An Expats Journey to The Philippines: Love, Culture Shock and Parenthood

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:06]What happens when someone from across the world decides to build a life in the Philippines? Not just to visit, but to truly belong. Meet Colin Walker, a former IT professional from Richmond, Virginia. Driven by a lifelong dream, he moved to Tarlac over a year ago to start a family with his local wife. Today he opens up about his personal odyssey, a journey filled with cultural adjustments, communication barrier, and the profound power of human connection.

[00:00:44]To begin his journey, we asked him about his very first steps here, specifically his most pleasant experiences when interacting with locals. what he uncovered was the legendary form of the Filipinos.

[00:01:00]>> What have you been or like what have your most pleasant experiences in communicating with Filipinos?

[00:01:09]>> Every way. Um, so Pam has a caria. Her mother runs it. She opened it a couple years ago and uh we go up there a lot and help. We stand up there and uh now we we've closed it. We closed it this week cuz we're moving location, but it's been the same location for almost three years. Um, but going there and seeing the people, meeting them, it's nice, you know, I'm I'm almost 6 feet tall. I'm white. Uh, I stand out. So, it's nice going to the store and people recognize me, call me Paul, Puya, whatever, Wally if they're if they're older than me sometimes. Uh, but it's nice that they recognize that I'm here and I'm trying as much as I can to integrate. I'm not trying to change people or change things around. I'm trying to like I'm trying to learn a language. I'm I have been actively taking some lessons um both Tagalog and Kapangan and it's very hard at my age, but I'm trying. I think people recognize that I'm trying.

[00:02:14]>> Thank you, sir. So hearing that as a Filipino, it made us or like it made my heart happy to know that you're really embracing the culture of Filipino. So you as you know, Filipino are known to be accommodating. So did you have any experience with the hospitality of Filipino?

[00:02:36]>> Oh, all the time. First time I rode a Jeep me uh the driver uh tell what gets scoots me to the front and says here here's how much it is here tell me where you want to stop you know take the coins and you know whatever um doesn't even know me just sees this white guy get on his jeep and he's like hey here's how you do things >> his experience shows that in the Philippines communication is really just about little words it is deeply driven by relationships community and a cultural value of Pakiti sama.

[00:03:11]>> A life in a new country isn't flawless.

[00:03:14]Through immersion brings friction when unwritten social laws collide. For him, the hardest adjustments came from navigating the complex unwritten rules of daily life in Filipino social settings.

[00:03:27]>> What are the challenging situations you have encountered?

[00:03:31]>> That's a tough question. It's a couple of things.

[00:03:34]the the way the society is here, polite society. This is this is the biggest thing. I interview with with Clark with some students from Clark here and they ask me kind of the same question. It's it's the same answer. The plight society thing. If I go into say Jollibee and I'm standing there even with Pam, it's happened several times. People walk in front of me to order and in the US number one that doesn't happen very often. If it does, you call it out like right then and there. And it's not an aggressive thing. It's not a mean thing.

[00:04:07]It's say, "Hey, that's bas. I need you to just step back. I mean, I was I was in front of you here. I'm not supposed to do that. It's kind of supposed to stand back and let it happen." And I know I'm not necessarily supposed to, but it's then I'm the rude foreigner if I say something. So, finding a way around that is hard.

[00:04:24]>> When it comes to linguistic barrier po, how did you deal with the with this barrier? Was it challenging po or fun?

[00:04:32]No, I dealt with it by adapting. I mean, I'm coming to your country. I need to learn the language here.

[00:04:37]>> These friction points highlight proxmics or how cultures use space. What seems uncoordinated to a western mindset is actually a fluid communal way of living.

[00:04:47]For him, his confusing moments weren't obstacles. They were essential lessons.

[00:04:52]>> Faced with deep cultural divides, our interviewee chose a unique path. He didn't resist. Instead, he adapted.

[00:05:01]Recognizing that survival requires learning to read the room. We asked him how he navigated his daily challenges.

[00:05:07]>> You mentioned earlier po that you're feeling a bit lost or taking a step back whenever uh you communicated with Filipinos. So, can you share with us how you dealt with these challenges?

[00:05:20]>> Well, one of the important things is to have Pam with me every chance I get. I'm not alone a whole lot. Uh but when I am alone, I I I listen. I just I listen. I don't try to to butt in. Um you know, okay.

[00:05:35]So, I took a I'm trying to get my license here to fly my drone to legally fly my drone uh to earn money, not necessarily to get a job, just so I could cover all the bases, right? So, I went to Baguio, sat at the class by myself. So, I sat there and I just I just listen to everybody. That's the main thing. I wish other foreigners would do the same thing is listen. Shut up and listen.

[00:05:56]>> And a follow-up question lang po regarding that. We know that Filipinos are known for being huge jokers or having this unique sense of humor, right?

[00:06:05]>> Yes.

[00:06:06]>> So, how can you tell that you have finally adapted to it or have you finally gotten this kind of jokes?

[00:06:13]>> We want to know your experience with that.

[00:06:16]>> Um, I don't know. So when when people say something to me that might come across as odd to my ears or rude, I usually pause, take a step back, kind of wait and see.

[00:06:29]But it hasn't happened very often to me.

[00:06:32]Um I have to remind myself that my American humor doesn't sometimes jive with people here. So I have to be careful what I say. Um yeah, it's it's literally it's just like a day-to-day thing. You you just have to pay attention. You just have to be self-aware. So Europe, I didn't feel like I could be myself. Here, I feel like I could be more like myself.

[00:06:52]>> Stepping past cultural boundaries, he embraced true intercultural competence.

[00:06:57]By simply choosing to listen, he proved a vital truth. Integration isn't just about changing where you are, but changing how you see.

[00:07:07]>> His odyssey reminds us that moving across the globe is far more than a physical relocation. It is an enduring exercise in patience, vulnerability, and mutual understanding.

[00:07:20]>> It teaches us that effective, purposeful communication does not rely on a perfect grammar or syntax. It relies on a willingness to respect the invisible social fabrics that hold a human community together. And while our worlds may be vastly different, these gaps are not impossible. When we genuinely listen and choose to integrate, boundaries eventually fade away. Ultimately, communication is not just about words.

[00:07:50]It is about the bridge we build to respect and share humanity. This has been a proposive communication special report.

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