(69) culture

I don’t know if this is conceited or not, but I’m pretty fascinated by my own Culture. Filipinos have a language and a way of doing things that used to never really mean much to me since I’d see it everyday, but now that I’ve experienced living elsewhere, I’d say I appreciate my culture a whole lot more than I used to. In the Philippines, the first thing a homeowner says when a visitor arrives is “kumain ka na ba?” which is Tagalog for “have you eaten yet?” I think this is pretty interesting now since I’ve visited a couple of houses and not once have I been asked that at arrival. I guess it shows something about Filipino culture and how much we love food. Another thing that I love is our language. My friends here have heard me speak it and they think it sounds really cool, but I actually think it sounds pretty weird. This may be part of the reason why I think things said in Tagalog are generally funnier than in English. Jokes, snide remarks, things like that. We have words that I have absolutely no idea how to translate into English, and usually those words are the ones I use a lot. The one thing that I love most about our culture is our cuisine. I love Filipino food. Most Americans have never had it before, unless they’re close to a Filipino. I used to have it all the time, for every meal, but now that I don’t, I really miss it. I can’t wait to have it again when I get to California!!! 2 more days!