What's Da Buzz?

For my readers who are not from the areas with snow in them, I’ve decided to go into a little topic that I will revisit from time to time. The color of snow comes in quite a few varieties.

As you have seen, the primary color of snow is white. That is from when frozen bits of water keep going up and down in the clouds getting bigger until it makes a snowflake and falls to the ground. But from there, the snow can change into one of 3 other colors being brown, black and yellow.

What is black snow? Well, this is the snow that is on the side of the road. As the daily vehicle traffic goes in front of it, it starts to turn brown and black from the car exhaust and dirt kicked up. Definitely do not try to taste this snow.

What about yellow snow? I was informed almost immediately to not touch or taste yellow snow ever. I got this warning before I even saw my first snowfall. Of course, I wondered why until I got the explanation and saw the color turn to yellow. So picture the following in your mind. So why is yellow snow bad to eat or touch? Well, I do not think I need to answer that one now. LOL!

What are the traditions of their culture?

When a person is older than you. You call them “Ate” for women and “Kuya” for men.

Also, you need to show respect by doing “mano po“. It means–In the Philippines, children are taught to respect their elders. One way of expressing respect is by “kissing” the right hand of an older person when you greet them. Or…You just bow a bit, and gently take the older person’s right hand with your right hand, and move it towards your own forehead. Sometimes, it’s the back of their hand that touches your forehead. More often, it’s the knuckles.

Marriage – When a lady wants to get married, the guy should take his parents with him to the bride’s parents and ask for permission to marry her. The parents will discuss whether or not they should be married with their decision being final. There are families who even want the groom-to-be to serve them for a week or two by doing chores like chopping wood.

The traditional dalagang Pilipina (Filipina maiden) is shy and secretive about her real feelings for a suitor and denies it even though she is really in love with the man. In Philippine culture, courtship is far more subdued and indirect unlike in some Western societies. A man who is interested in courting a woman has to be discreet and friendly at first, in order not to be seen as too presko or mayabang (aggressive or too presumptuous). Friendly dates are often the starting point, often with a group of other friends. Later, couples may go out on their own, but this is still to be done discreetly. If the couple has decided to come out in the open about their romance, they will tell their family and friends as well. See also…http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tagalog/love.htm

When you speak to an elderly stranger, you may call them Nanang or Manang as a sign of respect. It’s like “Ma’am” only warmer.

What are the values of their culture?

Family comes first. In the Philippines when you get married, you are taught you favor your parents first then your husband. This is dependant on the family and the region they are from.

Close family ties – Whether you are single or married with children, often you remain living under the same roof or in a ‘neighborhood’ of relatives. Because you are expected to remain close both physically, mentally and emotionally. Some times an entire group of homes or living area can be made up of aunt, uncles, etc.

Respect – In the Philippines, you are expected to respect the statements of your elders whether or not you are right or wrong. The word of your parents is final and not to be disobeyed or argued with. This extends throughout adulthood. Failure to hold to these values will result in being ejected from the family, not being spoken to by any Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc until you make amends.

Philippine Hospitality — Filipinos will go out of their way to ensure the guest feels comfortable. For example, a family in the province will serve the guest Corned Beef while the family just eats fish, because Corned Beef is perceived as a luxury item. The guest will get the best bedroom. Sometimes, the family will even take care of the guest’s laundry.

value- Utang Na Loob literally means “inner debt.” It is not a legal debt whose fulfillment is based on an external law; rather, it is a moral debt whose fulfillment is based on something within a person.

There is also a tendency (pending their upbringing) to exhibit the ‘crab mentality’. This is making certain no one improves their life and stays with the family. If a family member immigrates to a different country, this value is often pushed harder as they see the immigrant as having access to more $ to send back to them.

Are there any norms for their culture?

There are many norms in the Filipino culture. Most are highly divergent from the American culture and American norms.

If a single woman gets pregnant out of wedlock, you are required to get married to the father in order to save face. This means to save the reputation of the family and the parents – not for yourself but for your family. Failure to do so makes the woman a disgrace to the family and likely to be kicked out of the family despite the pregnancy. Depending on the region and the upbringing, this may also be dealt with by killing the offending daughter with no legal repercussions.

The parents have every right to hurt or injure their children if they feel the children have not asked for proper permission or did something wrong. The worst offense is getting pregnant out of wedlock. There are no legal protections for the children.

Filipino time – Any stated meeting time or appointment will not take place when scheduled. 1-2 hour delays are customary

Heavily male dominant – the wife is expected to do everything while the male is the ‘wage earner’ and often engages in alcoholic drinking sessions. The wife is not allowed to complain. If the wife does complain, she may be injured or hurt by the husband with no legal recourse.

Marriage is for life. There is no divorce. If the husband often engages in extramarital affairs w/ no damage to his family’s reputation. The wife would say nothing. Should the wife have an extramarital affair, it must be kept to utter silence lest she risks bodily injury or death by her husband. There is no legal recourse for the wife.

What are the differences between their culture and the American culture?

The differences are extensive. The Filipino and American cultures are polar opposites. The primary differences are the family values.

1) In the US when a child reaches the age of 18, they are expected to go to college or get out on their own. In the Philippines, the parents support the children through college and beyond.

2) In the US, being independent is valued strongly with rebellion being common in teenagers. This directly conflicts with the cultural family values, norms and traditions of the Filipinos.

What are the similarities?

Filipinos hold the US Entertainment industry (Movies & Music) in high regard.

Beyond that, a jerk is a jerk. A nice person is a nice person. There are far too many differences than there are similarities.

How do assumptions about cultural norms impact your day to day behavior?

In the first two years of being in the US, the drastic differences in the cultural norms cause much confusion and an extensive learning curve. The most complicating clash in cultural norms is how one engages elders. In the US, age is not considered to be a factor amongst people who know each other or meet for a first time. That US cultural norm clashes with the Filipino respecting elders norm making for a very awkward time of meeting new people.

The second clash is the comparative lack of respect children and especially children-in-law have for their elders. Often the adversarial or disrespectful expectations the children (and in-laws) have of the elders (parents or parents-in-law) to assist them in the needs / wants of the children is considered an affront to all ingrained Filipino values of respect and honor of all elders.

Are there any challenges or disadvantages related to her/his culture being outside the norm? How do they respond to those?

The majority of the challenges come in the assimilation process in the first 2 years. These have to be approached with an open mind willing to learn the differences w/out sacrificing core values.

The biggest challenge that is ongoing is the attitude of many Americans. From my perspective, Americans have a tendency to whine about their extensive luxuries and express (what our culture views as) a desire to be lazy. Opportunity is waiting to be taken, the laziness serves to be a motivating factor to succeed in America and show Americans what they have. Many Americans seem to not know what is out in the world and would benefit from traveling to the Philippines for at least 2 weeks to gain an appreciation of what they have.

Are there any privileges or advantages associated with assimilating to the normative culture? How does she/he react to that recognition?

An advantage is the work ethic and values coming from a culture where you work to survive or die. The luxuries of the US are not taken for granted and are treated with respect and gratitude. In particular, the structure of road system laws, legal rights, and law enforcement is a major boon.

The options of the US give the opportunity to succeed. The cleanliness and health codes dramatically improve personal health. The difference also leads to a very strong immune system and very quick recovery times providing more time to be productive.

The advantages here in the US give hope for the future and feeling lucky for being here. The safety provided in all ways here is an immeasurable positive impact and relief. (My home town is subjected to bombing by terrorists, fatal diseases, poor sanitary conditions, and medical staff that will let you die if you can’t pay up front. Highly incompetent medical staff.)

What are sources of strength or support?

In the US, my strength and support are my husband, my daughters, and my parents-in-law. Additional strength comes from abroad from my mother, father, brother and sister.

Another source of support but not necessarily strength is the other Filipinos here in the States. Filipinos in the States will generally treat Filipinos visiting or immigrating to the States like family, because the ones who are in the States know how difficult or lonely it can be. They remember that they were treated well by other Filipinos when they first arrived in the States, so they’re sort of returning the favor by treating the next batch of Filipinos like family. There are some Filipinos in the States, however, who mistreat newcomer Filipinos. Because of crab mentality and being jealous to fellow Filipinas of their achievements. It’s rather sad but it is true.

Do you have plans of staying here in United States for awhile?

Yes, I like living here in United States- I maybe have some opinions about their culture and attitude but it’s a way of life here. I am doing great and going with the flow. One of my plans is to retire in the Philippines with my husband and our daughter.

Do you want to add anything?

None, I think – you have enough information. I thank you for your time and hope it helps!

See these links for additional information:

http://library.thinkquest.org/J001561/pi/traditions.html

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tagalog/love.htm

http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/about/culture.htm

Live well,

Anah

I came across an article of medical tourism (Kiplinger ata- I’m a subscriber) growing worldwide. Years ago, medical tourism was hardly large enough to be noticed. Right now, more than 250,000 patients per year visit Asian countries or will travel to places such as India, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Costa Rica or even sa Pilipinas. The savings sound very attractive and, for many medical tourists, the real attraction is price.

For instance, a heart valve replacement would cost $200,000 or more here in the United States and in India the estimated price is $10,000 (guestimate ko lang). And that includes round trip airfare and a brief vacation package!! A metal free dental bridge worth more than $5,000 here in US costs $500 in India. Lasik eye surgery worth more than $3,000 in the US is available in many other countries for only $730. Also, cosmetic surgery savings are even greater. A full face lift that would cost $20K in the US runs about $1,250 in South Africa.

Wowoweeee, huge price difference! This concept has me thinking. I’d probably consider medical tourism in the future because the healthcare cost here is way too much- h astang mahala – and the long wait for medical procedures. It is increasingly difficult to find quality , affordable treatment when insurance companies aren’t willing to pay 100% of the procedures. The health care cost here in US is very expensive and the waiting is way too long! According to the National Coalition on Health care, more than 500,000 Americans traveled abroad to receive medical and dental work in 2006. In fact, this is not an isolated trend. Every year, millions of patients from around the world flock to some of the famous medical tourism destinations.

I know a lot of you have read or heard about United States having the best health care in the world. Well, maybe yes maybe not. In my own opinion, I don’t think we have the best health care in the world. What I think is we have the most expensive health care here in the United States. That’s why Americans are flying to Thailand and other countries to have the procedures done. By leaving this country to find offshore locations and assess quality medical care or surgical procedures, these people save an enormous amount of money with medical tourism. Most doctor positions are typically staffed by Western doctors and surgeons trained in Western medicine. The facilities are state of the art and they provide equal or greater quality surgical care than most US hospitals here. Procedures are performed with the same technology and expertise, yet the cost is as twice as cheap than the normal charge here in United States. So the question will be: Why is medical tourism cheaper than United States health care system?

From our own experiences, I feel we uncovered a key part of it. The insurance companies are complicit in the overcharging for services. Our daughter needed quite a bit of dental work done when she was 4 courtesy of dental hygiene of living in the Philippines for her first 2 years. In what was little more than an afternoon for an outpatient procedure in the hospital the bills ran up to $9000 when the dentist quoted us $3000. When we questioned many of the things itemized on the hospital bill, the insurance company didn’t care about how inflated the costs were and the extravagant charges for equipment and materials not even used.

So why is medical tourism cheaper? I would submit the primary reason is greed. Greed on the part of the hospitals. Greed on the part of the insurance companies. Greed on the part of the pharmaceutical industry. Greed on the part of the law makers who get into office based on the contributions of the insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals. US Government should get rid of the fraud in the medical industry and in itself, the nightmare of paperwork and have a system that offers medical procedures at a fair-affordable price. People around the world should be coming to the United States to get their medical procedures done. Not Americans leaving the U.S. to have their surgeries done in other countries.

Ta ta and Thank you for reading my rather long entry *wink*

Live well,

Anah