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Filipino courtesy

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Spruik

3/14/2017 20:46 EST

There are some things I don't quite remember from when I stayed in Philippines before:

1. When someone from a family comes home or leaves, it's only common courtesy (to us) to greet the rest.

Where I am now (Cambodia) this seems unnecessary.

2. Before entering a bedroom we knock (when we know someone is inside) and wait for response, Where I am now, anyone just barges in.

3. At the dinner table, they all speak the native language although English is no problem.

In our culture we try not to exclude a foreign visitor from the conversation.

I have a long list of such ennoyances, how's that typically in Philippines?

4. I also remember (and other guys complained about it) that the gf/wife likes to sleep between 2 pillows, or have 1 pillow between bf/husband and herself.

Any comments? :)

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charkee

3/14/2017 22:35 EST

I must be getting used to Filipino culture. A colleague back in the US is really pissed at a client of mine because she didn't keep an appointment with him and lied to him that she was okay. She, without telling me then contacted me and is using my services.

Here in the Philippines I get lied to all the time. People don't have the courtesy to cancel appointments, they just don't come and never any explanation.

Never once did a music student of mine tell me he or she is quitting, they ALWAYS NEVER inform me and I sit around waiting for nothing.

I still don't like it, but I don't go ballistic anymore. But forget ever making an appointment with me again and I'll tell them that it is a huge insult in western culture to do this. But it never really registers anyway.

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charkee

3/14/2017 22:46 EST

I don't like the sleeping in between the pillow thing either. The pillows are too hot for me and I wake up drenched where the pillow was pressed up against me. I've gotten my wife out of that habit. Yes, they too can adjust to us.

It does not bother me when others speak languages around me that I don't understand.

Christmas or Thanksgiving meals with my parents and family was a polyglot festival. Dutch, English, Chinese, Russian and Spanish all going on at once.

I have a Spanish speaking friend and occasionally we travel on jeepneys and we have fun speaking Spanish and the passengers hear "tagalog" words (there are quite a few Spanish borrow words in Tagalog and Visayan) and are mystified as to what language we are speaking.

I tell them we are speaking some Moro dialect. Otta see their faces.

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seernai

3/14/2017 23:44 EST

I catch a lot of locals out when they say "hey Joe " I respond in Welsh Lol

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LarryKar

3/15/2017 00:57 EST

Charkee: Discovered that Spanish thing as well. Watching a movie where one character spoke Spanish my gal noticed she was catching words, sometimes enough to actually get the gist of what was being said.

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