10 Surprising Philippine Customs Foreigners Must Learn 🇵🇭

[00:00:00]And I was like, "Where's the bathroom?

[00:00:01]Where's the restroom?" And she goes And I'm like, "What the heck is she doing?

[00:00:07]Is she She's with me and she's trying to kiss that guy?"

[00:00:10]Hey, today's top 10 is going to be 10 cultural secrets you need to know before you move to the Philippines. Let me grab my keys and we'll get into it.

[00:00:20]All right, let's get into it.

[00:00:24]Hey guys, today's top 10 is something everyone needs to know that's planning on moving to the Philippines. It's 10 cultural secrets that you need to know as an expat.

[00:00:35]So, we'll get into it right now. Number 10 is the Swiss Army knife of Philippines hygiene. I'm talking about the tabo.

[00:00:47]The plastic scoop and bucket you see in a bathroom when you leave the hotels and go out to the province.

[00:00:56]I was at my friend's house and we were at a cookout and I really needed to go to the bathroom, which I learned is also called the comfort room. So, remember that when you're looking for a restroom, call it the comfort room.

[00:01:09]I went in there and I was like, "What the heck? There's a bucket with water and a scooper and a hose with a nozzle on it."

[00:01:18]And I went to the bathroom and I did the best I could and I came out and my friend goes, "Where'd you go?" And I said, "I had to go to the restroom." And they go, "Where'd you go?" And I said, "Over there." She goes, "No, that's the outside bathroom.

[00:01:31]You go to the one inside.

[00:01:33]It's more Westernized." So, that was my first experience [snorts] uh of using the uh plastic scooper or the tabo.

[00:01:43]Um Number nine, the bur months. If you've ever spent any significant time in the Philippines, you know all about the bur months. I'm talking September, October, November, December.

[00:02:01]I was in Palawan or Palawan, I've heard it said both ways. Don't beat me up.

[00:02:06]And it was September 1st and I was at the airport getting ready to catch my flight back to Cebu and I hear Christmas music and there's a Christmas tree in the lobby and I look at my friend and I'm like what's going on? We in a time warp? She goes, "No, no, no, no, no. This is the longest celebration of any country in the world. In the Philippines, Christmas starts September 1st. You can hear Mariah Carey, you can hear Frank Sinatra, all these songs playing until the end of December.

[00:02:45]But they do make a spectacle of it. The malls are are decorated, the streets are decorated, the shops are decorated. You just have to see it. So, I'll recommend going.

[00:02:55]Uh, number eight.

[00:02:57]Uh, karaoke, videoke, whatever you want to call it.

[00:03:01]It's not just a competitive sport, it's more military style. They they take this seriously. I mean, you can go out in the province and you may you'll see a guy at the end of a dirt road next to a sari-sari store at 2:00 a.m. blasting out songs.

[00:03:18]But for us expats I need to warn you and I'm you can Google this. I'm not making it up.

[00:03:26]Stay away from Frank Frank Sinatra.

[00:03:29]My Way. People lose their lives because they were singing it off key or they were hogging the mic.

[00:03:35]If I were you, I would just stay away from it. I would stick to Bon Jovi.

[00:03:43]Number seven.

[00:03:45]I got to experience this at a family cookout, the boodle fight or I'm going to don't I'm going to butcher kamayan kamayan or the boodle fight is eating with your bare hands.

[00:03:59]So, it's like a competition. They take banana leaves and they spread them out over the table and they just fill the table up with all kinds of food.

[00:04:09]Uh, it's rice, it's fish, it's lechon, it's adobo, whatever they put out there and you stand shoulder to shoulder and basically everybody goes at it at the same time.

[00:04:23]Everybody's reaching across the table trying to get the best cuts of meat. I know I did. I like lechon and I was trying to get that little fatty section with the crunchy skin. So, if you get a chance to hang out with your Filipino friends and experience this, it can be a lot of fun. So, uh, definitely see if you can get one of your Filipino friends to invite you to one of these events.

[00:04:46]Uh, number six, the gift box.

[00:04:51]All right.

[00:04:52]Oh, I'm going to butcher this. I'm going to butcher this so bad. The gift box, pasalubong pasalubong.

[00:05:01]Basically, if a Filipino goes anywhere and it can just be 2 hours away. I mean, let's say they're in Davao City and they go to 2 hours away travel outside.

[00:05:12]When they come back, they're expected to bring gifts and souvenirs and trinkets for just a 2-hour trip.

[00:05:21]It's expected.

[00:05:22]On a grander scale, you will see, uh, I see my Filipino friends here in the US, they will sit ship these huge boxes back and they're usually at a flat rate.

[00:05:32]It's anywhere 90 to $120.

[00:05:35]They're called, oh gosh, I'm going to destroy it.

[00:05:40]I'm going to destroy it. But, here we go.

[00:05:43]Balikbayan box. I'm only going to try to say it But, here they'll fill it up with clothes, gadgets, chocolates, you name it.

[00:05:54]Anything they want. Right now, these Trader Joe bags are ridiculous. I don't know if you've seen this trend. But, Trader Joe's puts out these bags, and I have been sent to the store by my Filipino friend on countless times to buy these bags up so they can ship them back to the Philippines. Everybody wants these bags in the Philippines.

[00:06:12]Because, if you're enjoying this, please like and subscribe. My channel can only grow if you support me.

[00:06:18]Um I'll continue to bring you good content. Some's going to be fun, some's going to be serious, and just join me on this journey. So, please like and subscribe below.

[00:06:27]Now, without further ado, let's get to number five. Has anybody ever ridden a jeepney?

[00:06:34]It's intimidating.

[00:06:35]It is intimidating. It is controlled chaos.

[00:06:40]I would never get on one by myself because I don't understand what's going on. I'll just take a grab. But, they insisted I get on this jeepney, and you get on the back of the jeepney, and you're at the very back, and the driver's at the front, and you got to get your money to him.

[00:06:54]So, you start passing it up, and the word, I think they were saying was bayad po, bayad po, bayad po. I don't know. It's something like that. And it meant, here's my payment. So, everybody passes your money up, and then, if you get change, everybody passes your money back down to you.

[00:07:11]It's wild. And then, when you going to get off, you hear people clicking on the rails like with coins, or you hear them say, "Para! Para!" And that I guess that means stop. So, people stop and get off.

[00:07:23]So, there's no set stops. You got to tell the driver where you're stopping.

[00:07:27]So, I guess he runs the same route. I could be wrong. Somebody educate me.

[00:07:31]But, it was controlled chaos.

[00:07:36]That brings me to number four.

[00:07:39]And I did this cuz I had it already set in my mind that was going to try to immerse myself in the culture and try different things.

[00:07:46]And at the same party we were having, here comes a guy on a bicycle with a basket and he's yelling, "Balut! Balut!"

[00:07:54]And all immediately my Filipino friends ran out there because they knew I wanted to try this.

[00:07:59]And they got me two eggs. And one was 16 and one was 17. And I know you're saying, "16 and 17, what is that?"

[00:08:06]Well, basically balut is a developing duck embryo.

[00:08:11]It is 16 has developed for 16 days, 17 has developed for 17 days.

[00:08:17]So, I started with 16.

[00:08:19]And what you do is you crack the top of that shell open and you pull it back like a little hatch and you drink off the the juice, for lack of a better word. And then I put some vinegar in there and did it again. And then you start cracking it back and you just start eating it. And there is a baby duckling in there.

[00:08:39]So, I'm I'm not going to lie. I had a few Red Horses and San Miguel's in me. I don't know if I would have done it completely sober, but I went on the 17. And 17, I did it, but stick to 16. If you're going to try it, stick stick to 16. That's all I can say. But at least try it.

[00:09:00]It actually was pretty good. I'd eat it again. I'll eat 16 again.

[00:09:04]Um number three.

[00:09:08]So, this party what I wanted to do was show my appreciation for this family that really took me in when I was over there and helped me get immersed in the culture and all these things I've been sharing with you.

[00:09:19]And I wanted to have this party, so I ordered a lechon, I ordered a karaoke machine, outside air conditioner, we had seafood, we had drinks, we had everything.

[00:09:29]So, we're going to have this party >> [clears throat] >> at 4:00.

[00:09:34]So, I show up at 4:00.

[00:09:36]And there's nobody there.

[00:09:38]There's just a people setting up.

[00:09:40]I look at my friend. I'm like, "Is nobody going to come to this party? I bought all this food and we got this karaoke machine." She goes, "No, no, no, no, no. They're coming. They're coming."

[00:09:48]She goes, "They're on Filipino time."

[00:09:50]And I'm like, "What's Filipino time? I mean, time is time. You know, time is strong. Don't rush it. Don't waste it."

[00:09:59]But, she goes, "No, if you tell a Filipino to be somewhere at 4:00, they're going to show up at 6:00."

[00:10:06]And she was right. 6:00, here comes all these people.

[00:10:10]So, my advice to you, if you're living in the Philippines and you want to have a get-together or function or a party and you want to have it at 1:00, you tell everybody to show up at 11:00 a.m.

[00:10:19]And then everybody will be on time.

[00:10:25]Number two.

[00:10:27]So, my friend I was with, I needed to go to the restroom, one of the comfort room, as they call it.

[00:10:36]And I was like, "Where's the bathroom?

[00:10:37]Where's the restroom?" And she goes, And I'm like, "What the heck is she doing?

[00:10:43]She She's with me and she's trying to kiss that guy?" I was like, "Oh, no.

[00:10:47]No, no, no, no, no, no." She goes, "No, no. I'm pointing to the bathroom.

[00:10:53]Word to go. You go And I'm like, "What?" And she goes, "Yeah, in the Philippines, it can be considered aggressive or disrespectful if you point at somebody. So, we use our lips and our facial expressions to direct you in the right direction."

[00:11:09]I still laugh at this to this day. It cracks me up.

[00:11:15]Number one. And this is the one that really touched my heart.

[00:11:21]I was at the Tops in Cebu. If you have never been there, Google this place right now or when you finish this video.

[00:11:27]Yeah, finish watching my video, like, subscribe. Thank you. Um It's this huge complex on of the mountain in Cebu and it has uh restaurants and bars, but it overlooks the city of Cebu and you can see Lapu-Lapu and Mactan. You can see the water. It's gorgeous. Go there when the sun is setting.

[00:11:47]But, my friend went to the restroom.

[00:11:50]Seems like this is the common thing, the bathroom. I don't I don't understand, but it it is what it is.

[00:11:55]Um this 8-year-old Filipino boy comes up to me and starts talking to me like he knows me and we're talking having a conversation and he goes, "Mano po." And he grabs my hand and he places it on his forehead and I'm like, "What is this kid doing? Is he asking for money? I don't know." But, he continued to talk to me. My friend came out of the bathroom, joined in the conversation and then we went to eat.

[00:12:19]Well, he comes up on the second story or floor and he sees me. He comes back to me again and he starts talking to me and he takes my hand and puts it to his forehead.

[00:12:28]And when we're done talking and he leaves, I look at my friend and I was like, "What What was that all about?" He goes, "Oh, he was showing you respect." And I'm like, "What?" She goes, "Yes, that's the way we show respect to our elders.

[00:12:41]We take their hand and put it on our forehead."

[00:12:44]And I was like, "Really?"

[00:12:46]And I said, "There's no 8-year-old child in the United States that's going to show any adult that amount of respect."

[00:12:53]So, I knew then I was this is where I need to retire.

[00:12:57]I mean, I know it won't be like that all the time, but if it's like that 90% of the time and people are kind and respectful and it's fun and it's enjoyable and people are having a good time, that's the life I want. I don't want this anxiety that we live under every day in the United States with this 24/7 news cycle. I want that life.

[00:13:21]And that's the life I'm choosing for myself and that's the life I'm building for myself with this process. So, as I've shared with you, my channel's about deconstructing my life.

[00:13:31]Yeah, it's not going to be everything about domiciles and visas and all that every time. I'm going to do fun things like this because I do have 24-month window. Hopefully, I will cut that down to 12 months if I can. But for right now, my plan is 24 months.

[00:13:48]So, I appreciate you following. I hope you had a little fun with this or you learned something along the ways. I hope the Filipinos who follow me in the Philippines don't beat me up on the pronunciations. I think they get the idea of what I'm doing. I'm laughing at myself. I'm being self-deprecating. And I just hope I make them laugh.

[00:14:05]I'm not being disrespectful about their culture or anything. I just thought I would just share these with my expat friends or people who are thinking about going there. So, when they see these things, they'll know what's going on.

[00:14:17]But that's my time for today. If you remember, time is strong.

[00:14:22]Do not rush it and do not waste it. And with that, my time is up.

[00:14:28]>> Time is strong and so are you.

[00:14:31]You have got to stay focused. Never give up on your big dreams.