Culture shocks of Filipinos in America, tales, and experiences.
What are the Culture Shocks most Filipinos experience in coming to America?
Filipinos coming in the United States always experience Culture Shocks. This is because they were introduced to a very different culture from what they have grown up with.
As you know Filipino have a more conservative type of culture than the Americans.
Our impressions of Americans come from TV shows and movies. You should expect a lot of different races. If you are from a place where everyone pretty much looks the same, this may take some adjustment. Finding and making friends might take a while and long.
America has a good dynamic of many cultures. It is inclusive as it is said to be. Composed of the country like towns and big cities with a vast fusion of cuisines, cultures, and ethnicity. Not everything you know about America is all about “Tall Roses and Peaches” for there are negative things you can also spot yourself about the Country. For a person that was born in from a Country with a different cultural perspective, they often to have experienced a lot of Culture Shocks. You may have a culture shock if you cannot adapt quickly.
The culture and etiquette are totally different. Things like people saying hello or suddenly starting a conversation with you are normal in some states. It’s not a norm in the Philippines. America brings the culture of convenience created by the prosperity and corporate success. On the positive side, you will not find better customer service in restaurants and stores in many other countries. On the negative side, many Americans get complacent with their health. So, you see a lot of very obese people walking around.
Coming from a tropical country and moving to a cold, arid climate in the mountains has been really hard. America’s weather changes drastically. There are times that it’s cold when the temperature is above 60 degrees. The weather in the US varies from state to state. There are parts of the Country that doesn’t experience a lot of snowy weather. In fact, west side of America is more likely to feel the winter season. So, you should read up on the climate of the place you are moving to.
The variety of fast food in America is unmatched because of their serving sizes. The serving sizes per person in the restaurants that you knew back in your country is doubled here in America. Soda fountains and machines are everywhere. The variety of foods from different cultures especially in places with a large mixture of where there is so much diversity. There are Asian markets here, but you cannot expect to get all the items that you need in preparing your food if it’s specific to your country and culture. You must explore new cuisine and try American food. The most noticeable here is that you get your food in a can or frozen. You cannot get a fresh coconut milk here.
The cost of living in the US is different as, other than monthly electric bills, water and gas, you also get to pay mortgages. Some foods that are specific to the Philippines are harder to get in the US, so they will be more expensive. Things like Dorian and jackfruit are expensive. Cost of living in the US is 100% higher so cars, homes, and clothes do have a higher price tag. Honestly, some things are cheaper in the Philippines but not in States like Gas, for example, is cheaper in the US. But since the average American has a higher local purchasing power is than the average Filipino it is much easier to live in the US even with higher prices.
One of the biggest issues for Filipino nationals moving to America must be family. If you are very attached to your family living in the Philippines, you should really think about how much you will miss them when you decide to move. It is not easy to be away from the family you grew up with and it is not cheap to fly back and forth between the US and the Philippines.
America is huge with many cities and a lot of spaces between each home. Most people here have cars to get where they need to go. It is not practical to catch a taxi or bus to do things like getting groceries. It’s too expensive to do it by taxi and the bus will not run often enough or close enough to your home. Those who do get groceries or go to medical appointments via bus and taxi do so because they really don’t have any other choice. When driving, if you need to switch lanes, drivers here in the US give way traffic stops are most respected because of the traffic laws they have.
American people celebrate important holidays like Christmas and New Year so differently.
Being in America will give you a whole new experience of a 1st world country. Not the kind you were expecting but absolutely different than your own home country style.