A Cultural Melting Pot

From its 327 year Dominion under Spain, to the half century spent under the US's watch, in addition to the Asian culture it has been constantly surrounded by, the Philippines is the definition of a cultural melting pot. The recipe contains a dash of Malay warmth and generosity, a sprinkle of outgoing Latin temperament, and a pinch of Asian tradition combined with European pop culture to create the unique Filipino way of life.

The Philippines has adopted much of their culture from other countries, including greetings. When greeting a person, it is common to shake hands(softly), as we do in the US. Sometimes women may hug one another, or men may pat each other on the back, but men and women are expected to shake hands. To show respect for an elder, a younger person may bow towards the elder's hand and raise it to their forehead (if the hand is offered by the elder first), this is known as mano or pagmamano and is also to accept a blessing from an elder.

Family unity is a term that the Philippines has earned. Family members love each other and are always looking for a way to spend time together. Family also means sacrifice, what ever it takes to keep family close and doing well. Although Filipino culture is very polite and warm, parents have the right to command their children, and children are expected to obey and respect their parents.

The Philippines is a country that communicates indirectly. This means that body language is used to communicate, as well as asking questions instead of giving commands. One example is that "yes" is signified by jerking the head upwards, while "no" is shown by jerking the head down, because of the indirect culture, many times people while say yes while signifying no, which still means no. Talking in circles is also common, which may be different to many Americans, but it is the polite way in multiple other cultures.

Another thing that I found interesting is that the Philippines is a Republic, and they elect a president like the US does! Each President serves a term of six years. The current President is Benigno Aquino III, and the Vice President is Jejomar Binay. While I don't know too much about their politics, I am hoping to learn since it will be election year while I am there!

So, I hope this post is a good overview of Filipino culture, and I will be posting more about the Philippines and YES Abroad as time goes on. Feel free to comment with any questions you might have about me, my exchange, the Philippines, YES Abroad, or anything else!