Filipinos are known to be very resilient, optimistic and most especially very hospitable. This is why despite the odds, dilemmas and difficulties that our country faces, you can still notice an awe-inspiring smile and happy expression through the eyes of the lovely individuals from this country. And that is also why people from foreign countries would love to visit this beautiful country, because who wouldn't want to be surrounded by happy people?
Even if you are a half-blooded Filipino/Filipina, these characteristics and practices might still be visible on you. So take a look and review on these:
Action speaks louder than words. Yes, that would be literally true. Filipinos are pretty good at non-verbal communication. You might notice some filipinos hanging around and at some point they would pout their lips and nod. Looks weird right? What in the world does that mean? Well, they are not trying to copy Angelina Jolie, nor are they trying to ask a kiss from someone. They are just simply working on an agreement or probably having a discussion. It takes a lot of effort to utter words and explain at sometime, so filipinos do this simple lip pointing to lighten the work out.
Strong family ties. Filipinos are very family oriented. Friends are even considered as a part of the extended family. Once you became known with the family, you would then be considered a part of it. So get ready to be invited on family gatherings and other special family occasion because you're one with them and that is fun! Anyways, having said that, because you are already part of the family, family members will then start to call you not by your name but with an endearment of a relative such as; Uncle/ Aunt, Tito/Tita. Welcome to the family! Hurray!
Color Madness. You heard it right, Filipinos are really fond of colors. Everything is just colorful, from buildings and houses to that tiny tiny decoration up in the wall or even on tables and rooms. Being a cheerful country, it has also been manifested on the things that most Filipinos own, so don't be too shocked about that. Though this might not apply to all, this may still be true on subtle things.
Bare hands. It's definitely strange from your country but I think this is just a way for Filipinos to express their flexibility and innovation. If you have some Filipino visitors coming over, don't worry if you ran out of utensils. They are equipped with innovation on how to handle themselves. This is common on simple and informal eating gatherings. where you are just with your friends, not really a formal one. And I think it's more satisfying to eat bare-handed than using those machines. But of course you need to make sure you are sterile before you touch any food. That is a MUST!
Nicknames. Most of Filipinos names are repetition of their real names or nicknames itself, this might not be true to me but this is very common just to spice up a name. Especially if you have a very short name and there is just no way to create a nickname for you so that is where the "repetition" method comes in. It is just funny and cute to hear repetitions of names, aside from it lengthens your name, it also makes it easier to remember. Ironic but true. And side from repetition. Filipinos are also fond of borrowing names from others especially artist or products which are really famous and which sounds really alike from your real name. It's weird, I know.
So what do you think your nickname would be like?
Sour Please. Some Filipinos if not all, really liked sour foods. This may not apply to all since there are variety of tastes that you can try with Filipino foods from sour to spicy to sweet to bitter and combinations of thereof. It is not that bad actually, you can give it a try!
HALO-HALO! This is a must. If you ever plan to visit Philippines, the first thing that you should and never forget to do, is to try this sumptuous, sweet craving goddess Halo-halo. It is a perfect balance of fruits, milk and sweetness. It is healthy and at the same time very satisfying. However, there have been also emerging versions on how to prepare Halo-halo but none the less, they all still share one in common and that is the sweetness and fruitiness of this serving.
Filipino Time. The dumbest of all. Yet, imperfections are always present in a country. We have to embrace it and of course, take some actions on improving and eradicating this notion and turning into a greater one.
Extra Large Family. The growing population of the Philippines has become a problem recently and the government is currently doing some actions and advising recommendations on how to stabilize the number of population. But anyways, let me just give you quick back review. Way then, since Philippines is an agricultural country and farming has been one of the major livelihood of people on land, parents and couples back then designedly wanted to have a larger family so that, when the time comes, their children could be able to help them farm the land so they would never have to pay labor to other people instead. That has been the structure long time ago. Another thing is, as mentioned above, Filipinos has really great family ties, and that also means, having a greater family increases the practice of greater cooperation and love among siblings and they could be able to plan better for the family too since 2 heads are always better than 1 (does it apply? lol) Anyways, the point is, I think having greater family means greater fun, lively and most importantly,division of anything makes it a lot more easier for the family.
So I hope this gives you a bit information about Philippines and it's people.
For the most part, you might think it was weired or strange but I'll still raise a glass for that anyways!
xxMarbe
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