It's been six months since I got here in the USA. I have made some personal observations and that includes comparing myself to the people in general here. These observations might not be applicable to all.
1. My husband finds it amazing that I can pick things up with my feet specifically with my toes. I have a small feet, but I am still adept at picking stuff up with them or I just have pretty good amount of control that I can easily curl or fan them.
2. This next mannerism that I want to stop is when I pout and point with my lips. Every time I do this, I will leave them wondering as to what I really want them to do. I just find it easier to purse my lips especially when it takes time for my mind to describe the object or person. Husband jokingly warned me not to do this in public because they might think I am asking for a kiss.
3. I don't know how to stop making "sitsit" or "psst". It's kinda hard especially when we grew up doing this. For me, it's the fastest good attention seeking speech.Oh by the way, I still say "aray" when I get hurt.
4. Our country is surrounded by seas and oceans, but only a few knows how to swim. I really envy those little kids whom my husband calls the " Sea Diving Gypsies" or in our term the Badjaos and Samals who live in houses that stands on stilts over the water beside the sea . They can dive without any diving equipment.
5. I still cannot stand not having a rice in my meal. Its just that every time I skip the rice and eat the American food, my tummy starts to complain. I tried explaining that what they have for lunch or dinner like hamburger, pizza, taco or hotdog are just our snack food in the Philippines. I am just lucky that my husband is not a picky eater. He is flexible to both Filipino and American food. I am also a fruit eater.
6. We eat with a spoon and fork, while they can comfortably eat with only a fork. We can also eat with our hands or with one foot up the chair.
7. I am still super "matampuhin" (sulky, sensitive). Hubby will have to study more on this Filipina trait, he tends to become easily impatient. I believe our husbands should understand that sometimes we are just longing for some sweetness in the relationship. They don't really know how hard it is to be living in a foreign land with nobody except for your partner. It is healthy to be "matampuhin" sometimes, but not too much.
8. We are always proud of our man. No matter what his weaknesses or shortcomings might be, still we can say to the whole world how lucky we are to have such an amazing person to spend the rest of our lives with. We easily forgive and forget.
9. Since I am not employed yet, hubby finds it cute that I always look at him first before grabbing an item that I want into the shopping cart as if I am seeking for approval. I guess I am just a considerate type of person before making my husband spend on something for me I make sure that he has extra for these not so basic needs. It is usually girl stuff but he would always say that he would buy anything for me if he can afford it. Sweet!
10. We Pinays are conscious of how we look. We are not contented with only looking at the mirror inside the bathroom before leaving, we still look at mirrors inside of the car. Hey, we don't just want to look ugly. We like to idolize celebrities or famous people and somehow would copy how they do their hairstyles, make-up or even how they dress up. They say we always check the labels of the clothes to see where it is made from. We don't want to get burn from staying under the sun. It's easy for White Americans to be laying all day and sunbathing because they can go back to their original color in no time, while we Pinays it took even a long time to achieve this color we have now, not to mention all the skin whitening products we used when we were still in the Philippines.
11. We like cooking. I am no chef but I am proud to say that my husband and family loves my cooking. I sometimes look up for simple recipes then as soon as I have the ingredients I tried cooking or baking them. If I can, I usually make Filipino recipes for them. Believe it or not, it's only here that I can cooked decent meals. It's something I started love doing especially for people I love.
12. We are not difficult to please. One bar of Snickers can make me already smile or just even when hubby volunteers to help me with the chores.
•☆.•*´¨`*••♥ Good Vibes Everyone! ♥••*´¨`*•.☆•
Thoughts?
What do you think makes you distinct among other nationality aside from the ones above? Are you proud to have these Filipino traits?
