Kumusta Philippines: Part 2

One of the first things that struck me on arriving at the Philippines was just how overwhelmingly friendly everybody is.I wouldn't  say Korean people are unfriendly (although I have heard this said, including by Koreans themselves), but  I have said before they generally tend to be more reserved and shy about  certain things. One of these things being speaking to foreigners. So unless they know you, it's unlikely that they're gunna speak to/smile at you if you're passing in the street, or cross paths in the hallway. Even if you live in the same building, and see each other every single day but haven't been introduced to each other. A lesson I learned the first few times that I attempted to greet my elderly neighbours when crossing paths on the stairwell, and received a look of such stunned confusion that I can only assume I crossed some kind of weird Korean social boundary that I didn't know about. A feeling that  will probably be way too familiar to my fellow Korean expats. An exception to this rule is the few brave adjummas (the korean word for a stereotypical middle-aged, working class ladies who are stereotypically very loud and cankerous), who sometimes run over to me to tell me how pretty I am and how small my face is. A bizarre compliment, but one I have grown to appreciate none the less.

In stark contrast to this, the Filipino people will talk to pretty much anybody and everybody. Tricycle drivers, hostel owners, waiters, random people you meet in the street: everybody has some kind words to offer and by no stretch of the imagination could the Filipino people be generalised as being 'shy'.

 Never was this more apparent than on our last day in the Philippines, on which we visited Pristine Beach, Puerta Princessa.

 Posing for some snap shots in the sea, we suddenly became very conscious of 7 little pairs of eyes on us (the only foreigners on the beach)...

Quickly, we were surrounded by a group of the sweetest little Filipino kids, giggling and laughing, with a hundred questions for us on their lips. 

They were not impressed by my inability to jump at the same time as them, haha!

New little buddies!

The little boy in the yellow shirt to the left of the picture is Johneil :)

After a question and answer session that would rival the Spanish Inquisition (although  they may have been a tad more cute about it), one little boy called Johneil, asked me 'Do you like starfish?'. When I answered that I did, he sprinted off in the direction of the beach, and I just kept talking to the other kids thinking nothing of it. Ten minutes later he returns, grabs my hand and put a little dried starfish in it, then asks his brother to translate something.

'A remembrance of meeting us and the Philippines', his brother said. :'(

My prized starfish <3

As if this wasn't heart-breakingly sweet enough, their families then invited us over to share their celebratory feast. It was their baby son's Christening and in honour of the occasion they had roasted a whole roast pig (or Lechon), chicken feet Adobo (obviously, my favourite, me being partial to a bit of chicken foot and all :p), a never ending stream of wine and of course Filipino dark rum.

Sally, me and the rest of the family!

Full roast pig, or 'lechon' as the Filipino people call it.

 My friend Sally and I both agreed that our new friends had made us feel so welcome that we could have happily sat there and drank, talked and danced with them all day. But unfortunately we had a plane to catch :( So with a little too much wine in our bellies and sand still in our hair, we made the mad, last-minute dash for the airport.

Back to reality !