Ang Pinoy nga naman

I've decided earlier not to write a post about my encounters with fellow Pinoys here in Melbourne but decided to upon the urging of my kumare, Jay Ann, who wrote one in her blog. I must say that in my two years here in Melbourne, I haven't found one fellow Pinoy who I can refer to as a good mate. Not one, nada. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a snob nor cockish nor elitist. I do have a group of friends with whom my family and I spend time with going to picnics, parties, and other social events. Plus, my husband and I are members of a religious community made up predominantly of Filipinos and we meet for prayer meetings fortnightly, which we honestly want to get out of but can't at the moment. So what gives? Well, for one, di ako makarelate sa usapan nila lalo na pag palabas sa TFC (The Filipino Channel) at syempre mga tsismis sa artista ang topic. Dahil una wala akong TFC at pangalawa, ma at pa. Kaya makikipaglaro na lang ako sa mga anak ko. Or better yet, bury my nose in a book. Now, when it comes to exchanging stories about our kids, feeling ko parang me kompetensya sa pagpapalaki ng mga anak namin - academics man o mga extra-curricular activities like sports, etc. - kaya ako madalas quiet na lang. Another thing is I do not want to be asked questions that would make me feel ill at ease. Questions like: San kayo sa tin? Paano kayo nakarating dito? San ka nagta-trabaho? Anong trabaho mo? Anong trabaho mo sa tin? Magkano rent nyo? Sino kamag-anak nyo dito? I do answer these questions when asked out of respect but I certainly do not want to be summed up based solely on my responses. More often than not, people raise their eyebrows (out of surprise I guess) when I tell them my husband and I applied for migration on our own without anybody's help or support. And when I tell them where I work and what I do, it surprises them still coz I'm doing what I did back in the Philippines, which is usually followed by "Ang swerte mo naman". I certainly don't know what luck had do with where I am now coz as far as I'm concerned I applied for this job and met the criteria. Simple as that. As for the rent, it beats me why they even ask it in the first place. It's as if my rent is an indication of how rich or poor we are. Poor us. When they find out I don't have a single relative here, save for my hubby's cousin whom we don't see on a regular basis, they feel obliged to sympathize like "naku e di ang lungkot pala ninyo ano". Like okay drive it down my throat but believe it or not we're happy as can be. Thank you very much. And now that I've gone back to work I have to suffer another question : Sinong nag-aalaga ng baby mo? When I tell them I leave him at child care, alam ko na ang kasunod - "Kawawa naman baby mo". Oo na lang ako para di na humaba pa yung usapan pero sa totoo lang my son is better off at child care where he gets to play with children his own age, play with toys he doesnt' have at home, and be cared for by professionals compared to his older brothers who were cared for by yayas who did not know any better and who were barely out of their teens. Thankfully, I've got this high school buddy up in Brisbane who keeps me sane with her occasional phone calls and frequent online chats and who knows me well enough to ask these sort of questions.