Trials and Triumphs of Life in another Country [Archive]

Cali4Nia

Nov 3, 2000, 03:18 PM

Alright another PEXER...Yipeee!
Waffledish, good for you! Saan ka papunta mag trabaho? Work your butt off but take care of yourself, as well. Let us know how it turns out, okay and God Bless You!

Nikki, yes Eagle Rock is the city right next to Glendale....lots of Filipinos and Filipino stores there. Marami na rin dito sa Glendale. During my elementary, jr high and high school days, there were many of us 1.5 generation filipino immigrants in the Glendale School District. Yung mga middle to late 1980's dumating dito sa States. I actually remember the whole People's Power Revolution and Imelda's shoes blasted on all the news stations here in the States the first few month
No, actually California State University LA is in the city Los Angeles, just east of the Downtown LA Business District. We boast a very diverse student body that represents a variety of cultures...we also have lots of international students, mainly Japanese and Chinese students.

The university is public and is part of the California State University System ie. CalStateLA, CalState Fullerton, Calstate Chico, CalState Channel Islands, Cal State Monterey Bay, SanFrancisco State and SanDiego State and more...parang UP system diyan.

You should really think about taking a computer certification of some sort to remain competitive in your career. I'm sure you know that Information Systems are becoming more and more relevant in the workplace nowadays no matter what the industry you work in or your position. It'll definitely give you an edge.

Nikks..If you don't mind me asking, what position will you be working in when you go to work next week and what is your salary range? If you dont wanna answer that is okay...I was just curious :D

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 11-03-2000 at 05:04 PM]

Cali4Nia

Nov 3, 2000, 04:57 PM

Air Magic....I totally agree. You gotta do what you gotta do to survive. I'm glad you are doing well and seeing the benefits of all your hard work.

Kami naman sa Pinas maayos ang buhay namin. Life was good in the 80's. But the circumstances changed all of a sudden. My parents had a nasty separation and my Dad left for work abraod, yet again, vowing not to give my mom a penny for child support and my lola's family business stopped because of a robbery that wiped out almost everything. That was basically our only source of livelihood after my dad left so we came to the States in 1986.

Very humbling experience. We were literally on our own even though my uncle who was here since the late 70's petitioned us and everything. We couldn't just stay with his family. Nagpaparamdam na sila na umalis na sana kami.

Naawa talaga ako sa Mom and Lola ko. We were four people including my little brother in a one bedroom apartment and they did a lot of odd jobs ie. babysitting or shopping mall clerk or cooking food and catering for parties.

But what could I do I was just in elementary and jr. high then. I get a little teary eyed when I look back at those stressful days but I don't know why we were somehow relocated here in the States. We really had no intention of living here. I toured the States when I was seven for Disneyland and I thought wow...that was it...ganda..cool...and then back to life in Pinas.

But things changed and now I'm here...I guess as our elders say "ganyan talaga ang buhay" yadda yadda yadda yadda :D

But like I said to Nikki....I really really really wonder how growing up in Pinas would have been for me......siguro ibang iba akong tao. Do you ever wonder that yourself Air Magic?

One things for sure, though, Air Magic. We've managed to turn our hardships into something positive and we've only become more stronger and compassionate people because of it...:D

God really has a good and loving plan for us even if we dont see what it is right away.

I just want this thread to be an INSPIRATION to other PEXERS who are currently struggling or are lonely in other countries and are working to survive for a better future.

Share your experiences because we've all been through it...we know how it feels...basta DON'T GIVE UP...mahirap lang talaga sa umpisa.

Take care of yourselves and your health, too, though. We all need rest! Baka sobra kayo diyan sa trabajo nagkakanda sakit sakit na kayo :D

pula

Nov 4, 2000, 02:30 PM

To Cali4nia...good thread...keep it going. I'm not too far from you. Look to the east and you'll see me...here in Chicago. I've had my own trials and tribulations. In the end, we become better people because of it. Just to let you know that others are following this thread.

7's Baby

Nov 4, 2000, 05:29 PM

My parents brought my sister and I out here to Australia when we were both very young. My Ate was four and I was only 11 months, so Sydney is my primary home. When we first arrived, it wasn't that hard because my parents both spoke good English but we saw how the other Filipino families were treated because they didn't have the language/communication skills to interact.

Growing up here, it's been both good and bad. It's been a lot easier to get an education - here no money doesn't mean you remain uneducated. My parents sent me to a good Catholic school for elementary, but children often repeat what comes from their parents mouths and called me mean names. They didn't like that I was smart or did well at school. In highschool, at an exclusive school, it wasn't as bad because you're all on an even playing field. We all pay tuition, wear the same uniform. But friends from State schools tell me racial segregation was a lot more common amongst their circles.

I'm proud to say I was the only Filipina in the top 5 that graduated from my highschool in the year 1999. My parents make me proud everyday for the way they have made a name for themselves in a foreign land. They have all the material things that make them 'sikat' in the Philippines but they've remained the good people they were when they arrived.

Nikki-doods

Nov 4, 2000, 06:50 PM

Wow! nawala lang ako ng isang araw (because of the bagyo which was soooobrang scary! akala ko matatanggal na ang bubong ng bahay namin! there's this mcdonald's here wherein their big M sign became a big W! LOL) ang daaami nang nag post na iba (hehe actually +2 or 3 lang ata)

anyway, i know how humbling life can be when you migrate to another country. i had relatives who relocated to canada. they were doing pretty ok there but when they went to canada they had to start all over which was very hard. they even had to clean other people's houses to earn extra income!

i'm really glad all you peeps like cali4nia are doing well there...esp. the other person who posted who was doing well in sydney and graduated in the top 5 (hey! i was born din in sydney 21 years ago....King George Hospital in Camperdown to be exact!) i was in australia last summer but i spent it in Brisbane eh.

i myself am planning to go back to australia pretty soon as i just graduated from UP this October. I'm an australian citizen kasi and my mom really believes that with the rate the philippine economy is going, wala na talagang pag asa. ALthough i just got a new job (my first one!) i'm pretty excited and wala naman siyang contract so i can go anytme..

cali4nia, about my job..it's in customer service. i'll be working with etelecare (www.etelecare.com) a US based customer call center (based in monrovia, ca) and we'll be handling their clients in the states. well, it's pretty ok naman for a starting job, given that i'm a fresh grad without experience...ayoko magbigay ng exact amount... pero my starting offer is somewhere between P15,000-P20,000 a month which i know is not much considering the rising peso-dollar exchange rate *sigh*

po-post ako ulit mamaya...naka prepaid internet kasi ako eh...mahal na mag ISP...LOL....

respond naman kayo o para may ma-react-an ako ulit mamaya!

cali4nia, btw, i have a cousin who studies in the Fullerton university (whatever it's called) and another cousin who'll be a freshman either at UCLA or in Berkeley....*sigh* wish ko rin sana nakapag aral ako abroad....i did but in between sems lang and summers and parang extra lang, so in the future i promise myself i will treat myself to an MBA abroad! and i plan to take nga additional computer courses to beef up my resume....IT is very in nowadays nga...and it will become very essential soon in almost every job!

7's Baby

Nov 5, 2000, 09:04 AM

Nikki-doods...

Camperdown? That's like five minutes drive away from where I live in Balmain! My best friend in the world (she's Filipno as well - our dad's came here together) used to live there - a quiet little suburb. Used to have a lot of older people luving there, now the progression is towards a few young families and lots of DINKS. Balmain is full of yuppies - I'm one of them now! hehehe I've just become a personnel resourcer (finance staff consultant) - the youngest in my office actually (the next is 26 - 8 years older than me! They all treat me like a kid and call me 'Darl' which annoys me)

UP is one of the best schools in the Philippines - you should be super proud of yourself for getting into there as well as the fact you graduated! I'm still four years away from my own university diploma :( Hard slog, but I'll get there eventually too :) My boyfriend graduated from Adamson this year as well, he plays in the PBL now but we're hoping he'll make it to the PBA soon. I guess he's the foremost thing I miss now I'm home in Sydney again. One of these days he's goign to try to move out here - there's not a chance I'm leaving Sydney! I can't drive over there, no-one knows the meaning of road rules :p

As for moving back here, as you are a citizen, I would suggest it. I've seen how hard life is there in the Philippines (I last went home in July of this year and the decline in living tsnadards was apalling). Although the Australia dollar is taking a beating on world markets, we've got good economic growth (although not as high as was projected only two years ago). The GDP isn't too shabby, although servicing our foreign debt is a bit of a worry. Of course you will have a funny little bald guy with bushy eye brows, whose feet don't touch the ground when he sits down, as a Prime Minister. Other than that life is good - except we don't sell spaghetti at our McDonalds here and we don't have Jollybee!

chikitita

Nov 7, 2000, 06:18 AM

what a nostalgic thread we've got here :D

grabe..when it comes to overcoming trials, i'd have to say i admire my dad. 15 years ago when he arrived on US soil, armed with his degree and MBA, he had to dump his pride and start from scratch. he even had to switch careers and take up an IT course just to survive. at least now all his hardwork paid off.

ako naman i've been living in NY for 8 months now. actually, i've lived here with my dad for long periods of time, in my youth. but i've always begged that he send me back home to my friends and family. di ko nakakayanan ang homesickness, i thought okay lang sana kung pabakasyon bakasyon pero wag permanent migration! so i ended up spending my youth in pinas, by choice. besides my mom was back home so i had the option to pick my 'homebase'.

i just got my degree last march -- now that i've graduated, i've decided to try my luck here in NY. usual reasons...declining philippine economy blah blah. sometimes we're left with no choice but to grab the opportunities overseas.

one thing is for certain...i don't regret my decision to spend my childhood/teen years in the philippines. my sense of national identity and catholic values are deeply-rooted, i'm thankful for that! plus, i think the quality of education in the philippines can rival that of developed countries anytime. also, it's so easy to adapt to the culture here, kaya okay lang talaga. :D

nikki-doods, kabatch mo ba sina meg sa BA? how bout ward in etelecare? Cali4Nia, madami din akong kilalang taga-glendale..they don't have in&out here in the east coast though:)

virgo14

Nov 8, 2000, 04:58 PM

sorry! double posting

virgo14

Nov 8, 2000, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by pula
In the end, we become better people because of it.

i wasn't planning to post a reply but this really struck me because it's so true. anyone who's ever had to relocate anywhere in his life faces such absolute uncertainties that in turn mold us into stronger, confident individuals.

i grew up mostly in manila, but i spent every other summer here so the transition wasn't bad at all. i knew people my age and i was familiar with the city. the main difference was of course having to fend for myself full-time, emotionally and mentally. and i did. then again i was always self-sufficient.

i have to admit one thing though: i'm not a good housekeeper, and perhaps i'll never be one. but i do get my chores done when they need to be done. i guess the lessons this experience has given me in efficient time management is one that will be with me always. sa manila kase, the food is waiting on the table, my clothes miraculously disappear from the floor and reappear in the closet :D, oh and i never had to go find my own parking space.

i think that by moving away, we all learn to be a great deal more mature and independent. and we learn the real value of things. at least i did.:)

Cali4Nia

Nov 12, 2000, 05:11 PM

Virgo: Yep that's definitely one of the BIG ++'s of experiencing life in another country, gaining strength and confidence. You can also call it LEARNING TO BE ASSERTIVE in a good way and not the rude kind of assertiveness. You're more fine-tuned to figure out what you want and then go for it and give it your all! Confidence I guess...same difference.

But all in all, the biggest Triumph of LIFE in another country, for me, is having gained an appreciation of the GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT and a HIGHER TOLERANCE for PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES, RELIGIONS and BACKGROUNDS. The economic opportunities are evident ++'s but growing up in a DIVERSELY populated city such as Los Angeles County was a bonus!

It would've been so dull if I hadn't met my elementary, jr. high, senior high and college friends of different nationalities and walks of life while growing up here in the States. Great learning experience and it spiced up and colored my personality in ways that would not have been possible if I hadn't been exposed to DIVERSITY at an early age.

Chikitita: I wish sometimes that I could've experienced life in Pinas for an extended period of uninterrupted time ( ie. years) like you, too...not just in spurts during summer vacation as a tourist....I'm sure a longer stay would give me a very different perspective of the Philippines....very different from a tourist's perspective, I bet. Even though I've got memories of growing up there until I left at 9 yrs. old, they are very very vague and only limited to certain family incidents.

About the burgers :D mayroon naman kayong WhiteCastle Burgers diyan diba? Or is that in Chicago? :D

virgo14

Nov 13, 2000, 03:00 PM

exactly! unfortunately people think assertiven=b!tch!:(

Nikki-doods

Nov 14, 2000, 09:46 PM

grabe! ang galing talaga ng thread na to....i'm really learning from all of you.....although i just started work here in manila, i do have plans of going back to australia. i wanted sana jan2001 but i'm still not sure as i'm enjoying work tremendously in etelecare.

chikitita: grabe, you know ward? pano? i don't know him personally, but so far isa lang ang alam kong ward sa etelecare. people say his name is ward reyes. medyo lang ha, ang daming may crush sa kanya! he has glasses, and is semi kalbo....siya ba yun? when they said "uuuy ang cute talaga ni ward!!!" bigla ko naalala yung post mo! how do you know him? he seems nice but we haven't been introduced yet. naku, if my friends find out that i came across someone who knew him, *sigh* major freak out na naman yung mga yun! about meg, yeah, she's my batchmate but she's taking up BAA which is a 5 year course....she's president of UP JMA this year ah :-)

7's baby: grabe! you live near my birthplace! :-) naku, i should contact you pala when i go back next time.... asl if you don't mind? is it nice there? i dunno if i'll settle in sydney when i go back to work, but most of my relatives are in queensland kasi so i might go there na lang although sydney wil always be exciting for me.....i read Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta which was a hit both in the novel and movie fields there right? sayang nga i didn't get to see it when i was in brisbane last summer and from what i've read, they lived in the city where my mom studied.. Glebe! :-)

7's Baby

Nov 15, 2000, 08:10 AM

Nikki-doods....

I'm turning nineteen next month, a girl and in Balmain. I went to school in Glebe. Definitely look me up when you come out here! Maybe I should give you my email?

Do you follow basketball much there? I know my BF's team aren't doing too badly but that's about it. We have the Filipino channel but they show the MBA games and he's in the PBL. Phooey.

bleemme

Nov 16, 2000, 02:38 PM

I lived in Camarillo(Ventura County) cali, but right now i live in US Naval base Yokosuka Japan! IT is great in here!

7's Baby

Nov 16, 2000, 03:02 PM

bleemme...my mom's brother is in the navy and he's stationed in Yokuska at the moment. You might know them. Their surname is Almazar - he's got two kids (a boy and a girl) and his wife is there with him.

Nikki-doods...Sydney is WAY better than Queensland. I've been there - too quiet and slow for me. There's just not enough action. Here in Sydney we have FANTASTIC nightlife. Not as good as Malate/Manila in the Philippines but better than what they have in QLD. Melbourne is good too. So when are you thinking of relocating if not January 2001? I wanted to move the Philippines but I couldn't handle the lifestyle.

7's Baby

Nov 16, 2000, 03:07 PM

Cali4nia - How far are you from Lancaster and Camp Pendleton?

Nikki-doods

Nov 20, 2000, 02:23 AM

7's Baby:

Well, i don't have a definite plan yet on when to relocate back to australia. my dad's coming home from abroad this month and so i'll probably have to talk it over muna with him. plus, i'm soooo enjoying my job so we'll take it from there. if it doesn't go well in 3 months or so, i'll pack my bags and head down under....LOL

Oo nga daw eh, Sydney is more like Manila. But then, maybe it's the peacefulness of Queensland that i liked. Plus the beaches, MAMMA MIA! ang gaganda! Basta, talaga, when i get to go to sydney, i'll definitely look you up and you'll have to go show me around!

chikitita

Nov 22, 2000, 10:06 PM

Originally posted by Nikki-doods
chikitita: grabe, you know ward? pano? i don't know him personally, but so far isa lang ang alam kong ward sa etelecare. people say his name is ward reyes. medyo lang ha, ang daming may crush sa kanya! he has glasses, and is semi kalbo....siya ba yun? when they said "uuuy ang cute talaga ni ward!!!" bigla ko naalala yung post mo! how do you know him? he seems nice but we haven't been introduced yet. naku, if my friends find out that i came across someone who knew him, *sigh* major freak out na naman yung mga yun! about meg, yeah, she's my batchmate but she's taking up BAA which is a 5 year course....she's president of UP JMA this year ah :-)

natawa naman ako dun nikki-doods. i always find it funny when i hear that he's a heartthrob. ward has been a good friend since high school, and his gf is one of my best friends kasi. si meg naman, kabarkada ko din. actually si meg at si joyce (gf ni ward) mag best friends yun:)

Cali4Nia: yep, we have white castle here! :D

tr|n|ty

Nov 22, 2000, 11:24 PM

uy shempre nakisawsaw..kilala ko si ward, meg at joyce :lol:

chikitita

Nov 23, 2000, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by tr|n|ty
uy shempre nakisawsaw..kilala ko si ward, meg at joyce :lol:

ay naku tr|n|ty, ewan ko ba kung bakit heartthrob si ward! matagal na kaming nagtataka, pati si joyce nagtataka e! :lol:

Cali4Nia: growing up in either the philippines or in any other country has its pros and cons. :) it's a good thing you lived in the philippines even for a short time.. e eto ngang kapatid ko nakakaawa, di pa nakakaapak on philippine soil at di marunong magtagalog!

Nikki-doods

Nov 27, 2000, 11:22 AM

Hi! wait.....is this joyce the joyce who was from Engg before? Kasi i have a friend, in IE (her name's allie) who's friends with a certain joyce who's friends with meg JMA (forgive me for the terms i use to refer to people, makes me remember them eh). Is she the same girl? I knew din one of her friends, Andrea if i'm not mistaken. PE classmate ko who turned out to be my friend Allie's blockmate (sorreeeee for the 6 degrees!!!!!) anyway, so si joyce pala and ward. Hahahaha, wala naman palang laban yung mga may crush kay ward sa etelecare! hehehehe, from what i know, this joyce girl is really nice, pretty and smart :-) well, i don't really know ward, i just know him kasi he's kinda popular at work, speaking of which, ka shift ko ata si ward....8pm-5am. argh, i hate graveyard.

7's baby: how are you na? haven't posted in a while, i'm always sooo pagod when i get home from work i don't even check na my mail..... how's sydney? do you know if leah haywood has any singles out now? i bought kasi "We think it's love" before and i loved it! I get to see her din sa PEpsi Chart and sa Rage on the australian channel sa cable. And yes, i agree with you, Bardot is like spice girls with even less talent! LOL! LOL! So uuwi ka next year.... hmm, dunno if i'll still be in manila (sana hindi pa naggi giyera because of erap!)but if i'm in brisbane already, i'll definitely make a trip to sydney.....i neeeeeeed to see sydney!!!!

chikitita

Nov 27, 2000, 01:07 PM

nikki-doods, tumpak ka dyan :D
ward..joyce..meg..andrea..me..magbarkadings po kaming lahat since way way back :D galing no, 6 degrees of separation nga! and yes, joyce is a heartthrob with a heart of gold..and ward has the graveyard shift nowadays. hehe.

sorry, off topic na ata..

Cali4Nia

Nov 29, 2000, 07:31 AM

Alrighty then we have a 6 degrees of separation thing goin' on here...hehehe! Been so bz haven't kept up....FINALS...CRAMMMING...UGGHHHH!

Chikita: yeah my lil bro is just like yours but mine visited Pinas and tried to speak tagalog and it sounded funny.

7's Baby: Lancaster is way up north in the BOONIES and about Camp Pendleton...hmmm...i'll get back to ya on that.
Lancaster is a fairly new city and lots of people been movin there because houses are cheaper than in the major counties ie. LA, Orange. Its about an 1 hour 45 min drive north of LA. Why do you have relatives in Lancaster or Pendleton?

Nikki Doods: So you do customer service for some american company....damn. Like my Professor was saying, companies here are really getting smart and outsourcing all these jobs to other countries and esp. Pinas where the labor market is fluent in english. What a bummer...talk about cheap labor and the darkside of capitalism. You guys get half the salary Cust. Service people get here and they dont even have to be college grads ...even high school students do that here.
But basically you guys handle calls, orders and resolve issues and deal with irate American customers right?...or maybe your duties are far more.
I hate IRATE customers....they are the worst. I did a Cust Service rep job for Bank of America a while back and I HATED IT...blahh! 3 months quit na ko...hehehhe!

latepinoy93

Nov 29, 2000, 12:50 PM

My two cents worth... Cali4nia, hope you don't mind if I go back to your original topic!! A bit long I suppose, but

I was born and raised in Hong Kong - not far from the Philippines geographically, but in many aspects, quite distinct in its character, especially in the early 80's when the last charge of British Colonialism was in full swing! The 60's & 70's saw the "Pinoy Musician" boom, with almost every nightspot clamouring for attention as the greats of pinoy standards and jazz just kept coming in! My folks, however, were not musicians, but teachers in the newly-opened St. Paul's here. It was funny because my mum told me that my first words were in Cantonese!!!! (Strange.) I then grew up in a simple neighbourhood with kids from all sorts of nationalities. Spoke English and Cantonese all my life. I had at the time 4 pinoy childhood friends, but all of us conversed in Cantonese also, thus, Tagalog was then never a part of my life.

As I grew a bit older, I started to grasp a little bit if Bisaya as my folks were from Mindanao. Still, they spoke to me in English and didn't teach me that. (My folks' secret language!) My elder sister and I then had Cantonses as our secret language!

It was a happy kindergarten time for me - I had a great time because there were all sorts of kids in the school! Basically, I wasn't the only "Dark non-chinese" so that made a difference! It was only when I went to Primary School that my colour made a difference (perhaps because the kids then, or even their parents were too darn ignorant!) I was called names and all sorts of stuff and called a liar, humiliated in class because I failed my Chinese tests and so on. Treated like a dog as I was the only "obvious" foreigner that there was. There were Mestizos, but at least half of them were Chinese! (This was St. Joseph's Primary School - supposedly a CATHOLIC school!!) Asinine really, to say the least. Survived for 3 years in that dump then literally had to beg to get transferred out of there to a British School! Things were so much better there because the kids were very tolerant and learn how to live with people of a different background and race! Lovely time I had there, I must say!

High school was even better as this was one of the top schools in the territory where past students usually did well and that, in turn, motivated a lot of the younger ones to do even better! (So far, I think that it has worked!)

Now, life outside of the campus is quite different altogether... As you know, there are a lot of Filipina Domestic helpers here in Hong KOng, and my folks are very, very helpful to them when they need it! I have seen from a young age domestic violence carries out towards them - which I must say, is getting worst as the stress level of the average Hong Kong family increases! I always had this sense of injustice, wanting to vindicate the Filipinos here of all the stuff that they have to put up with! Mind you, the consulate sometimes cannot offer much assistance and the most bizzare case of domestic violence that vividly remember concerns a former Philippine Consul-General beating up her maid... (We had to bring the poor girl to the hospital and pacifiy the situation before it got out of hand and into the ever-waiting arms of the press!!!) Strange really because there was a time that all my Pinoy friends went missing (Some went back to the Phil. and some just went to different schools!)

1983 was the first turning point of my life. I was glued to the TV and recorded all the news on the Betamax (in both English and Cantonese!) of the Aquino assasination! I began to wonder what this man ment to the Philippines as there was so much news about him! As '86 came along, I was really into the revolution - although still a bit too young to really grasp it all! It just looked so moving! The Images of the revolution is forever in my mind and in a book called "People Power" that was given to me by an uncle a few years later!

I looked around me and felt that I was in the middle - didn't have many, if not, any Pinoy Peers, and felt that it was a bit strange. Funny also that I felt differnt from the Pinoy kids that I came across because we were so different in mentality!

College was looming around the corner and I began thinking about how nice it would be to go to school in the Philippines! Finally went there in 1993 and learnt Tagalog and Bisaya!

The Present: There are more Filipino Families now here, most of which the breadwinners are in the F&B and musical entertainment business. A problem however is the increased infulx of Filipino "illegal workers", make issues hard to solve for the rest of us. Default on loans is another problem here as a lot of Filipinos take out loans and are unable to pay it off! Domestic abuse is on the rise and the public's perception of the country is that we are in complete tatters with the latest wave of scandals to hit the news wires! I still get the odd "comment" and initial discrimination from the general HK public... But that usually is quickly surpressed and them sent scattering in all but my direction as I tell them nicely in Cantonese that I can understand everything that they just said.

The Future: Well, I still haven't had a chance to go back to the Phils. this year as it was just too hectic workwise! The immediate aim is to go to Grad. school by fall 2002 and get some fundamental education before heading back to Asia, hopefully with an opportunity of finally having a chance to settle in the Philippines!

Your turn guys! Would love to answer questions! I'm all keys!!

latepinoy93

Nov 29, 2000, 02:07 PM

Trials and Triumphs... (Got carried away with my actual experience but offered no reflection!)

Guess the trials have always been to adapt and to be competitive with the people here. Hong Kong's pace of life has always been very fast and keeping up with what's going on is, in itself, a trial!!

Perhaps the task of finding my Pinoy self after living in such a cosmopolitan place like HKG would have been the GREATEST trial in my life! Learning about the Philippines, studying Tagalog in College (Ang hirap, sobra!), and most importantly, understanding the attributes and history leading up to the country as we know it now was a triumph as I walked away from College not only armed with a degree, but a sense of true belonging - a sense of home. Living and growing up away from the Philippines makes you want to know more and draws you to it!

Cali4Nia: Learning to become more assertive in a well-mannered way is definitely a must out here!!

7's baby: Similar growing pains dude... and similar problems with other Pinoy families here in HKG... The kids seem to lack direction - ambition, even if some of them came from the really good schools. I never could understand why they didn't make use of the free or heavily subsidized education here!!!!

Sorry folks! Seem to have some much to say today!!!

7's Baby

Nov 30, 2000, 01:04 AM

Originally posted by latepinoy93

7's baby: Similar growing pains dude... and similar problems with other Pinoy families here in HKG... The kids seem to lack direction - ambition, even if some of them came from the really good schools. I never could understand why they didn't make use of the free or heavily subsidized education here!!!!

Sorry folks! Seem to have some much to say today!!!

latepinoy93...A lot of Filipino's here are weird. I mean, it's funny because Filipino's try to be black and they are so not!!! I've mostly got Australian friends, but my closest friend is a girl I grew up with who is Filipina also. Are there many Filo's (as we call them here) in HK? I love the shopping over there!!!

Nikkidoods...Hiya! I sent you a text this morning, sana 'di ka masyado na puyat kagabi! I'm still trying to get in touch with Bong - I'll let you know the details if I get any!!! Call me when you do come to Australia - if you can't fly down to Sydney I'll fly up to Brisbane to see you! I'm still waiting on your picture - the one I sent you was BAD. Anyway, will catch you later.

Chikitita...I have a Lola and Uncle in Lancaster. My mom's brother lives in Camp Pendleton, well he used to anyway. They now live in San Diego (he's in the navy).

latepinoy93

Nov 30, 2000, 02:40 AM

7's baby: HK used to be really good for shopping... But all the great deals have shifted to Singapore (Electronics) and Shenzhen SEC, China - which is just at the border of China and HKG. I do a lot of my major shopping in China nowadays.

Funny tho cause I have been able to make lots of Pinoy friends now that I speak Tagalog! Certainly makes a diff! Like I said, there are about (at that last Immigration Dept Count) 136,000+, most of them were OCW's and about 5% are on executive postings. another 3.5% are permanent residents of HKG.

You come to HKG often?

Cali4Nia

Nov 30, 2000, 05:08 AM

7's Baby: Lots of Pinoys here that act Black too..."yo yo yo whaz up my brotha" hehehhe! Wow...I thought that only occured here in the States. I guess its a WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON.

Latepinoy: Thanks for getting back to the topic:D
I was in HK when I was three yrs. old. My dad worked for an American company there in 1980 and my mom and I visited for a short while. I know bout the injustices done to our filipina DH's there. Very Sad. My mom remembers when we were in HK and she had gone by herself to eat out for lunch. She went into the restaurant and people stared her down like she was a DH...she says there is rampant discrimination against Filipinos there. I guess it is still like that today. Can't believe the Philippine General Consul beat up his own maid...what a way to be a role model...geez. We rented the filipino movie "ANAK" here starring Vilma Santos and she played a DH, gosh, it was so sad. Kaawawa sila talaga. Just to make a decent living for their families still in Pinas.

Oh..also that is SO true bout what you said on living and growing up away from the Philippines makes you want to know more and draws you to it. I feel that way all the time. It began when I went back to visit after 13 years.

It's great that you took the initiative to learn tagalog. I would probably have cut myself off from many people had I not made an effort not to forget it growing up here in the States.

By the way what Phil college did you attend to learn tagalog and bisaya? My dad wanted me to try and attend UP Diliman after I graduated from highschool here because it would be cheaper than an American University, of course, and when I went to Pinas and took review tests for the UP College Admission Test I freaked out. I knew conversational tagalog fairly well but I had to know little things like the grammar of tagalog ie. the difference between rin and din and things like that. Also the Philippine History reviews were hard to learn because, as a product of an American public school system, all I knew of history were Native Americans, Slavery, Pilgrims, New England colonies, Martin Luther King and so on. At the time I hardly knew anything bout Philippine history except for the Spanish colonial era.

Cali4Nia

Nov 30, 2000, 05:30 AM

The population of Filipino US Permanent Residents (green card holders) and Citizens here is expected to surpass 2 million according to the last 1990 census. Filipino Americans are going to be taking up the number 1 spot as largest Asian/Pacific Islander group with the Chinese Americans at second place, now.

Sad thing is we dont have much political leverage as a big minority group like the Latino/Hispanic population here. Latinos have lots of representatives in State/Local govt and Senate/Congress seats.

An explanation for the lack of a strong Filipino American political voice from what I've read have been something like CRAB MENTALITY I guess. Can't work together because of arguments here and there.

Cali4Nia

Nov 30, 2000, 05:31 AM

Keep posting mga Kababayan! Share your stories:D

DaZeD in HK

Nov 30, 2000, 07:19 AM

i guess i don't really qualify for a balikbayan nor a permanent expat, since i've only been out of the country for 5 months, but the experience has given me more insight on how overseas filipinos feel. specially when you watch, read or listen to news from home and feel part of it, and detached at the same time.

i've been doing a traineeship in HK for a couple of months and i can understand some of latepinoy's sentiments. like you guys have mentioned, HK can be a pretty difficult place to live in, when you consider that the bulk of the filipino community here are DH's... i'm not being condescending, as i have met very nice people working as DHs, and it was only a matter of chance and circumstance that they were brought here to work as such. the problem is, with their number, it is sometimes hard to erase the impression that all filipinos are in HK to work as maids, and should be treated as such.

but actually, this isn't the primary thing that bothers me. what i'm more concerned about is the perception of the philippines, or anybody coming from there, as inferior. this is probably not unique to HK, as I'm sure, in some form or another, most overseas filipinos have encountered this.

how many times have you heard from initial contacts, 'oh, so you're from the philippines. wow, you speak really good english! were you educated abroad?' personally, i've stopped counting. the good side though, is that with each new contact you make, specially the ones who have never met a filipino before, you have the chance to leave that positive impression of both the country and the people. that's something you never think about when you're back home.

in terms of HK being known for rudeness though, i can't say this is quite true. although the chinese can be generally less inviting or hospitable, i've been lucky enough not to have been the recipient of a direct barb or insult yet (or at least they used cantonese bad words i didn't understand =) )... comparing this to a minor incident in a recent trip to the states where I asked directions from somebody and some chicano aptly remarked 'dumb ****', i'd say HK is still more tolerant...

but i'm digressing.. blame it on a slow day at work... in any case, keep it coming. it's nice living vicariously through other people's stories...

latepinoy93

Nov 30, 2000, 08:52 AM

Hey there! I think the "acting black" thingy is also getting trendy amongst the Chinese here in HK too... Just wanna be like the peeps in the movies that they see! I went to Olivarez College in Paranaque as that was very near home. Mind you, I failed the Ateneo admissions test (quite miserably, i believe!) and I knew nothing about Philippines prior to 1983. But I guess just hanging out with the folks in the shcool made me learn Tagalog... A lot of them do not really speak English fairly well and I had to make the effort to interact with them! I think that that made a difference to me! You went to UP Diliman, right??? I don't think that I would've made it there though cause I was kinda branded at one stage as being a bit "loud" and outspoken... The "complain about everything" stage. I learnt to accept things the way they came and worked on what I could change! By the end of it all, I was just trying to see if there was a good job out there for me in the Phil... Sad to say, the opportunities were so beckoning me to come back to Hong KOng!

Bout yourself? What do ya do now?

latepinoy93

Nov 30, 2000, 09:05 AM

Hey DaZed!! Welcome to HKG??? I guess you were lucky indeed, and it's only been 5 months and you don't really understand the very insulting phrases that they can say to you... Sometimes its better not to understand! The mindset here is just cemented and yes, people that you meet and find out that you speak real good English kinda shocks them... It just feels kinda bad lah! How's the rest of HK treating you? Having fun?

7's baby: whats the pop_u of Pinoys in Australia now??

Cali4Nia

Nov 30, 2000, 09:12 AM

Latepinoy: Actually I was almost supposed to go to UP Diliman, but like you said, I would have probably failed the Admissions Test miserably myself because of the MATH..ughh, really technical tagalog (the review school freaked me out) and Philippine History so I opted to come back to the US and work my way through college...expensive but hey at least getting in wasn't so difficult.

Right now I'm a starving college student...junior at California State University Los Angeles major in CIS but I'm thinking of changing...I realize I hate computer programming languages :D.

When I visited Pinas we had a stopover at HK and boy did I hate the landing of that Cathay Pacific plane at that old airport runway location where the pilot has to manuever the plane carefully and twist and turn and all of a sudden...harkrkkkks...vomit bag alert.....vomit bag alert....hehehhe:D

latepinoy93

Nov 30, 2000, 09:28 AM

I hear yya Calif4Nia!!!! Seriously hear you on that one!!! I was on this plane and we almost overshot the runway!!! Came in too high and I knew that something was so wrong about the approach before we event did the 45 degree turn onto the runway comeing in from the west! Yeah, I saw the Tagalog in the admissions test and just turned blue... Felt real bad as I couldnt even figure out what was asked! The math thought, was OK for me. HK's Standard of math is really high!

Cali4Nia

Nov 30, 2000, 10:01 AM

Bwahahha....so I'm not the only one who noticed that landing.

By the way Latepinoy how old are you? You live with family there in HK? :D

Read your reply about making a big stink at the Equal Opportunity office in HK bout that landlord discrimantion situation....way to go...I like your gutsy style....you gotta fight psh psh for your right psh psh to party (Beastie Boys song)...heheheh....assertiveness is a good thing:D

tr|n|ty

Nov 30, 2000, 11:07 PM

Originally posted by chikitita
nikki-doods, tumpak ka dyan :D
ward..joyce..meg..andrea..me..magbarkadings po kaming lahat since way way back :D galing no, 6 degrees of separation nga! and yes, joyce is a heartthrob with a heart of gold..and ward has the graveyard shift nowadays. hehe.

sorry, off topic na ata..

makikisawsaw ulet :lol:

aba aba aba...mga blockmate/orgmate/schoolmate ko mga yan ha!! hoy chikitita, yung dinner natin sa dec 8 ha!! :lol:

shempre off topic nah

7's Baby

Dec 1, 2000, 01:24 AM

Don't quote me on this but it's either 3.8% or 8% of the populaton but I'm leaning more towards the lower figure. Most, in Sydney, are situated further away fromt he city whereas I live five minutes away. As for the trying to be black thing - they wear pants five sizes too big, start fights but run away before they're finished and say things like "Whassup nigga?" when they're...well..not black at all?! Kind of a big joke around here....

I've been to HK a couple of times...I'll be there again for work not too far from now. The shopping was good when I last went but it must have changed since then.

Ever been to Sydney?

latepinoy93

Dec 1, 2000, 01:25 AM

Calif4Nia: Gotta stand up for our rights you know!! (Bob Marley!) Just like I said though, its sometime the few Pinoy who set a bad example and gave others bad experiences and thus...

Oh... didn't finish my plane landing story... See, so we were already way too high and so the pilot just literally made the plane drop to the ground to save the plane!!! We hit the ground first with the left rear landing gear, then bounced to the right landing gear and back again to the left before the nosegear came down. Brakes came on and reverse thrusters came on full strength. Plane then skidded slightly sideways coming to a halt at the very, very edge of the runway. I wreckon that the plane was about 200 meters from the grass, which was another 50 odd meters from the water... Fire engines came and I guess some passengers that were new to flying were wondering what was going on??? I was obviously praying like mad to thank God that I'm still alive!!! Well, that's the end of that and I shall refrain from telling all which airline it was!

Just turned 24 and am living here by myself. My folks went back to Mindanao 3 years ago to enjoy the fruits of their labours from HK while it was my turn to start fending for myself after graduation. Guess they deserve to enjoy life - They had to put up w/ me for 20 odd years!!!

Was looking forward to an X-mas in Mindanao but judging from my current fatigue-ness and the sure notion that we will be running about to visit relatives all over the place meant that my idea of a restful holiday will be shot! Oh, another thing about living out here is that you value PEACE and QUIET!!! Hong Kong probabaly has the highest stress level in Asia after Japan! Kaya when I go on holiday, I wanna be the master of my own time. Just too tired this year...

DaZeD in HK: Just wondering, has the stress of this city caught up w/ you yet??

DaZeD in HK

Dec 1, 2000, 01:41 AM

latepinoy: thanks for the welcome... tho i have to admit, my time here in hk is probably not enough to be able to accurately assess the entire cultural attitude of its residents when it comes to filipinos, i wouldn't say my experience has been watered down. the bulk of my friends here are other foreign trainees, mostly european, and my primary contact with locals is with my officemates and university students who host me, and all of them have been very nice. on the other hand, i have gone around hk, visited most of the outlying islands, probably more places than some locals have ever been, and i haven't had the same experience you had with that landlord (luckily). on a lighter note, being filipino does have its advantages, with the filipina waitresses/salesladies, you always get better service, and a nice story to boot... i can remember a nice conversation i had with a filipina dh on a bus to stanley, and since i was wearing a suit that time, she was commenting that i was so lucky to be working here not as a dh...little did she know that she probably got to keep more money than the suit beside her =)

re: your question, nope, i'm not that stressed, more on the bored side actually... most of my good friends have left (that's what sad about hk, people always come and go), and i've grown pretty tired of the nightlife (i actually live in lan kwai fong, no joke)

7's baby: i don't think pinoys down under have a monopoly on the 'black wannabe' act... it doesn't make it any less pathetic tho... shopping-wise, latepinoy's right... china's the way to go... but if you're looking for top of the line stuff, coupled with shopping convenience, then hk is hard to beat... wait another month for your trip, chinese new year's less than 2 months away, sales galore...

cali4nia: i was just wondering if you're like most of the US-based pinoys i know, where all your friends, or at least the bulk of them are pinoys too? there's nothing wrong with that, but i'm just wondering, if it's just culture, or it's really a matter of circumstance, wherein you don't get much choice?

Cali4Nia

Dec 1, 2000, 02:39 AM

[i]cali4nia: i was just wondering if you're like most of the US-based pinoys i know, where all your friends, or at least the bulk of them are pinoys too? there's nothing wrong with that, but i'm just wondering, if it's just culture, or it's really a matter of circumstance, wherein you don't get much choice?

Culture? Meaning pinoys or other immigrants tendency to find comfort with one's own so they stick together? Oh sure there's always gonna be that goin' on.

Even, though there's a huge Filipino Community here in the US and esp here in Southern California. There's also a big Latino population (this land used to be Mexico), there's cities where it is predominantly Black like Inglewood "The wood" and Compton where some of the popular rappers like Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog come from. There's JTown (japan), Korea Town, China Town, of course, (there's always gonna be a Chinatown everywhere) and the Middle Eastern population and Indian Population are big here too. Maraming immigrant population dito but they differ from the immigrant population in the East Coast...more of Eastern European, Cuban and PuertoRican flavor there. So there shouldn't be a problem finding or making friends with people of different ethnicities here esp. on the job or at school and church.

Dazed I also saw your comment bout being called a bad name by some mexican guy when u were asking for directions here in the States.

I'm sure you realize that not all people in the US are ignorant and there are educated people out here who acknowledge everybody as human beings first but, sadly, there's no getting away from ignorant people sometimes.

I don't get it but RACE is such a big ISSUE here in the US that sometimes I just wanna throw up my hands and say damn....we're all Earthlings okay, can't we all just get along. Huge immigrant population here that you'd think people would be more tolerant of others.

I'm so the opposite of the Pinoy you're talking bout though. In fact, in elementary school, most of my classmates were predominantly Latinos with a sprinkling of Whites, Blacks, Koreans or Armenians and Filipinos. That was in the late 80's. The few Filipino friends I had never spoke tagalog at school or to each other and as I went on to Jr. High and High school our bunch consisted of one vietnamese (she just graduated from Harvard...can you believe it), one korean, two mexicans, a white girl, one who was half korean and cuban and me the token filipina.

My girls and I would have been called "White Washed" because we're all of different ethnicities but we were the 1.5 generation immigrant types...you spoke ur language at home but assimilated quickly in the American culture. Good thing I was raised by my Lola and never lost out on the Philippines, the culture or conversational tagalog.

But I had Filipino friends but they were just in other cliques, not ours. Oh and did we have "Filipino" cliques in school.

There were basically 4 kinds. The americanized "white washed" ones, popular, wannabe blacks some of them or gansters, car show pinay type, tight clothes or baggy pants-cross colors.

Another americanized "white washed" type but more goodie goodie, did well in school, cheerleader, student body type (this was me).

Other americanized Filipinos were the ones in the Gothic, Alternative, Heavy Metaler cliques...metallica, iron maiden, colored their hair and dressed in black...cool.

Other group were the new arrivals to the country, knew tagalog and tagalog slang very well, very reserved, didn't dress like other american teens yet, still wore esprit t-shirts, tight jeans and flats.

Even now I dont have a big circle of Filipino friends that I hang or 'gimik' with. I still have my girls from highschool as good friends. But recently I became a member of a catholic church group and it is predominantly Filipino and hence, they're my Filipino bunch of friends.

Yeah I know what ur talking about though. There's lots of Pinoys here that have their huge clan of friends that are just Filipino. Yup, nothing wrong with that but....one thing's for sure though. They're missing out on the wonderful experience of having friends from different backgrounds and ethnicities. You learn TOLERANCE for others for starters and the experience spices up your life and personality in many ways...great learning experience especially for your tastebuds...international foood :D

How bout u Dazed :D Do you have a circle of good Filipino friends there or are they all back home? Is it easy to make good friends with the Chinese or do they kinda discriminate just because you are Filipino?

What about the London raised Chinese population there...I heard they look down on many Chinese from the Mainland...like they're above them or something?

Marami kasi dito sa University ko na Chinese and Japanese international FI visa students so I hear stories. In fact, my university is located near a city where there's a huge Chinese American population Monterey Park :D

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 12-01-2000 at 03:53 AM]

Cali4Nia

Dec 1, 2000, 03:42 AM

Latepinoy: hey I just turned 23 so I'm almost your age, too. Hey tell me what airline co.? Do all of us motion sickeness sufferers a favor :D
Cmon...do you want me to vommit on yet another plane if I ever visit HK again? Its a terrible sight...hehehe!

Do you mind if I ask you for your email so we can chit chat further...you post comments as long as I do and you've got lots to say...interesting :D

DaZeD in HK

Dec 1, 2000, 06:56 AM

i don't really blame them for sticking to their own, and besides, like you said, it's not an exclusive filipino trait... i like
how you think about diversity tho. i guess growing up in a school such as yours helped a lot. i asked, 'cus generally
speaking, filipinos, like most asians, are still very closed, and don't have that 'international' mindset... although in terms
of exposure, we're probably somewhere in between (manila's not as diverse as, say HK or singapore, but not as
shielded either... have european friends who visited some cities in china and kids would actually go up to them and tug
on their chest/leg/arm hair), filipinos tend to stop on the pleasantries and being hospitable, and are often reluctant to go
beyond that. the bulk of these observations are based on friends/family, and although this isn't entirely representative of
filipinos, i think it's a good enough sample.

i've always been fascinated with cross-cultural differences and similarities... coming from a middle-class family, i used
to just nod and smile whenever classmates talk about their summer vacations in the US and/or europe (i went to a
predominantly upper class school). but one thing most of them had in common, was that whenever i asked them how
their trip went, it was always how the place was, the weather, what tourist sights they visited, what they bought, and
probably one or two passing comments on the people. when i ask them who they hung out with, or if they met any
interesting people, it would always be a relative or a family friend.

having never gone out of the country, 'til early this year, i loved going to boracay (3 trips within the last year before
going to HK), partly cus of the beach, and partly cus it was my glimpse on diversity. the place takes a life of its own,
and it was the closest i'd get to being in another country (at the time). some guy friends would always ask me why i
bother talking to the guy next to me in a bar, or the couple in the next cottage, when there was obviously no chance of
a good lay =)

you learn a lot of things that you would never have picked up from reading lonely planet, and who knows, they might
come in handy one day. i still find it quite amusing when i had my first contact with people from israel. i always had the
impression that israel is arabic/middle eastern, so i kinda equated that with my image of people from there. and there i
was having a drink with a caucasian couple, both born and raised in tel aviv, laughing at me. you get to meet a few
people unworthy of remembering, but small anecdotes like that make it more than worth it.

i totally hear you tho, re: ur side-comment about international food... just like your hs clique, i was the lone filipino in
my circle here, with the others being from germany, italy, finland, poland, australia, malaysia, india and japan. we tried
having a cookfest 1 time, but ended up with pizza, salad and wine. some of them can cook tho, and personal guides to
help pick out food when we eat out (hk is still 1 of the best places for eating out) always helps.

right now, even with most of my really good friends gone, the people i hang out with are non-filipinos. i do have 1 or 2
filipina friends (working as waitresses in clubs i go to), but other than that, it's a bit hard to find filipino
students/professionals who are my age. with regards to your concern about chinese on the other hand, i do have some
very good local friends too. since i'm being hosted by local uni students (since i'm doing my traineeship through an
international student org), i've had a lot of contact with locals in different universities. i see no discrimination because of
my nationality, and all trainees are treated on the level. sometimes though, when we give talks, you can see that they
tend to get more excited with other countries/nationalities, japan for example. this however, is more of a cultural
obssession (hk people are crazy over everything japanese), rather than discrimination, and i don't envy my japanese
girlfriend when she gets swarmed by hordes of freshmen asking her to translate japanese words and lyrics from their
favorite jap songs.

i've met quite a few UK-educated chinese, and I don't see any obvious contempt for mainlanders in particular. it's
possible that most overseas-educated chinese I know are really nice people, and i'm sure there are a lot out there who
aren't, but then again, it's just like the 'promdi' perception some manilenos have about non-manila residents.

and no, just cus i met an ignorant ***** from the states doesn't mean i think everybody there is like that... i pick my
fights, and it was just more worthwhile to keep my cool that time. i did meet a nice vietnamese girl, and a nice
hawaiian/japanese UNLV student / stripper (no sexual innuendos here, it was her job, and i was with my boss, so no
chance in the world for that... it was interesting comparing notes about strip clubs there and back home - more on
that in a separate thread for anybody interested)

i'd say you're pretty lucky, cus that education you're getting now is still worth more in terms of 'paper-value' compared
to uni degrees back home... hang in there... and IT is definitely not a fad, so even if you're going to shift, find something
IT-related..

latepinoy: so where did you finally end up finishing school? what are u doing here in hk now? what industry? just
curious... never actually met anybody who's not a dh, entertainer, or who didn't work in a bar/restaurant. can't
imagine living here my whole life tho... it's a good place, lots of interesting things to do, but it does wear you down...

latepinoy93

Dec 1, 2000, 08:47 AM

Funny you mentioned that you've never met Pinoys that aren''t in the industries that you mentioned... There are quite a few of my elder sisters' friends that have done real well for themselves and we all share the same background - born and bred in HKG w/ a Pinoy Degree!

I did meet some Isralites in the middle of Yunnan province jsut a while ago! We were just chilling out and next thing you know, a cross-cultural musical jam session began!! They're cool people!

Generally speaking, even the man on the street in HKG curses at the influx of Mainland Chinese people to this place. I mean, don't even have to look at the Brit-born or the Canandian-born or US-born chinese for the "looking down upon" syndrome! The fact is, when you understand street talk cantonese, you will here the less educated Locals putting the mainlanders down... I criinge at that becase firstly, these peeps from the mainland will work 3 times as hard for half the salary, and obviously, they speak Cantonese as well as Mandarin, generally, of course! Here, the locals speak such poor mandarin that I feel so sorry for them, knowing that this place will lose its lustre in the next 10 - 20 years while Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen open up and catch up... Hong Kong will have all the great facilities, but China will not put all their eggs in a basket and let HK keep all the glory!!! Certainly, this place will continue to thrive, but the fact that the Government is so slowly intorducing Mandarin into the curriculum just doesn't help! It's funny, and I am in no way trying to show off here, but even my Chinese classmates in high school call me and ask me for tips on how to speak Mandarin and read simplified Chinese! In a way, that's kinda cool, but I feel sad for them... They need it more than I do. I have a home to go to and that's the Philippines. Just need to stock up on experience and knowledge here! Others here are not so lucky and they just have to stay put! Yeah, similar to the way some peeps in Manila make comments when they hear a "Britis" accent...

I hardly hang out at the bars now because it is just too boring... Same peeps, same gimmik, walang magawa!! I don't drink as much as I did while in Manila anymore (Partly also because beers here cost so much!) and because the athmosphere of drinking isn't like home!! You know, case of beer, pulutan, Tanduay shot and coke chaser... Miss that! Only pinoys do that here! Lan Kwai Fong is just too "haha" (Said in a Posh English Accent!!:))

Yes, when I travel (Which is about 6-8 months of the year!), I take in the local culture, way of life, practices and all the "soft" components of the place! Being Pinoy, you're just naturally friendly and want to meet people! Thus wherever I go, I make friends and keep them to the best of what my time can give! You learn so much about the history of the place you know!

Speaking of which, you asked what I do? Again, to make a long explaination short, my job is like Jerry Macguires' - Sports Agent! I do not handle athlete clients, but I handle events and service corporations in their activities/sponsorships ranging from Golf to Motorsports. Travelling is very much a part of my life and I just adapt and soak in whatever I can! Funniest thing though is that I go to all these places in Southeast Asia and the first thing they do is assume that I am a local so they start speaking to me in whatever language they speak! The key to breaking the ice I say is to learn prefectly to say, in each of the languages, "I'm sorry, but I speak no ________. Then the conversations almost always start and if you're lucky, you can ask them to teach you phrases then after a while, you can make up a whole sentence!!

You know what's also really cool? The mere fact that you go to a hotel somewhere, and the band is unmistakably Pinoy - and they're always good!

Japan-syndrome is very much the thing here isn't it??? I mean, I was reading the local gossip mags here one day and saw an article of Luna Sea's concert here and some of the local girls changed their names to Japanese names becauce they "want to be Japanese instead of being Chinese..." That, sometimes, I cannot blame because of the local education system! I remember in one of the earlier posts or on another thread, there was this talk about "are you proud to be pinoy or something and there was this bit about how even the man on the street in the Philippines can't remember where indepencence was declared! Here, the history of HK is one chapter in 2nd year high school! That's about it! Just sad! No reinforcement of the past and no direction for the future. Just like you said, people just come and go here and become statistics!

What about you DaZeD, where are you at here? I'm gessing - HKU? A lot of my buddies came from HKU.

This is a thread that is getting interesting.... Keep em' coming!!!

latepinoy93

Dec 1, 2000, 09:21 AM

Glad to give it to you, but need to know how to do it w/o the world knowing! How lah?? Let me know yah? Cool that we're on almost the same "age page"!!! ;)

Yes, I am really chilling out nowadays as the busy season is over and just have the time to write and share. I must say, I write essays!! Not messages!! And I accidently found this site via the Inquirer webpage! (Read it at least once a day to keep track on the demonstrations and the current charade regarding out presidency!)

DaZeD: You also write a lot too!!! Tanong: saan ka nag high school sa Pinas? Curious lang... I finished my college in Olivarez College in Paranaque! I didn't make the grade in Ateneo and I wanted to be near home so there I went!

Cali4Nia, hate to break your heart but ... unfortunately, the airline was PAL... :( But please fly with them anyway! They need the business!!!! I'm sure that it is because of the difficulty in landing planes on a "giant" aircraft carrier-type runway!!

I took the liberty to also partly answer you on the Brit-Chinese and so on in my last post.

But Here's one thing: I have a serious question here... I love Cars (I DO subscribe to Lowrider Magazine!), I love my baggy jeans (Just too comfortable to pass! But not Cross Colours!!! ;)), and I love my alternative music! I've only been to the States twice (Once to Florida to visit my ex. who lived in Jackson, MS.) and to San Francisco (For a potential business opportunity!), but I've always been asked if I was American or had an education in the USA or something! Kinda strange why all this came into being but I just wanna know where it came from and in everyone's general opinion - where do I stand???

7's Baby: I am looking forward to my first trip to Australia in a couple months time!!!! Doing an event there in Sydney and then in Melbourne! I have a really, really good high school buddy in Sydney and just dying to see him again!! Well, there are still bargains here in HK like Cellular Phones (Just got one brand new one today for approx. A$120!), Portable MD/CD, MP3 players, Giordano is on sale (I still like their stuff!) and beddings that are made in China! Tanong: what industry are you in that you travel to HKG?

Cali4Nia

Dec 2, 2000, 08:20 AM

Ahhhhh....I wanna reply but I've got to save my finger walking (typing) for 2 big term papers due next week for FINALS.

Be back afterwards....keep the thread going...MUCHOS GRACIAS to all your wonderful insights on pinoy life abroad...KEEP EM COMING.

CHRISTMAS is almost here so:

MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MANIGONG BAGONG TAON SA LAHAT :D

DaZeD in HK

Dec 3, 2000, 12:45 AM

latepinoy: no prob abt hooking up.. i knew there were more pinoys here outside of the industries i mentioned, but i
guess i just never had the chance to meet them... i finished hs and uni in pinas (csa for hs, then la salle), so i'm not
doing any studying here. the traineeship is a full-time job. my local uni host tho, is baptist U, but i have friends from
HKU, UST, and CU too, since i go to those uni's too, every now and then.

i hear u on the way pinoys drink, it's pretty unique, and it's fun seeing whiteys piss-a**ed drunk, lalo na pag ikaw ***
tanggero... my friends always ask whenever we went out, if we're going to drink normally or 'filipino-style'.. nice ring
to it =)

have to admit, i envy u, since u get out of hk so often.. my traineeship doesn't let me do that, tho i had that chance to
go to vegas for an exhibition last month.. now, i jump at the chance to go out every short holiday i get =) was in
beijing for national day, and it was pretty cool...

cali: good luck on ur finals, i'd say that's one thing i don't miss about being in school...
7's: drop us a line when u do come over...

cali's right.. christmas is here, couple more weeks... i'm excited to go home =)

Cali4Nia

Dec 3, 2000, 03:37 AM

Dazed: My dad's a La Salle alumni, too. For his MBA, that is...his undergrad is UP Diliman. My mom went to UST.

Dazed, Latepinoy: Wondering what you guys majored in?

7's baby: You mentioned you were still in school...what's your major?

:D

Nikki-doods

Dec 3, 2000, 10:20 AM

Cali4nia: Yep, tumpak ka sa job description ko! LOL.... well, i still dunno what to expect talaga...i'll start taking calls monday pa kasi.....we've been in training for a month na. Pero ayun nga, we will be dealing with IRATE american customer (yiiiiikes). But at least the pay's good, and it's a new thing to do here. I wouldn't wanna get stuck as a management trainee or something like everyone else is doing here..LOL
I can also empathize with your "freaking out" when you studied for the UPCAT. UP Diliman is a good school where you get quality education for a small amount compared to other private unis (shempre sipsip, alma mater e! LOL) but then again we do use Filipino in a lot of our subjects and i have a lot of friends who grew up elsewhere and studied in UP and were "shocked" esp. during freshman year. :-)

7's Baby: got your text and your pic! emailed you na mypic.. sige nga! if i can't fly to sydney, you fly to brisbane! LOL :-) Gold coast tayo or something....hehe :-)

latepinoy73: sinabi mo about shopping..i was in Hong Kong last Dec 99 and parang pakonti nang pakonti ang magagandang tinda. i;ve been going to shenzen rin everytime we visited hongkong. i remember my first trip to shenzen and i was just 10. wala pang mga goods doon, all that was there was that mini china thing....where the dynasties were displayed in diorama form which was fascinating for me at that age. hehehe. i remember din my last trip to hk, i got sick! i remember that it got so cold (parang 5º ata) and i was stuck in the hotel for a good 3 days! kainiiiiis! i'm always stuck to the touristy side of hK. baka naman any of you HK based peeps would wanna give me a tour to the "non tourist" side of HK. me and my friends are going maybe in this month eh. :-)

Cali4Nia

Dec 3, 2000, 10:42 AM

Nikki-Doods: Glad you dropped by :D
Don't worry about IRATE customers...you sound like a TOUGH COOKIE kaya mo yan :D

Piece of Advice for you on the JOB.

Kapalan mo ang mukha mo when the sh*t starts to hit the fan and the verbal abuse begins. DON'T CRY...like I did once when this psychotic customer started to get personal and started attacking me when he should've really been frustrated at the company. CS reps get all the CRAP. Kayong CSR ang nasa frontlines representing the company kasi, eh.

Just listen when they're going on and on and complaining and just say "Sir, I understand. I'm here to help. Blah Blah Blah.." If that doesn't satisfy em then you'll hear the "Let me speak to your manager or supervisor, RIGHT NOW...GOSH DARNIT!" line...typical typical.

Let me tell ya though, customer service experience is very valuable to a PROSPECTIVE AMERICAN and I'm sure AUSTRALIAN EMPLOYER because you learn to stay professional, cool, calm and collective amidst heated business situations like these that deal with customers. It will give you an EDGE as a JOB CANDIDATE....:D

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 12-02-2000 at 10:49 PM]

SeAttLE_iLoCanO

Dec 3, 2000, 10:39 PM

i live in seattle and its great
my friends and i pimp out our cars and upgraded them. civics, del sol, integra gsr, and prelude
we drag race at kent and go to Seattle International Raceway [SIR} to test our cars. i have a civic by the way.

latepinoy93

Dec 4, 2000, 09:57 AM

Nikki_doods: No problem as long as I'm around in HKG when you're here, would be glad to! Just don't mind the local chatter and clutter, you'll get the bargains and REAL Cantonses Food!

DaZeD: How to hook up? Maybe a place and time in Lan Kwai Fong??

Cali4Nia: Knock 'em Dead at Finals!!!! You'll do OK! You write well! :)

DaZeD in HK

Dec 5, 2000, 01:02 AM

cali4nia: majored in electronics and communications engineering... sounds heavy, and it really is. i graduated without knowing jack sh*t tho =)

nikki: not just overseas filipinos who study in UP get that 'initial shock' in their first year... i think it's a general trend :D

about hk's non-touristy side, again, depends on what you fancy... what got me when i arrived here was that there was so much more to hk than the usual shopping. there's lots of beaches, landscapes are breathtaking, and all that only an hour or less from your shopping areas (sounds too much like a tourist brochure... maybe i can do some copywriting :D). but then again, it all depends on how much time you have. if you're after the shopping, wait 1 more month, just before chinese new year... best shopping season (CNY starts jan. 23/24, so a week before that would be perfect, if you can survive the crowds)

latepinoy: drop me an email, i'm free most weeknights. let's do the yuppie thing and take in a happy hour drink :)

Cherriepie19

Dec 5, 2000, 06:10 PM

Hey people,
You know i think it doesn't matter where u are in the world as long as your happy. And right now i think im happy where i am..im here with my family and relatives in california,los angeles . You know even though i miss the philippines i know i will go there and visit someday when i have the money and finish college... Thats where i want to spend my vocation. =) But i don't think i would want to spend the rest of my life there. Why? Thats just how i feel for now..

Cali4Nia

Dec 6, 2000, 10:08 PM

Originally posted by Cherriepie19
Hey people,
You know i think it doesn't matter where u are in the world as long as your happy. And right now i think im happy where i am..im here with my family and relatives in california,los angeles .

Good point cherriepie:D

And it is always a smart move to keep your options open.

latepinoy93

Dec 7, 2000, 02:23 AM

Second that! Always best at our age now to let the good winds take you to wherever it goes! Just as long as you're content with what you've got!

Cali4Nia: how're the papers coming along??

Cali4Nia

Dec 16, 2000, 05:40 AM

moving up :D

Anybody else have any stories to share :D C'mon...share...share.....It's therapeutic! :D

indiegirl

Dec 16, 2000, 07:03 AM

hey guys this is a great thread.
i live in manila, but i just came from a three-month tour of europe which totally blew my mind. it wasn't your typical tourist-spots-plus-shopping vacation... i got to live with people who totally did not speak english at all --and i know what you guys feel about how great it is to be with people from different cultures. i had a lot of experiences which made me feel so many things about being filipino. although i don't know if my stories count 'cause i'm back here in manila and not abroad!
but keep the stories comin' ok? :)

DaZeD in HK

Dec 16, 2000, 07:42 AM

hey indiegirl, welcome home (feeling manileño pa rin :) )...

which countries did u visit? grad gift? what're u doing now? we'd luv to hear from u too...

latepinoy93

Dec 16, 2000, 07:52 AM

Indigirl: Welcome, welcome, welcome! Hey, you DO belong on this thread because you're from everywhere!!!! Not limited to us "outsiders" you know! Which parts of Europe?? Story naman oh? Must have been great and refreshing to be with people that can't even speak english! Sorta makes you wake up to the bare essentials of human survival - hand communication!

DaZed: Will call you this evening! I think that I can meet up this time!

This is a great thread isn't it?

Cali4Nia

Dec 16, 2000, 09:07 AM

Indigirl: Awesome! Never been to Europe....where did you go and what did ya see? Kuwento ka naman :D

Dazed and Latepinoy: Glad u guys will finally meet up with each other....wish I could come along......gotta plane ticket for me :D hehehhe....Try not to drink too much you guys :D

Latepinoy: Hey I got your email nga pala....thanks...did you get my reply?

latepinoy93

Dec 18, 2000, 05:34 AM

Cali4Nia: Yep, got it, thanks! Just been making time when I can to write here! Did you get my e-mail?

Cali4Nia

Dec 19, 2000, 02:31 AM

LatePinoy: Yeah, I got your email with the pics. Ang cuuuttee nang lil' nephew mo and the view on yours was soo breathtaking. I'm in the middle of emailing you a lengthy reply as soon as things calm down here. Too much running around with holidays and all.....ughhh...pushy people at the mall and traffic is horrible :D

How's the holidays there in HK? Is everybody in a frenzy trying to get their last minute Christmas shopping done there, too?

latepinoy93

Dec 19, 2000, 10:04 AM

Cali4Nia: Take your time :) I know how busy you are and I have been trying to catch the last-minute shopping craze now! This year, I have taken the approach of getting good-priced leather gifts for men and women! There's this place near my office that is selling these leather goods and accessories at super silly prices!!! Unbelievable really at how cheap they can sell it for!

Shopping in HK is getting very mad indeed! However, I do wish that the bargains in general get better! A lot of the smart ones have gone to Shenzhen, China to shop for X-mas. Also, this Christmas spree is not a huge as it should be because it is very close to Chinese Lunar New Year and people need to save up for that occasion than for X-mas. In fact, I don't really feel Christmasy since I am doing lots of stuff at the same time! Not like in Pinas na you're reminded of pasko everywhere!

OK, one GRRRREEEAAATTT thing about living in Hong Kong is Chinese Lunar New Year!!! 'Tis the season to get some extra pocketmoney! Yes, it is a tradition in HKG to get something called a "Lai See" on Chinese New Year! That's when Married People give little red packets to us Single People for good luck! They usually give HK$20 minimum and up to HK$1,000 depending on who you're getting it from! (The thousand is usually from the parents to the kids or from uncles and aunts to the nephews/nieces!!) The protocol is to visit various residences of your family friends', present them a chinese new year gift (which can range from especially-packed peanuts to chocolate to solid 9999 gold statuettes!)and have tea for some period of time and then off to the next home!

The money-giving goes on for about 10 days after the 2nd day into the Lunar New Year! (Jan 23 - 25, 2001, where the 24th is actually New Year's Day!!)

Good to hear that you're busy with X-mas shopping! Have fun and don't spend all your money on everyone else! Don't forget to treat yourself to something nice, 'K?

pyket

Dec 21, 2000, 11:11 AM

hey there! sorry to be an intruder in a virtual everyone-knows-everybody-else thread, but i was just wondering how life in australia is for pinoys. i have absolutely no idea how things are down under and i'm most likely moving there this june for college. not in fast-paced sydney, but in relatively slower adelaide.

Nikki-doods

Dec 21, 2000, 11:58 AM

hi pyket!

ywelcome to the thread! i think you can ask 7's baby what college life is like in australia,... i'm an aussie citizen but i'm currently in manila and i'll be moving back to brisbane or sydney probably nxt year... where'd you go for HS? where naman in adelaide are you gonna go for college? i grad from UP diliman and I'm currently working in a company here in Libis, QC. I think life in australia is very relaxed and the people are very friendly....although the filipinos there are not as many as those in the US. I personally love australia a lot! i like the lifestyle, very simple and the people are not so brand conscious. Plus the universities in australia are at the top of the list in Asiaweek's Asia's topy uni's. Hope you like it there when you relocate...what do you plan on taking up?

pyket

Dec 21, 2000, 03:50 PM

hey there! thanks for the reply!

i'm transferring college actually. i'm a current college sophomore. psychology major here, psych rin doon... plans ko (shempre hindi pa talaga solid unless makuha ko yung acceptance letter): University of South Australia in Adelaide, or University of New South Wales sa Sydney. Pero i'm bent on taking the UniSA psych program that i fell for... :)

Ateneo ako for high school at college.

Cali4Nia

Dec 22, 2000, 02:33 AM

Hey Nik...how's it going? Hope everything's okay at work :)Yep Pyket si Nik Doods and 7's baby ang Aussie experts dito. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all you guys and God Bless!

latepinoy93

Dec 22, 2000, 04:30 PM

Pyket: You are most welcome to make singit!! Where else would you make singit first, di ba?? Yeah, 7's baby and Nikki-doods are the Wallabies here so ask them! They'll be able ta help you out!

I have a new experience that may be insiginficant but to me, this is a trial!

MOVING HOUSE!!! MOVING, MOVING, MOVING!! Have you moved since you first arrived in your new home?? I have been in this place for 15 years now and I am moving to a shoebox in town. Thing is, it's 15 years of stuff that I am going through here with my Mum - and she has a lot of stuff that she keeps and I cannot really go chuck stuff out because she may want the postcard or the stamps or something... Do you ever get the feeling that when you are away from home, you tend to want to keep everyting as a sort of "remembrance" of your time here? (Esp. my folks!)

Another trial at a time when the whole world is mad going shopping and so on...

By the way, just also want to say my Merry Christmas message now 'cause the next few days will be a madhouse!

Catcha later!

SIOPAO MAN

Dec 23, 2000, 05:27 PM

When I first got to this country, when I was a teenager in the mid-80s, I remember it was like a whole new world (naks! Parang aladdin ah!).
Natatandaan ko, very first time kong mag order sa isang fast food burger (in-n-out din ata eh) by myself, I was very nervous,kasi I knew I had to use english na eh, dahil kailangan eh! Sa pinas pa english english ka lang pag pa sosyal sosyal ka, now I had to use it out of neccessity!
So I walk up to the counter, nerbyos ako, hoping hindi ako ma-embarass masyado. Mabute naman at hindi ako na-palpak.
I remember also, jingle na jingle na ako one day, I had only been in the country like one week, so I ask this old guy "excuse me sir, where is the toilet?" Medio nag-taka siya, "toilet?" sabi nya. "Well, there's a toilet in the bathroom." Nuon ko lang nalaman na ang banyo pala tawag ay bathroom, hindi toilet.
cali4nia sa glendale ka diba? Malapit ka ba sa galleria or sa eagle rock mall? Madalas din kaming tumamby ng LA friends ko sa Galleria eh. Sa eagle rock mall naman, mura lang ang movies, 2 bucks lang ata, diba?

Cali4Nia

Dec 23, 2000, 08:52 PM

Siopao Man: Hahahha! Same experience when I first arrived in 1986. Nasa Mc Donalds kami at tapos kalingan ko nang umihi. Punta ko sa order area and ask the order takers "Where's your CR?" Order taker says "What?" I said "CR?" Order taker says "What's a CR?"....bwahahah! No such slang or linggo like that here in the States....bwhahah....RESTROOMS is the right word, pala....soo embarassing! Funny how Filipino Slang/Linggo has lots of acronyms involved.
CR...LBM....DOM...IMHO...and a bunch of other stuff I see in posts here that I'm not at all familiar with. Maybe I should start a thread so PEXERS can teach me new slang...yeah!

Yes..Siopao Man I live near the Galleria and near MAX of Manila's restaurant in Glendale. The Galleria was our favorite hangout growing up...total mall rats :D Wow 2 bucks lang ba sa Eagle Rock ang movies...didn't know that...mas maganda kasi manood sa AMC Burbank or the new Mann Theaters at the Glendale Marketplace. Hey where in Los Angeles are you located? There was supposed to be a US EB for PEX but it fizzled out...oh well.

LatePinoy: Oh man I know how you feel. We've moved around a lot here, too from apartment to apartment as we've gone through elementary, highschool and college so commuting wouldn't be soo far. Hirap talaga deciding how to get rid of stuff or what to toss out. So you are moving into a much smaller place I assume? Take it easy, though :)

Merry Christmas to ALL PEXERS...malapit na....yihheeee!

- Caligirl -

Dec 23, 2000, 11:06 PM

Anyhow, I was born in NY and I lived in PI from 3-10 years old. We came back to the US in 1991 and all I can say is: life here is great and I wouldn't trade it for anything else! We're pretty fortunate cuz my mom and I were able to get ourselves situated pretty fast and we had no problems whatsoever.
I was in fifth grade my first year of school in Cali and it was alright, however, it didn't go THAT smooth. I was really scared at first cuz I didn't know whether I'd fit in or not and cuz I thought I'd be the shortest one in my class but guess what? I actually ended up being the tallest one in my class (no kidding!) and my classmates turned out to be really nice (only at first though). What happened was, a few months into the school year, I became the "teacher's pet" and this one girl named Britney got most of my other girl classmates to go against me. (You know how that goes in gradeschool) It's a good thing I had bonded with the guys in my class so they were always there to defend me! Woohoo! :lol: After graduating 5th grade though, (onto middle school), everything went coolio.

Ok this is a totally different topic now... but don't you think it's sad how Filipinos here make fun of "FOBS" (Fresh of the Boats) or people who just immigrated here? Why is that anyway? That goes for other Asians too...they make fun of their fobs. Why can't we be more like Latinos who consider everyone family...fob or not? I guess I was 'lucky' because I came here when I was young and people back then didn't make a big deal about fobs. But yah..Oh well...hehe I just had to make a comment about that.

Ok off-topic now ;)
Cali4nia: What kind of jobs can you get with a degree in Computer Information Systems? I'm on my second year of college and I'm starting to hella stress out! I'm almost done with my GE and I was set on taking Computer Science but my friggin friend scared the ish outta me.... She's in the same grade but she took some programming class and she flunked it so now, she decided to change her major from CS to I forgot. Ahhhhhh!!! I dunno! I'm still going to try CompSci out but I want an alternative to fall back on, just in case.
Anyhoo, :lol: I feel you on that whole CR issue (but mine was different, though). One time, my friend caught me saying "open" and "close" the lights.:D Up to now, I still slip with that one. ;)

By the way, what's IMHO? Anyone?

Cali4Nia

Dec 24, 2000, 03:10 AM

Hey Caligirl:D

I've got 1 year and a half more of college to go so I've gone through that "what career and what major to take" phase myself....hehehe.

If you're not too shabby at Calculus and higher levels of mathematics and physics then you should definitely try Computer Science. It's a bit more technical than CIS and CIS majors are usually more business oriented and offered at the School of Business while Comp Sci is usually offered at The School of Natural Sciences along with Mathematics in many universities.

I tried my hand at CIS but my problem with it is the programming language aspect of it. I didn't like programming....so I've moved on to Marketing because I'm more of a people person than a number cruncher. But, like DazedHK says, don't forget about technology or computers and learn bout them because they'll come in handy at work no matter what your position and it'd probably make you more in demand as a job candidate :D

If I could do it over again I'd probably get into Graphic Design but who knows, I'll probably take some night classes on Graphic Publishing Software like Adobe after I graduate so I can pursue it further:D I just want to get my classes out of the way so I can get out there and start working already...ughhh!

- Caligirl -

Dec 24, 2000, 08:59 PM

LUCKY YOU!!!!! You're almost about to graduate! I, on the other hand, still have at least 3-4 years to go. Man..even my friends from elementary school in the Philippines (who I still keep in touch with) already graduated from college and have jobs now! (and they're only 19-20 years old!) I wanna work already gdangit! :lol: Oh well.

Dood..I swear, it's pretty scary choosing a major cuz this is going to determine your life, you know? I'm still going to try out Comp Sci for sure though. Blah..whatever. :(

SIOPAO MAN

Dec 25, 2000, 05:44 AM

Cali4nia

I'm not from LA, pero madalas akong mag-visit sa LA. Mahilig kaming tumambay sa Little Tokyo dahil magandang lugar yun.
Every time I fly into LA, the first thing I do is find a Yoshinoya & order their beef bowl. Ang sarap kasi eh! kasi naman walang Yoshinoya dito sa East Coast kaya sa LA lang ako nakaka-tikim nyan. Halos everyday ako kumakain sa Yoshinoya when I'm in LA.

latepinoy93

Dec 25, 2000, 02:17 PM

To all whom this message shall be seen...

Decided against going to Midnight mass 'cause Mum is super tired now so I'm just surfing...

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL AND MAY I WISH YOU A FRUITFUL YEAR OF THE SNAKE (2001)!

Caligirl and Cali4Nia: Before you guys jump on a "what job can I get with my Computer Degree... I'd like to strongly recommend a book for y'all to read: "Rich Dad - Poor Dad; what the rich people taught their kids that middle class and poor familes do not know!"

The title sounds a bit mean but once you read it, you'll see things a whole lot more differently and perhaps it will give you a better idea of what you guys wanna do and how you wanna get wherever you wanna go!

Cali4Nia: Did ya get my e-card? The GREAT MOVE happened yesterday and I was expecting the worst... I was pleasantly surprised that I literally did 80% of the moving myself and my buddy who was supposed to help was late in getting to my old place (I loaded 90% of my stuff onto the truck) and late getting to my new place! (I was in the truck and he was in his car so I unloaded all the stuff by myself!) My mum helped out by acting as the "Director of Security", watching all the stuff after unloading it onto the roadside where I pick it up and carry it up! I managed to fit everything in the apartment and much, much more!! Very surprised indeed!

Have fun out there in California guys!

[Edited by latepinoy93 on 12-25-2000 at 01:14 AM]

latepinoy93

Dec 25, 2000, 02:23 PM

Here's the full monty:

Title: Rich Dad - Poor Dad
What the rich teach their kids about money that the poor and middle class do not!

Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter C.P.A

Warner Books - ISBN 0-446-67745-0

Really recommend it's practical approach to the hard lessons in life! Must be read a few times over...and I'm certainly off the darn topic now... :D

Uh... Trials of life outside of the Philippines? Buying cheap and affordable paperbacks!! (Slightly back on topic now!) :)

latepinoy93

Dec 25, 2000, 02:29 PM

Originally posted by SIOPAO MAN
Cali4nia

I'm not from LA, pero madalas akong mag-visit sa LA. Mahilig kaming tumambay sa Little Tokyo dahil magandang lugar yun.
Every time I fly into LA, the first thing I do is find a Yoshinoya & order their beef bowl. Ang sarap kasi eh! kasi naman walang Yoshinoya dito sa East Coast kaya sa LA lang ako nakaka-tikim nyan. Halos everyday ako kumakain sa Yoshinoya when I'm in LA.

Dude?? I was thinking that you must like your siopao but Yoshinoya??? I ate that everyday for 3.5 weeks in Taipei for lunch (and sometimes dinner!) and the stuff rocks... However, nasawa na ako doon after that episode - I refused to go into one on my last visit kahit na it was just at the entrance to our new office branch there!

Great stuff, but don't eat it too much or you'll end up with "yoshinoya intolerance"! Chicken bowl anyone?

- Caligirl -

Dec 26, 2000, 11:22 PM

Thanks for the tip! :D I'll try to buy or check out that book sometime.

Darkshader

Dec 27, 2000, 12:40 AM

Wow! It's very interesting reading all your experiences. Pa-in and out na lang kayo sa Pilipinas. Ako, hanggang ngayon hindi pa nakakauwi sa Pilipinas dahil walang panggastos. I've been living here in San Francisco, CA sinced 1993. Kaka-graduate ko lang ng High School from a well known University sa may Quiapo at that time. And i said to my self na matutupad na rin iyong pangarap ko na makapunta ng amerika. =)

Pagdating ko dito, madali naman akong nakapag-adjust dahil nandito na rin iyong parents ko and some friends from the church that i attended in the Philippines. Dito dito na rin kami nagkita sa Bay Area. Ang nahirapan lang ako mag-adjust ay iyong college days ko. I don't have a lot of Filipino friends sa school. Ang buhay ko lang is to go to school and go home afterwards. I saw some Filipinos, pero lagi lang naman sila nag-hang out sa may cafeteria. Hindi naman ako close sa kanila dahil sila lang naman ang magkakakilala dahil magkaka-batch sila sa high school dito sa U.S. So feeling ko wala akong kaibigan na malalapitan at tutulong para mag study group dahil after classes ay kanya-kanya na ang lakad kung saan man sila patutungo. iyong mga born filipinos naman dito ay sila rin ang magkakabarkada. They don't talk to you or try to make friends. Bad trip diba?

So after a year, nagtrabaho na ako sa isang fast-food restaurant. Ang masasabi ko lang, doon ko nahanap ang mga kaibigan ko at hindi sa school or people you meet in the streets. Lahat ng kaibigan ko ay galing doon sa work ko, at kung may additional friend man ako ay galing din naman sa simbahan that i'm attending. Gustong-gusto ko magkaroon ng kaibigan na galing high school and college...but how? feeling ko naiipit ako sa gitna dahil i'm not getting a kot of friends, tapos iyong mga kaibigan ko puro tapos na sa college sa Pilipinas.

If ever i had a chance to make a decision again. Dapat bumalik ako sa Pilipinas para mag-aral ng college doon, dahil mas nakaka-focus ako doon kaysa dito sa US. At babalik na lang ako dito ulit after graduating college dahil and daming oppurtunity sa mga tao may college degree dito sa Silicon Valley. Syempre marami din oppurtunity sa mga taong nag-aral sa technical school. Pero iba parin ang feeling pagnakatapos diba? You can have a promotions and improve your career.

-CaliGirl- tama ka doon about FOBs. I feel angry about born filipinos, dahil akala mo kung sino sila. I even had a chance to chat with this filipina girl and sabi niya ay ikinahihiya niya ang mga filipino na bagong salta dito sa US. Sa isip-isip ko na dapat magpasalamat sila na nakapunta sila dito sa US through there parents dahil naghihirap na sa Pilipinas ngayon. Imbis na magtulungan..nagsisiraan pa. How sad =( Ikaw taga saan ka dito CaliGirl?

- Caligirl -

Dec 27, 2000, 02:53 AM

Darkshader: I'm from Daly City, the supposed "Little Manila." :) How about you? What college did you go to, by the way? Oh yah..that girl who said she was ashamed of newcomers, was she someone who was born/raised here or was she an immigrant? Just wondering....

Anyway, about some Fil-Ams judging "FOBS", I think it's such a SAD thing. Actually, I personally know some guys who do the whole making fun thing.. and it irks the hell outta me! I think this behavior is just an extension of a worldwide Filipino phenomenon called "crab mentality." Honestly, even though I practically grew up here, I totally sympathize with the newer immigrants because at one point, I was a newcomer, too.

Forrealz though, I think there are so many Filipinos here who act like they're all that even though they ain't! Also, have you noticed that a lot of Fil-Ams tend to be "clique-ish"... as in they get into little groups and sometimes, even judge other groups? I don't know if you guys have ever noticed that.. but I have. One of my good friends (who is half Filipina/Mexican) even commented that it seems like Filipinos have some kind of radar because whenever we'd walk into a crowded room with some Filipinos, she'd notice the other Filipinos shoot their heads up and immediately scan us up and down. :rolleyes: Maybe it's human nature to check each other out or to look at what you're wearing (especially girls) but it could get really annoying if they keep staring! It's like sheesh..stop and mind your own business, already! :mad:

Oh well. hehehe sorry if I completely got off topic...I guess I just got carried away and had to let some little pent up frustrations out. *sigh*

[Edited by - Caligirl - on 12-26-2000 at 02:10 PM]

Cali4Nia

Dec 27, 2000, 06:54 AM

Darkshader:

Tsk Tsk Tsk. Talgang wala nang manners ang ibang tao. That's too bad you had to hear that comment from a fellow Filipino whether or not he/she was born here in the States. That's just plain tactless of a comment with no regard for other people's feelings. I've seen incidents like that from Fil Ams when I was in jr. high and high school and, to me now that I look back, they probably weren't educated at global or multicultural matters just yet or they probably weren't that open minded or had become very "americancentric"...parang the world revolves around the USA kinda attitude.

Clearly, there is some sort of tension or line drawn between new Filipino immigrants and Filipinos born or raised in the States. An obvious reason for this is the differences in ENVIRONMENT where one or the other is raised even though both Fils raised in Pinas and Fils born or raised in the US have Filipino parents. Linggo is different, trends are different, and experiences are different from Pinas and the States.

Baligtad naman ang kuwento ko na ito sa yo. A Fil Am born here in the States na had a bad experience with somebody na laki sa Pinas. This Fil Am was getting his car fixed by this middle aged Filipino mechanic that was raised in Pinas and the mechanic asked him "Do you speak Tagalog or Ilocano" and the Fil Am says "No I don't but I can say this sentence or these words and comments in Tagalog". The mechanic then says in a sort of joking manner " Ah well then you are not a true Filipino".

That comment really hurt this Fil Am because he felt that nobody had a right to say that he was not a true Filipino because he was born of Filipino parents, raised in a Filipino Home and saw and experienced the STRUGGLES of his own Filipino Immigrant parents when he was growing up. He felt that knowing or not knowing how to speak tagalog doesn't make anybody less of a Filipino.

These Fil Ams feel that they do not totally FIT into the mainstream White American mold or culture because you hardly see any Filipino Role Models in TV or Movies or government here in the States and these Fil Ams have Filipino features more often than not. And to add to their conflicts are Filipinos not acknowleding that they are Filipino because they don't know tagalog or they aren't very versed in Filipino culture.

Feeling nila STUCK IN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS...they can't help it that they are in a country where Filipino is not the dominant culture.

OFF TOPIC ito but I also have heard or observed and I don't like the attitude that some Filipinos in Pinas have that to be TRULY FILIPINO you have to suffer along with them on the streets in the Philippines...di tama yon...everybody's gotta do what they have to do to survive even it means having to move to another country in search of a better life. I know that there are many Filipinos around the world who are geniunely concerned about Pinas and are always willing to help out their fellow kababayans in Pinas through charitable efforts and contributions of their talents and money or as balikbayans to uplift the lagging Philippine tourism economy.

Filipinos from both sides, whether they are born and raised in Pinas or here in the States, should try to take the time to learn about the CULTURAL EXPERIENCES of both groups before jumping to conclusions, feeding into the stereotypes or passing judgement about "things" they don't understand about each other so hurtful experiences like Darkshaders and the Fil Am I mentioned above can be minimized.

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 12-27-2000 at 12:46 AM]

- Caligirl -

Dec 27, 2000, 07:00 AM

To Darkshader again:
I know it's really, REALLY late now :lol: but I might as well say it. Never know...it might benefit some other person out there. :girl:

About making friends or forming study groups, you could've just made friends with anyone from your classes. Personally, if I don't know anyone in a new class, I just start talking to ANYONE...as in it could be whoever I happen to be sitting next to that day. :) People here in SF are very friendly and nice naman, eh.. Chances are, if you approach someone, they won't act snobby. (not too sure about Filipinos but I think they would be nice, too..unless they're in a group)
OR
If you wanted to make Filipino friends in particular, you could've joined the Filipino club in the school you were going to. Most likely, you could've made some friends there.

Cali4Nia

Dec 27, 2000, 07:29 AM

LatePinoy and Caligirl and ALL: Hey guys how was Christmas...feeling stuffed ba...hehehe:D

Thanks Latepinoy for the book recommendation. It's about time this 2001 to make a metamorphisis...physically, mentally and spritually...siguro reading these books will stir us in the right direction.

Here are some books that have been recommended to me that I am hoping to pick up soon and read:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Steven R. Covey
God is in the small stuff - Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz
Million dollar habits - Robert J. Ringer
I may not be totally perfect but parts of me are excellent - Ashleigh Brilliant
1,001 Ways to motivate yourself and others - Sang Kim

Cali4Nia

Dec 27, 2000, 07:33 AM

Siopao Man and Latepinoy:

Hahahha...gosh the last thing I can think of is a hot 'n' steaming Beef Bowl YOSHINOYA right now after eating all that Turkey Pancit and Sticky puto bumbongs and cassava cakes....ughhh....sooo fattening but soooo goood.

YOSHINOYA has a shrimp and fish bowl now...tempura style fried but I guess okay lang na alternative to beef or if your sick of chicken.

SIOPAO MAN

Dec 27, 2000, 02:22 PM

Heh heh heh...glad to see there are other Yoshinoya lovers out here!...I have a friend who used to work on Sunset blvd. in Hollywood, & whenever I visit him at work, It's always an excuse for me to eat at the Yoshinoya on Sunset & Highland. Their beef bowl is really addicting! The problem is when I go back home to Orange county, there are no Yoshinoyas to be found! Why is that?! There are dozens of Yoshinoyas in the greater LA area, but none in the suburbs? Why?!
Darkshader, saan ka sa SF? Yung high school mong malapit sa Quiapo, FEU ba?
It's been a while since I've been to San Francisco, & that surprises me because I absolutely Love the bay area! I remember the first time I saw the Golden Gate bridge many years ago, & it was like the most beautiful sight I had ever seen; it was at that time that I knew, nasa America na talaga ako, even more so than when I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time...

Darkshader

Dec 27, 2000, 05:29 PM

Thank you sa mga comments ninyo. I did try to communicate and made my move to have some friends in school. But after 1 or 2 sentences, the conversation is over. I feel that i want to talk more, but i'm thinking that my classmate might think that i'm asking too many questions or getting personal. Diba Americans, raised Filipinos and born Filipinos don't want to get so personal, expecially about their age and where they lived. Iba naman kasi sa pilipinas pag nag-aaral ka. You can ask every thing to the person sitting beside you. Because all of you are new in school and eager to have friends, it's very easy and very comfortable to make friends. And they even ask you if possible that you guys should eat together during lunch break. Kasi nga bago lang kayo sa school, so hindi pa masyadong familiar sa mga lugar and where to locate your next class. Tama ako diba?

Maybe it's easy for the girls to make friends with girls or guys in school. Pero sa akin ang hirap makipag-kaibigan, especially sa girl. Baka isipin kasi nila kulang ako sa pansin. Hindi naman kasi lahat ng tao open para magdagdag sila ng mga friends sa circle of friends nila. Tinatarget ko nga iyong mga asians, pero hirap parin. Iyong mga Filipina girls naman kung nagbibigay ng number ay Pager Number. So they decide if they want to call you back or not. Siguro through my college days 2 persons lang iyong naging close ko sa school. Isang chinese guy at iyong filipino guy na nakatira two blocks away from my house. Hindi ko na rin sinubukan sumama sa Filipino Club dahil i had to work after school. I saw most of them in the cafeteria, kaso mga tambay lang naman doon. Hindi naman halos sila nagsisipasok sa mga classes nila.

To Siopao Man = Yeah, taga FEU HS ako sa may Quiapo dati. Kami iyong last batch na nag-graduated doon, before they move all the HS to FEU Fairview.

Darkshader

Dec 27, 2000, 05:57 PM

To Caligirl and Cali4Nia:

About the girl that i chatted in AOL. It happened 2 years ago. She is a born Filipina here in San Francisco. Okay naman iyong conversation namin, pero ng nalaman niya that i'm a immigrant Filipino nag-iba agad ang attitude. Sabi niya, iyong mga Filipino daw ganito, ganyan, sobrang maarte akala kung sino, baluktot raw mag english, at dapat bumalik na daw sila sa Pilipinas, at tapos galit na galit siya sa mga Filipina girls na FOB. So about hearing all those nasty comments, sino naman ang hindi mag-iinit ang ulo. Syempre i tried to defend who we are. Syempre pangit kasi tingnan pagnakikipag-away ka sa isang babae...so tumigil na ako. It's really sad to know na ganon pala ang perception ng mga Born Filipino sa mga FOB. Kaya naisip ko rin na nasa magulang iyon eh. They should teach their kids the Filipino culture and it's history. And syempre turuan din nila iyong mga anak nila mag-tagalog or any filipino dialect para feel nila na silay Filipino parin. Eh ibang Immigrant Filipino family na nakikita ko, puro english sa anak at pagpapalaki american style din. Eh tingnan mo ngayon, asal americans at pagdating ng 18 yrs old wala na sa bahay nila kasi ayaw mag-pasaway sa magulang. may nabalitaan pa nga ako na isang Filipino high school kill his parents sa may Daly City last year. Siguro masyadong strict. Pero sabi ng friend ko weird daw iyong guy kasi ka school mate niya yon. And i noticed that most born and immigrants filipino guys are trying to be black. Nagpapakalbo ng buhok at nag-ebonics pa kung magsalita. Iyong ibang tao nga gusto magka-buhok..tapos itong mga tao ito ayaw ng buhok. Kind of weird diba? It's okay kung uso at magandang tingnan the way they act, kaso minsan sobra na. Ayon lang ang nakikita ko.

Dapat magkaroon tayo ng EB. Hindi ko pa kasi nasusubukan pumunta sa isang EB. What do you think guys?

Cali4Nia

Dec 27, 2000, 11:12 PM

Hi Darkshader:

I hope reading our experiences growing up in another country as immigrants or like latepinoy who was born and raised in Hong Kong gave you some solace and made you feel that you weren't alone in your observations and feelings.

And if you read yung earlier posts ko, makikita mo na ang mga kaibigan ko growing up were mostly non-filipinos. So I sort of understand and relate to your situation when I look back at my own "adjusting/fitting in phase" when I first came here in 1986.

My lola used to observe na mukhang kanya kanya mind your own beeswax attitude dito mga ibang pinoys and parang ilag towards each other. So Lola's technique was just to SMILE and be jolly if she ever got a cold reception, eh di too bad na lang for them...hehehe...pasensiya na lang tayo.

My lola was my constant guide and kung di niya ako sinusubaybayan di narin siguro ako naagapan during my rebellious teen angst phase. I wanted to move out at 17, too...hehehe with my best friend Andrea who was white and with my mom having hardly anytime to look after us because of working to pay rent and bills I'd probably wouldnt know how to speak tagalog neither or know much about Filipino culture and traditions today without Lola raising me.

Different circumstances paminsan sa iba ibang pamilya so you never know din kung anong type na family life ang naeexperience nang mga iba nating kababayans dito sa States...so I guess konting pasensiya and understanding na lang will do us all some good:D

Just keep your head up and SMILE lots and don't limit yourself to just making friends with Asians or Filipinos...kung ayaw nila di wag...you got tons of other people around you like Caligirl says. Read read read, think positive and always be on the lookout for ways to improve yourself.

Darating din yan time na with prayer and faith makakakita ka rin nang mga Pinoys na you will feel comfortable around to be just YOURSELF. :D Like me I found a great group of wonderful kababayans from a catholic church group I was invited to so this is basically the only time I have been close to a BIG group of Filipinos...whether or not kararating lang nila from Pinas or born or matagal na sila dito sa States is not an issue but only a love for GOD, praising HIM, learning about HIM and fellowship. It's a totally different atmoshphere from my highschool experience with my fellow Filipinos.

Happy 2001. About the EB there used to be a thread about a possible US EB for PEX but it fizzled out...parang too much hype and excitement lang tapos wala naman mag organize....oh well no time siguro...and US PEXERS are spread out all over the USA East Coast West Coast North South...I guess too complicated of a task.

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 12-27-2000 at 02:08 PM]

latepinoy93

Dec 29, 2000, 05:42 PM

Hey Darkshader, Cali4Nia, Caligirl, Siopao Man...

THE THREAD IS ALIVE!!! (Let me get comfy first...) There is something that I must confess... It took me a while to read the stuff posted in Tagalog. I admit, my tagalog is not as good as I want it to be. :( I am certainly working on it though!

Siopao Man and Cali4Nia: I saw the fish and shrimp combo today at the local yoshinoya here in Hong Kong! Still am suffering from the "Yoshinoya Intolerance" Syndrome! Hope to recover from that ailment soon!!! :D

Before I begin my lenghty replies, I would just like to say one thing:

THIS THREAD ROCKS!!! AND IF THERE IS A POSSIBLE EB IN THE WEST COAST THAT SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY ORGANIZING (PREFERABLY IN SAN FRAN COS' I CAN GET THERE DIRECT!), I'M THERE! I WILL GET ON A FLIGHT AND BE THERE!

I usually think that recriminations from your own flesh and blood would usually hurt more than anything else. I see that happen in Hong Kong all the time! Mind you, this place is not much bigger than the SF Bay Area, but 130,000+ Pinoys live and work here and you can imagine that even if all are domestic helpers here, there is always something to say and looks to be exchanged! I get that all the time because I speak funny and I speak Chinese so they all assume that I am Chinese!! But it stems from the very many aspects of life that we see with Pinoys migrating to more developed countries/regions around the world! My sister was bi***ing about the fact that one time that she attended a Filipino convention in Denmark and as soon as she entered the room, eyeballs rolled, heads tilted with a hand covering one ear, whispers were exchanged and the whole hurrah! She was quite new there and that was the kind of impression she got... What do you expect? Would she be happy to be there?? Is that at all polite? Her experience made her shy away from the mainstream Filipino groups there because of the way they behaved and carried themselves. Another thing is that because she cannot speak much Tagalog, they regard her as somewhat not Filipino at all! ********! My sister played 2 full season of professional tennis in Europe back in the 80's with a Filipina and brought back the laurels and the recognition to the Philippines even though she was representing Hong Kong!! Even though she didn't reperesent the Philippines, she still puts the Filipino on the tennis map and in the news back home!

In Hong Kong, I have no reservations on who I speak to because I know that a large majority of Filipinos/Filipinas are here to make a living - making some hard currency for our country! That is a contribution that all Filipinos should be proud of! Yet, there are individuals who do not understand that. Perhaps it was the way they were raised at home, or their environment. How would they know if they were not taught? I had to find out a lot of things for myself only when I went home to Manila to study University! But as I said, there are INDIVIDUALS that make Filipinos look bad! Even in a recent episode of Dateline, there were some Pinoys in New York who were basically running a scam - selling traffic school completion certificates without even attending the class at all!

The behavior and the dogmas stem from all the way back to the US governance of the Philippine Islands after the Spanish-American War. Remember that we were supposedly taught to one day take over and manage our own affairs - which eventually came after WW2. Since then, I have noticed that the Philippines had not been able to fully grasp that concept and whatever was left for us to run. Then of course was the communist insurgency, Martial Law, a reconciliatory government under Corazaon Aquino and then a period of relative stability under Fidel Ramos. What has been lacking all these years is the fostering of a stronger and more unified instillment of positive nationalism as each generation struggles to find its identity. That, in turn, has grown whereever there have been new roots set!

Inherently and unfortunately, we have something called the CRAB syndrome. There is this notion that we are afraid that our fellow countrymen may fare much better us therefore we do whatever we can to pull them down or belittle them. Now, there are the good folks who don't even get involved in that and just get on with their lives and goals, and there are the others getting into the same vicious cycles, not escaping what they came to escape from in the first place! The CRAB mentality is more obvious and significant to you once you have left the Philippines because you expect camraderie and support from other expatriate Filipinos around the world. Unfortunately, it is not always the case and I've just seen and heard so much of that that I can't seem to bat an eyelid anymore... Even the Philippine Consul-General to Hong Kong beat her own maid up and she come running to my mom! (Pls. see one of my earliest posts if you want to know more about this episode!) I mean, what else can I say???

The point that I am trying to make is - whatever we think and say may or may not change the attitudes that prevail because of the vicious cycles that govern and influence the mentalities that we know all too well. The important thing is to be thankful of what you have been given and make full use of the opportunities that are waiving right in front of you! There are many opportunities out there and by being creative, resourceful and hard working as we all are (I believe that this is a trait that we all share on this thread! :)), make use of it! Be smart! You've gotta be smart and not run with the pack because if you get caught up with the pack, chances are you'll end up doing what the pack does. Learn a skill/profession then go forth and use your smarts! Be confident and be bold for it would ultimately be you who will determine the outcome of your life - not the dude who makes fun of other fellow countrypersons just because they've just arrived and wanted to take a shot at the opportunities that they see and others miss! Make friends with reckless abandon - you'll see later on who'll stick around!!!

Do NOT, for once, think that you are any less Filipino by doing what you believe is right and good for you and your future! I was born and raised in Hong Kong, my Tagalog is really pal pak but still, I introduce myself as a full-blooded Filipino and am damn well proud of it!

One more thing: never under-estimate the power of prayer and devotion! The results are incalcuable!

SIOPAO MAN

Dec 29, 2000, 05:51 PM

Originally posted by latepinoy93
My sister played 2 full season of professional tennis in Europe back in the 80's with a Filipina and brought back the laurels and the recognition to the Philippines even though she was representing Hong Kong!!

This Filipina your sister played pro tennis with in the 80s wouldn't happen to Dyan Castillejo would it? :)

latepinoy93

Dec 29, 2000, 06:16 PM

... namely Jennifer Saberon and Jennifer Saret. Those were the days when the Filipinas were just killing the European Challenger scene. I remember when my sister and Jennifer Saberon went on to beat the top European Doubles pairing at the time!

Do you play tennis?

SIOPAO MAN

Dec 29, 2000, 06:44 PM

Originally posted by latepinoy93
... namely Jennifer Saberon and Jennifer Saret. Those were the days when the Filipinas were just killing the European Challenger scene. I remember when my sister and Jennifer Saberon went on to beat the top European Doubles pairing at the time!
Do you play tennis?

Konti lang when I was younger. I was never really good at it . I actually met Dyan Castillejo's sister Jackie in LA in 1990. We were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. It was just a quick encounter so i doubt if she still remembers me.
But I remember watching Jackie on a local LA TV game show for Filipinos. She was wearing a sexy micro mini-skirt & I was like "whoah!" When my friend told me "Kilala ko yan si Jackie Castillejo." I was like "Yeah right."
Then one day we ran into her at a Shakey's in Glendale I think, & it turned out kilala nga niya si jackie Castillejo! Bilib ako :)

latepinoy93

Dec 29, 2000, 06:54 PM

Yeah, I did remember that Jackie was real stunning! Must've been quite an encounter for you back then! Seemed that everybody had some sort of a crush on the both of them back in the day!

latepinoy93

Dec 29, 2000, 06:55 PM

Yeah, I did remember that Jackie was real stunning! Must've been quite an encounter for you back then! Seemed that everybody had some sort of a crush on the both of them back in the day! Did you know that Dyan reads the sports news on TV in Manila (or she used to the last time I watched ABS-CBN!)?

SIOPAO MAN

Dec 30, 2000, 12:07 AM

Originally posted by latepinoy93
Yeah, I did remember that Jackie was real stunning! Must've been quite an encounter for you back then! Seemed that everybody had some sort of a crush on the both of them back in the day! Did you know that Dyan reads the sports news on TV in Manila (or she used to the last time I watched ABS-CBN!)?

Yes I saw Dyan once doing the sports report on ABS-CBN. She still looks good, although she's lost a lot of weight, it seems, since her pro tennis days...

- Caligirl -

Dec 30, 2000, 12:12 AM

Hmmm..maybe you're right about how it's easier for girls to make new friends..I dunno.....But about Americans or Fil-Ams not liking to get personal, I don't think that's true. I mean when I make friends, it's kinda inevitable that those kinda questions would come up.. In fact, it's such a nice conversation starter to find out where they're from, what HS they went to, etcetera! :D Besides, talking about things other than school blah blah makes the friendship more intimate. From my personal experience, people totally welcome making new friends anyway because they're probably feeling the same way you did..as in they want to get to know some people too but they just don't know how to go about doing it. I figured, I might as well be the one to initiate the convo cuz if they don't, no one else will, right? ;)

About having an EB, maybe someone should revive that old thread? What happened anyway? I was reading it earlier and it looked like everyone was all hella HYPED up and others were even willing to fly down to Cali then just like that, it suddenly died? :lol: Sheesh! :D

- Caligirl -

Dec 30, 2000, 12:34 AM

I just wanna apologize once again for what I wrote in one of my previous posts...I got so carried away cuz honestly, I'm just sooo fed with how some Filipinos here are super materialistic and how some of them think they're all that (even though wala naman talagang ma-ibubuga). I mean, like what I said in another thread, I know it's human nature to judge sometimes but the kind of competition I see amongst Pinoys both here and in the Philippines is just so unhealthy! Like what Darkshader said, dapat nagtutulungan but instead, nagsisiraan. I know I'm probably sounding like a hypocrite right now :shy: cuz I, myself, am passing judgment on some Fil-Ams.... but I'm just telling the truth, based on observations I've made of my own Fil-Am friends.

latepinoy93

Dec 30, 2000, 02:05 AM

Originally posted by - Caligirl -
I just wanna apologize once again for what I wrote in one of my previous posts...I got so carried away cuz honestly, I'm just sooo fed with how some Filipinos here are super materialistic and how some of them think they're all that (even though wala naman talagang ma-ibubuga). I mean, like what I said in another thread, I know it's human nature to judge sometimes but the kind of competition I see amongst Pinoys both here and in the Philippines is just so unhealthy! Like what Darkshader said, dapat nagtutulungan but instead, nagsisiraan. I know I'm probably sounding like a hypocrite right now :shy: cuz I, myself, am passing judgment on some Fil-Ams.... but I'm just telling the truth, based on observations I've made of my own Fil-Am friends.

It happens - wherever you go so don't worry about it. Like I said in my posts and Cali4Nia said in previous posts - we can get the best from both worlds growing up in a foreign land... Just stay focused and make the best of what you've got! :) There are always individuals that make a mess out of things but those are the examples that we usually draw!

Yeah! REVIVE the EB idea! I'm itching to make another trip to the States!!! (Need to shop at GAP and Old Navy for a new wardrobe!) :D

latepinoy93

Dec 30, 2000, 02:10 AM

Originally posted by SIOPAO MAN
Originally posted by latepinoy93
Yeah, I did remember that Jackie was real stunning! Must've been quite an encounter for you back then! Seemed that everybody had some sort of a crush on the both of them back in the day! Did you know that Dyan reads the sports news on TV in Manila (or she used to the last time I watched ABS-CBN!)?

Yes I saw Dyan once doing the sports report on ABS-CBN. She still looks good, although she's lost a lot of weight, it seems, since her pro tennis days...

Off topic na talaga tayo dito! ;) Yeah, that usually is the case if you retire but work out to keep the tone!

Cali4Nia

Dec 30, 2000, 07:07 AM

Sniff Sniff :love: Much love to all you people that have shared. It's really great knowing that there's people out there who understand how it is to grow up in a country other than the motherland and have gone through some of the things we Filipinos face as immigrants or 1st to 2nd generation children of immigrants. Our lives are unique, sad, full of wacky experiences and very rewarding at the same time, too.

As far as an international EB is concerned it seems like too big of a task to take on ... no one's willing to step up to the challenge ... people can't get their schedules in sync ... it'd be much easier if a PEX staffer could set it up for us like they do in Pinas :D I wish...hehehe...:D

Caligirl...don't sweat it. Sharing your observations are certainly part of the "trials" of living in another country :D.

It's really cool how this thread has gotten comments from every Filipino across the board. Meaning 2nd generation Filipinos born and raised in another country, 1.5 generation Filipinos who were born in Pinas and left for another country at an early age, 1st generation Filipinos who came to another country as adults and everybody else in between. Thanks for sharing your experiences, really, keep em coming.

Winter 2001 quarter is sadly going to begin again on Jan 2...:~(...here comes my nose in between thick books and more sweating during exams once again....muawhahahwahha.

Caligirl when do classes start for you? You go to SFSU don't you?

Latepinoy: back at work? Uh oh mucho traveling and wining and dining clients on your agenda again, huh? You are probably always on the go...awesome to get to travel for a living, though :D

Happy 2001:D

Cali4Nia

Dec 30, 2000, 07:21 AM

Originally posted by - Caligirl -
I mean, like what I said in another thread, I know it's human nature to judge sometimes but the kind of competition I see amongst Pinoys both here and in the Philippines is just so unhealthy! Like what Darkshader said, dapat nagtutulungan but instead, nagsisiraan. I know I'm probably sounding like a hypocrite right now :shy: cuz I, myself, am passing judgment on some Fil-Ams.... but I'm just telling the truth, based on observations I've made of my own Fil-Am friends.

Caligirl I think this competition syndrome along with crab mentality is a part of the practice of the palakasan (influence-peddling) or padrino (godfather) system and the utang-na-loob (debt-of-gratitude) mentality that is still seen in Pinas today. Usually it isn't or it shouldn't be like this with Filipinos who are living or born or raised in another country 'cause you can't, for example, get a job or position here in the States just because some politician you know or your rich ninong or ninang wrote up a letter of recommendation for you. Getting employed here is based on your abilities. Padrino system hardly happens here but it does happen alot in Pinas.

Or that utang na loob deal can get really outta hand at times like I've read that in SOME Filipino Beauty Pageants some of these Filipino Associations have here in Cali, it doesn't matter if the Filipina girl has the brains, the GPA or the beauty to win the pageant. The only thing that matters for the girl to win is if her parents have raised lots of money $$$$ for the association through sponsors and what have you. Uhhgghh...how silly, how unfair, how fake. That's totally BS and totally the kinds of things we see so often and hear so often happening in Pinas that have, sadly, been brought here in Fil Communities in other countries, as well.

So I can relate and understand why some Filipinos in the US or I guess wherever in the world there is a big concentration of Filipinos tend to shy away or become "ilag" of some of the mainstream Filipino communities or associations because of all the bad "mentalities" seen and heard about. Sad very sad.

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 12-29-2000 at 06:54 PM]

Cali4Nia

Dec 30, 2000, 07:35 AM

Originally posted by latepinoy93
Another thing is that because she cannot speak much Tagalog, they regard her as somewhat not Filipino at all! ********! My sister played 2 full season of professional tennis in Europe back in the 80's with a Filipina and brought back the laurels and the recognition to the Philippines even though she was representing Hong Kong!! Even though she didn't reperesent the Philippines, she still puts the Filipino on the tennis map and in the news back home!

Latepinoy: Totally agree. With me many filipinos especially the elders say "Buti di ka nakakalimot nang tagalog" and they somewhat regard me as more of a better filipino than they would some of my relatives or friends that don't speak tagalog. Understandable, but to deny that my brother or younger cousins and the rest of FilAms here like them that they aren't TRUE Filipinos at all is ridiculous. My brother for example can understand tagalog but he gets pretty tounge tied when trying to speak it and, clearly, english is more of a first language for him. My two younger cousins are like this also and many Fil Ams are like this too. My brother came here at 4 years old and my two younger cousins were born here. Do we say they are not truly Filipino....NO WAY...what are they then...WHITE. NO! Their parents are Filipino so its in the blood...sure they might not be so versed in Filipino culture as their Philippine born counterparts but they are exposed to Filipino ways and culture through Filipino communities and they've been socialized and at least taught some things about what it means to be Filipino by parents at home..hopefully.

Besides that I don't have any kind of other logical or theoretical explanation to refute arguements made by some Filipinos that cases like my younger bro or your big sis is a matter of them not being Filipino enough or true Filipino SO if anybody does please share.

But I see in the East Coast......like 3rd through 6th generation Polish, Italians, Germans, Irish sons and daughters of immigrants who came to the US in big waves on steamships at the turn of the century...AND they are still regarded by their communities as Italians, Irishmen, Germans and Polish, as well as, being Americans. LIke on St. Patricks day you see all these Irish Americans say hey I'm Irish its in the blood and you see the likes of Jennifer Lopez who was born in the BRONX in NY and she's like hey I'm Puerto Rican...So what gives with Filipinos...shouldn't it be the same for us.

latepinoy93

Dec 30, 2000, 02:05 PM

Cali4Nia: Ever consider a career in writing??? :D Seriously, I have to say that you write very well indeed!

You're right about the fact that we should recognize our roots! I mean, I guess it's funny for me because I always get mistaken for a Malay-Chinese or and Indonesian-Chinese or "Hwa Chiao", which means foreign born-n'-bred Chinese! I have to tell them that I am 100% Filipino and they still refuse to believe me!

Travelling for me will start only in February! My initial project in Sydney got axed and will be heading up the Manila project instead! Yes! Homeward bound na ako this May!!! I will be heading up to Digpradesh, the foothills of the Himalayas for a whitewater rafting event!!!

- Caligirl -

Dec 30, 2000, 11:30 PM

Originally posted by Cali4Nia
Winter 2001 quarter is sadly going to begin again on Jan 2...:~(...here comes my nose in between thick books and more sweating during exams once again....muawhahahwahha.

Caligirl when do classes start for you? You go to SFSU don't you?Yah..I go to SFSU. :) We start on Monday, January 29, 2001. WOOHOO!..at least one more month of vacationing left~! :D
Oh wait..you're going to Winter Session, huh? That kinda sux...but at least you'll get some classes overwith hella fast! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif Imagine that..just 1 month versus 3.5 months? That's SOOO cool! I think imma try that out sometime too..

indiegirl

Jan 6, 2001, 01:11 AM

sorry i was out of commission for a while. just saw your posts welcoming me and asking for kwento :) well here it is!
i'm part of my college's glee club (ateneo) and we went to europe to compete in four international choral music competitions (and we topped all of them :D ) and have concerts in germany, italy, belgium, holland, spain, slovenia, england, ireland and france (whew!). in the competitions we joined we were the only asians! puro europeans kalaban namin. minsan may americans, but rarely.
we stayed with host families, some of whom were pinoys who had made lives for themselves there. others were "natives" who spoke little to no english at all! it's funny that i'm closest to those who couldn't understand a word i was saying. my hosts in lindenholzhausen, germany, was this elderly couple whose son was an english teacher. he'd translate for us sometimes but pretty much i had to pick up a bit of the language or use signs! the couple cried when i left. i think since their society is different from the pinoys (kids move out early) they were kinda lonely. i still write them (the son translates pa rin) and they keep asking when i'm coming back!
i had a chance to live with filipino DH's in milan. thatn was an eye-opener. they live in cramped flats and have to put up with the general bias of the milanese against filipinos -- katulong lang ang tingin nila. i saw how brave they were doing, and the fact that they hosted us and were so generous in spite of their hard lives and the little they had made me proud of filipinos battling it out abroad.
next time na lang yung ibang kwento! this is getting to be too long!

eLLe

Jan 6, 2001, 07:50 AM

Oh cool!
I was just browsing around this web site tapos bigla na lang nakita ko 'itong kahaba-habang thread, BUT really INTERESTING. Finally! people sharing my thoughts! Sobrang kumbinsing kaya dali-daling nagregister...:)
I've been here in Washington for almost two years. My freshman year in la salle was about to close in when suddenly the whole family was so busy in planning for our migration to the US. But amid all these 'leaving' thoughts, there were also plans for my return sa PI. Somehow, the thought of finishing college in the States didn't appeal to me then. GAD, I can still recall how I went to the States with all these negative aura all over me...2 years later, nasasabi ko na lang sa sarili ko, 'Loka ka ba?' regarding those days. I am just thankful I was given this opportunity to actually be here. My family is doing much better now than we did back home, though starting all over again was really HARD. whew! talk about odd jobs! It just seems that here you can get what you want if you really work hard for it. Things I got to do here but wasn't able to in PI:
1. get a job
2. be promoted
3. working while staying in school
4. resign and start on my new job this year which I think, I will like more
5. DRIVE!!!---I got to fight-off my fear of driving out of necessity. Nagdrive ako ng kaunti sa Pinas kaya lang nakakatakot talaga. I was sooo intimidated kasi sa atin parang walang sumusunod sa rules pati kainis pa 'yung mga jeep na kung saan saan lang humihinto.
For now, I really like my life here though I really miss my friends sooooooooo mmmmmmmmuchhhhhhh. Siyempre gusto ko pa ring bumalik ng Pinas pero siguro bakasyon lang and maybe for Christmas too. I hardly felt Christmas here compared back home where you just feel it yah know. :)
I don't know how to put other faces in my text. Can anyone please teach me how?

SIOPAO MAN

Jan 6, 2001, 02:17 PM

Elle,
Go to this page (http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/index.php3?action=showsmilies) for more smiley faces...
Are you from Washington State, or Washington DC?

eLLe

Jan 6, 2001, 07:01 PM

Siopao man: Muchos gracias sa smilies. Nyark, ang dami pala. :D
I'm in Washington state.

Cali4Nia

Jan 6, 2001, 08:52 PM

Indiegirl: Glad you came back to share and congrats to you and your glee club:D Wow I didn't know that the elderly had a problem with being left alone in Europe, too. Also it was heartwarming to hear how the Filipino DH family in Milan took you in despite their living situation. Talk about generosity and hospitality on their part.

elle: My mom felt the same way you did about jobs and driving when she came here,too...hehehe. There's a big filipino community in Washington if I'm not mistaken diba?
What university are you attending and what's your major:D

Caligirl: Hey girl:D Actually I'm not in that 1 month winter session but it's more of a regular winter quarter which is just like the other quarters we have here at CSLA. We're on an eleven week quarter system...about 3 months each quarter. So summer, fall, winter, spring quarters are all identical. I heard many universities down here are going to start implementing that 1 month winter session here, too, in addition to the summer sessions.

Another "TRIAL" of life in another country as a college student....well maybe all college students everywhere around the world....BOOKS ARE SO DAMNED EXPENSIVE.....I didn't get a chance to grab the used ones so I've got to buy new ones. One of my Management books cost close to 100 dollars....highway robbery.....aaaahhhhhhh:angry:

eLLe

Jan 7, 2001, 01:01 AM

Cali4Nia: Yup. There is actually a big Pinoy community here. I think every year there is a big Pinoy celebration somewhere here complete with the traditional cultural events. sayang nga eh we weren't a part of it---just knew about it after na. tsk, tsk, tsk. :(
Even in the church we go to. I think majority of the Asians are Pinoy. They even hosted the Simbanggabi and the reception with the Pinoy food didn't hurt either :yum:
I'm taking the less expensive route of finishing my first two years in college by enrolling in Edmonds Community College. Tapos hopefully makapasok ako sa Visual Communications ng UDHUB. Grabe. Sobrang competitive pa naman 'yung admission sa major na 'yon with a couple of 'qualifying rounds'. Matira and matibay at mapalad. shucks! kaya prayers please. One thing I was so happy with all these migration stuff was that I got to change my major into something I really like. I was taking up Business Management before only to be stuck with the sinking feeling that this is not really for me. Whew! Close call. :|
What really struck me during my first days in college was how HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE the books are. Sobra ha! Kaya naman nagpost na ako ng ads for my books last quarter. Hay naku! Hanggang ngayon wala paring bumibili :bop:

Cali4Nia

Jan 7, 2001, 03:02 AM

Hey there elle:D Great that you ended up with a major you liked in the nick of time.
Yups...nothin' wrong with takin' the less expensive route. I did that, too. I started off at my hometown's junior college and eventually transferred to CSULA. Working students like us usually take that route and it's the smart way to go. Now that I'm at the 4 year university I've opted not to work because of the harder upper division subject load and I'd like to graduate faster...get those classes out of the way:D What does UDHUB stand for by the way? U know what I've got soo many classmates that work full time 40 hour work week and they also take the minimum 12 unit full time load each quarter...crazy isn't it...but I'm tempted to want to try it out...I miss having a paycheck....:D

xXxcHarmedxXx

Jan 7, 2001, 06:00 AM

Hi there Cali4nia! anyway, life here in the united states is not as good as it seems to be. my parents and i migrated last 2 years ago. at first, it was all fun. all of my relatives kept on touring us all over the los angeles county and orange county as well, where Disneyland is located. It was fun. However, months passed by and I began to get bored. My social life became dead. Mabuti na lang I went back to the Philippines to finish my studies. Pero here I am again. Dito na sa Cali for good na. Well, nakaka-miss talaga ang Pinas...lalo na if doon ka na talaga lumaki.
Mas exciting ang buhay sa Pinas coz all of my friends are there. The gimmick places and stuff like that... Pero ang masarap **** dito sa States is that you can earn a lot compared sa Pinas. Plus the fact that, you can own a car na gusto mo talaga..that you cannot buy sa Pinas on your own...
Anyway, keep up this thread. Hindi rin pala ako ang nag-iisa when it comes to such experiences.

Cali4Nia

Jan 8, 2001, 02:53 AM

I hear ya xxxcharmedxxx...it must be a bit more difficult leaving Pinas to migrate to another country as a young adult because you have made a solid foundation of good friends and happy memories there already:D Don't worry...when the social life comes to a standstill here, don't be afraid to reach out to people and smile:D That trick's never been known to fail.

Also, work hard and save up so when vacation comes along you can take the next plane and hop on over to Pinas to visit family, pals, beautiful exotic places and at the same time help the motherland's economy by spending your hard earned US dollars over there:D Sounds good to me!

xXxcHarmedxXx

Jan 9, 2001, 02:14 AM

yeah i know cali4nia! it's a good thing that you were able to start this thread. it's nice to know some people who are in the same situation as me. to tell you honestly, i don't really chat in the net. actually, it's my first time to post a message here (now, it's the second time). usually, i just visit PEX just to read the messages. and now, here i am posting a message. =) well, all i want to say is keep it up. you have good threads.

latepinoy93

Jan 9, 2001, 06:25 AM

Cali4Nia: Hey Ho!!! I'm back from my monsterous moving experience!!! How was your New Year? I was acutally trashed on New Year's Eve. Just chilled out!

To all the collegiate folks here: One thing's for certain - if you think that books in the States are expensvie, be glad! In Hong Kong, to get the original Prentice Hall or ARCO-published college refernece materials and stuff like that could cost a mega-fortune!! Yes, a mega fortune! Let's say that a book in the US sells at the recommended price of US$24.95, we are paying something like US$50.00!!!! Yes, a whole 20 bucks more! What's more, even if the books are printed here under licence (which is seldom the case nowadays here in HK!), we pay around 20-30% more than the US suggested retail! Thank God for Amazon...

eLLe: I think that the Philippines has probably the best value books in Asia, taking into account the subjects and range available vs. other Asian countries. I did most of my bookshopping in all the various stores there (Goodwill, National Bookstore and even in Recto!)

Indiegirl: That was great! A concert tour all around Europe?? Congratulations on such a successful tour! Hat's Off and Thumbs up to all of you!

Cali4Nia

Jan 9, 2001, 05:00 PM

latepinoy: Happy to hear from ya:D Re: books in HK..wow, so expensive...geez I've got nothin' to complain about compared to HK students.

xxxcharmedxxx: Thanks:D

f0r5aK3n

Jan 9, 2001, 06:59 PM

Cali4nia: hi you!!! hehe.. hope u don't get mad at me, I started a thread in Small Talk called Hi Cali4nia!! jez check it out.. ;) How are you??

latepinoy93

Jan 9, 2001, 11:32 PM

Hey Ho! How's school coming along??? Great morning for me as it is the beginning of my plan to get my punctuality sorted out! Just beginning to have some sorta system set up before things get out of hand!

Books have always been my love. Funny thing though, and here's another experience or trial of living abroad - getting very objective reading materials re. the colonial and independent eras of the Philippines. Just that the stuff that was recommended for me to read in College back home was sort of "Hero glorifying"!

On the good side, some of the really good pictorial books of Philippine home architecture, culture and history, printed go gloss paper and all that jazz is comparatively cheaper here in Hong Kong than in the Philippines! (They're mostly printed here as the quality is just fantastic!!)

Do you get to find books from Pinas in California? (And I don't mean the gossip mags and other magazine publications and love novels!!! :D

latepinoy93

Jan 9, 2001, 11:37 PM

Originally posted by xXxcHarmedxXx
yeah i know cali4nia! it's a good thing that you were able to start this thread. it's nice to know some people who are in the same situation as me. to tell you honestly, i don't really chat in the net. actually, it's my first time to post a message here (now, it's the second time). usually, i just visit PEX just to read the messages. and now, here i am posting a message. =) well, all i want to say is keep it up. you have good threads.

xXxcHarmedxXx: Isn't this a really cool thread??? I think that this thread got all sorts of stuff, comments and people - esp. if you read the earlier ones!

xXxcHarmedxXx

Jan 10, 2001, 03:33 AM

definitely! after i read those messages posted in the first page of the thread, i decided to be a part of the thread. it is really good. and i am hoping that i might be able to find new friends in california since i just got here from the Philippines. oh well, it's really hard to adjust. but i know i can handle it...i hope =)

latepinoy93

Jan 11, 2001, 12:14 AM

Originally posted by xXxcHarmedxXx
definitely! after i read those messages posted in the first page of the thread, i decided to be a part of the thread. it is really good. and i am hoping that i might be able to find new friends in california since i just got here from the Philippines. oh well, it's really hard to adjust. but i know i can handle it...i hope =) Hell! I don't exactly know how to welcome you to the States 'cause I'm not there!!! I've only been to California once and that was just for 4 days (hard if you lose a day and gain a day travelling back n' forth!) Mind you, and this I find strange to say, (This is another experience living abroad and not in the USA or Europe!) that coming from Asia, being surrounded by constantly rude HK people, I was just taken aback as to how many nice Chinese people there are in San Fran! In fact, it was really strange for me as I had this notion that everyone Chinese that I say could speak some sort of Chinese... Well, I was silly to believe that because I was at the Fisherman's Wharf and I went into this innovative product shop next to the famous Chocolate shop there (Ghiradelli's or something like that... I forget!) and the salesman was Chinese so I stupidly started speaking in Cantonese but he looked at me a bit puzzled and apologized that he couldn't speak Chinese! I dunno, I just got used to the notion that eveyone chinese could speak or understand some chinese!

So where are you abouts in the CA?

xXxcHarmedxXx

Jan 11, 2001, 03:20 AM

actually, i was in the united states 2 years ago. i came back to the phils just to finish my studies. and last november, i arrived here in los angeles...i'll be staying here for good...:girl:
i know it will be hard again to adjust, however, slowly but surely, i am coping. well, it's easy though coz i live where the community are almost all Filipinos...that's why, it's just living in the Phils.

Cali4Nia

Jan 11, 2001, 03:30 AM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by latepinoy93
and the salesman was Chinese so I stupidly started speaking in Cantonese but he looked at me a bit puzzled and apologized that he couldn't speak Chinese! I dunno, I just got used to the notion that eveyone chinese could speak or understand some chinese!

[QUOTE]

Hahaha...that was funny.lol: Well I've mistaken Indonesian classmates for Filipinos and have started speaking to them in tagalog only to be embarrased, too. There's just soo many ethinicities here in California that if any person happens to be missing eating their native foods there's probably a store or a restaurant of it in one city or another here. Diversity is cool, aint it:D

denden

Jan 16, 2001, 10:49 AM

hello pipol! I'm so glad I stumbled upon this topic. It was nice reading all your stories. I realized that I wasn't the only one who went through the pains of migration...hehe!

Anyways, we migrated 3 1/2 years ago here in London. It was really hard because I was already 17 and was in college. The thought of leaving all my friends, relatives and the life I was used to was heartbreaking. :girl:

The first few months was tearful! No friends, new place, new life but I suppose i was lucky in a way cause I've got two brothers to keep me company. I was always crying and begged my mom to send me back home. Now, three years on I realized how lucky I am be given an oppurtunity to live here. :girl:

Things were hard at first coz we had to start all over. I had a hard time finding filipino friends kase bihira na lang ang nag-mi-migrate dito na ka-age ko. I managed to meet filipino friends but they were much older than me. They were all nice and i'm lucky to have met them. :girl:

Because of the different education system I had to repeat college for 2 years at the same time worked part-time. After finishing college I applied to university but because I haven't been a resident for 3 years, I was considered as an overseas student, which meant we had to pay loads of money which we could not afford. It was another blow for me, I kept thinking of my friends back home who will be graduating. Anyways, I decided to take a year out (waiting to qualify as home student) and was lucky to be accepted at an American law firm. I worked there for a year and made some really good friends.

Last December, I went back to the Phils.. for a holiday and now i'm back at University doing Information System. :girl:

Grabe, haba na ng post ko...hehehe! basta yon, I have learned so much out of the experience and i can proudly say that it made me a better person. :girl:

f0r5aK3n

Jan 17, 2001, 06:15 PM

denden: by any chance.. do you know Ressie and Ranee?? If you do, then I'd prolly emailed you a few times.. they're "close acquaintances" of mine.....

denden

Jan 22, 2001, 02:57 PM

Originally posted by f0r5aK3n
denden: by any chance.. do you know Ressie and Ranee?? If you do, then I'd prolly emailed you a few times.. they're "close acquaintances" of mine.....

yeah, i know both of them, they my are good friends..small world huh!?! :angel:

latepinoy93

Jan 23, 2001, 11:16 PM

Hey Denden

Have lived in a British Colony all my life (well... until the colonly was given back to China!) Yep, good ol' Hong Kong; the far east, the frontier of the British empire!

Been wanting to go to the UK for a long time now but still can't find a good working reason to do so! Tell me, and this is a question that I'v had for a pinoy that lives in the UK - do you hang out a lot with the Indian population there? There are lots of indians there and just wondered if they were cool to hang with!

Hope the cold and the damp conditions aren't eating you up by now! (But then again, you should be used to the so-called "english" weather by now!!)

Cheers!

f0r5aK3n

Jan 24, 2001, 03:26 AM

Originally posted by denden
Originally posted by f0r5aK3n
denden: by any chance.. do you know Ressie and Ranee?? If you do, then I'd prolly emailed you a few times.. they're "close acquaintances" of mine.....

yeah, i know both of them, they my are good friends..small world huh!?! :angel:

ahhh.. see, I was right.... hehehe.... tell them Jonny from Chicago says hello!!! I miss them very much.....

Saundra

Jan 30, 2001, 02:23 PM

Hey people! Can I join? This is really interesting... I just finished reading Denden's post and everything sounded really familiar. Could've been the story of my life!

We (my younger sister and I) got adopted by our step-dad when I was 17 and we had to move to Germany. I was already in my first year in UST but since they also have a different school system here, I wasn't allowed to enroll in the universities. They have until Grade 13 and since we only have Grade 10 (or 4th yr. HS), I had to do Grades 11-13 as well. So by the time that most of my friends in the Philippines were finished with college, I was just starting.

The first few months here sucked! Talk about depressions... I even thought that what's the use of having my family around if my friends are not?... but I got over it. Then there are also times when I think "Goodness! What have I done with my life so far? All of my friends in the Phils. are already done with their studies, working or they stopped working because of their children..." The latter part I don't envy them. Then I think about how lucky I am and about the fact that a lot of people would give everything just to be in my shoes.

Now I'm studying Computational Linguistics here in the university and also going through all the hardship of paying for my education. Although we don't have to pay astronomical tuition fees here, living alone is expensive! But being independent also builds character. I also realize that I should be thankful for what I have and for everything that I've learned about life ever since we got here.

denden

Jan 31, 2001, 02:13 PM

Originally posted by latepinoy93
Hey Denden

Have lived in a British Colony all my life (well... until the colonly was given back to China!) Yep, good ol' Hong Kong; the far east, the frontier of the British empire!
Been wanting to go to the UK for a long time now but still can't find a good working reason to do so! Tell me, and this is a question that I'v had for a pinoy that lives in the UK - do you hang out a lot with the Indian population there? There are lots of indians there and just wondered if they were cool to hang with!
Hope the cold and the damp conditions aren't eating you up by now! (But then again, you should be used to the so-called "english" weather by now!!)
Cheers!
hey latepinoy93, I know quite a lot of Indians but I don't hang out with them a lot...most of my classmates at univeristy are Indians. As with any race some are really nice and some are not so it depends on the person :)

You're right, i'm used to the infamous british weather...in fact i came to love british weather--NOT!!! hehehe! I don't even notice it anymore, it has become a fixture of london life but it gets horrible sometimes and it gets me down. :)

denden

Jan 31, 2001, 02:17 PM

Originally posted by f0r5aK3n
ahhh.. see, I was right.... hehehe.... tell them Jonny from Chicago says hello!!! I miss them very much.....

yeah, i'll tell them as soon as they are back from mla. :angel:

latepinoy93

Feb 1, 2001, 03:14 AM

denden: Yes, the important thing is the people factor. I just happen to have lotas indian buddies and they are real nice to me. I was considering the UK for the summmer holidays this year, but that seems rather far for a one-week trip. I may just opt to go to Bali or Palawan instead. How are you lately? (Oops... off topic na!)

latepinoy93

Feb 1, 2001, 03:20 AM

Originally posted by Saundra
Hey people! Can I join? This is really interesting... I just finished reading Denden's post and everything sounded really familiar. Could've been the story of my life!

We (my younger sister and I) got adopted by our step-dad when I was 17 and we had to move to Germany. I was already in my first year in UST but since they also have a different school system here, I wasn't allowed to enroll in the universities. They have until Grade 13 and since we only have Grade 10 (or 4th yr. HS), I had to do Grades 11-13 as well. So by the time that most of my friends in the Philippines were finished with college, I was just starting.

The first few months here sucked! Talk about depressions... I even thought that what's the use of having my family around if my friends are not?... but I got over it. Then there are also times when I think "Goodness! What have I done with my life so far? All of my friends in the Phils. are already done with their studies, working or they stopped working because of their children..." The latter part I don't envy them. Then I think about how lucky I am and about the fact that a lot of people would give everything just to be in my shoes.

Now I'm studying Computational Linguistics here in the university and also going through all the hardship of paying for my education. Although we don't have to pay astronomical tuition fees here, living alone is expensive! But being independent also builds character. I also realize that I should be thankful for what I have and for everything that I've learned about life ever since we got here.

Be proud! You are supporting yourself and that is a lesson that not many get to have and is an experience that will last you a lifetime! Germany have a very long education duration - We here in Hong Kong also have grade 13 before entering university. All the best to you and if you have time, read up on the the past posts here on this and other threads!

Cali4Nia

Feb 1, 2001, 06:26 AM

Saundra and latepinoy: Oh mi gosh 13 years of high school. I though we had it bad here in the States with 12th grade.

It would've been more fun to have gone to HS in Pinas with only 4 years of HS and a good educational system that is as good, if not better sometimes, than public school systems of 1st tier countries.

Saundra: Computational linguistics? Oooh, sounds cool. Tell me more about your major? I've never heard of it before.

Latepinoy: Will email you soon:D

latepinoy93

Feb 1, 2001, 08:28 AM

Hey Ho! It's basically the choice of 12th grade then entry into a US/UK university or a special exemption from the HK education dept. to go to a given University in Hong Kong(provided you make the grade!) OR 13th grade then to any University in Hong Kong and the world. Believe me, when I try to think of what Hong Kong University is famous for, I cannot come up with one - unlike the Philippines where Ateneo and UP are known for their Law Grads, the Univertity or the East for the Dentist and La Salle for their Management grads...

That's why no-one from abroad ever thinks of coming to Hong Kong to study uni!

I'm back! I'm glad! :)

denden

Feb 1, 2001, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by Saundra

The first few months here sucked! Talk about depressions... I even thought that what's the use of having my family around if my friends are not?... but I got over it. Then there are also times when I think "Goodness! What have I done with my life so far? All of my friends in the Phils. are already done with their studies, working or they stopped working because of their children..." The latter part I don't envy them. Then I think about how lucky I am and about the fact that a lot of people would give everything just to be in my shoes.

hey Saundra! There are times when I think about this too...you know thinking about friends in the Phils. who graduated already but then again, we are also lucky to experience all these...i'm glad you are at uni too, what year are u in?

n'ways take care...who knows we get to meet up one day, lapit lang naten :)

denden

Feb 1, 2001, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by latepinoy93
denden: Yes, the important thing is the people factor. I just happen to have lotas indian buddies and they are real nice to me. I was considering the UK for the summmer holidays this year, but that seems rather far for a one-week trip. I may just opt to go to Bali or Palawan instead. How are you lately? (Oops... off topic na!)

If you are going here for a holiday, you have to come longer than a week i think...There's so much to see :)

Anyways, i'm fine. Enjoying the last few days of sem break before starting again next monday.

latepinoy93

Feb 1, 2001, 11:30 PM

Wow. Thats a long Christmas Break! Yeah, would also like ot go to Scotland so I will just save up for a long one! Besides, it is very expensive to convert other currencies to the pound! It just kills! I mean, it's HK$12 to the pound and that's just too much! Gotta have more than enough to go to the UK!

Speaking of which... I was wondering if you can tell me how much I would have to pay for a cheap but decent Bed & Breakfast room! I cannot afford those ritzy hotels (unless the company pays for my trip!) Do you have an idea??

Thanks denden!

GiftOfAcabar

Feb 2, 2001, 08:27 AM

Originally posted by Cali4Nia
Share your joys and hardships about what life is like permanently residing in another country!

For my family it was very hard here in the US at first. We moved here 1986 when I was only 9. We've gotten used to it and are living comfortably even though it is still a paycheck to paycheck kinda life. I often wonder, though, what kind of person I would have become and what life I could have had if I had grown up in the Philippines?

What's your story :D

Me, when I was still studying, I used to dream to go to US. As they say US is the land of opportunities, well I bet it's still true. Life is definitely hard to dwell with here in the Philippines. I came from a poor family, my parents struggled to make me get a prime education, thank God, I did, got BS in Computer Engineering in one of the best Engineering school here in the phils. After college, my views of going to US declined and I wished to stay here. My reason was, since I am getting the salary I was asking from my company and with that, I can support my sister's education in a good school and help my parents financially, I'd rather stay here. But lately last year, it scared me. My Dad got sick, and that made me revive my dream o going there. And I know, I can not possibly raise the money to buy a house and lot for my parents if I have to stay here, soon enough my sister will be in college I really need to earn more. Well, I guess this is just about time for me to continue my old dream. I am still waiting for my H1 visa approval, and I just hope we could get the approval anytime now, I am really praying hard. Well I know, it wouldn't be easy to be apart from my family and friends but well I guess, doing this, for me, is the right thing to do and I hate my parents to be apart for long since my dad is working in saudi for such a long time.

Cali4Nia

Feb 2, 2001, 02:03 PM

GiftofAbacar: Ipagdadasal din kita:D
Hey everybody in PEX let's all keep Gift of Abacar in our prayers...matter of fact...lets all pray for our fellow kababayans waiting for their visas...c' mon now.

Yup my dad also worked in Saudi in the 80's. He kept working abroad a lot as a civil engineer for different companies. He worked in HK, Kuwait, Saudi, Sri-Lanka when I was growing up in Pinas and he was gone most time. One of the contributing factors to the breakdown of my parent's marriage I think.

Anyhow, H1 is labor certification visa, right? Where a prospective employer petitions you? And you're in the IT field and Computer Engineering grad pa...well you've got that visa bagged:D Marami nang mga IT workers na napetition dito nang employers sa States from what I've read here sa PEX.

Go visit the other threads here like US Visa and Advice For Someone Leaving For the USA and ask around or maybe you should type in a search here for other threads regarding your situation. I'm sure maraming helpful info around here in PEX from people who've gotten their H1's and are now working here sa States.

GiftOfAcabar

Feb 2, 2001, 11:02 PM

Hi all!

Cali4Nia: thanks.

battleangel

Feb 3, 2001, 03:03 AM

Cali4Nia: hi! just want to tell you that i think this thread is great! keep the posts coming. i've been reading the posts here and they've given me much insight on what life is like in another country.

well, we each have our story. mine is not so melodramatic :D but still...

it has been my dream, too, to work in another country. i graduated from computer science from one of the top universities in the phils. at first i didn't think about working in another country since i thought that opportunities here were not that bad. even with the economic slump, it was still possible for me to find a good job. i've stayed in the IT industry for several years now.

but sometime ago, while i was toiling myself to death, i realized that all the sweat, blood and tears i've thrown into my career have not brought me anywhere close to what i've dreamed of achieving. here i was, in my own small world, living a paycheck to paycheck existence with only meager savings. the thought of growing old this way depressed me. though there was no problem in staying with my mom and brother (my dad passed away when i was in college), i still feel that i want to stand on my own and be financially and emotionally independent. i've noticed that folks my age usually still stay with their parents even if they're working already. that depressed me, because i don't want to be a burden to my mom. i feel like i have more to give and a lot more places to go to...
one day after a long and gruelling project at work, someone called me and asked me if i was interested in working in the US. there would be training here before being sent there. so, as they say, the rest is history. my h1 just got approved and i'll be going to the US soon.

sometimes at night i ask myself if i'm doing the right thing. i've never been to another country and i'm very close to my family. i have a boyfriend and we've been together for 6 years now. why take the risk? why not just stay here and eventually get married? it's a clear path. but somehow i know that at the back of my mind, i will always be asking myself, what if? and i have never been the type of person to turn back and regret the things i've done. so i just keep my fears at bay and remind myself that the safe route is not exactly the best one.

thanks to everyone in this thread for inspiring me to go on with my dream. your hardships made me realize that anything is possible if we put our minds to it.

GiftOfAcabar: hey, i know you! :lol: don't worry, your visa approval will come soon. :)

GiftOfAcabar

Feb 3, 2001, 03:54 AM

battleangel: :D
Don't worry, if you and **** are really meant for each other, your love will burn all the bridges behind you.

Saundra

Feb 3, 2001, 09:34 AM

Cali4Nia : yup! 13 years of HS... at first I thought I was really suicidal when I decided to go through with it... and there were times in between (usually during 6-hour exams) when I asked myself "am I really this masochistic?". But hey, I survived ;)

Comp. Linguistics is kinda hard to explain... the easiest way would be to tell you that it's a mix of computer and language science. Basically, we have to know the basic rules of natural languages in general, analyze the structure (semantics, syntax, etc.) and later be able to write a program which will allow the comp to translate without all the problems we are encountering now when using translation programs. Another field is AI... something I'm really interested in, although since I saw "The Matrix" with a classmate of mine.. I'm really careful. This might sound paranoid, but it's really not impossible.

Denden: hi!!! lam mo bang matagal ko nang gustong pumunta sa London kaya lang dati ala akong makasama.. ngayon ala akong pera... :lol: i'm in my 6th sem, ikaw???

latepinoy: thanks for the welcome :) most of the threads here eh nabasa ko na... or rather i skimmed... pero one time i'll print it out... :D teka lang, are you in the Phils. now or sa HK (malito ba? ;) )

hi na rin kila GiftOfAcabar and battleangel !

latepinoy93

Feb 3, 2001, 09:39 AM

GiftOfAcbar & battleangel: I think that everyone who wants a shot and a chance at bettering one's life and fulfiling one's dream is to go out there and learn and experience what the world has to offer! Believe me, living outside makes you understand and sometimes marvel at how do or why certain infrasturctures work! It's just a great thing to be able experience efficient systems and processes that we all do not get to experience. I wish you both all the best of luck, and seeing y'all taking the time to read our experiences makes posting here all the more rewarding! GiftOfAcbar: Good luck w/ the H1 visa! :)

latepinoy93

Feb 3, 2001, 09:45 AM

Originally posted by Saundra

latepinoy: thanks for the welcome :) most of the threads here eh nabasa ko na... or rather i skimmed... pero one time i'll print it out... :D teka lang, are you in the Phils. now or sa HK (malito ba? ;) )

hi na rin kila GiftOfAcabar and battleangel !

Hi Saundra - guten aven (is this right??) I am in Hong Kong, and was born and raised here... Ate ko nasa Copenhagen ngayon - she lives there now with her husband and son. My folks flew to Copenhagen via Frankfurt and were quite tired because the airport was kinda huge and they had to walk a fair bit to the next gate!

Where abouts are you in Deutchland?

denden

Feb 4, 2001, 09:39 PM

Originally posted by Saundra
Denden: hi!!! lam mo bang matagal ko nang gustong pumunta sa London kaya lang dati ala akong makasama.. ngayon ala akong pera... :lol: i'm in my 6th sem, ikaw???

hey saundra! 1st yr 2nd sem ko pa lang...anyways, yeah punta ka dito and let's meet up--i'll show u around :)

dominatrix

Feb 5, 2001, 07:37 AM

I was born in the Philippines; Iloilo to be exact. My father is in the Air Force so he left for Florida and we moved there (my mother and I) when I was 3. I couldn't understand english at all. But my father said that I caught on drastically within 3 months. By the time I was 4, I lost the ear for speaking ilonggo fluently. My english dominated. Even though I can't speak ilonggo fluenty, I do speak it with a mix of english words and I fully understand it. Which I am thankful for b/c a lot of filipinos in my generation don't even understand their native language.

My father, who I am sure has experienced a lot of racism being in the Air Force and being "fresh" from the Philippines. But he really was determined to prove others wrong. He is an outstanding architect in the Air Force even 'till this day. My mother, who also went college was a nurse. But, she quit her job when I was born so that she could take care of me. Sometimes I get very depressed b/c she quit her job...and maybe if she still had that job today, we would be better off financially. But I love my mom to death. She is my whole world and back. She knows the meaning of sacrifice, while my father doesn't with his ever so lazy ***. (That's another story)

Growing up without a lot of filipino influences,it was hard identifying with myself. I mean I was and still am an Air Force Brat moving around to many states and a couple of places overseas. I had gone through 13 schools and had to learn to adpt quickly or I would self destruct. It was later in my teens (16) that I discovered my true self. It took the internet for me to do that. We were stationed at a very isolated base and one of the ways for me to get in touch with everything else that was going on around the world was through the internet. Pathetic, isn't it? hehe

Anyway, to make a very long story short, I made it through some of the most tough times in my life. I graduated high school with honors and now I'm in college pursuing a double degree in Computer Science and Telecommunications. My sister is truly on her way to becoming the valedictorian at her high school and my little brother is learning more and more each day. My father continues to be more of a lazy *** than ever before, and my mom continues to work hard at a job that pays less then $7.00 per hour (guess she went through college for nothing, eh?) and we're just trying to make ends meet. I really want to succeed in school, especially with this comp sci degree. I owe it to my mom and dad. Even that won't repay all of the things they have done and sacrificed for me. Soon it's going to be my responsibility and obligation to take care of my family (mom, dad, sis, bro). I can't wait :)

Cali4Nia

Feb 5, 2001, 09:06 AM

Dominatrix: Hey there! You know that those tough times have made you the TOUGH COOKIE that you are today, right:D

From your comments, I can tell you are going to make your parents, especially your mom, PROUD. Especially when you graduate and start earning BIG $$$$$ with that Comp Sci degree of yours and maybe you'll want to buy your parents a HUGE MANSION in the Hamptons and then your mom can finally retire to the good life...:lol:...yeah.

Keep up that positive outlook and determination...it'll get you far!

About your Dad: I don't know your situation personally and I don't think your parents are divorced but I KINDA SORTA know how you feel.
I'm a child of divorced parents and believe me I've analyzed and re-analyzed and thought of how my parents could have possibly screwed up their marriage a HUNDRED TIMES over in my head to the point of going absolutely crazy.
I was like "Why couldn't they get it together?" "I shouldn't have gone through some of the crap I had to experience if you two hadn't gotten divorced?"
By crap I mean having to see my mom take low paying job after low paying job in our earlier years here in California when we immigrated to the States, living a paycheck to paycheck existence and seeing me and my younger brother not know how growing up with a father physically present in our lives feels like.

And I guess as I've gotten a bit older (I'm 23) and seen myself screw up a couple (or more) times myself, I've come to the conclusion that I really shouldn't have been too hard on my mom and dad and blamed them too much...I shouldn't have had such high expectations. I've learned that things happen in life and our parents can only do so much too. I've realized that they're not perfect and they're susceptible to acting out and doing some pretty stupid things just like me.

I love my parents to death and, yes, I want to make them proud and take care of them when I finally graduate and get a REAL job and career started, too. I can tell you really love your parents also and that's really cool of you to be so understanding of them.

Not many Filipino influences growing up here either except for my Lola who happened to live with us and took care of us while my mom worked. If it wasn't for her, I probably would have become one wild, crazy and lost person. And I would've probably forgotten my Filipino roots, language and culture if it wasn't for Lola since my mom was alway too tired when she got home from work to fuss over every little detail in me and my brother's lives...thanks Lola:D

Take Care and God Bless ya', Dominatrix:D

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 02-04-2001 at 07:39 PM]

dominatrix

Feb 5, 2001, 08:53 PM

Originally posted by Cali4Nia
Dominatrix: Hey there! You know that those tough times have made you the TOUGH COOKIE that you are today, right:D

From your comments, I can tell you are going to make your parents, especially your mom, PROUD. Especially when you graduate and start earning BIG $$$$$ with that Comp Sci degree of yours and maybe you'll want to buy your parents a HUGE MANSION in the Hamptons and then your mom can finally retire to the good life...:lol:...yeah.

Keep up that positive outlook and determination...it'll get you far!

About your Dad: I don't know your situation personally and I don't think your parents are divorced but I KINDA SORTA know how you feel.
I'm a child of divorced parents and believe me I've analyzed and re-analyzed and thought of how my parents could have possibly screwed up their marriage a HUNDRED TIMES over in my head to the point of going absolutely crazy.
I was like "Why couldn't they get it together?" "I shouldn't have gone through some of the crap I had to experience if you two hadn't gotten divorced?"
By crap I mean having to see my mom take low paying job after low paying job in our earlier years here in California when we immigrated to the States, living a paycheck to paycheck existence and seeing me and my younger brother not know how growing up with a father physically present in our lives feels like.

And I guess as I've gotten a bit older (I'm 23) and seen myself screw up a couple (or more) times myself, I've come to the conclusion that I really shouldn't have been too hard on my mom and dad and blamed them too much...I shouldn't have had such high expectations. I've learned that things happen in life and our parents can only do so much too. I've realized that they're not perfect and they're susceptible to acting out and doing some pretty stupid things just like me.

I love my parents to death and, yes, I want to make them proud and take care of them when I finally graduate and get a REAL job and career started, too. I can tell you really love your parents also and that's really cool of you to be so understanding of them.

Not many Filipino influences growing up here either except for my Lola who happened to live with us and took care of us while my mom worked. If it wasn't for her, I probably would have become one wild, crazy and lost person. And I would've probably forgotten my Filipino roots, language and culture if it wasn't for Lola since my mom was alway too tired when she got home from work to fuss over every little detail in me and my brother's lives...thanks Lola:D

Take Care and God Bless ya', Dominatrix:D

[Edited by Cali4Nia on 02-04-2001 at 07:39 PM]

Cali4nia, thanks for those sweet comments! :) Yes, the experiences I went through has mad me a tough cookie, and even my sister...she is Miss Suplada of the universe LoL :D

Yup, I'm really focused on this computer science degree so I can finally buy my mom her dream house with furniture that match (ahahahaha) and her dream car, just everything that she wants, like Capidomonte (sp?), jewelry..she hardly buys things for herself:(

Naw..my parents aren't divorced. But there were times when they were about to or at least it seemed like it. My dad had this dangerous temper..and sometimes he would hit my mom and right infront of me and my little sister:( But he has changed...the sad thing is my mom didn't tell anyone, not even her own sister who had gone through domestic abuse. My father and I still don't get along today. Even though I love him..it's not the kind of love I have for my mom. There were times where he even hit me b/c he was so mad at what I've done and even choked me. I tried to brush it off so it won't bother me, but the memories are still there. But he doesn't so that anymore...but still, I believe he's capable of it.

Thank god for your lola, eh? Lola's are the best! I miss mine so much (mother's side) She's in Canada. :) I'm glad that you also made it through your hardships. Keep your head up and keep it positive :)

goethe

Feb 7, 2001, 03:58 PM

just like saundra, i got paranoid sa pag-balik ko sa alemanya dahil sa haba ng hs edu nila. na-acknowledge naman ang hs diploma ko pero hanggang 10th grade lang. although 11 yrs. na akong nag-aral. nag-7th grade ako noon before i went back 2 mla. sa mla naman hindi ina-acknowledge ito kaya nag-1st yr. hs ako noon. anyways i was aware that i needed d required 13th grade pero i changed my route. i went to a boarding school for 2 yrs. to learn german intensively and to acquire a german 10th grade diploma.after this,i wanted 2 go 2 a PT school.pero na-deny ako noon dahil hindi daw ako aleman.i was discriminated! d rules though had changed nowadays, the school r more tolerant now. i´m still in medical health profession. after studying hard and with d moral support of my parents, naging CCRN and CRNA ako. currently working sa icu and ccu, i´m very much enjoying my job. EDSA revolution I batch ako. nag-UPCAT ako but unfortunately hindi pumasa. i don´t regret na hindi ako nakapag-attend ng university. our Lord led me to what i became professional wise now. w/o siguro ng kanyang blessings,hindi ko siguro nakaya.

n0b0dy

Feb 7, 2001, 05:46 PM

Hello Cali4nia! This is a nice thread that you started. I really enjoyed reading all the posts! I almost went blind mind you.

Anyway, I came to the US back in 1991, and the first few years were very trying. I also went to school and worked at the same time. But, now I am done with college, I miss the hanging out part of college life. I don't miss being broke though. ;) Its nice to have a career and earning some cash. I realize that I have gone a long way from where I started!

I was just in glendale last sat. I have friends that live in Glendale and Eagle Rock.

Keep Cool!

f0r5aK3n

Feb 7, 2001, 09:47 PM

nobody: dude, i propose a meeting with the admins of pinoyexchange and your organization. Mind you, i'm not an admin of pex but I believe that the 2 groups should be able to work something out to help the Philippines since both are excellent mediums. hehehe.. *butting where mah nose don't belong*

n0b0dy

Feb 7, 2001, 09:59 PM

f0r5aK3n

I think you posted on the wrong thread. ;) Please go to the other thread! thanks!

f0r5aK3n

Feb 8, 2001, 03:54 PM

nobody: haha i know dude!!!! I didn't realize it until I've pressed send already.... hehe argh!!!!!!

SIOPAO MAN

Feb 8, 2001, 04:02 PM

I remember nung bago pa lang kami dito sa ta-te, my niece who was about 10 or 11 years old at the time, nung first day namin tumitingin siya sa labas ng bintana tapos tinawag niya kami "Tita! Tita! Tinan mo sa labas, ang daming Amerikano!!"
Natawa na lang kami at sabi namin "Eh shempre, nasa Amerika tayo eh!" :D

f0r5aK3n

Feb 8, 2001, 05:40 PM

Siopao Man: dude, where are at right now anyway?? Sometimes I get confused whether you're in PI or you're actually somewhere in the US..

SIOPAO MAN

Feb 8, 2001, 06:21 PM

Confused ba kayo? Sorry ha...Anyway, dito ako somewhere in the US...

battleangel

Feb 9, 2001, 04:15 AM

this is long overdue, but hi latepinoy93! :D it's good to hear all your inspiring stories here. yes, i agree with you, i have to experience all that life has to offer in order to find out where i really belong and what will make me happy. i've learned to live with the inefficiency here in the phils. and i still consider the phils. my homeland, but i just want to see and compare it with the US and other countries (if i can)... btw, you're also in IT? where are you based now?

Originally posted by latepinoy93
GiftOfAcbar & battleangel: I think that everyone who wants a shot and a chance at bettering one's life and fulfiling one's dream is to go out there and learn and experience what the world has to offer! Believe me, living outside makes you understand and sometimes marvel at how do or why certain infrasturctures work! It's just a great thing to be able experience efficient systems and processes that we all do not get to experience. I wish you both all the best of luck, and seeing y'all taking the time to read our experiences makes posting here all the more rewarding! GiftOfAcbar: Good luck w/ the H1 visa! :)

f0r5aK3n

Feb 9, 2001, 06:57 PM

hmm okie, I think it's time for me to post my story here.. hehehe.. I dunno why I was lagging....

Ever since I can remember, I've been wanting to go to the US. When I was 5 years old, we lived in HongKong for about a year and then came back to Manila. After that, my dad left for the US leaving my brother and my mom. So, since then, all we ever could think about was when will our dad get us so we can finally be re-united. So, 8 years later, we're finally with my dad!!! So, as far, as trials go, I didn't have that much when we moved to the US. It was hard losing touch with "barkada". Back then long distance phone calls were a no-no because of the cost unlike it is now. I had plenty of cousins who were my age so they became my new "barkada" and I adjusted REALLY well to the new environment.

As far as trials now, well, just like any adult I guess... life problems.. One thing I found difficult here is going to College. You have to grow up fast in college because you have to be responsible over your own studies. It's up to you what courses u need and it's up to you to apply for graduation declaration. I've never met anyone yet who've completed college in 4 years here. I, myself, have stopped twice already, that's why even now, I'm still in college!! (the 12 year plan) :lol:

Though, I still consider myself as Filipino, I'd be hard-pressed to relocate to the Philippines now... Maybe to just work for experiences sake or for just vacation. I long to experience the night-life there! Maybe, in the future, there would be Trials and Triumphs of Life in the Philippines through the eyes of someone not from the Phils. =) Watch topnotch97 flame me and call me too FilAm.. :p

hello_kitty

Feb 11, 2001, 07:34 AM

hi, i'm new to this thread.

read most of the posts and i think that they are truly inspiring. great job!!! maybe i can share my little story too.

i moved from manila to california right after college graduation to join my dad and brothers who came years earlier.

anyway, having earned an accounting degree, my dad expected me to get a job immediately after i arrived, and because i came around the time of recession, it was extremely hard for me to get the job that i wanted. every agency turned me down when i applied for an entry level accounting position, not only because jobs were hard, but also because i had a foreign degree....so..to prove myself, i worked at baskin robbins scooping ice cream for ten months then became an office clerk for another couple months as a volunteer just to get experience. and then finally i was working full-time (with pay) doing general clerical work for another 2 years. then the breakthrough came-- i was transferred to the accounting dept where i worked as a staff accountant. after 1 1/2 yrs, i got promoted to senior accountant-worked for another 1 1/2 yrs and then moved on to public accounting. this has been the biggest breakthrough in my career. i was accepted to work for one of the biggest accounting firms. i have been in my job for 2 years and i enjoy meeting great people and working with challenges...

:)

clinthp

Feb 11, 2001, 05:32 PM

Great guys & gals! :angel:
I had the same problem rin nung dumating ako dito sa Canada (8 months pa lang ako dito by-the-way, my mother sponsored me.) The worst thing that happened to me here was when my mom is working and my brods are in school and I was all alone in the house for two freakin months and I thought then that this country is such a God-forsaken place (its very cold, i have nobody to talk to, and I was really-really missing :~( my friends in Bikol-Naga)

Yeah, finding a job here is something. I graduated from the Ateneo sa Naga, I taught there also for three semesters, I graduated BS ComSci, but despite the great demand for IT people here, one after another, companies turned me down.
Desperate, I applied and got a contract job in Celestica :cool: (w/c fortunately a very big company) but my job is far from the job that I expected. The good thing is that I was transfered to a new branch w/c is nearer my place and there I used all the things I learned :ahh: from school to come up with simple projects :bop: that is now being used by the manufacturing people in our branch and one good thing is they won't let me leave now and they offered me a fulltime/regular job just last week.

Everything is going smooth for me now, canada is not a God-forsaken :angel: place after-all. I have friends now, and I'm planning to organize a filipino youth organization here in Newmarket this summer.

If you have time peeps, please visit my webpage at
http://www.geocities.com/clint_loves_cza/
and please sign my guestbook there ok!

thnx!!

MABUHAY TAYONG LAHAT AND MALIGAYANG ARAW NG MGA PUSO :sweet:

kerb

Feb 11, 2001, 06:44 PM

ako wala ako mai-sheshare.. ni hindi pa ako nakalabas ng luzon hehe.
just an observation.. akala ko noon mga intsik lang "clanish" na race.. then na realize ko inherent behavior pala ata talaga sa mga asyanong gaya natin. kahit tayo magpunta, palaging me sariling grupo or "organizations" na either who came from a particular place or race. hmm.. marami pa sana ako gusto sabihin kaya lang antok na ako hehe ciao!

Cali4Nia

Mar 5, 2001, 11:44 AM

I miss this. Share your stories:D

latepinoy93

Mar 5, 2001, 02:38 PM

Originally posted by battleangel
this is long overdue, but hi latepinoy93! :D it's good to hear all your inspiring stories here. yes, i agree with you, i have to experience all that life has to offer in order to find out where i really belong and what will make me happy. i've learned to live with the inefficiency here in the phils. and i still consider the phils. my homeland, but i just want to see and compare it with the US and other countries (if i can)... btw, you're also in IT? where are you based now?

This is really a way overdue reply - Nope, not in IT but in Sports and Events Management. Travel a lot over asia, and troubleshoot. Usually I do problem solving with regards to logistics but still have my share of the entire experience of making events happen. I am posted in Hong Kong and I was born and raised here!

latepinoy93

Mar 5, 2001, 03:00 PM

Hi everyone! Long time no post, but something here in Hong Kong happened this afternoon that was a small step for man, a giant step for Hongkong-kind!!

There was a forum today in the Foreign Correspondence Club (this is a nice colonial-style club where all the press people hang out!) and it was all about creating some concrete legislation to eradicate racial discrimination, hand-in-hand with the new government reforms in education!

It was especially emotional when the biggest groups suffering from discrimination are the Filipinos and the Indonesians, following with the Indians and the Nepali residents.

For very obvious reasons, I am really very glad that this has finally come about because the populace here need to learn the hard way that discrimination is very unproductive and unattracttive for foreign investors.

In as much as I want to feel positive about this move, I think that this is an effort 18 year too late.

But hey, no harm in trying, huh?

Perhaps they should work on legislation on it being illegal to be rude and absolutely unhelpful when in the retail business!!

Again, perhaps they are 17 years too late on that idea...

That was my Sunday!

Say, are there any laws wherever you are that make racial discrimination illegal? I'd like to know about it for the sake of comparison!

I think that this is something that I would like to devote myself to!

Would love to hear from you!!

clinthp

Mar 5, 2001, 03:27 PM

latepinoy93: its good to hear that other countries too are strating to resolve that very ugly issue of racial discrimination. If you want to know more about any "discrimination-free" country esp w/ industrial environment, you can look up the laws of canada. I'm here in Canada for 9 months now and I can say that looking for work is easy regardless of my color, sex, and nationality. For example, you are NOT REQUIRED to write your gender, your nationality, your height, your disability, etc... in your resume or application form.
Canada is a largest country of immigrants, so if there is any good laws out there against racial discrimination canada will sure have it.

Cali4Nia

Mar 6, 2001, 11:49 AM

Latepinoy93: Hey P :D How are you? Finals week is next week. I'm sleep deprived once again:lol:

The United States has had a long and drawn out history regarding discrimination, no doubt, so check out these government websites:

US Commission on Civil Rights
http://www.usccr.gov

US Department of Justice Discrimination Topic
http://www.usdoj.gov/discrimination.htm

US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
http://www.eeoc.gov

Have a good one:D

batang pasig

Mar 6, 2001, 11:17 PM

yup.., life away from home is tuff..., im here in canada toronto to be xact ive been living in the snow for almost 7 yrs. now. Oh to all my flip bros and sis, snow is a pain in the ***! maganda sa tv di ba? well for the first week pero pag 6 mos. maloloko ka. Looks so glamorous but f***,you just have to adjust and its not easy, let me tell you. but to my bros and sis, out there thinking of moving somewhere to prove themselves, it takes a lot of guts and whatever to do things so I suggest that when you thought of something, stick to it. To tell you the truth, mahirap ang buhay sa ibang bansa, especially if you are used to your katulong at yaya, gaya ko, im over it now pero i wished i had(hehe). piece of advice to ya'all out there, make sure you know what you want, its not that easy.

olivertravel

Mar 6, 2001, 11:44 PM

My parents immigrated to the US, where they met in New Jersey. Many Pinoys there, but my parents did not stay. A month after I was born, they moved down to Kentucky.

Not many Filipinos. A few, but not enough. Mostly older couples.

Basically the dating scene sucks.

f0r5aK3n

Mar 7, 2001, 09:39 PM

Originally posted by olivertravel
My parents immigrated to the US, where they met in New Jersey. Many Pinoys there, but my parents did not stay. A month after I was born, they moved down to Kentucky.

Not many Filipinos. A few, but not enough. Mostly older couples.

Basically the dating scene sucks.

hehehe... but Kentucky White gurls are cute!! ;) you don't live in Louisville bro??? lotsa Flips there..

Cali4Nia

Mar 8, 2001, 03:01 AM

For5aken: Kuya Jon:D I got your email. I'm in the middle of Finals so bare with me. I'll reply as soon as I'm done. Sige email me your pic. *** for Tat:D

Olivertravel: I checked out your personal website...Dude that is soo cool...can I come along with you...I cook good you know. Sheesh...seriously, though, your travel adventures and pics are AWESOME:D

Hmm...dating scene in Kentucky sucks, eh. Kuya Jon's got that covered across the nation...hehehe. Hey and you two are about the same age. Me your lil' sis over here in So Cali.

I particulary liked that statement you made: I'm a brown island in a sea of white.

I think I've heard that somewhere before. Okay I'm wandering off topic now...Take Care Peeps!

kaboodle_hk

Mar 9, 2001, 08:30 AM

Hi All, This is a good thread... nice one Cali.

I've been living here in hkg for 12 years. HKG is a good place to earn money (for me), and nothing else. Night life is great, but quite expensive. Taxation is very effective, minimal if you don't spend, so, the more you spend, the more tax you pay (which is fair).

I agree with latepinoy... this is a very fast paced city... and very multi-cultural. One thing I learned a lot from living and working here is how to deal with multi-cultured environment.

Shopping... electronics are still prevalent. I've got friends from the US who visited recently and they even bought DVD players from here because it is cheaper and have more functions (from what they say). Shenzen, China is more attractive now in terms of immitation/fake things, like LV bags, Rolex watches, DVD movies, etc.

Latepinoy, where in HKG are you? am from Tsuen wan.

cheers,
kaboodle

latepinoy93

Mar 9, 2001, 08:42 AM

Cali4nia: Good to hear from you too! Write me when U can, 'K? Thanks for the links. Will have a read through it but I doubt that most, if not all, of the suggestions/legislations-in-place will be of much help to Hong Kong, seeing that there is no real representation for the migrant working community. If there is naman, it only represents a very, very small minority of the expat society such as the Indian community. (It is also quite ineffective now that the British pulled out!) Good luck w/ your finals! Knock 'em dead!

kaboodie: Yep, from Causeway Bay - replied to the Pinoys from HKG thread! What do you do in Hong Kong? Yeah, love the taxation system here! Just nice if you ask me!

kaboodle_hk

Mar 9, 2001, 12:25 PM

I have been wondering where do I want to raise my kids/family. I notice that pinoys who grew up outside of the Philippines have a broader perspective in life. Thoughts???

I am considering Sydney or Melbourne. Have been to Sydney and it seems family life is ideal. You've got greens and outdoor activities for all the members of the family. However, some pinoys say descrimination is heavy, especially to filipinos, is that true? I haven't been to Melbourne, some people say Melbourne is better than Sydney, but I guess it depends on how you are comparing it. A lot of place in the US are also ideal, though crime rate is quite high compared to Australia and Hong Kong. Hong Kong could be a good place to live, very safe (from my experience), but not much space for kids to play (except if you have $$$$$).

latepinoy: I work in IT field, and I also travel most of the time in Asia pacific.

f0r5aK3n

May 17, 2001, 11:59 AM

anyone else willing to share their experiences?

uraro

May 18, 2001, 12:47 PM

it seems that all of you somehow grew up or spent most of the time in the place where you stay..or something like that...
ako naman, im just barely three-weeks old here in NY....Upstate NY in particular...
so far, my stay here is quite an enjoyable one, the office where I work has three fellow Filipinos, so it seems that i am still working in the Philippines...i have actually experienced working in a multi-racial environment back in the philippines kasi...
the place here is sooo nice and people here are nice too...i never felt any discrimination so far...
well, my concern right now is actually the spending stuff, co'z you see, it seems that everytime I get my paycheck, i wouldn't want to let go of that hard-earned precious precious money! he he he....you can't just let yourself not to think about how everything will cost back in the philippines...
but you see, this is just my time of adjustment..i am actually getting used to these things already...

uraro

May 18, 2001, 01:15 PM

and also, i just got the information that this place where i am now (i am at the hudson valley region, rockland county) is actually the 5th safest place to live in the whole US....this is NY but i did just know now that there could also be a place here this safe...people here are actually paying high taxes to maintain security and stuff like that....you will see that every mall here has its own security patrols...
and transportation buses here are operated by the county government, the route of which even covers up to the city (manhattan) so you don't have a hard time going there and back here...
and hudson valley is very scenical...you can see trees in all their colors, from green to red to yellow, and also there are variety of bird species, from finches, ro crows, to arctic terns, and migratory ducks...wow!...beautiful..really an artist haven....i actually like it here more than manhattan!
and houses here in Upstate NY are grandious (spelling please!)...it looks like palaces,and if ever you can see small houses here, they are still beautiful, look like the ones we usually see in fairy tales...maybe this is because of their history of early Dutch settlers centuries back...(i have just read them...)
tama na nga to...sobra na to...di ko naman bansa to bakit ko masyadong pinupuri he he he...masyado na akong biased nyan...

f0r5aK3n

May 18, 2001, 02:15 PM

uraro: hahaha.. that's alright bro! Thanks for sharing your 3 week experience so far!!! It's almost summer so, make sure u go to Manhattan when u get a chance! Watch a baseball game or something.. that's an experience all in itself! Go shopping in Jersey or in PA! No taxes on clothes.. :) Your lucky that you ended up in a safe area! Hopefully the salary they're giving you is okay for the place where you're at.

saiyz81

May 23, 2001, 01:09 AM

I had no idea what I was doing there in the first place. The trains parked at Hong Kong's Kowloon station was not a comforting sight. There were uniformed guards in sad green colors guarding each door. You could actually tell a Hong Kong Chinese from his Mainland brother in their manner of dressing. The former a bit behind the times, the latter sometimes gaudy with his designer suit and the ubiquitous cellular phone - this was in 1992, a time when only Hong Kong probably had the most number of cellphones.

From glass to grass - the vista outside the train changed as it rolled noisily into the outskirts of China. Wait a minute, this was Communist China - or Red China, whichever you prefer. And I was going to live there for the next five years of my life, advertising toothpastes and shampoos to its people. This was not my first time abroad - I've been to parts of Southeast Asia and the US. But none of them were considered "unfriendly" destinations, certainly not Communists. While I was and still am apolitical, I couldnt help but conjure up images of Mao Tse Tung, the rape of Tibet, the little red book and The Last Emperor!

As the train rolled into Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong (formerly Canton), I am met by another not so nice sight - drab gray buildings no more than 10 stories each standing next to each other like concrete soldiers at attention. Every now and then there were tall funnels emitting black smoke. For a minute, I am reminded of scenes from a movie with Dickensian London as setting. Then I remembered that Guangdong was the industrial capital of China. It is where the working class live - all of them slaving away in countless factories, churning out toys and appliances which find their way in department stores all over the world.

The train station left much to be desired. It was like getting off in Calcutta or some such place. People with huge baskets of produce, carts carting off bundles of baggage and vegetables (together!), live chickens scampering at every direction -their owners hurrying after them. Dust was everywhere and so were bodies of people pushing, shoving, trying to get to the exit. The only constant sight were more uniformed guards herding people into heaving and hawing lines of humanity while immigration officials (dressed in green uniforms themselves) banged away stamping passports and pushing more people through exits where more people are waiting.

I took a deep breath and inched my way to a line. Soon there were people behind me, pushing. I had no choice but to push the ones in front of me. Good thing I brought very little luggage all of which I was carrying at the time. The sooner I get to that exit the better.

Only two weeks ago I was at my comfortable office in Manila, running the advertising of a successful brand - a market leader. The comforts of home would soon evaporate in favor of the opportunity to earn much, much more. I had no idea about the sacrifices it would entail. But I was 27, and it was a turning point in my career. And I felt I could do anything.

Anything but this. The immigration officer did not speak English. He only looked at me and scowled at my passport. He grunted something to the lady assistant next to him, herself a sight to behold. Their Mao suits may be green, yet it still made them look quite foreboding. The lady assistant grunted back and pointed at my bags. She was motioning that I drop them on the table next to her so she could inspect them. I quickly did so. From somewhere behind us there was a commotion - it seems that another foreigner, an Australian, did not like being pushed. They both stopped and craned their necks, trying to see from all those bodies behind me where the noise was coming from. Not being able to see, they went back to my stuff. Then my bags were quickly, rudely despatched to the floor on the other side where they waited for me to claim them. The officer was not done with my passport yet. I wonder what he was looking for. I never traveled much, and my passport must have had less than 3 pages with stamp marks on them. He then read the form we all filled up inside the train to look for holes. Luckily, I was bold enough to ask the Chinese girl next to me in the train what to watch out for. That settled, he motioned for me to leave his face pronto. He did it still scowling and grunting in Chinese. He could have ordered me beheaded and I still had no idea.

The scene outside the station was even worse. People lined up outside the gates, jostling as they raised their welcome cards in the air and shouted what were probably the names written on them.

A smart looking young man stepped out from the crowd and headed towards me. I prayed it was Wei Lin - an officemate at our branch office there who was scheduled to meet me. I probably stood out for he was all smiles the moment he saw my inconspicuous form. Wei Lin took my bags - I sigh a sigh of relief - and with his hands started parting the crowd that we may reach our taxicab which, judging from Wei Lin's estimate, seemed to me like it was parked all the way at the other side of the City!

I did not speak at all in the taxi ride to the hotel where I was to stay for the next 3 months while they looked for an apartment for me. All the while I gazed outside the car window, looking at people in bicycles zoom past and behind us. It was just after winter and the leaves have not grown back. The weather was cold - at least to me it was. Certainly not to Wei Lin for he was practically wearing a t-shirt while I was all bundled up.

I thanked Wei Lin for taking me to the hotel and bid him goodbye. There was hesitance in his expression, as if he wanted to ask me "are you sure you're letting me go now?". I told him I'll see him first thing Monday at the office and he left and disappeared around the corner. No he did not take the taxi. I found out later that he parked his bike outside the hotel and then took a cab to the station.

Sitting alone inside my hotel room hours later, I tried to visualize the events that happened over the last five hours. Wei Lin's expression when he left me at the hotel lobby was his attempt at telling me that no one at the reception speaks English. I managed to get a room because I happen to be good at charades. I drew and made body language like there was no tomorrow. Lobby guests were amused at me - this monkey, this lowlife making a fool of himself all because he did not bother to learn Mandarin.

Such was my first day in the People's Republic of China. And I still had no idea what I was doing there.

memyself&irene

May 25, 2001, 10:21 PM

marami sa atin dito sa pex ang ofw o kamag-anak ng ofw. kuwentuhan naman tayo. sino sa atin ang may pinakamasaklap na experience?

B@tibOt

May 26, 2001, 08:58 PM

this is only a part of some story of our kabayan abroad.

i was walking one night to have some noodles at my (suke) mami house when i saw one of our kabayan on a public phone talking to someone, heard part of their convertion something like (wala ngang pera, nawala ninakawan ako ng kasama ko). when i start eating at the mami house, after few minutes ooopps look who's here the same guy on the public phone with his gang for a happy happy.:confused3:

Rosanna

May 26, 2001, 09:38 PM

He he he, si pare naman ... ikaw yong walang datong, ano, tapos sisipsip ka nang hapi-hapi ng barkada. Tama ka na nga diyan ...

kerb

May 27, 2001, 11:53 AM

eh pang mami lang naman siguro no... malay mo kinse mil hingi ng asawa na wala naman talaga sya :)

B@tibOt

May 27, 2001, 10:38 PM

Originally posted by Rosanna
He he he, si pare naman ... ikaw yong walang datong, ano, tapos sisipsip ka nang hapi-hapi ng barkada. Tama ka na nga diyan ...

sinong walang datong?, pasensya kana hindi kasi ako ang klase ng tao na pabaya sa pamilya, for me family first e.
at di ako nakikisisip ng hapi hapi, if ever na naiimbitahan ako i give my share no. :(

B@tibOt

May 27, 2001, 10:43 PM

Originally posted by kerb
eh pang mami lang naman siguro no... malay mo kinse mil hingi ng asawa na wala naman talaga sya :)

:hmm: sana hindi sya nagsisinungaling na nanakawan sya, ok lang ang konting beer( hindi mami ).

FrutosGarvansos

May 28, 2001, 01:15 AM

Merong isang tao dito na nagpapanggap na magaling dahil nakatuntong lang sya sa America at nakapagtrabaho (ng ano???). Sobrang die hard nya kay ERAP ang clue. Ipinagmamalaki nya na nakapunta sya dun because of his knowledge and skills. :rolleyes: Skills na magtago kse TNT sya and knowledge magpakasal sa Americana para maging Citizen sya. Alam na nya kung sino sya! :lol:

..|.. ( * _ * ) ..|..

lech0n X

May 28, 2001, 04:41 AM

Originally posted by FrutosGarvansos
Merong isang tao dito na nagpapanggap na magaling dahil nakatuntong lang sya sa America at nakapagtrabaho (ng ano???). Sobrang die hard nya kay ERAP ang clue. Ipinagmamalaki nya na nakapunta sya dun because of his knowledge and skills. :rolleyes: Skills na magtago kse TNT sya and knowledge magpakasal sa Americana para maging Citizen sya. Alam na nya kung sino sya! :lol:

..|.. ( * _ * ) ..|..

ako alam ko pero di ko sasabihin sa iyo.:lol: baka isasara na naman ni fafa pau 'tong thread. :flog:

red hood

May 28, 2001, 07:31 PM

rosanna, lechon and julius?, wag nyo namang i-traumatize ang mga pexers na gustong mag-initiate ng conversation.

B@tibOt

May 30, 2001, 10:17 AM

the_BuGs

May 30, 2001, 06:34 PM

Originally posted by FrutosGarvansos
Merong isang tao dito na nagpapanggap na magaling dahil nakatuntong lang sya sa America at nakapagtrabaho (ng ano???). Sobrang die hard nya kay ERAP ang clue. Ipinagmamalaki nya na nakapunta sya dun because of his knowledge and skills. :rolleyes: Skills na magtago kse TNT sya and knowledge magpakasal sa Americana para maging Citizen sya. Alam na nya kung sino sya! :lol:

..|.. ( * _ * ) ..|..

edi ba *** din nagpapangap na magaling???? insecure na insecure ka ke pareng ano ah.... hindi halatang naiingit ah...rhrhrhrh ahehehehehheh sino kaya ang tinutukoy niya!?!?!?! alamin natin!!

brownpau

May 30, 2001, 07:07 PM

Moving this to the Filipinos Everywhere forum. Sorry for the delayed response; di ko napansin yung thread topic. :p

f0r5aK3n

May 31, 2001, 09:34 AM

hehe.. as if THEY will go to this forum and pollute Filipinos Everywhere :cheese:

Cali4Nia

Jun 30, 2001, 11:07 PM

Hey I miss your stories...anybody else want to share their stories!

Tecumseh

Sep 17, 2003, 01:16 AM

"... kung alam ko lang!"

"... kung di lang nakakahiyang umuwi!"

"... sa atin boss ako, pero dito busabos!"

"... buti pa sa atin..."

such remarks! "moving to the land of milk and honey" was your most cherished dream. who wouldn't like to have that opportunity? anyway, masyado ng mahirap ang buhay sa pilipinas and besides, angat ka sa iba pag nag-migrate ka, di ba?

now that you're here, are there some expectations that got you so disappointed that you wished you never left our country in the first place? HIGH EXPECTATION killed you mercilessly!

share your biggest disappointment and help those aspiring to leave the philippines learn that the country of their dream is no milk and honey.

lest i be misunderstood, i'm not trying to paint a bleak picture here though to some, life has really become bed of roses since they arrived.

Mickey2000

Sep 19, 2003, 10:14 AM

http://www.boomspeed.com/carolrobert/mickey.gifSobrang lungkot lang talaga,kasi first time ko na mahiwalay sa family ko 10,000 miles,yun lang talaga,the rest ok naman.:)

Tecumseh

Sep 19, 2003, 11:03 AM

sa wakas! may nag-reply din.

honestly, what disappointed me the most is i can't practice my profession. as you know, canada doesn't recognize foreign credentials so foreign-trained professionals, in most cases, go back to school to be competitive.

some lucky ones get hired in their career line but need to contend with entry-level positions.

pseudoguy

Mar 1, 2005, 09:04 PM

pardon my ignorance! lahat kasi ng kakilala kong nag-migrate sa states o canada dito sa amin o sa mga kamag-anak namin kapag nagkukuwento sa mga naging buhay at karanasan nila sa ibang bansa, puro mga sakripisyo nila ang naririnig ko (i live in a barrio). at hanggang ngayon naghihikahos pa rin sila kung hindi man sapat lang ang kinikita at karaniwan pa blue collar jobs sila kahit na degree-holder pa sila. so may kakilala ba kayo na kung ano ang naging pamumuhay nila dito sa pilipinas (kunwari maranghiya) ay ganoon din ang estado nila sa ibang bansa?

boldon

Mar 12, 2005, 02:01 PM

grabe namatay na tong thread na to... what happened to the thread starters? ganda pa naman insights nila... tsk

Ne0

Apr 1, 2005, 04:49 PM

Maikling Kwento sa buhay ng isang OFW:

Isang tulog na lang uuwi na ako, magkahalong excitement at kaba ang aking nararamdaman habang papalapit na ang uwi ko. Sa wakas pagkatapos ng mahigit 5 taon na pagpupunyagi sa ibang bayan ay makakabalik na ako sa aking lupang nilakhan. 11:00 ng umaga ang flight ko tiningnan ko ang relo sa aking kamay, 5:00 ng umaga pero d na ako antukin, nakakasabik talaga ang pag uwi. di bale maliligo na ako at i double check lahat ng bagahe ko baka sa sakaling may nakalimutan pa ako, kahit kagabi bago ako naktatulog ay makailang beses kong na check ang mga dadalhin ko.

isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat.. apat na maleta at isang knapsack pala ang dala ko. siguradong over baggage na naman ako nito. alas 7:30 na pala. makakain na nga para mamaya ay di ako gutumin sa airport mahaba pa naman pila sigurado dahil school holiday sa bansa na paingtatrabahuhan ko siguradong karamihan ng mga tao dito ay mag out of the country para sa school holiday, buti pa dito sa bansang ito ang pagpunta nila sa ibang bansa ay hindi upang maghanap ng trabaho kundi para magbakasayaon kasama buong pamilya, kaysarap isipin na ang buong pamilya ko din sana ay kasama ko everytime luluwas ako ng bansa.

alas otso, pwede na ako tumawag ng taxi, dinial ko ang handphone ko at may sumagot na customer service sa kabilang linya, limang minuto pa para dumating ang taxi booking ko, magaantay na ako sa labas ng bahay para di na magantay ng matagal ang taxi driver.

Ayun! na yung taxi ko pagbungad pa lang ng taxi sa harap ng bahay ay kumabog agad ang dibdib ko. ahh nakaka excite talaga umuwi. Sa daan maraming bagay ang pumapasok sa isipan ko, kumusta na kaya yung lugar namin, ganun pa din kaya, yung mga barkada ko kaya ay tambay pa rin hanggang ngayon, bakit kasi ang hirap maghanap ng trabaho sa pinas, kahit na graduate ka wala pa ring kasiguruhan na makakakuha ka ng magandang trabho pag nasa pilipinas ka.

gaya ng inaasahan madami nga tao sa airport, pero lahat ay nakakapasok sa loob mismo ng airport, di gaya sa pilipinas pag hinatid ka hanggang kalsada lang ng Airport pwede sumama maghahatid sayo, yung mga gwardiya ay di man lang mapakiusapan na sumama pamilya mo hanggang dun sa may entrance lang sana ng NAIA. Nakita ko ang pila ko at sumabay na dun sa ibang tao, sa pila ay naalala ko ang mga araw ng nag aaply pa lang ako papunta dito, isang buong araw din akong pumila sa DFA para lang makakuha ng passport, kung ilang fixer din ang lumapit sa akin para aukin ako na mas mabilis na proseso ng passport, kala ko sa DFA lang ganun, yung pagkuha ng VISA eh mas malala pala, halos 10 oras ako pumila para lang makakuha ng queue number *** sa interview, bakit kaya ang daming tao sa emabassy ng bansang ito, lahat na yata ng filipino gusto lumabas ng bansa. kunsabagay di ko sila masisis heto akot isa sa mga nagtitiyaga sa init ng araw para lang makakuha ng numero para sa interview. kala ko yung 10 na oras na pinagantay ko ay sapat na upang matapos ko ang interview yun pala, preliminary interview lang yun, i schedule lang ako para sa actual na interview. ibig sabihin pipila na naman ako. wala na bang katapusan ang pagpila ko. parang tuloy gusto ko na patulan yung ibang tao na nag aalok na sila pipila para sayo kapalit ng 500 pesos.

"Mr ita your turn!', huh bigla akong naalimpungatan, ako na pala yung nasa harap ng counter para i check in baggage ko, gaya ng inaasahan ko excess baggage nga ako ng mahigit 10 kilo, hay wala pa ako sa pilipinas gastos na agad, bakit kasi 25 KG lang pwede sa PAL samantalang sa ibang airline hanggang 35 yungt allowed baggage kung sabagay mas mura nga naman PAL kesa sa ibang airline.

pagkatapos ko mag bayad sa excess baggage ay diretso na ako sa immigration, madami yung tao na nakapila pero madami din yung mga immigration counter, pagkatapos ko sa immigration ay diretso na ako sa loob. mabuti na maaga para makabili pa ng ilang pasalubong sa loob ng DFS.

8 oras din ang byahe mula sa dito hanngang stop over at another 4 hrs pa uli sa connecting flight papuntang pilipinas. sabik na sabik na ako, gusto ko na makita sina mama at kapatid ko, iba pa rin yung sa telepono mo lang sila nakakausap. Sa wakas dumating ang takdang oras ng pagsakay ng eroplano, tinawag lahat ng pasahero at pumasok na sa loob ng plane. ilang sandali pa at pumaimbubulog na ang eroplanong sinasakayan ko pauwing pilipinas.

Chapter II.

Naku ang sakit naman sa puwit. ilang oras din akong nakaupo sa makipot na upuan ng eroplano, buti na lang nandun ako sa may aisle para madali para sa akin ang tumayo pag medyo nangangawit na paanan ko. "Thank your for flying with us, see you in your next flight" ito ang huli kong narinig pagkatapos lumapag ng eroplano sa NAIA. ahhh home sweet home... here i am phils. buti naman kaunti pa lang pila sa immigration, may nakita akong lane para daw sa OFW, pero bakit wala naman immigration officer na nakaupo?. baka naman umihi o kaya nagkape. 5 minuto na nakaraan wala pa rin tao dun sa OFW lane, lumipat kaya ako sa ibang lane sa loob loob ko lang . Sa lane ng mga foreigner ay may napansin akong immigration officer na nagtatanong sa mga foreigners, hinahanap passport nila at parang may hinhanap, pagkatapos ng ilang pabukas bukas sa passport ay nagtanong ang officer, "Do you want a limo to bring you to your hotel sir?", napatawa ako sa sinabi ng naka puting immigration officer, kala ko pa naman nag check talaga sya ng documents yun pala nag mamarket ng taxi.

Umiling ang caucasian na foreigner, alam ko pinipilit pa rin sya ng officer kahit medyo di ko na naiintindihan sinasabi nya. sa wakas may umupo ring officer sa OFW lane, hayyy buti na lang medyo maikli pila sa OFW lane kaya madali ako nakalabas ng immigration, yung baggage claim naman at tapos labas na ako! mga 10 minuto din ako naganntay sa baggage claim area bago ko nakuha lahat ng gamit ko. hirap naman kasi bat kokonti lang trolley sa loob, nag aagawan tuloy lahat ng pasahero. nang makakuha ako ng trolley ay dumiretso na ako sa Custom Area. "Boss san ka galing" tanong sa akin, ngumiti lang ako sabay abot ng papel na sa kanya, tiningnan lahat ng baggae ko sabay tanong na "regalo naman jan boss kahit 10 dollar lang", ANO! anak ng teteng wala akong $10 boss, buong $100 lang pera ko ** sabi ko. mapapabaryahan natin yan boss dun sa may money changer. walanghiya naman sambit ko. naholdap kaagad ako, wala pa ako sa labas ng Airport.
kesa naman yung mga chokolate at alak ang hingin sa akin minabuti ko na bigay na yung $10 na hinihingi, dapat pala may barya ka pag umuuwi sambit ko na lang sa sarili ko.

(itutuloy)

kulit_kc

Jul 12, 2005, 04:23 AM

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Aug 15, 2005, 09:53 AM

Bushes hire first woman as White House head chef
Sun Aug 14, 2005 5:36 PM ET

By Caren Bohan
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. First Lady Laura Bush, on a quest for the last six months to give White House menus a lighter, more American flair, has hired Philippine-born Cristeta Comerford as the mansion's new head chef, the first woman to hold the job.

After trying out a number of restaurant chefs and other candidates to replace former chef Walter Scheib, the White House settled on an insider in Comerford. She was promoted from assistant White House chef, a job she has held since 1995.

Ethnic and American cuisines are Comerford's specialties but she also knows the French classical cooking that her predecessor did well.

"She is able to do a wide array of dishes," said Susan Whitson, spokeswoman for the first lady. "In both their official dinners and personal menus, the president and the first lady are interested in healthy food with lots of fresh ingredients but that is also infused with a lot of flavor."

Longtime chef Scheib was hired from the exclusive Greenbrier resort by former first lady Hillary Clinton.

He left so that Laura Bush could set her own style, an administration official with close ties to the East Wing said. The official, who requested anonymity, also hinted at a personality clash.

Comerford devised the menu for last month's official dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The 134 guests dined on chilled asparagus soup and lemon creme, pan-roasted halibut, ginger-carrot butter, basmati rice with pistachio nuts and currants and herbed summer vegetables, and salad of Bibb lettuces and citrus vinaigrette.

Desserts are the province of the White House pastry chef Thaddeus Dubois.

In another example of Comerford's cooking, Whitson said she prepared a Valentine's Day dinner featuring tenderloin of buffalo with Hudson River foie gras.

During tryouts in which she had applicants prepare test meals at special functions and private dinners, Mrs. Bush had hoped to find someone whose tastes were more in sync with hers and those of her husband.

President George W. Bush is known to enjoy cheeseburgers but the Bushes, who are both health conscious, are also fond of upscale Tex-Mex cooking with light, spicy accents.

During their first four years, the Bushes have hosted just four state dinners. The president's father, former President George Bush and first lady Barbara Bush hosted four in their first six months in the White House.

The first lady has said she intends to do more entertaining than in her husband's first term.

Comerford, who is a naturalized American citizen, got her bachelors degree in food technology from the University of the Philippines. She has worked at Le Ciel in Vienna, Austria and was chef at Le Grande Bistro at The Westin Hotel in Washington and also at The Colonnade at the ANA Hotel.