Well, time really flies and it is already day 5, and today I have a culture lesson with the Filipinos. Firstly, we learnt the basic etiquette of the Filipinos, which proved to be rather surprising to me, as a Singaporean, where almost everybody is straight-forward and does not care too much about tradition. But here goes!
Lesson 1: do not wear sandals when attending important events Ok, this is kind of common, but should not be taken for granted, even in Singapore. If you ask me, I've seen many toes peeping out from under those thin straps of flip-flops which to me, are an even worse case than sandals. Perhaps in the Filipino culture, I was rude to show your toes, or possibly your feet during an important event as the foot was normally associated with a pungent smelly odour. So, sandals, having the holey nature of theirs, were not acceptable. The natives or even during capitalism and industrialisation, anybody, regardless of social background, are expected to arrive at the event prim and proper with a formal attire. The covering of unsightly feet and revoking odour is most likely a sign of respect to not only the host of the event (to show that the person appreciated the event and took it seriously) but also the others attending it.
I guess this idea of the covering of feet is rather prevalent in Southeast Asia countries, which includes Thailand, as mentioned before during the visit to the Thai Grand Palace, where I was not allowed to fold up my sleeves. They also did not allow visitors with sandals to enter. Hmm... interesting and very very logical.
Lesson 2: When organising a function, make it a point to invite the other party 3 times Basically, the tradition of the Filipinos to reject the first two invites, and for the host to invite again for the third time so as to guarantee that the invitation is genuine. To the locals, the act of insistence proves a person's sincerity towards something. So next time, I shall send 3 invitation cards out at the same time, so that 2 will be rejected and the other accepted, and it would be dont very quickly. :D Hey wait... that's way not sincere enough.
Lesson 3: hand gestures Did you know that the "O.K." sign means "money" to the Filipinos? That is why using a "thumbs-up" hand gesture is always more preferable when you are saying O.K. to them. Possibly, showing the "thumbs-up" expresses your happiness and willingness to help the other person, or to agree with him/her, and being polite. I have just realised that most of the traditions in the various countries are all centered around the expectation of politeness and respect of the people in that area.
5:15 AM
Cherie Seah Xinyi
Rafflesian; Tarbetian; RSP-ian; handbells Ex-CO
ONEOHNINE-er
TWOOHNINE-er
Bearing the scholarship of RSP, I thrive
to learn, to realise, to connect. Southeast Asia is bonded, not only by ASEAN, but it's the railways which connect us.
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