Foreigners in the Philippines ignore each other in public: an observation compared with other countries' expat communities
I come in peace lol, not that it'll matter anyway… I'm living in Davao right now. I just wanted to see what it's like. I've noticed a nationwide thing in the Philippines where foreigners completely ignore each other, acting like they don't even know the other exists. But I lived in Vietnam and Cambodia before, and the vibe was totally different. If you've only lived in the Philippines it's hard to say lol, but those of you who've lived in other countries, do you know the difference? Why might this be?
Shouldn't we all be holding hands and singing Kumbaya? We beat the system and found ourselves great women. Where's the hand-holding and singing? ☹️
Not particularly interested in hanging out with old conservatives with 20-year-old girlfriends.
You guys are a bunch of freaks, MAGA weirdos, drunks, and smelly. Kumbaya that
Why pretend to be friendly with strangers
They're just people? I don't go around greeting random people in Northern Europe just because they're white, either.
Coming from California, I used to always say hello to foreigners when I saw them. But over time, I'd say at least 90% of them completely ignored me. They don't even make eye contact or nod. I still look and nod, but the only friendly foreigners I've found are the young ones who look like backpackers. That said, most of the older foreigners I HAVE talked to (and I'm 66 myself) were people I really didn't want to know, because they were asking me for money or running some kind of scam. I found that hard to believe at first, but I've just accepted it now. I'm still friendly and nice, but almost nobody returns the effort. Oh, and for the record, I live in an area without many foreigners, so when there is one, they stick out like a sore thumb.
It could be as simple as this: in Vietnam and Cambodia hardly anyone speaks English, so the moment you see another foreigner you're excited to speak your own language. In the Philippines almost everyone speaks English, so there's no need to gather around, flag down or wave at another foreigner; you're already speaking your language with the locals.
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