most of the "manongs" anyone past 60 years old loves to do yardwork for money, and they a great job! but i am so proud to say i haven't seen any filipino homeless yet. i am sure you guys are familiar with jasmine trias, camille velasco ( american idol 3).brian viloria ( boxer), tia carrere( wayne's world, lilo and stitch), benjamin cayetano, ( former governor),and many others who came from filipino ancestry.i am so proud of them all. oh, did i forget to mention we have the sweetest pineapple ever? of course, because it was planted by filipino hands !!!

[kalayaan]

the current practice, the 65 mph in california means that you can go up to 80 on the freeway. you rarely see drivers that respect the speed limit. although sometimes the cops arrest you for going on 70. but you rarely see someone drive on just a 65. vroom, vroom!!!