Things your wife/fiancee found strange about the states

[JoBri 548]

Oh, in addition...

1. She is surprised that she knows better English than most Americans. She was an English teacher, but still shocked. She is amazed she has to correct and spell words for her co-workers when a sign has to be written. She is shocked that Americans dont know the meaning to bigger words that she uses, and she has to define the meaning of the words to people when she is comfortable using those words.

2. She complained, at first, that people here "swallow their words" when speaking...because of the accent I guess. She had a difficult time understanding them at first, but now understands perfectly well.

3. She had one of her first experiences recently with racism. A woman she takes care of at an assisted living did not like her (or other people working there from foreign countries) because of speaking with an accent and looking different. It was a rich white woman who was like that.

Brian in Tennessee

[ezzie 7]

I love this thread!

In PI, we say- EAT ALL YOU CAN ( literal translation- Kainin mo lahat ng gusto mo; Filipinos use the verb first in the sentence most of the time). In the US as you all know- ALL YOU CAN EAT.

[Adam & May 4]

No ants in the house

[~happyndinlove~ 540]

I love this thread!

In PI, we say- EAT ALL YOU CAN ( literal translation- Kainin mo lahat ng gusto mo; Filipinos use the verb first in the sentence most of the time). In the US as you all know- ALL YOU CAN EAT.

Funny but true... It's completely backward.

Edited June 25, 2011 by ~happyndinlove~

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I still get a laugh when I think about my wife's first few months here. She has been here one year next month. some of the things she found weird:

1. No real visible security at the mall or banks.

2. 24 hour major stores

3. No deposit or withdrawal slips

4. You can get your money back when you return something.

5. Internet shopping (yes she now has it mastered).

6. Military discounts

7. Limitless refills on drinks at restaurants

8. People don't care about your middle name on documents.

9. American teenagers and their freedom

10. Even poor people have a car

11. Black Friday shopping adventure

12. What kids wear to school, (we have two high school daughters)

13. Shooting sports (she now has two rifles and is getting quite good)

14. Lack of public transportation, (we have no busses or taxi's where we live)

Last but not least, never ending ED commercials. She asked me who Ed was. When I told her, it was the first time I had seen a filipina blush.

Regarding the ones highlighted in red above, where do you guys live? I don't know of any bank that doesn't require a filled out deposit or withdrawal slip. There are plenty of poor people getting by without a car, but if you live in an urban-sprawled area, it's just a lot more difficult to get by without one. And lack of public transportation? I'd recommend taking her on a nice drive to a city nearby where she'll quickly realize that where you live isn't exactly the norm for most Americans. She'll probably find a lot more Filipinos and perhaps even find some Filipino shops. It sounds like she was a city girl and you're a small town hick.

My wife lived in Cebu and when she first came to live in the states, we were in a suburb of Orange County, CA. The freeway system and the roads in general were something that took her by suprise, but even Americans visiting LA are caught off guard by the freeways. Also, she got the impression that a lot of people are "rich" (which is somewhat true in Southern California), but her measurement for being rich was based on a country without a true Middle Class. That's why a lot of these Filipinas being courted by Kanos are easily impressed because all some of the Kanos have to do is show them a picture of their car and driveway and the Filipinas think these fellas are wealthy.

Edited June 25, 2011 by 8TBVBN

[DaveE111 10]

Regarding the ones highlighted in red above, where do you guys live? I don't know of any bank that doesn't require a filled out deposit or withdrawal slip. There are plenty of poor people getting by without a car, but if you live in an urban-sprawled area, it's just a lot more difficult to get by without one. And lack of public transportation? I'd recommend taking her on a nice drive to a city nearby where she'll quickly realize that where you live isn't exactly the norm for most Americans. She'll probably find a lot more Filipinos and perhaps even find some Filipino shops. It sounds like she was a city girl and you're a small town hick.

My wife lived in Cebu and when she first came to live in the states, we were in a suburb of Orange County, CA. The freeway system and the roads in general were something that took her by suprise, but even Americans visiting LA are caught off guard by the freeways. Also, she got the impression that a lot of people are "rich" (which is somewhat true in Southern California), but her measurement for being rich was based on a country without a true Middle Class. That's why a lot of these Filipinas being courted by Kanos are easily impressed because all some of the Kanos have to do is show them a picture of their car and driveway and the Filipinas think these fellas are wealthy.

Are you really as bitter as you sound? I started a post of MY WIFEs experience and you come off sounding like an creep.

Yep, I am a small town hick, I grew up in Baltimore, just outside the city limits. I spend a career in the military with 17 years overseas. Stateside assignments in LA, Tucson, Panama City, Norfolk. Retired from the Air Force and currently working as a missile systems engineer for the USAF and still travel extensively; Pt Mugu, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Washington DC, Okinawa, South Korea, etc.

I really don't need a lesson from you concerning you whether her impressions are correct/incorrect/valid or invalid. The impressions were from where we live, not an overview of the USA.

Our banks don't use deposit slips or withdrawal slips. I guess you could request one if you really wanted it. See if you can follow this.

Step one - go the counter with your Bank ID/ATM card and another form of ID.

Step two - explain to the teller what you want to; deposit/withdrawal etc.

Step three - take your money, or give them the deposit.

Step four - take you receipt and go, and thank the teller for asking you to have a nice day.

We have virtually no public transportation here, and yes she knows that is why everyone has a car. Filipina's? There are at least 100 within 20 miles; three from her home town. There is a Sari Sari store (thats the name), less than a mile from our home.

Yep, took her to the "city", we don't like it very much. However we still visit relatives in Richmond, Baltimore, Washington and Chicago.

If you have nothing positive to say, why say anything?

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Regarding the ones highlighted in red above, where do you guys live? I don't know of any bank that doesn't require a filled out deposit or withdrawal slip.

In this day of direct deposits and ATM/Credit/DEBIT cards, who needs paper? I personally haven't filled out a slip at a bank in about 10 years. In fact, I haven't been inside a bank in the last 5 years except to sign paperwork for a recent home purchase. And where I live now, there ARE no banks.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Are you really as bitter as you sound? I started a post of MY WIFEs experience and you come off sounding like an creep.

Yep, I am a small town hick, I grew up in Baltimore, just outside the city limits. I spend a career in the military with 17 years overseas. Stateside assignments in LA, Tucson, Panama City, Norfolk. Retired from the Air Force and currently working as a missile systems engineer for the USAF and still travel extensively; Pt Mugu, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Washington DC, Okinawa, South Korea, etc.

I really don't need a lesson from you concerning you whether her impressions are correct/incorrect/valid or invalid. The impressions were from where we live, not an overview of the USA.

Our banks don't use deposit slips or withdrawal slips. I guess you could request one if you really wanted it. See if you can follow this.

Step one - go the counter with your Bank ID/ATM card and another form of ID.

Step two - explain to the teller what you want to; deposit/withdrawal etc.

Step three - take your money, or give them the deposit.

Step four - take you receipt and go, and thank the teller for asking you to have a nice day.

We have virtually no public transportation here, and yes she knows that is why everyone has a car. Filipina's? There are at least 100 within 20 miles; three from her home town. There is a Sari Sari store (thats the name), less than a mile from our home.

Yep, took her to the "city", we don't like it very much. However we still visit relatives in Richmond, Baltimore, Washington and Chicago.

If you have nothing positive to say, why say anything?

There was nothing bitter about my statement. You made it sound like where you live is the typical American town and it apparently isn't, which is fine, as this great country is pretty diverse. Perhaps you should have started out by stating that your wife comes from a populated city and where you live, the population is 37 and that includes livestock. And before you get defensive, I grew up in a small town of less than 3,000 (Gilbert, AZ), so I'm speaking from personal experience. Gilbert has since grown, but if I had brought my spouse over to live in the Gilbert I grew up in, I would make sure she knew it wasn't in any way a representation of the country as a whole. And to be fair, my wife was constantly making comparisons based on generalizations when she first got here. It's taken a few years for her to experience the diversity here and realize that one experience here in America is only a small slice of the whole pie.

Edited June 26, 2011 by 8TBVBN

[Kevin- 13]

Steven, all he said was those were the experiences of his lady; things which are different for her compared to where she is from. He didn't "make it sound" like anything else by saying, "some of the things she found weird:".

Your post read as very bitter and condescending, to me as well. If nothing bitter or otherwise condescending was intended, then perhaps a significantly different choice of words and phrases are in order, going forward.

-----------------------------

This thread is hilarious, other than the party pooper. I've noticed a lot of these things myself, from my 4 months time over there. When spending time there, of course it was seeing these things from the opposite side. But then coming back here, I see things with a bit of Filipino tint to my vision.

[DaveE111 10]

There was nothing bitter about my statement. You made it sound like where you live is the typical American town and it apparently isn't, which is fine, as this great country is pretty diverse. Perhaps you should have started out by stating that your wife comes from a populated city and where you live, the population is 37 and that includes livestock. And before you get defensive, I grew up in a small town of less than 3,000 (Gilbert, AZ), so I'm speaking from personal experience. Gilbert has since grown, but if I had brought my spouse over to live in the Gilbert I grew up in, I would make sure she knew it wasn't in any way a representation of the country as a whole. And to be fair, my wife was constantly making comparisons based on generalizations when she first got here. It's taken a few years for her to experience the diversity here and realize that one experience here in America is only a small slice of the whole pie.

Just where in my post did I say we live in a typical american town? I mentioned military dicounts, is that typical? You are the one who started throwing out stereotypes, (hick).

Numerous other posters had added to my list and said how much they enjoyed the post. Many of their comments were different than mine, and that is great. However, one poster (you), came on board playing arrogant, and all knowing. Even in your second post, you couldn't resist throwing in the "population 37" comment.

Fact: There are more than 17,000 employees on the military installation where I am employed.

Fact: Another 35,000 live in the city associated with the installation.

Fact: Our city is known as the "International City", due to the cultural diversity. My neighbor is a Vietnamese Engineer, two houses down is a Japanese doctor, across the street is an Lockheed Martin engineer married to a Korean.

Where my wife is from is irrelevant to the discussion, but spent her childhood in Bacolod and adult life in Las Pinas.

Who gives a damn what is representative of the country as a whole? The discussion was about first impressions, or are your reading skills as poor as your manners.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Steven, all he said was those were the experiences of his lady; things which are different for her compared to where she is from. He didn't "make it sound" like anything else by saying, "some of the things she found weird:".

Actually, the title of this thread is about what she finds strange about the states, and the tendency is for people to generalize about a place. Americans do it with each state. For example, if you tell someone you're from California, they think you eat yogurt and granola. It's human nature. My wife was no different as she initially thought everything she experienced when she first arrived was, "how it is like in America," and it took awhile for her to realize just how big and diverse this country is. So there's not only a cultural shock because of moving to a different country, but moving from the city to a small town here in America, which probably isn't too different from an American spouse coming from say NYC to live in Alabama.

[ezzie 7]

It hurts my ear whenever my husband says "Where's the keys?"...And I always repeat in my head that it should be- Where ARE the keys. I used to correct him, but he says"Nah, ours is easier to say".

One time he noticed I made a face, and he followed it up with- "Well over here, babe, that's how we say it. It may be grammatically wrong, but that's how we grew up saying. If you say it like you say it, people will think you're weird (jokingly). We don't use textbook English."

I still say- WHERE ARE THE KEYS?

[gretchen_darren 67]

things yet to explain:

"stupid motorist law"

"tent city"

when someone say "5-0"

why do people run when someone hollers "hielo" (ICE)

furniture stores/spices/bulk foods

home depot/Lowes/garden centers

"flea markets"

"boonies"/"boondocks"

"backroads" versus "highways"

"took the scenic route"

"going around the mulberry bush"

"redding out the closet"

country music

Monster Truck Jams

"we saw 'fireworks' last night"

"rutting (or dressed) like a dog (cat) in heat"

"talking hick"

"hillbilly"

"southern gentleman"

"hee haw"

"hip hop/rap" is NOT everywhere.

Schools are run by the government with NO dress codes.

Private schools you have to pay for, but still have to pay for the public schools as well.

CAr tax, income tax, property tax, food tax, clothes tax, gas tax, medicare, medicaid,

insurance cards, hospitals, emergency rooms,

google maps and city views

iphone and android apps

why phones do not tranfers carriers

monthly phone bills

[gretchen_darren 67]

DRIVE IN Theater.

[jazz_acid 5]

philippines is actually very americanized. it's almost the same. like the banking system, the online shopping, and actually found out that we have more sophisticated ways of doing things than u guys here in u.s. do. like our movie theater in the philippines are huge, and we have 3d and now 4d movie screen.

i should say it depends on where ur partners lived in the philippines. i lived in a very well off city in the philippines and now i'm stucked here in midwest with nothing but fields. although it's pretty here, i still miss the sky-scrapers and the beauty of both city-country life.

but one thing that really amazed me -- an almost a 100 year old ppl can still ride a tractor and combine and drive a freaking truck. =)