10 Snippets from Filipino Culture!

10 Snippets of Filipino Culture brought to you by experience…

1) A meal is not a meal without rice. Even breakfast must include rice. if it doesn't have rice, it's a snack. At McDonalds you can order just spaghetti with rice, friend chicken with rice…. All for about 50P=$1.20

2) Young people are expected to bless their elders by taking the elder's hand and touching it to their forehead; it's a sign of respect.

3) I absolutely love Filipino kids. They are bashful, yet excited… And so polite!

4) When I travel public, I ride a jeepney! A jeepney is (often) a WWII jeep renovated with two rows of seats to accommodate as many people as can squish inside, for only 7 pesos which is about 14 cents.

5) Driving here is definitely not for the faint of heart. There are a few red lights scattered about, but only at the really big intersections. The rest of the time, cars just drive, wherever they want. A two lane road is typically four, with cars, trucks, taxis, jeepneys, squeezing in and out navigating through the constant flow of traffic. It's actually a very good system, everyone is so alert, and there are hardly ever any wrecks!

6) I have officially learned a few tagalog words: salamat po (Thank you sir), Magandang umaga (good morning), bayad po (payment sir) and tubig (water).

7) Filipinos love merienda. SNACK! They eat it two times a day- 10am and 3pm. A day is not complete without it!

8) Filipinos are generally very hospitable! They think “we” instead of “I”.

9) Filipinos love their malls! The malls here are often 5 stories and go for several blocks! They are full of people taking advantage of the free aircon! [side note: in the Philippines aircon is the short for air-conditioning and ref is short for the refrigerator!]

10) Catholicism is the main religion for the people here. Everyone says they believe in God, but most of them don’t know the real God. But, I am praying BIG things for this country along with many others! God is still the God of this city!