Filipinos are born happy. We rejoice over something that's for some people is not even worth rejoicing for. We tend to appreciate even the smaller things and that's what I love about our race. We are very accommodating too. Whenever our friends come over, we usually offer them the best things...I used to think that we do it because we want to impress them but really I think it's beyond that. I think it's already a huge part of our culture. I remember the time I invited my Indonesian friends to come over our house in Jakarta, and I, the typical hospitable Filipino, prepared a "feast" for them. Before they even started eating, one of my closest friends came up to me and asked me why I had to bother preparing for them....and I cheerfully told her that I just wanted to do it for them because they're my friends and they don't get to come to my place all the time. To my surprise, she responded negatively. She told me that I should not have bothered to prepare and confessed that she doesn't feel good about it. I was disappointed because I just wanted them to have a good time and really don't we all Filipinos do that? But then I realized that they come from a different culture and different backgrounds so maybe I made her feel uncomfortable. I learned that it's all about getting used to the things that may seem different to us. I mean I have been "culture shocked" many times before but I got through them and I learned to have an open mind just like Maria in Arguilla's "How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife". She knew the kind of adjustments she had to make and she welcomed those changes. Arguilla perfectly illustrated in the story the importance of families and going back to your roots despite of the changes you have made. It showed how we still value "pamamanhikans" and how important it is for our parents to get to know the people you're going to be living with. It proves how family-oriented we are.
Back in highschool my best friend used to call me the "Corny Chrys". I didn't really know her reasons for naming me that but I think it's because I'm always jolly and I don't take a lot of things seriously. I love how Carlos Bulosan wrote that : "Laughter was our only wealth". I love the thought that Filipinos are a happy race and yet we still put importance on our families, education, friends, lifestyle etc. Just think of the "noche buenas" that we celebrate..isn't that enough proof that we know how to have a great time despite of the ugly things that people from other countries know about us?
We may have been termed as "brown monkeys" or that we eat dogs or those other funny names people call us but atleast monkeys learn easily. They are smart, can adopt to a new environment well and they know how to have fun. And by the way, monkeys are not ugly.
2 comments:
hi eryl. this is the first post i've read for litfili and it bespeaks "good writings" to come (i hope so). ive heard a lot of anecdotes about filipino hospitality and table practices, many of them quite humorous. i've experienced some myself, would you believe. I have lived in the philippines all my life but i still get "culture shocked" once in a while.
many years ago, my boyfriend(now my ex) brought me to their house in san pascual batangas to meet his parents (but not pamamanhikan yet). when we sat down to lunch, i was shocked when they (the parents and the rest of the family) refused to sit and dine with us). at first i felt offended, i asked he-who-had-been: "hindi ba nila ako gusto? galit ba sila?" but he said "hinde, ganito talaga dito sa amin, laging mauuna ang bisita kumain." and uncomfortable as it was for me, i let it go and just let them serve us on. i found it hard to enjoy my meal.
offering friends food, is really filipino-ish, even for some, who doesn't have any budget for it, they still let you eat, anything. i was shocked too with the reaction of your friend. like woow.. she never had an experience like it, at least she knows now how we are when with friends and they will know why you are so "corny chrys". =)
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