Things you found strange about the Philippines

[Derbo/Yamkins 4]

I had such a good time reading the other thread about what your fiancee / wife thought about life in the States, that I decided to turn it around a little bit.

When you or your spouse first visited in the Philippines, what was most shocking to them? Here is our list!

-Security guards armed with shotguns and automatic rifles. Checkpoints before entering malls, even cities.

-Toilet paper must be purchased in public restrooms, and absolutely NOT flushed.

-Traffic is chaotic and disorderly. It takes hours just to drive a short distance.

-Spoons are the most common utensil. Even for cutting!

-Large fences and walls everywhere. Not common to see parks or open grassy areas.

-Stray dogs and chickens wander everywhere!

-Churches are always full no matter what time of day.

-Medicine can be bought without a prescription.

-Beautiful skyscrapers RIGHT next door to dumping grounds.

-Power lines are a tangled mess... even in urban areas.

[sweetpink 1]

I had such a good time reading the other thread about what your fiancee / wife thought about life in the States, that I decided to turn it around a little bit.

When you or your spouse first visited in the Philippines, what was most shocking to them? Here is our list!

-Security guards armed with shotguns and automatic rifles. Checkpoints before entering malls, even cities.

don't make a wrong move..they won't hesitate to shoot you lol

-Toilet paper must be purchased in public restrooms, and absolutely NOT flushed.

nothing is for free.

-Traffic is chaotic and disorderly. It takes hours just to drive a short distance.

that's what they say, "if u can drive in Philippines you can drive anywhere else in the world"

-Spoons are the most common utensil. Even for cutting!

I would say, spoon and fork together (very spanish)

-Large fences and walls everywhere. Not common to see parks or open grassy areas.

wealthy people loves their privacy. beware, behind those gates are security guards with shotguns too

-Stray dogs and chickens wander everywhere!

I miss this scenario!

-Churches are always full no matter what time of day.

very religious people. when everything else fails, FAITH in God always works!

-Medicine can be bought without a prescription.

accessible for drug addict

-Beautiful skyscrapers RIGHT next door to dumping grounds.

-Power lines are a tangled mess... even in urban areas.

that's why candles and oil lamps are available in most convenient stores

[kev_n_jena 89]

I was a little surprised when the cook cut our porkchops for us with a pair of scissors on the ferry boat.

Traveling overnight by ferry in economy class. I was the only kano. Don't look under the cushions of the bunks!

Chickens tied to sticks and tree limbs were kind of interesting.

You can buy single cigarettes for 1 or 2 pesos.

On our last trip it was fiesta time in the barangay. There were fireworks every morning at 4:30 AM. The first morning I thought we were under attack by NPA. Scared the **** outa me! After the fireworks there was singing and praying over the loud speaker.

During fiesta, the men started drinking brandy at 8 am. They drank till about noon, had a siesta and started drinking again! That's hardcore celebrating.

There's a lot more, I'll have to think about it.

Edited July 23, 2011 by kev_n_jena

[gretchen_darren 67]

Bones in the soup.

Bones in the food

cooking with vinegar

Sugar in the spagetti sauce... LOTS of it

fighting for pigs knuckles, pigs ears, and pig cheecks

Kids left to wander about

clothes looking like multiple generation hand-me-downs

constant power outages

Showering by the water pump

washing clothes by the water pump even in cities and towns

restaurants having dirt and gravel floors

cooking over an open flame next to nipa hut or inside a nipa hut

one room nipa huts for a family of seven or more

even coffee costs for a refill

NO Soda on the planes (coffee, tea, or water)

Sari-sari in houses.

Rice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, pepper ARE staples.

Spices are hard to find. Most spices are unheard of even though the Philippines is right next to countries where most of the spices are grown and shipped throughout the world.

very few homes have fridges (probably because of blackouts)

even less homes have freezers

Very little if any cold food sold in stores. Very little refrigeration units. Watching a Jollibee transport come in, people were just watching cold FROZEN food coming in.

the higher quality of the food, the smaller the portions.

Never leave your plate unguarded. The minute you leave it. Someone else WILL eat the food on it.

Always show respect. this includes touching the hand to the forehead.

If you sleep at your fiancee's house, remember where the C.R. is in the village.

Family meals mean adults eat first, kids eat leftovers.

Kids actually sweep and clean the house.

Trash is left anywhere they want to.

[gretchen_darren 67]

jeepney will always pick up another passenger.

Never assume ANY vehicle will stop. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way.

Just saying NO does not always work.

[JoBri 545]

When waiting in a mall in Manila for the stores to open their doors, over the loud speaker a woman (nun?) began the day with prayer and a devotion, then ended with prayer, even while Muslims were standing near me.

I liked this. it is nice not having the government interfering with the church. Muslim holidays are celebrated on the calendar and with days off from work and Christians are able to open the day at a mall in prayer. So refreshing after the extremes the U.S. government has gone to for the sake of a very small minority in order to wipe God in any and all forms out of our culture.

[rlogan 2,036]

Balut and fish paste that has an odor powerful enough to suppress life everywhere it drifts.

[southcalhog 43]

Balut and fish paste that has an odor powerful enough to suppress life everywhere it drifts.

You Aint lieing!!

[Michael and Ivy 1]

Fish heads in soup.

[magdasal 19]

Hehehehe, ah, the memories...

1) The size of the malls...I was simply blown away by these things. Seems like you could fit 3 or 4 average American malls in one of these monsters. Ayala in Cebu is one of the largest, prettiest malls I've ever seen in the world.

2) The rules of the road (or lack of them). Like someone said, traffic in the Philippines moves like a school of fish.

3) Related to #2 above...the number of gory traffic accidents. Where my wife lives, near the Buda highway in Mindanao, I'm pretty sure there was one major, gory accident along that stretch of highway a day...sometimes several. Probably has something to do with all the motorcycles and cars on that road at night with no lights whatsoever.

4) The presence of rice at every, single, meal.

5) How hard the rice farmers work there and how little money they make for that rough, hot work.

6) Flying virtually anywhere in the Philippines for about $40 a passenger.

7) How cool it gets at night where my wifes family lives...it was almost cold. Raging heat during the day though, but no surprise there.

8) The dozens of fees and forms required to do anything 'official' in the Philippines...like get married.

9) The size of the families...my wife has seven brothers and this isnt' considered particularly large in her part of the country.

10) The numbers of other 'family' who stay directly connected. During our wedding, half of the 300 guests at the reception were relatives...living close by.

Gawd, I could write these all night...

Edited July 24, 2011 by magdasal

[Laser1 63]

Tuba

[Derbo/Yamkins 4]

(Yamy replying)

Traveling overnight by ferry in economy class. I was the only kano.

In our case, attending a Catholic mass and he's the only "kano". Every one is looking at him like he's an apparition.

Fish heads in soup.

Hahahaha. I remember him saying something similar to "Why are the fishes looking at me?" or something similar to "They still swim." It was in good humor.

-Large fences and walls everywhere. Not common to see parks or open grassy areas.

wealthy people loves their privacy. beware, behind those gates are security guards with shotguns too

Indeed! I have to tell our private guards to enter stealth for him. He had to recover from shock for visiting the mall that day.

(and of course, I'm kidding )

And with Michael and Ivy mentioning fishes and their bones, I have to add that I made Deren try Tawilis (Freshwater Sardinella) from Tagaytay! For those who don't know, you eat Tawilis with the bones.

[A and T 82]

Things I like about the philippines

- Pharmacy without a script, (I only go as needed but it is very wonderful!)

- I actually like the added security guards in front of buildings, and malls.

- Public transport, cheap

-Travel , easy to travel to places, beaches , etc (the lrt is great)

- People are nice, and happy

Things I dislike about the philippines

-No public trash cans , hardly at all (no one seems to care about where garbage goes)

-Heat, Pollution , dangerous traffic/driving

-The SM malls, although big in size, have little selection and everything is mostly junk when it comes to clothes. Example I went to several stores which might only have 2 or 3 pairs of shorts for men and none in size 34 or up type sizes very often. The SM mall of Asia is nice, but all the stores in it are no good , often they are the size of a small closet with a few things hanging up and thats it. Ive been extremely disappointed in the shopping here . The only decent mall so far is Greenbelt and its way over priced. Ive had to get some clothes mailed to me from overseas due to the lack of decent clothes =/ But women have far more clothing choices than the men when it comes to shopping here

-Lack of public restrooms , and having to pay to use them when you do find one

- Meats, are extremely low quality, you aren't going to go to the store and find a spiral cut honey ham. The hotdogs are terrible as is the sausage, the Italian type foods they like to eat are not even close, mostly sugar sauce. Also steak is an extreme luxury.

- The McDonalds doesn't have biscuits, the breakfast food is just on burger buns it seems bleh

-SM department store, while inside they have people at each rack trying to sell you stuff, and its so relentless that you just want to leave the store and buy nothing. I have decided to stop shopping there.

- Being handed pamphlets everywhere you go for over priced condos

- Lack of online shopping/decent banking

[Removed-02242014 19]

It's 95 degrees F -- 90% humidity and Filipinas wear a sweater (including my own)

Hot Dogs are RED

Jolibees is crowded yet the food is terrible

I can ride a motorcycle without a helmet

Most small cities have no stop signs or lights but traffic works

In the department stores each station has an employee standing there to wait on you.

Traffic cops are hot chicks wearing hooker boots

No one but Americans and Europeans wear tennis shoes

I went to a rock concert in a park an NOBODY got up to dance - they sat in chairs around tables.

[Dan and Judy 614]

Homesteading in Cemeteries