Pros and Cons of Being Pinoy Abroad

PROS

1. Having friends and relatives everywhere, in almost every US state, in almost every continent of the globe.


2. Bagoong.


3. Speaking Tagalog. If you are with a fellow Pinoy, you can talk about the people around you in Tagalog and they won't know what you're saying.


4. Adobo. It's so delicious and so easy to make. (See Cooking section for recipe.)


5. Battle of the Brainless jokes.


6. If you’re Catholic and are in a Western nation, having Roman Catholic churches all around you. The rituals of the mass remind you of being back home.


7. If you're studying in the UK or the US, having a better command of the English language than many other International students and even some locals.


8. Our easygoing nature. Filipinos are able to successfully assimilate into a new culture and get along well with the people around them.

CONS

1. Having friends and relatives everywhere. Somehow reports of foolishness find their way back home.


2. The cold weather takes getting used to.


3. The scarcity of Filipino restaurants


4. Often being one of the few nationalities that need a visa to many popular tourist destinations.


5. Discrimination, xenophobia among locals. Both of us and our interviewees as well have experienced being taunted with Chinese sounding words. It is best to ignore them but when fed up cursing back is a good release, just make sure that fight back in a crowded place where people can come to your rescue.


6. Our acquiescent nature makes one seem weak in argumentative and competitive environments. We should learn to speak up and voice out our opinions!