Meet The Filipinos
The Philippines, with its more than 7,000 islands, has been blessed by Mother Nature with beautiful wonders, be it flora and fauna, land and water. These same wonders are what attract tourists to come. However, it´s not just the sceneries and the wonders that tourists love about the Philippines. It is the people and the culture that keep them coming back for more, what makes the country unique.
The country has been a product of hundreds of years under Spanish rule, the Japanese occupation in the ´40s and a lasting influence by the Americans that somehow still pervades the Filipino psyche. His culture is native and yet richly blended with other cultures. This mishmash of sorts is actually what makes his culture uniquely different and interesting, assorted and yet distinctive, conservative and liberated at the same time.
The Laughing Pinoy
Filipinos or ¨Pinoys¨ are known for their hospitality, always willing to assist and befriend, what endears them to travelers. They are warm and friendly, enthusiastic and easy-going (though sometimes to a fault). They love to laugh, socialize, sing, laugh, eat, play, laugh, go places, take photos, and laugh once more. Needless to say, they are a happy race, regardless of poverty, hardships and tragedies.
That is why when travelers visit, they can expect Filipinos to try their best to make the tourists happy.
The country has festivities all-year round, which goes to show how much they like to celebrate about life. Every region, every place celebrate at least one. The colorful festivals are often based on the old belief of praising and pleasing gods bring forth good harvest and better lives. These days, Filipinos use these occasions to celebrate their culture and attract tourists.
Eat Your Heart Out
Filipinos love to eat. They will invite tourists to various fiestas (festivities celebrating patron saints) and offer them just about any food on the table until one can eat no more. And even when he’s the only guest, Filipinos will prepare the nicest dishes they can come up with and serve with the nicest utensils, which they mostly do not use for themselves. Eating less is simply unacceptable, so prepare to find oneself debating on it until he gives up and decides to take those extra calories. Filipinos love to whip up meaty dishes and sweet desserts, after all. When a tourist is in the Philippines, do what the Pinoys do – eat.
Meanwhile, as a form of socialization, many males have regular alcohol-drinking sessions where males will definitely be asked to join. One cannot pass up even just one shot or they will think he’s unfriendly. Accepting a drink is a way of accepting their friendship, however brief.
Be warned, too, for the fun-loving Pinoys love to dare travelers into having a taste of exotic foods their places are known for. Eating exotic foods, as we all know, requires an acquired taste and chances are, foreigners have not acquired it. The usual culprits would be (a) dinuguan (pork blood stew, or sometimes called black pudding) (b) grilled street foods on sticks like isaw (chicken intestines, a.k.a. IUD), ¨betamax¨ (chicken blood), helmet (chicken head) , and tenga ng baboy (pig´s ears), and (c) the infamous balut or duck egg with nearly developed embryo.
Quite a Mouthful
Officially, the Philippine language is called ¨Filipino.¨ But due to the many islands separating people, hundreds of dialects (120 to 175) emerged. Filipino, the language, is often mistaken as Tagalog, which is but one of the dialects aforementioned. Tagalog, the dialect of those in the main island of Luzon, serves as the base for Filipino. It is the mode of communication among Filipinos living in separate regions.
For the foreign traveler, provided that he speaks English, s/he will not have a hard time communicating even with the common ¨Pinoy.¨ The Philippines' second language is English (which was thought by the Americans) and many words have been lavishly used in local, everyday conversations even by those who have had very limited schooling. Words like ¨okay,¨ hello,¨ good morning,¨ teacher,¨ ¨chair,¨ and so on. One would be surprised how much of the English terms made it in the language. Filipinos may be a bit shy about conversing in English, though, especially at first. But most come out of their shell and speak away.
Enter Entre-Pinoy
Pinoys are entrepreneurs at heart, whether driven by financial needs or simply for the interest. Even the poorest find ways to earn one way or another. That is why a tourist will find Filipino vendors lined up along the streets at times selling their goods. This entrepreneur´s spirit is quite admirable of the Filipino. However, it is advised that the traveler deal with legitimate businesses.
Artistic Race
Legitimate businesses that travelers can visit often sell crafts from various regions. Here, one will see the artistry of the Filipino and the materials they use are reflective of the rich and colorful culture of the Philippines.
Aside from this, Filipinos have a natural propensity for performing. They like to stage beauty pageants that do not only show-off the women´s natural beauty but their talents. They like singing contests because they love music. They like to rent videoke´s (rentable jukebox-style sing-along with video) for personal occasions like birthdays and sing to their hearts' contents till the wee hours of the morning (and to the chagrin of neighbors). They love to dance – the young with their modern moves, the oldies with their ballroom grooves.
In all of these, expect to be invited to watch and to perform, and one cannot say no.
The Filipino is surely a unique, colorful, happy race. There are so much more that a tourist shall have to find for himself and rest assured, if one keeps his mind and heart open, he will surely like what he´ll see and keep coming back, all for that great Filipino experience.
Sources:
www.StashToTreasure.com
www.TheLonelyPlanet.com
www.SEAsite.niu.edu
