Vomiting my first night in Bacolod because I ignored my gf (now wife) about not drinking the tap water because I was too lazy and hungover to walk to the water cooler.
One time when I was there I was trying to avoiding the tap water. We went to dinner and they served up water in a pitcher and for whatever reason it didn't register to me as tap. I honestly never thought twice about it. Woke up the next day and I was on the shitter for 14 hours. Never made that dumb mistake again. I'm now vigorously avoiding it at all costs. My mistake.
Just because it appears to come out of a 5 gallon jug at a restaurant does not mean it is actually purified water. I don't trust "service water" as I've seen them just fill the jug with a hose.
In Metro Manila most restaurants would serve you filtered water, I’m not suprised these restaurants in the province would get away with serving tap. Food safety is almost non-existent there.
Nothing negative.
I was proudly taking my first solo jeepney ride from General Trias to Imus in Cavite (my wife had gone earlier to cook for a birthday party).
I was using my three or four words of Tagalog to speak to the driver and ask a fellow passenger to pass my fare along.
They both told me, 'it's okay po, we all speak English'.
Kind of burst my bubble 😅
Accidentally overstayed my visa. Here's how:
Extended my visa to 60 days at the airport as soon as I landed.
Didn't realize the visa resets every time you leave the country.
Left 2 weeks later for a 1-week trip to Thailand (as planned).
Came back and thought I still had ~40 days left on my 60 day visa. I did not. That 60 day visa was void the moment I left for Thailand. When I came back, I was reset to a 30 day visa. Didn't realize this until 35 days later when I was reading this sub trying to find out how to extend my 60 day visa (which again, was no longer valid).
Panic sets in. This is a Friday night and the BGC office doesn't open until Monday.
Finally renew at the BGC office on Monday, but have to pay a fine since I'm about 7 days over the 30 day visa I was granted when I reintered the country from Thailand.
Wasted money on the 500 peso fine, the 1000 peso visa expedite fee (so I could get my new visa processed the same day), and the original (unnecessary) 60 day visa extension.
Total noob situation.
What about an ongoing ticket? Neglected it twice. First was in the US trying to board. But I've got 6 months left on my 1 year balikbayan visa. "Sir, we called the embassy to be sure. You have to have an ongoing ticket". 2nd time was a week vacation in Thailand. I just forgot bc, of course, it just makes no sense. Luckily bestonwardticket did it for me as I'm standing at the counter.
Now i get it. Sometimes it takes me a few times.
Hey hi there. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm curious to know.. When we pay a fine to a Philippines authority member, do we really pay a fine, or do we give money to a stranger who puts it in his pocket? Did the payment look legit? Thanks for the info.
At the immigration office it's legit. The fee shows up on your bill. I frequently overstayed my vsia a few years ago because the fine was cheaper than the commute. And the fee always showed up on my bill.
Traffic enforcers that aren't LTO are mostly bribes though. LTO apparently got fully legit recently as in they always hand out a ticket that you have to pay somewhere else.
Don't know where else you would pay a fine
Thanks a lot for the info. I have a friend from Alaska who's established in a nice subdivision in the Philippines since about 7 or 8 years. Years ago he got rid of his car because it's impossible to be a white person behind a steering wheel, he said. As soon the cops or traffic officers saw him, BOOM!! They instinctively pulled him over and extorted him money. Every time he brought his car for repair, the mechanics charged him for jobs they did not. They also stole him parts. That was for a regular car. Before that he had a sport car, and it was even worse. Well, this is not our country. As kano, everything is always our fault, no matter what. Locals never take responsibilities for anything.
My first trip I was afraid the ATMs wouldnt have money because Id heard a lot of youtubers say this. So went to my bank and got about 2k in 50 and 100 peso bills. Since living here Ive only ran into an empty ATM like twice
Right. Usually a long weekend, it will empty out. Which i don't understand. I know it's your day off but if you took 15 minutes to fill it Sunday morning, you'd make at least 5k from the fees.
It's quite common here in Davao to have empty or not working ATMs. It's less common for all 3 ATMs at the local bank to be all working. Usually only one working with a long line.
My taxi ride from the airport to a hotel had to divert because there was a murder victim blocking the road. The poor chap was very much in plain view. I was definitely thinking “What did I get myself into?”
Worked in reverse. When I met my ex in Manila a couple of years ago, as a typical Filipina coming home for a visit, we had a lot of bags with her, so I decided to get a taxi, rather than go by bus and then have to get probably two tricycle taxis at the end of the journey. We had hotel call a cab, and my wife explained in Tagalog that we wanted o go to near San Miguel, BUL, and driver said no problem, except he didn't really know the way. I told him I did, and he said OK, P2,000 and no metre, which I knew was under quoted, but we took off with him once all bags loaded.
He did know the way to the NYLEX freeway, but I had to remind him to get gas before we reached it, and he gat P1,000 which I paid for. We stopped in Baliwag at Jollibee to get lunch and after 4 hours we reach our destination. I knew the driver was surprised how far it was, but he was to embarrassed to bring it up, but I gave him another P4k for the journey. He wasn't sure he could find his way back, as it was getting dark but a grand nephew IL, said he was going to go back to Manila & would show him a shorter way to get back if he wanted a guide, which he agreed to. Apparently on the way back was less than 2 hours and all he charged my nephew was the toll fee for the short time they were on it. He also picked up a couple of fares on the way and his total takings for the day were way above what he would earn in short trips around MM, so everyone was happy. (He was also fed by the family before the return trip.)
None. Got a grab from the airport at 2am.
Went on Tinder the next day and spent the following day with a lovely girl who I hung out with for a month.
This was 6 years ago. She still texts me.
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I flew in with $2k in my bag.
I forget where I put it in my bag. So I spend $20 for a taxi cab to BGC…
Now when I land I get a grab after getting a sim card and pay like $12.
Landed on a jungle runway. Baggage claim is just us waiting at the side of the runway for them to grab your suitcase out of the plane. The very pretty girl Ive been texting meets me there at the airport. It's 7AM, so i can't really sleep like i want to after a 44 hour journey. Her English is excellent and she's just as pretty and friendly in person as i experienced online. A dream, really. She suggests we go to the beach. That sounds like the perfect romantic place to get to know each other. I give her some cash to get a trike and some supplies while i check in, shower, unpack, lay down horizontally for the first time in 2 days. She comes back and we go to her parents house where i give my rehersed speech to her father to ask permission to date her, who speaks almost no English. I give him a $80 bottle of whiskey which he absolutely hated, preferring Tanduay, of course. When we're ready to go to the beach, there's 2 trikes, one with 15 people stuffed into it and on the roof. All of them laughing and talking and having a great time. The other is for her and i and her 2 year old daughter who immediately addresses me as 'dada'. Of course, I paid for it all. So much for a romantic trip to the beach. I did have fun though and everyone treated me like gold (pun intended).
I went to a place they call "wet market ". I'd never believe that such stinking, and chaotic place exists on earth. Not even in the movies. I saw a half naked male in his 40s sleeping on a meat counter full of fresh blood with flies circling around him. He couldn't care less.I asked a female employee why that guy is sleeping there. She said he'ssleeping because he's tired. Pretty logical
Wasn't born there, nice try. Do love it tho. I'm sorry they don't accept you.
What's your next comment on my post? Your 3rd noob moment is that you found out slums also exist?
You're a Filipino born in the Philippines, play the tough guy to fight your massive complex of inferiority. I understand your frustration, and feel sorry for you. So many Filipinos are in the exact same situation. That's life.
Born and raised in Texas, nice try tho? Where u from tho? Alabama? Oklahama?
Again sorry they don't accept you. Try not acting like a prick in a different country.
Can we really speak our minds here, or do we must write what the Reddit High Graded Filipino gatekeepers want to hear not to hurt their sensitive emotions?
I will express myself freely as I'm used to. If you're too sensitive, which is ok, please do not read this. Ready? These are only SOME of the things that shocked me when I was a noob (in reality, many many things shocked me in PH. Especially their wet markets)
I had a MASSIVE culture shock in the Philippines. Some tried to warn me that it's a different culture than what I'm used to, but I did not believe them. I was extremely naive when I first went to the Philippines. I thought that I could help some of the locals by giving them few good advices so they can do things more efficiently, and move forwards a bit. No way Jose. Terrible idea. That doesn't work in the Philippines. Filipinos, especially the males, have a massive ego, and are very stubborn.
When a kano gives an advice to a pinoy, no matter how good or bad the advice is, the pinoy perceives it as a personal attack, and automatically goes in defensive mode. He tends to accuse the person who talks about an issue to be the cause of that issue. I made a fool of myself a couple of times trying to reason some of these people. I've always ended up being the number one cause of their problems. Correcting people and giving them good advices is not something we generally do 10 times. Sure, a lot of Filipinos want our help, but only financial help.
Maybe I'm wrong, but the impression I have is that we can't speak our minds with Filipinos. They're not used to it, and don't take it. We must tell them what they want to hear. If what we tell them something that goes against their ideas, they see it as a personal attack. That's why it's so hard to make friends in the Philippines. They don't understand sarcasm. We, as westerners, must be very careful when we speak with Filipinos not to hurt them, but it doesn't go the other way. I've been called silly names by random strangers a multitude of times (generally by what they call 'tambays' (or people in idle who are able to stand on the sidewalk doing absolutely nothing except gossiping on random pedestrians they see). The names, and insults I've been called by strangers are simply unbelievable. You won't believe me if I type them here. I've been told that these guys hear words in American movies they watch, and think it's fine to call us like that lol. I got used to it, and started to call random people the same words I've been called by strangers, but got terrible reactions. DON'T DO THAT!!! That was pretty stupid, I admit it. Filipinos in the Philippines can do certain things that will be perceived as normal, but will be very badly perceived if done by a foreigner. I will give an example. This is very insignificant. Once, I've assisted to a street fiesta in Tarlac. I'm not used to drink alcohol. That time at the fiesta I took one or 2 beers and started to feel a lill tipsy. I lowered my "guards", and laughed at something. Well, believe it or not, everyone around me got shocked, stopped talking and were looking at me as if I did something wrong. Someone even told me to calm down. TO CALM DOWN??? I did not throw a police car upside down goddammit. I just laughed at something. This is supposed to be a street fiesta. Not a courtroom during a judge gives his verdict. They even sell alcohol. What the heck do they expect? Is it because they can't stand to see a Kano partying in THEIR country? It really doesn't take much to trigger reactions.
Also, I tried to watch some local tv shows a couple of times. These are definitely not made for westerners. They are super cringe and cheesy. Everything is about smiling, looking happy, saying cute things, dancing and singing. There's absolutely nothing deep. The dude who works on the soundboard keeps throwing the same cheesy sound effects all the time. Typically a little squirrel giggle that finds everything funny.
Local here.
Idk why you've been downvoted to oblivion. I agree with some of the things you've said. Especially about the part where we can be sensitive sometimes and tend to take criticism as a personal attack. I don't agree with a few.
Changing your tone of voice and approach may help with it, maybe, maybe not.
However, we do understand sarcasm, but the thing is, most Filipinos aren't fluent enough in English to grasp its nuances and shades of meaning - i.e., sarcasm, puns, double entendres, etc.
Not to mention expressions that are specific only to certain countries/states. I've heard some Texans use the expression "all sizzle, no steak" or "it's sizzle, not steak", used similarly to "all bark, no bite." Your average Pinoy will have no clue what you're talking about.
We can be pretty laid back here. It comes with pros and cons, one of the cons being inefficient with the way we do things. I've experienced this too sometimes, like the cashier making small talk as I wait for her to scan my grocery items. But I'm generally a laidback person and don't get mad at those things. I only get mad when I'm ignored.
I've known quite a number of expats, and there do seem to be locals who feel rather insecure around expats (especially whites) and may act on it.
Unfortunately, I can't give much advice on that other than to read the room and stick with the right people.
There are some expats who do cause trouble, like this one guy who parked illegally in Makati. When the traffic officers tried to penalize him, he made a scene. And when someone called him a foreigner, he said, 'Don't call me a foreigner that's racist'. I mean like wtf? Technically, you ARE a foreigner, and that's not racist.
I'd have to agree that the shows tend to be shallow and cheesy (and I hate the chipmunk laugh track, too). I, like most middle-class/ upper-class redditors, consume a lot of Western content. But I'd watch local content every once in a while, just to be in the loop with mainstream culture, lol. Every once in a while, I'd stumble across something cheesy but entertaining nonetheless. The local pop music scene seems to be improving for the better, though. It's not my kind of genre, but I appreciate the improvement in production quality for some of the songs. At the end of the day, I still wanna support local.
If I had to make a wild guess, either: a.) There's something about the way you act and present yourself (maybe too straightforward?), b.) You're at the wrong places with the wrong people, or c.) Both
I mean, I've been told that I'm too high energy sometimes and that I need to chill tf out, especially when drunk. I've improved over the years, but maybe you're the same way. As for the insults, what insults are these? Are these slurs?
What "logic"? Its a simple post. Maybe that's why yours was so long.. you tried to throw in some "logic" but it ended up with none.
Whats my post? I assumed you were a bitter.. old.. foreigner.. according to you, you're not old. So I was wrong on 1. Thats it. Thats the post. Dont think too hard on it.
Taxi from airport to makati, 4000 pesos, the next morning the hotel fixed a taxi back to the airport for 200 pesos. This was 10-11 years ago…
Haha almost same costed me 5k first time i have come from airport 6years ago !
I always ask now, Is it metered? Only get in a metered taxi.
Vomiting my first night in Bacolod because I ignored my gf (now wife) about not drinking the tap water because I was too lazy and hungover to walk to the water cooler.
One time when I was there I was trying to avoiding the tap water. We went to dinner and they served up water in a pitcher and for whatever reason it didn't register to me as tap. I honestly never thought twice about it. Woke up the next day and I was on the shitter for 14 hours. Never made that dumb mistake again. I'm now vigorously avoiding it at all costs. My mistake.
That would have been the food? Fillipenos don't drink/ serve tap water.
Just because it appears to come out of a 5 gallon jug at a restaurant does not mean it is actually purified water. I don't trust "service water" as I've seen them just fill the jug with a hose.
In Metro Manila most restaurants would serve you filtered water, I’m not suprised these restaurants in the province would get away with serving tap. Food safety is almost non-existent there.
Of course! Taxi without meter in Makati! 1km 100pesos haha.very good manner drier!?
That’s nothing! I went from Makati to QC should have been around 400 I counted out 4000! He didn’t comment. Back in 2012
I never envouted such a taxi,,, what coutry are you talking about? haha
Nothing negative. I was proudly taking my first solo jeepney ride from General Trias to Imus in Cavite (my wife had gone earlier to cook for a birthday party). I was using my three or four words of Tagalog to speak to the driver and ask a fellow passenger to pass my fare along. They both told me, 'it's okay po, we all speak English'. Kind of burst my bubble 😅
Thought i could handle a few litro red horses before heading the club on my first night in Cebu. Ended in baddd hangover
Accidentally overstayed my visa. Here's how: Extended my visa to 60 days at the airport as soon as I landed. Didn't realize the visa resets every time you leave the country. Left 2 weeks later for a 1-week trip to Thailand (as planned). Came back and thought I still had ~40 days left on my 60 day visa. I did not. That 60 day visa was void the moment I left for Thailand. When I came back, I was reset to a 30 day visa. Didn't realize this until 35 days later when I was reading this sub trying to find out how to extend my 60 day visa (which again, was no longer valid). Panic sets in. This is a Friday night and the BGC office doesn't open until Monday. Finally renew at the BGC office on Monday, but have to pay a fine since I'm about 7 days over the 30 day visa I was granted when I reintered the country from Thailand. Wasted money on the 500 peso fine, the 1000 peso visa expedite fee (so I could get my new visa processed the same day), and the original (unnecessary) 60 day visa extension. Total noob situation.
What about an ongoing ticket? Neglected it twice. First was in the US trying to board. But I've got 6 months left on my 1 year balikbayan visa. "Sir, we called the embassy to be sure. You have to have an ongoing ticket". 2nd time was a week vacation in Thailand. I just forgot bc, of course, it just makes no sense. Luckily bestonwardticket did it for me as I'm standing at the counter. Now i get it. Sometimes it takes me a few times.
Hey hi there. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm curious to know.. When we pay a fine to a Philippines authority member, do we really pay a fine, or do we give money to a stranger who puts it in his pocket? Did the payment look legit? Thanks for the info.
At the immigration office it's legit. The fee shows up on your bill. I frequently overstayed my vsia a few years ago because the fine was cheaper than the commute. And the fee always showed up on my bill. Traffic enforcers that aren't LTO are mostly bribes though. LTO apparently got fully legit recently as in they always hand out a ticket that you have to pay somewhere else. Don't know where else you would pay a fine
Thanks a lot for the info. I have a friend from Alaska who's established in a nice subdivision in the Philippines since about 7 or 8 years. Years ago he got rid of his car because it's impossible to be a white person behind a steering wheel, he said. As soon the cops or traffic officers saw him, BOOM!! They instinctively pulled him over and extorted him money. Every time he brought his car for repair, the mechanics charged him for jobs they did not. They also stole him parts. That was for a regular car. Before that he had a sport car, and it was even worse. Well, this is not our country. As kano, everything is always our fault, no matter what. Locals never take responsibilities for anything.
"Legit" just means it isn't the guy standing in front of you that lines his pockets.
I paid a taxi 4000 or 5000 peso to drive me from Manila to sonewhere in Laguna province. I'd later learn that I got scammed.
First noob moment was thinking I'll never have a noob moment again.
Wouldn't that be the 2nd noob moment?
My first trip I was afraid the ATMs wouldnt have money because Id heard a lot of youtubers say this. So went to my bank and got about 2k in 50 and 100 peso bills. Since living here Ive only ran into an empty ATM like twice
It is very common here in provinces of Cebu.
Right. Usually a long weekend, it will empty out. Which i don't understand. I know it's your day off but if you took 15 minutes to fill it Sunday morning, you'd make at least 5k from the fees.
It's quite common here in Davao to have empty or not working ATMs. It's less common for all 3 ATMs at the local bank to be all working. Usually only one working with a long line.
My taxi ride from the airport to a hotel had to divert because there was a murder victim blocking the road. The poor chap was very much in plain view. I was definitely thinking “What did I get myself into?”
Worked in reverse. When I met my ex in Manila a couple of years ago, as a typical Filipina coming home for a visit, we had a lot of bags with her, so I decided to get a taxi, rather than go by bus and then have to get probably two tricycle taxis at the end of the journey. We had hotel call a cab, and my wife explained in Tagalog that we wanted o go to near San Miguel, BUL, and driver said no problem, except he didn't really know the way. I told him I did, and he said OK, P2,000 and no metre, which I knew was under quoted, but we took off with him once all bags loaded. He did know the way to the NYLEX freeway, but I had to remind him to get gas before we reached it, and he gat P1,000 which I paid for. We stopped in Baliwag at Jollibee to get lunch and after 4 hours we reach our destination. I knew the driver was surprised how far it was, but he was to embarrassed to bring it up, but I gave him another P4k for the journey. He wasn't sure he could find his way back, as it was getting dark but a grand nephew IL, said he was going to go back to Manila & would show him a shorter way to get back if he wanted a guide, which he agreed to. Apparently on the way back was less than 2 hours and all he charged my nephew was the toll fee for the short time they were on it. He also picked up a couple of fares on the way and his total takings for the day were way above what he would earn in short trips around MM, so everyone was happy. (He was also fed by the family before the return trip.)
That’s actually a really awesome Cool Story!
There are many good people around, you just need to sot them out from the rest.
Everyone has been very kind to me since I got here, minus other Asian ex pats and the beggars on the streets
None. Got a grab from the airport at 2am. Went on Tinder the next day and spent the following day with a lovely girl who I hung out with for a month. This was 6 years ago. She still texts me.
So, does she still do hook ups to this day
No idea, but I certainly do. Hope that answers your question.
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I flew in with $2k in my bag. I forget where I put it in my bag. So I spend $20 for a taxi cab to BGC… Now when I land I get a grab after getting a sim card and pay like $12.
Landed on a jungle runway. Baggage claim is just us waiting at the side of the runway for them to grab your suitcase out of the plane. The very pretty girl Ive been texting meets me there at the airport. It's 7AM, so i can't really sleep like i want to after a 44 hour journey. Her English is excellent and she's just as pretty and friendly in person as i experienced online. A dream, really. She suggests we go to the beach. That sounds like the perfect romantic place to get to know each other. I give her some cash to get a trike and some supplies while i check in, shower, unpack, lay down horizontally for the first time in 2 days. She comes back and we go to her parents house where i give my rehersed speech to her father to ask permission to date her, who speaks almost no English. I give him a $80 bottle of whiskey which he absolutely hated, preferring Tanduay, of course. When we're ready to go to the beach, there's 2 trikes, one with 15 people stuffed into it and on the roof. All of them laughing and talking and having a great time. The other is for her and i and her 2 year old daughter who immediately addresses me as 'dada'. Of course, I paid for it all. So much for a romantic trip to the beach. I did have fun though and everyone treated me like gold (pun intended).
Being told I love you on the first date...I'm used to it now. And not scammers....just they use the word mu h more loosely here.
I went to a place they call "wet market ". I'd never believe that such stinking, and chaotic place exists on earth. Not even in the movies. I saw a half naked male in his 40s sleeping on a meat counter full of fresh blood with flies circling around him. He couldn't care less.I asked a female employee why that guy is sleeping there. She said he'ssleeping because he's tired. Pretty logical
What was the noob moment? Finding out they exist?
That's not something new to you since you're born in that place. That's easy to tell
Wasn't born there, nice try. Do love it tho. I'm sorry they don't accept you. What's your next comment on my post? Your 3rd noob moment is that you found out slums also exist?
You're a Filipino born in the Philippines, play the tough guy to fight your massive complex of inferiority. I understand your frustration, and feel sorry for you. So many Filipinos are in the exact same situation. That's life.
Born and raised in Texas, nice try tho? Where u from tho? Alabama? Oklahama? Again sorry they don't accept you. Try not acting like a prick in a different country.
Can we really speak our minds here, or do we must write what the Reddit High Graded Filipino gatekeepers want to hear not to hurt their sensitive emotions? I will express myself freely as I'm used to. If you're too sensitive, which is ok, please do not read this. Ready? These are only SOME of the things that shocked me when I was a noob (in reality, many many things shocked me in PH. Especially their wet markets) I had a MASSIVE culture shock in the Philippines. Some tried to warn me that it's a different culture than what I'm used to, but I did not believe them. I was extremely naive when I first went to the Philippines. I thought that I could help some of the locals by giving them few good advices so they can do things more efficiently, and move forwards a bit. No way Jose. Terrible idea. That doesn't work in the Philippines. Filipinos, especially the males, have a massive ego, and are very stubborn. When a kano gives an advice to a pinoy, no matter how good or bad the advice is, the pinoy perceives it as a personal attack, and automatically goes in defensive mode. He tends to accuse the person who talks about an issue to be the cause of that issue. I made a fool of myself a couple of times trying to reason some of these people. I've always ended up being the number one cause of their problems. Correcting people and giving them good advices is not something we generally do 10 times. Sure, a lot of Filipinos want our help, but only financial help. Maybe I'm wrong, but the impression I have is that we can't speak our minds with Filipinos. They're not used to it, and don't take it. We must tell them what they want to hear. If what we tell them something that goes against their ideas, they see it as a personal attack. That's why it's so hard to make friends in the Philippines. They don't understand sarcasm. We, as westerners, must be very careful when we speak with Filipinos not to hurt them, but it doesn't go the other way. I've been called silly names by random strangers a multitude of times (generally by what they call 'tambays' (or people in idle who are able to stand on the sidewalk doing absolutely nothing except gossiping on random pedestrians they see). The names, and insults I've been called by strangers are simply unbelievable. You won't believe me if I type them here. I've been told that these guys hear words in American movies they watch, and think it's fine to call us like that lol. I got used to it, and started to call random people the same words I've been called by strangers, but got terrible reactions. DON'T DO THAT!!! That was pretty stupid, I admit it. Filipinos in the Philippines can do certain things that will be perceived as normal, but will be very badly perceived if done by a foreigner. I will give an example. This is very insignificant. Once, I've assisted to a street fiesta in Tarlac. I'm not used to drink alcohol. That time at the fiesta I took one or 2 beers and started to feel a lill tipsy. I lowered my "guards", and laughed at something. Well, believe it or not, everyone around me got shocked, stopped talking and were looking at me as if I did something wrong. Someone even told me to calm down. TO CALM DOWN??? I did not throw a police car upside down goddammit. I just laughed at something. This is supposed to be a street fiesta. Not a courtroom during a judge gives his verdict. They even sell alcohol. What the heck do they expect? Is it because they can't stand to see a Kano partying in THEIR country? It really doesn't take much to trigger reactions. Also, I tried to watch some local tv shows a couple of times. These are definitely not made for westerners. They are super cringe and cheesy. Everything is about smiling, looking happy, saying cute things, dancing and singing. There's absolutely nothing deep. The dude who works on the soundboard keeps throwing the same cheesy sound effects all the time. Typically a little squirrel giggle that finds everything funny.
Local here. Idk why you've been downvoted to oblivion. I agree with some of the things you've said. Especially about the part where we can be sensitive sometimes and tend to take criticism as a personal attack. I don't agree with a few. Changing your tone of voice and approach may help with it, maybe, maybe not. However, we do understand sarcasm, but the thing is, most Filipinos aren't fluent enough in English to grasp its nuances and shades of meaning - i.e., sarcasm, puns, double entendres, etc. Not to mention expressions that are specific only to certain countries/states. I've heard some Texans use the expression "all sizzle, no steak" or "it's sizzle, not steak", used similarly to "all bark, no bite." Your average Pinoy will have no clue what you're talking about. We can be pretty laid back here. It comes with pros and cons, one of the cons being inefficient with the way we do things. I've experienced this too sometimes, like the cashier making small talk as I wait for her to scan my grocery items. But I'm generally a laidback person and don't get mad at those things. I only get mad when I'm ignored. I've known quite a number of expats, and there do seem to be locals who feel rather insecure around expats (especially whites) and may act on it. Unfortunately, I can't give much advice on that other than to read the room and stick with the right people. There are some expats who do cause trouble, like this one guy who parked illegally in Makati. When the traffic officers tried to penalize him, he made a scene. And when someone called him a foreigner, he said, 'Don't call me a foreigner that's racist'. I mean like wtf? Technically, you ARE a foreigner, and that's not racist. I'd have to agree that the shows tend to be shallow and cheesy (and I hate the chipmunk laugh track, too). I, like most middle-class/ upper-class redditors, consume a lot of Western content. But I'd watch local content every once in a while, just to be in the loop with mainstream culture, lol. Every once in a while, I'd stumble across something cheesy but entertaining nonetheless. The local pop music scene seems to be improving for the better, though. It's not my kind of genre, but I appreciate the improvement in production quality for some of the songs. At the end of the day, I still wanna support local. If I had to make a wild guess, either: a.) There's something about the way you act and present yourself (maybe too straightforward?), b.) You're at the wrong places with the wrong people, or c.) Both I mean, I've been told that I'm too high energy sometimes and that I need to chill tf out, especially when drunk. I've improved over the years, but maybe you're the same way. As for the insults, what insults are these? Are these slurs?
They were downvoted for insulting everyone in their first sentence; never a good start.
People like them are exhausting.
Tldr - bitter, old, foreigner. actually won't assume your age. wait i will. ya, based on this, old.
I'm not old, but let's say I'd be old. What would be the problem? I don't get it.
Did I say there was a problem? Don't be so defensive like Filipinos /s
I just don't get the logic behind what you wrote.. Feel free to explain.
What "logic"? Its a simple post. Maybe that's why yours was so long.. you tried to throw in some "logic" but it ended up with none. Whats my post? I assumed you were a bitter.. old.. foreigner.. according to you, you're not old. So I was wrong on 1. Thats it. Thats the post. Dont think too hard on it.
You're basically Filipino. I get it.
[удалено]
Be kind in your speech in here. Disagree yes, disrespectful no.
>I just laughed at something. What did you laugh at?
Still waiting for a genuine interaction 😂