FILIPINO CULTURE IS FUNNY! What's Different About The Philippines??

If you're the kind of woman that's likely to make a scene when told to segregate by sex, the Philippines may not be for you. When you approach the entrance to a mall... What is this video? It depends on your genitalia. Did she just say that? Did she just say that? I was... Oh my god. Oh my god. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What is this? Filipino culture is funny. What's different about the Philippines? What's up, Philippines? Welcome back to another video. I'm your host, Nelly. I lived in the Philippines for quite some time, almost like four and a half years. It's almost five years. Yeah, I've seen a lot. I've experienced a lot. And I vlogged as well. I do have a second YouTube channel as well. It's Nelly's Life, where I share my travels and my life as well. And yeah, today's video sounds interesting. I'm really intrigued. So without further ado, I would just say, let's just watch it together. Hi, folks. The Filipino in here. And almost everyone that's considering visiting or living in the Philippines has asked the question, so what is it like? You know, it's gonna be different. But how? The customs, the roads, the language, the people. Well, you might think it's just a sunny paradise that's otherwise a lot like your home country. But it's actually different in so many ways that I hardly know where to start. Culture shocks incoming. Even you guys that lived here a while are still getting used to things. And today, I'm gonna talk about a few of those differences I bet you didn't expect. Welcome to the wacky way of life in the Philippines. Hello. Wow. Her hair is so long. She looks like Pocahontas. She is the Filipina Pocahontas. She should rename her channel to Filipina Pocahontas. It depends on your genitalia. Warning to feminists. Did she just say that? I was, oh my god. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What is this? What is this about? You'll be triggered by the following information. If you're the kind of woman that's likely to make a scene when told to segregate by sex, the Philippines may not be for you. When you approach the entrance to a mall or other retail establishment, you might be asked to enter through a special door marked women's entrance. Yep, I kid you not. There can be separate entrances for males and females, where both sexes will have their personal items inspected before they're allowed to go shopping. Okay, we're good. It's rare that your body will actually be touched. It's a family-friendly channel here, so. It's not unheard of to get a pat on your lower back. I suppose they're looking for explosives or other illicit items being smuggled inside. But why the separate doors? You might assume it's so that women can be searched by female guards while the men are checked by other males. But 90% of the time, all the guards doing the inspections are men. Maybe someone can tell me what's going on in the comment section, because I have no clue. No, usually it's men and women. But the good news for you foreigners is that for some reason, you won't be subjected to the same level of searches that the locals are. And you folks will often get weighed right on through. It might make you feel embarrassed or guilty that you get preferential treatment. But that's just the way it is. Oh my god. So, enjoy. So real. Breaking the... Okay, hold on. First of all, wow. Wow, okay. This girl is all about real talk. For a second, I was just like, oh, what am I watching here? She's a little bit sassy, I must say, in a good way. I am already kind of enjoying, but also kind of a little bit nervous. Oh man, she is definitely playing with words. Breaking the piggy bank. The piggy bank. Now, if you've entered the mall in order to pick up a simple toy for your child, get ready to hold onto your wallet. Filipino kids generally don't have as many toys as their western counterparts. Very true. And this could be one reason why. In the west, cheap Chinese toys are available everywhere for a couple dollars. Yeah. But here, the same items can cost up to five times as much. For example, this My Little Pony only cost seven dollars at an American Walmart. But here, the exact same toy is 48 bucks? What? No wonder the average Filipino kid doesn't have a bedroom full of toys. Wow. Who can afford a week's wage for a piece of plastic? The weird thing is that these toys come from the same place. China. What? I didn't know. Which is a lot closer to us than it is to you. So what's the reason for the big difference in prices? Wow. Once again, I have no clue. But when I have a kid, I'm gonna teach him to play outside. Play with the stick. Wash it yourself. Speaking of expensive toys, if you're trying to buy a household appliance, don't expect to find one like you're used to. Things like dishwashers and clothes dryers are often about twice as much as they cost in the west. Yes. Unless you want to buy the little toy versions like this one, which is completely made of plastic. It's just not great. Yes. These are the actual appliances. Not something you find in the same department as easy bake ovens. Yep. Now this washer's a little on the small side, but at least it's only $360 US. Yeah. Why so cheap? Because it's a floor model with a hole in the front window. Duh. Not only are appliances incredibly expensive. Very expensive. But you can imagine how difficult it is to get them serviced. Most parts have to be ordered. And good luck finding someone qualified to install them. So it's no wonder that washing machines and dryers are considered luxury items. And even comparatively wealthy Filipinos. That is very true. Just hire a housekeeper to do the work by hand. Wow. So you can see 10 million peso homes with clotheslines strung up in the backyard. That is so true. I'm about to do a video on how to locate and hire a good housekeeper. And if you're going to be living here, it's one of the best investments you can make. So stay tuned. Wow, she's so serious. One step to disaster. She's like so professional. For some reason, many Filipinos aren't very interested in having a front yard. Even nice homes are sometimes built right against the road. And I do mean right against it. You could literally take one step outside your front door and get hit by a truck. I never thought about it. I'm not sure why we do this. But it's a fairly common sight, especially in the city. It's much more likely to have a backyard. But even those are usually pretty small. We like to build our houses right up against our property lines. But it doesn't leave much room to enjoy the great outdoors. Four-lane roads aren't. Aren't. As anyone who's visited the Philippines knows, the roads here are used for lots of things besides driving. Yeah, that's true. The streets often become parking lots. Places for animals to sleep. Yeah. Vendors to sell their products. Yeah. And people often just stop their cars in the middle of the road, turn on their blinkers, and go inside a store to do some shopping. Even four-lane roads are just two-lane roads with parking on either side. That is also very true. She is dropping some facts. Just a short distance, which means that if you want to pass someone, you have to go into oncoming traffic to get around the guy in front of you. Add to that the fact that drivers here don't look what's coming when they pull out into the road. It's actually your responsibility not to hit them, which doesn't make sense to foreigners. But don't say I didn't warn you. All this makes for some exciting afternoons behind the wheel. But it's one of the things that makes the Philippines what it is. That is lemonade stand or liquor stand. But aside from all the irritating things you'll find blocking your way out there on the street, you're also liable to find something you just don't see in the West. Homemade liquor for sale. Yep. Many Filipinos sell their own kind of moonshine called tuba. Okay, yeah. Which is made from palm tree sap. We climb the coconut trees, collect the sap from the bud up near the top. It's kind of a wine I think. We part from a mangrove tree. But the most interesting thing is that here in the Philippines, private citizens can actually sell their alcohol to the public right on the street. Yeah. It's usually about 250 pesos or five US dollars per gallon. Wow. So it's a lot of bang for the buck. That's true. I know you're wondering about things like health inspections, permits, and licenses, and all kinds of government oversight regarding the sale of homemade alcohol. But that's Western thinking. This may be one of the only things that's actually easier to do here in the Philippines. So when you want to pick up a little pick-me-up, you can probably find it alongside the road on your way home. Okay. If you don't have time to stop at the local sari-sari store, just send your child to pick it up. On more than one occasion, my parents asked me to stop on my way home from elementary school and buy a jug of tuba. And I was never once asked to produce my sixth grade ID. Oh wow. Two left feet. Have you ever noticed that when you're out walking around with Filipino friends and one of your steps is something nasty, it always seems to be you? It's because every Filipino is equipped with ground scanning radar that alerts us to the presence of rocks, mud puddles, cow patties, dog poop, and the lunch trash that someone decided your feet might like. Wow, she is real. We take it for granted that every surface is a minefield. And it's pretty funny to watch all the stumbling and bumbling that you foreigners have to go through to get from point A to point B. So don't get frustrated when your Filipina acts as a seeing eye dog and keeps calling out all the crap in your path. You might feel like a feeble old man being guided down a flight of tricky steps. But in reality, we're just trying to help. And because we don't want to have to be the ones to clean the poo off your shoe. Just remember, your next step is never as safe as your last. All right. Greetings, greetings. So let's move on to some cultural differences that'll help you out when dealing with Filipinos. When you're meeting one of us for the first time, if you don't want an awkward encounter, forget everything you've ever learned about social protocols. Okay. If you're older than the person you're meeting, and you reach out for a handshake, they'll probably think you're asking for respect. And take your hand and press it to their forehead. Manopo. Which is a gesture called manopo. It's all about age and status here, which can make foreigners very uncomfortable. Because most of you guys don't base respect on age. It's based on merit. But you'll quickly find out that shaking hands isn't really a thing here. Nah, it's not. And for you Europeans, who are used to a quick kiss on a cheek or even a double peck, don't do it. It'll not only be seen as very presumptuous, but your behavior is bound to be the topic of conversation just as soon as you leave the room. And not in a good way. It's pretty much the same thing with hugging. Filipinos occasionally hug. But it's used more sparingly and for specific reasons. I... Generally speaking, we're just not a very touchy-feely people, especially in public. And if you goof up, what you really have to worry about is the reaction of your Filipina. If she sees you leaning in to hug or kiss another woman for any reason, even if it's her mom, you'll awaken the beast within. So prepare to get mauled. Okay, I hug. I'm a hugger. I hug everybody. And I hope you enjoyed hearing about just a few of the things that makes the Philippines different from your home country. I could do 10 videos like this and not even scratch the surface. Yeah, please do so. That just gives us more to talk about next time. Speaking of which, I'll see you in just three more days for a story you'll never forget. Till then, folks. Okay. Wow. This woman. Okay. Very different attitude, I must say. Let me know what you think. Very different from all the videos that I've seen so far. I kind of like it because she's so real. But then it was at the same time she's saying it in a tone where I'm like, feeling a little bit uncomfortable. You know what I mean? So yeah, I don't know. Let me know if I should react to another video of hers. I must say I agree with a few things that she says. Good points. Definitely good points. It's stuff that no foreigners talk about in their videos, mostly. I do see some great content here, actually. That's it for today. And I'll see you guys next time here on What's Up Philippines!