Renxyoko Iglesias here, hello ! !
Here are some random Philippine habits, quirks, bits and pieces of culture and tradition that a tourist, like my friend @Ste J, may or may not encounter in the Philippines.
But before that, here’s something nice to watch.
Did you watch it ? Of course, I have to admit there’s poverty all over, especially in urban areas , but Filipinos are consistently on the list of the happiest people on earth, despite the natural disasters that come their way, year in and year out.( off the chart typhoons, their current president, earthquakes, volcano eruptions ….. Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991 was the biggest in the 20th century….. it caused the lowering of the earth’s temperature by at least 1 degree ) They say Filipinos eat disasters for breakfast, and no matter what happens, they just shrug them off. This is because of their ” Bahala na ” attitude, which means, roughly, ” That’s the way it is, so live life to the fullest. ” The exact translation is ” Whatever “, accompanied by shrugging of shoulders. I’ve heard some Filipino friends say ” Bahala na si Batman. ” meaning, ” Whatever, Batman’s got my back. ”
In a crowd, Filipinos respond to ” Oy ! ! ” ( Huh ? Who’s calling me ? ) Oy ! Comusta ! ! ( Hey, how are you ? ) However, Filipinos don’t say ” oy ” to older people. That’s very disrespectful.
When Filipinos speak to older people, their language is interspersed with ” po ” or ” opo ” ( yes ). It’s a sign of respect. However, the use of po is nuanced. Some people will not appreciate hearing ” po ” when, say, a 25 year old person is speaking to a 30 year old woman . It’s like , ” Oh, noooooo ! She’s saying ” po” to me ! I’m getting olddddddd ! ! !” Still…. it’s unimaginable for a Filipino to not say ” po ” to a …. okay, much older person. It’s okay, though, for a 7- year old kid to say ” po” to a 15 year old teenager ….. I think ?
Filipinos are party animals…… and every Filipino household owns a karaoke. ( Videoke now ) We own a Magic Mic here at home, and my mother’s planning to update it to a videoke soon. Yay ! ! I can now sing my heart out . And yes, Filipinos love fiestas!
Just like other Asians, Filipinos are big on honorifics. I call my older sister ” Ate “,(pronounced Ah-teh,) meaning older sister, and my older brother, Kuya ( pronounced Koo-yah, meaning , older brother ) . Ate Jennie, Kuya Benjie, or just plain Ate and Kuya, unless one has other older siblings, then they have to add their names.
And this is where Filipinos differ from other Asians……… how they greet each other. Filipinos sometimes greet each other ( usually men ) by tossing their heads upwards. Oy, ‘ Pare, comusta. ( ‘ Pare is short for Spanish word Compadre, meaning, pal/buddy), then a handshake, and a pat on the back. Filipino women greet each other and relatives , male and female alike, with a hug and kiss on the cheek, sometimes, both cheeks. The term is beso- beso. Beso means kiss in Spanish, I think ? Greetings are boisterous. When we had a reunion in the Philippines, I think I hugged and kissed a hundred relatives and guests in one day. The kissing and hugging are repeated when they say their goodbyes. It is, indeed, a touch culture. By the way, Filipinos greet their elders by touching their elder’s hand to their foreheads, and saying, ” Mano po, Lola” ( grandma or Lolo, grandpa) Mano means hand in Spanish.
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Got the image from the Internet. Whoever owns this, please don’t sue me. T.T
They call Restrooms/toilets in the Philippines, CR. ( Comfort Room ) ” Excuse me, Miss, where’s the CR ?” @ Ste J, remember this. ^___^
This is all for now. Another one coming right up..
And check out my anime/manga site at http://2megaworthitwordpresscomblog.wordpress.com/
Am a Molecular Microbiology student, love to read books, and I play the violin. 
dreamsending
renxkyoko
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