Louder than a flock of teenage girls and more intrusive than an Amber Alert; sometimes our phones buzz like crazy and we receive warning of a flash flood. It happened recently and aside from some wet clothes and smelling Italian … Continue reading The Average Flood in the US is a Light Mist in the Philippines
One of Jenny’s first projects when she moved in with me was to get rid of my big bucket of coins. Something about collecting loose change … Continue reading Coin Money Versus Paper Money
Already Jenny has spent more time in the US than I did in the Philippines. She has a better grasp of cultural norms here, which include shoving people on the train platform for seats and spending far too much money … Continue reading Learn to Appreciate the Small Stuff: Like Dying Leaves and Midgets
In the Philippines one of the main forms of transportation is the jeepney. Basically, it’s like a jeep and a person’s knee mated; as the name suggests. Then the offspring looks like a jeep, but it’s the size of a … Continue reading A Review of Jeepneys from an American
The other day I was in line. It doesn’t matter where or what brand of rubber fist I was buying. The point is I was reminded of a major cultural difference between the United States and the Philippines I experienced … Continue reading Old People Get Their Own Line for Taxis in the Philippines
Transportation in the Philippines is significantly different than it is in the US. Most notably, an hour long cab ride is about the equivalent of six bucks over there. You can hardly get lunch in New York City for this … Continue reading Filipinos Appreciate the Practicality of Motorcycles, Americans Love Gas Guzzling Minivans
Jenny doesn’t know this, but I came really close to dying when I visited her in October. Something I didn’t know about Filipinos is they love bones in their meats or at least they are too lazy to remove them. … Continue reading I Almost Died in the Philippines Then I Had to Poop
The same way Jenny has to deal with people thinking I’m some rich old white man I am burdened with people assuming she is a step above a mail order bride. Because the Philippines isn’t a nation Americans typically know … Continue reading Yes, My Filipino Fiancée Speaks and Understands English
In the Philippines, because it’s so hot and they aren’t a country created by Puritans who hanged women for knowing how to write, people are not shocked to see you in your underwear. Not many people saw me in mine. … Continue reading People in the Philippines Aren’t Shocked to See You in Your Underwear
I’m in an interracial relationship yet I often forget this is a fact. It’s 2016 now and interracial relationships are pretty common. Even famous people have them. Disney movies for goodness sake center their plots around two people of different … Continue reading I’m in an Interracial Relationship and Sometimes I Forget
I’m used to a very different type of person in the United States than what I experienced in the Philippines when I visit in October 2015. Growing up and living entirely in the Northeast, each day of my life I … Continue reading Everyone in the Philippines is Extremely Polite
