love and (text) war in the philippines
people in the philippines seem to be obsessed with love. did you know that they hold the guiness world record for most people kissing at once? they do. every year around valentine's day they get a bunch of people together in manila and see how many couples will kiss at the same time. according to one source (yet another person i've met), they hope to break the record again this year. wow.
but this whole couple-y thing in the philippines is kind of driving me crazy. one reason i keep meeting people is that i think they feel sorry for me for not having a companion. im thinking of fabricating a make-believe boyfriend just to get them off my back. i could always buy a cheap ring and marry myself to a foreigner conveniently napping in the hotel. if it were a filipino they'd probably want to meet him.
most people -women in particular- dont even seem to walk alone here, let alone travel for weeks on end alone. it seems like they are defined a lot by the relationships they have with other people. im not saying that americans arent, or that im not, but god not that much. i actually enjoy being alone, which is something no one else here seems to understand.
for instance, one person i've met is very big on texting me. she has been bombarding me with about 20 texts each day. maybe this is fine for filipinos, to have constant contact with people -lots of them seem to spend a lot of time texting each other- but im not exactly a very social person, so it has begun to get to me. im in another city now, so im hoping the communication abates a bit, but i wonder: is this normal here? do people really need to talk to their friends this much? or is this just because im a foreigner and she is excited about that? i need so much more alone time than this. it makes me want to hide in a bunker and wait for the beeping phone to blow itself up.
while the intensity of relationships in the philippines scares me to death, im pleased to note the variety. it seems like being gay here is so much more accepted than in taiwan or even in most of america. even in really poor areas of manila and rural areas of mindoro, there are openly gay men and lesbians just hanging out. my texty friend and her relatives are keen on noting, just after introducing me to someone, that he is gay. it's weird to hear: "this is so-and-so. he's gay." it seems a little odd to announce, but maybe they're just warning me in case i was interested in marrying that particular filipino. they're certainly hoping i marry a straight one.
also, despite all the controversy or whatever concerning brokeback mountain in america and the religious-ness of the philippines, brokeback mountain is still being advertised here (and i presume shown later..syriana doesnt openin manila until february 20-something). you can already buy the pirated DVD version on the street in manila. they're REALLY big on TV love stories here. some examples of TV show names: Love Hurts, Sad Love Song, The Robe of Love. i think brokeback will do okay here- if they stop texting each other long enough to watch the movie.
but this whole couple-y thing in the philippines is kind of driving me crazy. one reason i keep meeting people is that i think they feel sorry for me for not having a companion. im thinking of fabricating a make-believe boyfriend just to get them off my back. i could always buy a cheap ring and marry myself to a foreigner conveniently napping in the hotel. if it were a filipino they'd probably want to meet him.
most people -women in particular- dont even seem to walk alone here, let alone travel for weeks on end alone. it seems like they are defined a lot by the relationships they have with other people. im not saying that americans arent, or that im not, but god not that much. i actually enjoy being alone, which is something no one else here seems to understand.
for instance, one person i've met is very big on texting me. she has been bombarding me with about 20 texts each day. maybe this is fine for filipinos, to have constant contact with people -lots of them seem to spend a lot of time texting each other- but im not exactly a very social person, so it has begun to get to me. im in another city now, so im hoping the communication abates a bit, but i wonder: is this normal here? do people really need to talk to their friends this much? or is this just because im a foreigner and she is excited about that? i need so much more alone time than this. it makes me want to hide in a bunker and wait for the beeping phone to blow itself up.
while the intensity of relationships in the philippines scares me to death, im pleased to note the variety. it seems like being gay here is so much more accepted than in taiwan or even in most of america. even in really poor areas of manila and rural areas of mindoro, there are openly gay men and lesbians just hanging out. my texty friend and her relatives are keen on noting, just after introducing me to someone, that he is gay. it's weird to hear: "this is so-and-so. he's gay." it seems a little odd to announce, but maybe they're just warning me in case i was interested in marrying that particular filipino. they're certainly hoping i marry a straight one.
also, despite all the controversy or whatever concerning brokeback mountain in america and the religious-ness of the philippines, brokeback mountain is still being advertised here (and i presume shown later..syriana doesnt openin manila until february 20-something). you can already buy the pirated DVD version on the street in manila. they're REALLY big on TV love stories here. some examples of TV show names: Love Hurts, Sad Love Song, The Robe of Love. i think brokeback will do okay here- if they stop texting each other long enough to watch the movie.
posted by bethany at 01:34
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