Just to point out... My post is fairly for new migrants. People who just got out of pinas🙂
It is ok to buy the things you love. The things you have always wanted IF you can afford it or kahit on credit basta it is your own credit card AND because you have worked for it.
My gripe is for people who just got here with no jobs, utang pa yung baon or sold everything back home but is spending like crazy just to post a few measly pics on fb! Also people who buy things just because someone else bought something. True story actually yan ng cousin-in-law ko, 5 sila nag abroad sabay.. They were all friends until when one buy somethings the other buys something similar but more expensive. The end story out of 5 friends.. 2 na lng sila nag-uusap ngayon.
It is ok to buy expensive things you have worked for and really want but not because your friend bought a 42 inch tv then you buy a 55 inch tv to replace a perfectly working 32 inch tv.
Yes by all means support your parents and even your siblings and nephews. But make sure also you keep some for yourself. Prioritized immediate families but know it is not your responsibility to send ALL relatives to school. True story din yan ng friend ko na nurse, she went home sa pinas after 3 years lahat ng kamag-anak was at her house asking for financial assistance. In less than a week, she shelled out 10k dollars!!!! She went back abroad almost broke!!!
It is ok to ask about marital status, income, residency, vital statistics/shoe size... Pero wait until you can say that person is your friend. I have been in several situation once in a bus stops i was speaking tagalog..this lady asked what i did, how much i earned if the guy i was with was my husband and asked if p.r. Kami ( he was my gay bff but doesn't look gay) then etc etc ... Then she turned to my friend and said, yung anak ko single yun. Maganda. ( beckons her daughter to come nearer). Buti na lang nag Go! Hahaha!!
I'm just trying to say.. The filipino culture is good and all pero when in rome do as the romans. Filter the bad but absorb the good. There are things that are quite personal to ask like how much one's weight...typical filipino greeting, oi tumataba ka yata?! ...hehehe.
But yeah, boundaries for people you have just met. Wait until the dust have settled before becoming to chummy...just because we are both filipinos doesn't make us best friends instantly.