Fil-Am

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the U N D E R L Y I N G
connection
By: Hanna Mae La Madrid

“Strength lies in differences.”

We are born the way we are, accepted

and loved by our family, friends, and
country. We share the same culture,
identity and home. But does that mean we
can’t love and accept anything more than
what lies within our land anymore?

Of course we can!

Are we prisoners? No. We are

humans, all equal in whatever continent
you make your breakfast on.

Gary Cooper, a retired soldier of the

U.S. Army, one among the many American
citizens who have decided to create a new
beginning in the Philippines, shared his
insights. Together with his wife, they have
experienced a lot of new things and
encountered a lot of people, reflecting the
greatness of the country and its people.

It was perceived that American

citizens love Filipinos for being honest and
hard workers, but most especially for being
friendly and family oriented. A general
observation between Filipinos and
Americans is indeed the fact that Filipinos
are such family oriented people. Citizens in
the united states normally let their kids out
of the house and be independent and start
living alone or have part time jobs when
turned 18. On the other hand, Filipinos do
not practice such. Parents can’t even blink
an eye when their kids come home late.
Teenagers in their 18s are still considered
kids of the family.

Despite the bitter past of each

country, Filipinos never fail to prove that
past stays where it belongs. They respect
and show genuine smiles, a friend to each
foreign man. Lends hand and tries to
understand, no matter how foreign the
words they hear sounds.
 Between the two different race lies
differences in the manner of speaking as
well. Slangs are mostly used by Americans,
considering that English is their first
language. And Filipinos usually sticks on
the proper form of speaking English. But
either of the two, shines undeniable
accents.

Moreover, Filipinos are rich in

addressing words especially to elders. In
other countries, they usually call elder
people by their names, but in the
Philippines, they use ‘po’ and ‘opo’. And this
kind of practice is actually a gold in disguise
in showing how respectful Filipinos really
are.

When it comes to the different

behaviors of Filipinos, there are some which
are not usually done in the United States.
The greatest no-no is ‘eating with bare
hands’. If you are going to realize it, it is
indeed a unique behavior of Filipinos.
However, it does not imply any downside or
improper practice. It is simply a way of
showing the fondness of Filipino citizens to
food and how much they enjoy eating.
Another observation is the use of ‘tabo’ or
dipper in the toilet. Filipinos are just that
inventive. They always look for the most
accessible, budget saver stuff they could get
their hands on in the market. And that’s
just one among the many things that makes
Filipinos unique.

Lolo Gary also pointed out just how

countries have citizens of both versions: the
rude and polite beings. And he got a point!
There is no such place on Earth where you
can only encounter people with halos above
their heads.

Barbeques is another thing who can

earn high fives from both countries.
Filipinos and americans share the same
appetite in drinking alcohol and eating
pollutants.

However, both bloodlines share

different way of thinking. Americans,
according to lolo mainly think of themselves
while Filipinos thinks more about
education, improving the government, and
the future of their families.
 Staying in a foreign country sure is a
great challenge, and for lolo, the greatest
adjustment he has undergone was learning
the language of Filipinos. Learning a new
language felt like you had to go back and
start learning ABCs again.

But then, when that foreign country

is the one called Philippines, language
barrier is not an ultimate problem at all.
Because the country is rich with friendly
citizens who will never lend you furrowed
eyebrows when you talk but instead, gives
you encouraging nods and bright glints of
eyes. That is evident through lolo’s claim
that he does encounter difficulties in
communicating and transacting sometimes,
but his Filipino friends always come to his
rescue to try and understand him.

Asians are found to be more friendly,

respectful and rich in different culture.

Lolo loves and enjoys living in the

philppines and couldn’t picture himself
leaving here permanently.

I hope Filipinos feel the same way.

Diversity may be the hardest thing for

a society to live with, and perhaps the most
dangerous thing for a society to live without.