Is this Normal

[i am bob]

It sounds like you are going towards Nabunturan or farther maybe?  Do yourself a favor and grab a couple hundred pesos of fried chicken to take with you when you first arrive in her hometown.  Even if lunch and/or dinner are planned, the chicken makes a great snack for between meals (with a little rice, of course but that can be made there) or added to the meal.  A case of Red Horse delivered to the house (cold or with ice) for your time with the men folk.  Many will not speak English - or will be too shy to use it.  Hand signals help a lot...  Lots of "salamat"s...  Smile!  And if you listen closely, there is enough English hidden in their words that you might actually understand!  And remember...  Eyes for only one lady as often as you can...  And life will be Golden..!

[Jake]

16 hours ago, i am bob said:

And life will be Golden..!

Triple LIKE Bob!  

[bastonjock]

18 hours ago, i am bob said:

It sounds like you are going towards Nabunturan or farther maybe?  Do yourself a favor and grab a couple hundred pesos of fried chicken to take with you when you first arrive in her hometown.  Even if lunch and/or dinner are planned, the chicken makes a great snack for between meals (with a little rice, of course but that can be made there) or added to the meal.  A case of Red Horse delivered to the house (cold or with ice) for your time with the men folk.  Many will not speak English - or will be too shy to use it.  Hand signals help a lot...  Lots of "salamat"s...  Smile!  And if you listen closely, there is enough English hidden in their words that you might actually understand!  And remember...  Eyes for only one lady as often as you can...  And life will be Golden..!

we are heading to compostella ,its not far from nabunturan ,ive just been chatting to my lady and I think there will be a lot of people there to meet us ,she has just told me that the children will come forward and pick up my hand and hold it to their head as a mark of respect , they are all practicing their English apparently 

I think I need to get a few words in tagalog under my belt

Edited March 6, 2018 by bastonjock

[Lee1154]

No matter what your gf says, your reply should be "tama ka".

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, bastonjock said:

she has just told me that the children will come forward and pick up my hand and hold it to their head as a mark of respect

Yes I didn't know about that custom my first visit to Mindanao, the first time I started to pull away because I didn't know what was happening and the poor child looked mortified, but it was quickly explained, at least you got prior warning  .

1 hour ago, bastonjock said:

I think I need to get a few words in tagalog under my belt

It may not help as much as you think because the local language in much of Mindano is not Tagalog but rather Cebuano (or possibly another in some areas) but if you sprinkle salamat into the conversation (thanks) or salamat po (for a more respectful form) they'll almost certainly appreciate it.

 

Have fun, try to stay calm and smile .

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2018 by GeoffH

[bastonjock]

10 hours ago, Lee1154 said:

No matter what your gf says, your reply should be "tama ka".

Can you translate please lol 

Before I dig a hole for myself 

[GeoffH]

45 minutes ago, bastonjock said:

Can you translate please lol 

Before I dig a hole for myself 

 

Nothing bad... roughly "you're right" .

[Balisidar]

13 hours ago, bastonjock said:

we are heading to compostella ,its not far from nabunturan ,ive just been chatting to my lady and I think there will be a lot of people there to meet us ,she has just told me that the children will come forward and pick up my hand and hold it to their head as a mark of respect , they are all practicing their English apparently 

I think I need to get a few words in tagalog under my belt

It's called Mano Po.  Its a gesture of respect to your elders.  You should look it up.  It is Also appropriate for you to do The Same Gesture When Meeting You Ladies Grand Parents.

 

 

[bastonjock]

4 hours ago, GeoffH said:

 

Nothing bad... roughly "you're right" .

I was worried that it might be philipino for getting married lol 

[i am bob]

On 3/7/2018 at 6:59 AM, bastonjock said:

we are heading to compostella ,its not far from nabunturan ,ive just been chatting to my lady and I think there will be a lot of people there to meet us ,she has just told me that the children will come forward and pick up my hand and hold it to their head as a mark of respect , they are all practicing their English apparently 

I think I need to get a few words in tagalog under my belt

My former housekeeper is from the area.  You'll need Basaya rather than Tagalog.  And, yes, they are very good people up that way.

I ended up going the other way from Davao...  To Toril.  I've lived and had extended visits in many different places around this little world - and Toril has turned out to be my favorite place to live!