Filipinos and the Philippines – How We Live and Deal with Koreans

So finally someone was dedicated enough to do a guest post. Joel is kind of stupid so he sucks at English but oh well he tried. Lets thank him for doing his best! (Thanks WonTaek! You're very nice. Really nice.)

The Philippines is one of the countries in South East Asia, and has been a destination for tourists, and is known for its numerous scenery and rich culture. It is a destination to people from the USA, Europe, and some are from Asia too, which include Japanese and Koreans. Its warm, humid tropical climate is somewhat an attraction, knowing that the aforementioned countries have climates that are either very hot or very cold.

The Philippines is also known to have the best Business English according to a recent survey, and is quite famous for its citizens’ literacy in English. It is also one of the leading countries that have the biggest BPO business, connecting one point to another using the English language. This literacy in English attracts visitors to learn English in the country, to include Koreans.

The country also caters a considerable number of Korean citizens, mostly because of cheap education and learning of English of Second Language.

When the K-pop wave started, the Philippines is also affected by the hype. Korean dramas, Korean music, and also fashion (as well as food) has reached the country in a split second. This hype in K-pop is further enhanced when Sandara Park, a Korean, won a Philippine talent show. After her showbiz career in the Philippines, she flew back to South Korea, and became part of 2NE1.

Being with Koreans, the Filipinos are able to adapt easily with the arrival of Kpop and Koreans themselves in the country. A lot of people (even I) have taught students on English. Some became classmates with Koreans in universities. Some became neighbors with Koreans, and Korean communities have sprouted in the Philippines, complete with Korean restaurants, shops, and schools.

Filipinos are known to be hospitable. This simply means that visitors are always welcome in our country. In the domestic setting, we actually offer our bests – best meals, best bed, best utensils for the visitor to use. We want people to feel special in their stay with us. Some even borrow money from others just to serve really good food to our visitors. This attitude is applicable to all nations, to include Koreans.

Filipinos are also pliant when it comes to languages. We can adapt with different languages, especially when one goes to another country with less people speaking in English. Here in the Philippines, most, if not all, know the Korean greeting “Annyeong haseyo!”, and would not be hesitant to greet Koreans if we meet them. We are also eager to learn the Korean language.

We Filipinos are also known to be friendly. When we mingle with strangers, the Filipino would usually do the first move – either talk first, or do some gestures. Same as with Koreans. It would be awkward at first, but the conversation will go flowing, until the foreigner becomes comfortable. Having established a good working relationship with foreigners, we would definitely keep in touch with them even though they go back to the country – be it through phone or the internet.

We love to teach as much as we want to learn. We become happy and elated when some foreigners, like Koreans are able to learn some Filipino words and speak them correctly. We are also happy when we learn other languages, and people who speak the language appreciate the effort. We also love when foreigners like our food, our products, or even a minute piece of our country. We also love to try foreign products, and try something new!

Well, as we respect Koreans, we might as well beget respect, eh?

Koreans here in the Philippines are very welcome, don’t worry. Filipinos respect foreigners as long as they respect our rights. We are very nice to people who also seems nice to us. This might be the rule of reciprocity. We do not discriminate, we appreciate, and this applies not only to Koreans, but also to everyone. Come visit us, ‘cause IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES!

Author Bio
This is a guest post made for My Seoul Stories by ventocoseuss, who is a nurse, a Filipino, and a blogger too! He is the author of TheToiletThoughts and TheKoreanThoughts (a Korean-inspired blog). He has been a teacher of English for Korean students, and has been studying Hangul, the Korean language, as well as culture ever since. He is too awesome that I, Won Taek Chung, requested him to do a guest post for my awesome blog.. :)