By
Maxine Perez
1. Good
food
There is no Filipino that doesn't like Filipino food. More often than not, it’s their favorite type of food. If you haven’t tried it, you should. I guarantee you, you wont regret it. Filipino
food is one of a kind. Different. You may find some of them weird, but they do
taste good. Have you tried Balut? Try it. Have you tried Isaw? Try it. Is there Halo-halo in other countries? Buko Pandan? Maiz con Hielo? Turon? Try them and
you’ll never get enough.
2. Happy
people
Filipinos, in general, are
genuinely happy people. Even in hard times, they still manage to smile. Look at
the people in poverty, they still smile. When there is a calamity, such as a
strong typhoon, they still smile. Especially when there’s a camera for the
news, they try to sneak up behind the newscaster, wave, and smile. After all,
they are gonna be shown on TV.
3. Our
hospitality
Guests are a priority. If you go to
a Filipino family’s house, they will serve you the best they can. They’ll give
you a nice guest room to stay in, good food to eat, and overall just a nice
time. Even with foreign celebrities, we do our best to make them happy and feel loved
by our country. It is our duty to make you feel at home.
4. The
greetings when we see kababayans in another country.
It’s nice to go on a vacation in
another country. But what’s nicer is when you see fellow Filipinos there too. When
they see them, they would always do small talk. Always. They’d ask where they’re
from in the Philippines, until when they’re staying, what hotel they’re staying
in, and sometimes even invite the other for a meal.
5. Way
of respect
We don’t just do the regular way of
respect such as “please”,”thank you”, and the like. We have “po” and “opo” for
extra respect, “mano po” for a blessing, and for greeting, we have cheek
kissing or the so-called “beso-beso”. I personally find this really nice and
unique, as we are probably the only ones who practice this.
6. Our
teamwork
Lots of calamities strike our
country. These times bring out the teamwork and unity as a nation. We donate,
we pack relief goods, organize projects, and many more. Even little actions
such as giving stuffed toys to kids or just making them happy would really mean
a lot. We would do anything just to help or lessen the worries of our fellow Filipinos.
7. Our
sense of humor/inside jokes
There are really just some jokes
that only Filipinos can understand. Maybe it’s because it wont be funny anymore
if you translate it to English or another language. Or maybe it’s because there
are certain things that only Filipinos can relate to which enable us to
understand these jokes. We also have Filipino versions of songs, such as Royals
by Lorde, Party in the USA(changed to Party in Manila Bay for humor’s sake) by
Miley Cyrus and many more, which people sometimes change up to have a touch of Filipino humor in them. We even have Filipino versions of books, The Fault In
Our Stars by John Green being one of them. I don’t know why, but in my opinion, Filipino jokes are funnier than the ones in English.
8. Celebrations
We love to celebrate. From a big
promotion to even a little achievement, there has to be a celebration.
Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Birthdays, and many more. I think we just really
love to make the person feel special or to make people happy. The presence of
our loved ones just really gives us joy.
9. Little
typical things we do
This might not be applicable to
all, but we sometimes tend to go to the mall just to get cool and beat the
heat. You can also turn on your air conditioning units at home, but that would
cost a few extra bucks for electricity. Going to the mall would mean you need
gas, so I kind of don’t get why we can’t just stay home. Nothing against going
to the mall, though.
Whenever we go shopping in a tiangge or the like, we always have to
bargain. From even just a 20 peso discount to a hundred peso discount, we still
try to bargain with the seller.
All offensiveness aside, they say
that if you want to spot a Filipino in another country, look for the ones who
keep taking pictures. I think it’s because we just like the memories held in
pictures. I don’t know about you, but I like how it’s a need to take pictures
and how we love to take them.
You smiled while reading these, am I
right? (well, at least I hope so.)
10. “Pinoy
Pride”
I am proud to be a Filipino. And along with many others as well. Why wouldn't we be? Don’t you just feel great when you find out that someone of the Filipino blood has made it to the big leagues? People like Bruno Mars, Lea Salonga, Vanessa Hudgens, Enrique Iglesias, Rob Schneider, Darren Criss, Charice Pempengco and Manny Pacquiao. Sound familiar? They’re all part Filipino, if not full. There are so much more Filipinos who have rode the path to success. Too much to mention, though.
I am proud to be a Filipino. And along with many others as well. Why wouldn't we be? Don’t you just feel great when you find out that someone of the Filipino blood has made it to the big leagues? People like Bruno Mars, Lea Salonga, Vanessa Hudgens, Enrique Iglesias, Rob Schneider, Darren Criss, Charice Pempengco and Manny Pacquiao. Sound familiar? They’re all part Filipino, if not full. There are so much more Filipinos who have rode the path to success. Too much to mention, though.
While writing this, I seemed to
have felt more proud to be a Filipino than ever. I would never ever want to be
of any other identity.
