We arrived March 20th and so far she has kept me smiling (in more ways than one ). Her questions so far:

• While landing at the Atlanta airport: What happened to all those trees? (no leaves yet)
• At Taco Bell: You mean they just let you drink all the Coke you want?
• Also at Taco Bell: We have to clean our own table?
• At the clothing store: Can we check the kids section for my size?
• At home: How do I get the shower to come on?
• At home: The washer will not spin (lid was open)
• What is a tampon?
• How do they know what the weather will be tomorrow?
• Is this the biggest bag of rice they have?
• Why do all the ice cubes look the same? (not made by busting ice from a plastic tube)
• Where does the pee go when you flush on the airplane?
• You can really make free cell phone calls on nights and weekends?
• You only take one shower a day?
• Old people have jobs?
• They let you take the shopping cart outside?
• At Wal-Mart: They let you check your own stuff? How do they know you wont steal it?
• Why does the traffic light have a Yellow?
• Did you see how those drivers just stopped for us when we crossed the street?
• Why would anybody want to get a tan?
• Why don't they have cheese popcorn at the movies?
• You can make popcorn in the microwave?
• At the grocery store: Where is the MSG?
• They let you put the gas in your car yourself?
• What is that like a rat in the tree? Answer: squirrel
• What is turkey?
• College students don't wear uniforms?
• How does the police man know if you are speeding?

We are having such a great time. I have never smiled so much!

Stay tuned...more to come

awe thats sweet............

That's great, I'm glad to see you are having fun and are happy!
My fiancee doesn't even live in the US yet, and he wants to know how I can work and go to school at the same time lol

Thats funny and cute

Really nice. It's good you are keeping track of all this. It will be fun for her in a few years to remember how strange she found everything.

P.S. If she wants larger bags of rice, tell her to go to Louisiana. We sell them as large as they do here in China.

I can see Riza asking me those. LOL She loves rice and cheese popcorn.

Tomorrow I am going to try a Filipino restaurant with some friends. So maybe she can have a taste of home when she gets here.

Wow that so awesome. I cant wait for ShaSha to get here so we can do the same. I live in Las Vegas so im sure she will be amazed and have lots of questions.

Precious & Priceless!!! Thanks for sharing!

Warm Regards,
Samby

Hahaha...I remember last year when my fiancee asked me why I didn't work, i told her it was thankgiving holiday & my family was preparing turkey for dinner...she was absolutely shocked & baffled..she asked me in her native tongue "You guys eat *pagong*?"...(which means turtle)..she caused my stomach to hurt from a big laugh..hehe

That is so cute.My fiance already asked me a couple of similar questions.

[*]Is this the biggest bag of rice they have?
[*]Why would anybody want to get a tan?


Frank, That is so sweet.. I can see you're having the best time of your life.. I am looking forward to mine.. hopefully about 5 weeks from now!

I can see those two right off the bat from my fiancee She prepares rice 3 times a day for her younger brothers and niece. and I have two boats I almost live on in the spring and summer.. and I think it might get interesting when she finds out I turn very tan from being on them for the most part.. she's light shinned and dislikes the sun.. But, I know she will enjoy the outdoors here with me and my son.



my son Zach at the helm

LOL!! It all sounds so familar. We are happy for you two.

How adorable, Im sure u just cant stop smiling. Im looking forward to the same kind of questions too LOL. Congratulations on your new life together.

aaaaaawwwwww

happy happy happy!

That is so freaking funny because my wife is asking me the same questions here in Texas specially does about the Trees with no leaves and about the Squirrels hahahah.

cute!!! when i stepped out of TF Green airport, I told Dave "the trees here look like skeletons!!" and he laughed

i was thinking the same too about the check out counters...how will they know u're not stealing?

That was funny!! I remember the first time i visited US,when i was doing my laundry with my aunt's place, I DIDNT KNOW HOW TO OPERATE THE WACHING MACHINE!! and when i tried to bake a cake, i almost burn the house down lol.
so embarrasing yet its funny!
You really have to adjust when ur in USA!
Atleast u guys are with each other forever now!
God bless you both!

That was really cute and funny!

Reading this post made me transport back when I just got here... I got too many questions as well and my husband (then fiance) tried so hard not to laugh at them, instead, he patiently explained to me everything.

Have a happy life together!!!

--Mae

P.S.

When I did my very first laundry, I forgot to put Bounce sheet in the dryer and when I retrieve my dried laundry, the static scared the living life out of me (in front of my husband who was laughing so hard, he was in tears afterwards).

awwww, that is so funny espeically "Old people have jobs?"
My husband was also surprised by this too because in his country the elderlies do not work, but are taken care by their families in their retired years.

When my husband was visiting the US, he observed that no one in America should ever be hungry because there were so many squirrels to eat. It was one of the things that he told his friends about America.

I actually ate squirrel the first time I went to Benin. It was the best meat I've ever had. But I don't think we will start eating it when we move to the US.

thats so cute. can't wait for my turn.

the one thats gonna scare is: which one is the gas pedal?

yup she's not alone... ive got a million of questions too when i got here... and even wanted to chase the squirrels and rabbits so i could have them as a pet. i beg my husband if we could let them inside an play with me lol

How cute and sweet..

I actually asked my husband that question when I first tried driving...

And wait till she can see ducks flying high like a bird here

omg!!! talking about ducks and geese lol

i was like who own these ducks? why are they flying and walking around freely??? my husband was like babe they're wild animals... really??? so we can catch them? or somebody will catch them so they could own these ducks? lol...
just that in phil, all the ducks and the geese have owners... no wild animals like rabbits and squirrels roaming around freely...

i was dolt back then. must admit that lol

I remember the first day I arrived here my POE is SF and my husband drove from Sacramento to pick me up there. On our way home we passed this car dealer company. With out thinking I asked him what happening over there pointing the car dealer company. He asked me what I'm talking about..I said over there..why there are so many cars parking outside. He said its a car dealer company...And I was kind of stunt..but thats lot of cars..its look like parking area!!!! There must be something goin on there. Untill now my husband keep teasing me about that. I never seen a car dealer company in the Phil looks like a parking area

well this what i noticed so far..

Just a slice of life im enjoyin here.
some things that remind me i'm in a
1st world country when going household
shopping with my husband:

doors automatically open even if im 3-
4 steps away
revolving doors revolve fast...really
fast..at first i feel like joining a
jumping rope to slide in..teehee! or
expectin superman to change anytime.

groceries are called warehouse stores,
true! double or triple that of sm
supermarket
grocery carts have built-in seats for
adults too! not just for kids (kapoy
lakat ay)

cashiers are automated computers like
atm to pay for groceries..
i insert dollar cash and they change
it too
reminds me of the airport at
Delta..self check-in via automised
terminals
grocery packers pack goods with only 2-
3 items per plastic bag
so imagine going home with more than a
dozen packages for just five days
supply

credit cards are preferred than cash
in making payments
vegetables section have a sound-
effect: thunder and rainstorms then
you get hit by hidden sprinklers to
give a shower effect...cool!
baby tomatoes, baby potatoes, baby
eggplants, baby carrots everywhere
presliced vegetables, ready-to-cook
julliened items for convenience sake
giant sized tomatoes, potatoes,
eggplants, carrots, plus...more
and the seafood section? oh my!
surely caterers' delight!
all are fresh, neatly filleted and
packed
meat section too with samples of
packaged ready-to-go themed cuisine
food trays to choose from
and lots of food-sample carts, sa
sampling pa lang, mabusog ka na.

their cakes and breads..one week na,
namit pa...
label says, no preservatives
man...hmmm hmmm..
people of all colors greet you all the
time "how you doin?..doin okay ma'am?"
when you say "thank you", be prepared
with a loud reply "YOU ARE WELCOME!"
gurl!

when yo go lukin for cheap items? go
walmart...for cheaper itmes..go "food
stamps stores"
for newer bright items? go publix, or
costco, jc pennys..etc.
never an outing with bana without
buying flowers, oh beautiful flowers
already arranged in bouquet-ready-to-
go too!.

nice to just sit around and do people
watchin'
but be ready to put a smile on your
face as if you are admiring..
rather than staring...

and so many obese people, im not
kidding
if i am "large-size" back home, i
am "small" here...

abundance of food everywhere...
to think of hunger in 3rd world
countries
sometimes shock me

i love lookin' at families goin
together
saturday mornin is grocery time for
folks here...

no yayas, no family helpers..
nice to see parents lugging around
babies
with two or three others following
behind

so thats it for now...
"driving and life in the streets" next.

My reply to everyones new experiances in the U.S.A.

Priceless ! Maganda ! Thank You for sharing those...

ditto

HAHAHHA AWWW I LOVED THE LIST! I wish to make mine soon lets see if we can keep each other laughing...ya the self checkout will be intriguing for my husband lol
he knows what squirrels are but ya the whole self check out and how they know ur not stealing...lol thats a good one

I have to add...........They don't charge you to park at the mall?
Why don't the stores have security guards?

oh i cant wait for the day my wife is here and all this starts with me just hope she dont come to vj to look around and see this post and spoil all the fun. thanks guys i cant wait

I remember the first time I ordered coffee at Starbucks on my own.It felt like an achievement . It's because I get confused with the coins here so what I've been doing was just pay in bills. My husband had fun putting me to test how to recognize and count coins .Also, the first time I saw snow, I hate stepping on it coz I would make it dirty and can't help to ask my husband if it's edible .

awwwwww @ What is that like a rat in the tree?

Very cute squirrel...can I keep one? answer: no, you can't, they do bite..

when my husband came he was amazed when i took him to the bank to cash my check. he was like...u mean u put the check in and get money back and never even leave the car? gee now i see why americans are so fat...they never have to walk anywhere. now he is about 60 pounds over weight...lol

Hi Frank, i have been smiling alot also and i imagine John C has heard the same questions too. most of the questions you listed Gretchen asked me in the last 2 weeks. No squirrels here but we did find a 50Lb bag of rice.

Loving every minute of it. every day there is something new.


Chris

Oh well yesterday i had funny question when my husband droppedby in a gas station.
1. How it works?
2. What if i just fill in the gas and drive away? Ans. Well that is considered stealing...Police officer will get you from our house next day.

FUNNY coz i have so many inquiry also and it amazed me to see the nice places on my way to WEST PALM BEACH...hehhee...I keep asking Ronald where are the policemen on the highway? I dont see one. Then, without realizing it we are in highway with speeding limit of 55 and the police car on the other side of the road chasing us already. We are given a ticket for 76 speed reading...hehehe....i said to the police good afternoon even...hhehehe...Good thing was he gave us discount and given a minimal ticket to pay in one month. HEHEHE. When his friends asked me if i was afraid with that experience, i just said no....they were amazed by my reaction coz if it were them, they will be so nervous. Well, i notice one thing though, I rarely see people hiking on the street. Im enjoying my stay here so far and tomorrow, we will go to DISNEY....

That was cute..I was wondering too when I got here why do they have bottoms up drinks..Hahaha..Very unusually in the Philippines..And the clean your own table thing..The pump your own gas..Hehehe..We have the gasoline boys in PI..Hihihi..But we do have yellow in our traffic light in PI..Hihihihi..What really amazed me is, job for old people since usually in the Phillipines, old people just stay at home and rest..lol Coz employers preferred younger with high educational attainment..Keep us posted..

The first time I saw a baby garter snake came out of the bin while my husband and I were cleaning the pool deck I just grabbed my slipper and started to hit it while screaming Oh my God repeatedly, hahaha. . Joe told me they dont kill snakes here as long as its not poisonous so he just drove it away to our neighbor's backyard. . darn, in the Philippines, we kill snakes when we see one, hahaha, baby or not. We still laugh about it until now.

lol jom so true!!!
one time i let my cat play in the back yard but when its time for me to let him come inside the house, i noticed he wont move under the big pine tree and when i tried to crawl and get him gosh there's a snake curled up and cant escape coz my cat is trying to play with it... i panic i dont know what to do i just cant leave my cat and be poisoned by the snake, should i call 911 or animal control (i have to look in the internet to see whats the phone number of the animal control lol) what i did is to get big rake and shove the snake and get my cat as fast as i could and called my husband in a panic and guess what he told me? to just make a soup out of it while laughing lol... also one summer day i volunteered to mow the lawn since i never use a lawn mower in phil or better yet cut the grass lol... so i thought it was a "fun" thing to do... i was wearing a shorts, a tank top and a slipper... while mowing i saw a snake again on grass and there goes my panic mode... lol... i run inside the door wear my jeans, socks, a tennis shoes, jacket and a gloves... lol... it was so freakin hot but i was so freakin scared with the 12-inch snake (careless if its a graden snake or not)... but i have to continue mowing so i can "show off" to my husband that i know how to mow the grass lol...
from time to time my cat just carry a half body of a snake and still trying to play with it...

LOL, that's funny. I was on the phone with my fiance when she found a snake in her house. She poured gas on it and lit it on fire. I said, "Why did you do that? It's just a snake!" But she said everybody in the Philippines will kill a snake because they don't know whether it's poisonous or not - people don't take chances on that there, hehe.

Whereas, in the U.S., many people know whether or not a snake is poisonous. If it's poisonous, I would just call the local animal control center to have it relocated. The cultural differences are fun!

This is the one that really floored my wife. I had to say yes, lots of old people work for the medical insurance, or they are greeters at Wall Mart because there is no extended family to take care of them when they get old, or really shocking, they really like the work they are doing and they can't imagine retiring and playing golf.

[*]At Taco Bell: You mean they just let you drink all the Coke you want?

[*]At home: How do I get the shower to come on?

[*]At home: The washer will not spin (lid was open)

[*]What is a tampon?

[*]How do they know what the weather will be tomorrow?

[*]Why do all the ice cubes look the same? (not made by busting ice from a plastic tube)

[*]You only take one shower a day?

[*]Old people have jobs?

[*]They let you take the shopping cart outside?

[*]At Wal-Mart: They let you check your own stuff? How do they know you wont steal it?

[*]Why does the traffic light have a Yellow?

[*]You can make popcorn in the microwave?

[*]At the grocery store: Where is the MSG?

[*]They let you put the gas in your car yourself?

[*[b]]What is turkey?

[*]How does the police man know if you are speeding?[/b]



How old is she? I'm sure there must be ways she must have known the answers while in the our country. It's hilarious but...you sure she doesn't know what a turkey is? Aw come on! LOL

okay +

opssss

She never drove in the Philippines so she didn't know they have a yellow light there. But now that we are talking about the driving rules she notices everything.

Oh noooooooooooo not filipinas driving, two weeks ago I just hit a tree in the parking lot at the office while backing up.... Last week I was driving n didn't notice the rescue squad behind my back. This monday this goofy driver overtook me and he almost end up in the ditch but he's ok.....

You should see my big old buddy buick he's got dent from my hitting our mailbox when I was just learning how to drive. I broke my right mirror when I hit the tree (again backing while backing up) and my husband was teaching me how to drive. My doberman dog scratch the side of my car when he's just a puppy (he saw his reflection from my car). But still I love my big old reliable buddy buick!

I asked my husband are we poor? I think I have one of the ugliest car in the neighborhood, husband's comment you're gonna have the fanciest car if you straigthen out your driving..... my co-workers don't ride with me when we go out for lunch I told them I don't want to be responsible for someone else's life LOL! Oh LO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[*]At Taco Bell: You mean they just let you drink all the Coke you want?

[*]At home: How do I get the shower to come on?
( coz we only have a cold shower in the Philippines and you only have to twist it one time to make it work)

[*]At home: The washer will not spin (lid was open)(yeah, right, )

[*]What is a tampon?( haha, haven't tried a tampon in the Philippines, just sanitary napkins and don't see any in the commercials )

[*]How do they know what the weather will be tomorrow? ( in the Philippines, we watch the weather update in the news, )

[*]Why do all the ice cubes look the same? (not made by busting ice from a plastic tube)( right, again )

[*]You only take one shower a day?

[*]Old people have jobs?

[*]They let you take the shopping cart outside?

[*]At Wal-Mart: They let you check your own stuff? How do they know you wont steal it?

[*]Why does the traffic light have a Yellow?
[b]( I know there's a yellow traffic light in PI but wasnt able to notice it coz i wasnt driving back there,hehe)
[*]You can make popcorn in the microwave?[/b] ( sorry, we didn't have any microwave oven in the apartment in PI)

[*]At the grocery store: Where is the MSG?

[*]They let you put the gas in your car yourself?

[*[b]]What is turkey?
[b]( I know what turkey is and even a 2 years old girl knows what a turkey is,haha,it's just my first time eating it here in the US and it's real good)
[*]How does the police man know if you are speeding?[/b][/b] ( well, eventually, in our place, i havent seen any driver who got caught up due to car speeding )



How old is she? I'm sure there must be ways she must have known the answers while in the our country. It's hilarious but...you sure she doesn't know what a turkey is? Aw come on! LOL

(I'm 22 )

...
Not sure if it's all ignorance .The only thing i know is that i am purely amazed with everything.Looks new to me that i even forgot what the Philippines look like but inspite of that, I still love my Philippines.Proud to be Pinoy pa din and it feels good to be Home with my husband to be.
And one last thing, you'll lose nothing if you ask something

You keep asking Jocelyn. nothing wrong in getting answers to your questions.

hope you are doing great there adjusting. Gretchen's only problem is being alone when i am at work. No homesickness for Phils.

She applied for her SSN today and got her Nevada state ID though it will expire when her I-94 expires.

Curiously the system had her listed as R1 instead of K1. They will fix it. R1 is religious worker lol.



Chris