Wednesday, August 5, 2009

How Long Have You Been Here?

I don't want to sound elitist but I really dislike being asked "How long have you been here for?" or "Matagal ka na ba dito?" in Tagalog.

I really find no sense in this question. Why do you need to ask a complete stranger this question? I'm sorry but I have absolutely no intentions of informing a complete stranger my entire life story because my life is my own personal business and there is absolutely no need for you to know who I am, what I am, or what my worth is.

Seriously, the only reason that someone would ask this question is to gauge one's seniority or superiority over someone. So when a Filipino asks another Filipino the question, "How long have you been here?", he/she is actually asking, "Do you already have a house, a car, and lots of money?".

My mom once told me about her experience while she was on a bus on her way to work. She was just minding her own business when a group of Filipino women comes to her and starts a conversation with her. They then ask the same old questions like "How long have you been here?" and "What's your job and how much do you make?".

Why can't Filipinos just live their own effing lives and stop with their comparing and being nosey. I once heard someone comment how come we already bought our own house and car when we've only been here for less than a year. This really burst my bubble. So this person means that just because we're new here in Canada we have no right to buy things that we can afford? Then we're labeled "mayabang" or "cocky" just because we go on buying things that were only "reserved" or expected only for Filipinos who have been here in Canada longer. Well sorry, we didn't come here to Canada to follow certain unwritten Filipino laws and culture because we have our own life so stop barging in.

Tsk tsk... my blog is slowly becoming a place to vent my frustrations towards other Filipinos. Honestly, I love the Filipinos back in the Philippines more than the Filipinos living here in Canada. Well just some of them at least, not the entire Filipino-Canadians.

No comments:

Post a Comment