To (Some) Foreigners

I am fed up hearing complaints about my country (even though) most of them are valid. That I cannot argue about BUT sometimes it is already hitting below the belt as we are belittled to the height of their waist or their knees. It feels as if that they came here to feel good about themselves.

They would say: "We are the tallest people in the Philippines" or worst "...the tallest people the Filipinos have ever seen". C'mon, my brother is 6'1" and my friend is 6'2"... and my 15 year old nephew is 5'10"... and oh, I'm 5'6" - which is about the height of them, isn't it?

And "I couldn't find any "normal" soap and lotion in the market. All are for whitening." Aren't they crazy about the opposite? They would spend money to go have a tan - like this tanning saloons where they spray chemicals on their skin to be "colored" or lie down on that coffin-like bed. Humans just can't get enough, many would always want what they don't have - white or brown skin, straight or curly hair, brown or blue eyes. It's only the matter of what you are born with and how you developed your liking of it. But going to their "problems" with the products on the market, I say: DON'T BUY! No one is forcing them to be more white.

And "Why are all the shirts they sell won't fit me?" Oh, honey, why would we sell your size when majority of us are petite? My recommendation for you: bring enough clothes when you come here. I do have the same little problem with the petite clothes being sold BUT hey, I buy your second-hands for much much lesser price.

And "The food here is so oily." Well, it's a matter of taste here. Maybe that is the way we want it to be. And some Filipinos from other regions will have it their own way, too. But I guess on most common complaint regarding food is "Filipinos eat a lot of rice". We do have bread if you want to. Oh, are our breads sweet for you? Why not bake your own then? Or just eat what is there or starve.

I am guilty of somehow making some of the foreigners I've met get what they want even if it means going out of the way. And now I am tired of it!

I am a big complainer myself but I try to live with the fact and make it a bit better. And also, I did not plan of being in the Philippines, flying thousand of miles and paying hundreds of USDs or EUROs to get here just to complain. So, if you came here to experience the Philippines, then all of the things you complain about should be considered an exotic experience.

I say, LIVE WITH IT or LEAVE!