Pasalubong, balikbayan boxes, and gift giving in the Philippines:)
When I was vacationing here in the Philippines, my wife and
I would always bring boxes of gifts for the family and friend (sometimes not)
of
the family. They called those gifts “pasalubong”.
It is a norm here (and expected of you) that when you visit another country or come from another country, you have to give friends pasalubong.
the family. They called those gifts “pasalubong”.
It is a norm here (and expected of you) that when you visit another country or come from another country, you have to give friends pasalubong.
So, everytime we
visited, we would be hauling from 2-4 of those big balikbayan boxes (24 x 18 x 24 inches)
of pasalubong to the airport. A balikbayan
box (literally, "Repatriate box") is a ubiquitous, corrugated box
containing any number of items sent by an overseas Filipino known as a "balikbayan".
Though often shipped by freight forwarders specializing in balikbayan boxes by
sea, such boxes can be brought by Filipinos (or foreigners married to
Filipinos:) returning
or visiting to the Philippines by air. Filipinos who have worked overseas and foreigners married to
Filipinos have experienced this. So,
when you arrive, enduring out of body experience from jet lag, you find the
house you’re staying in (for the first week we always stayed at FIL’s), full of
people expecting pasalubong. This would
continue for at least three days. People
who’s not even a friend would come up to me and ask “Where’s my
pasalubong?” Pertaining to whatever I'm using
at the moment, “That’s nice. Can I have
it?”
Eh?! What are they
thinking of? I know Filipinos are
friendly people but that doesn't mean I know you we’re friends already and I should
give you a gift. I am not saying
all Filipinos are like this. I guess I
just have had the unbecoming chance of experiencing it.
Now, I am not visiting anymore and have foolishly moved here
(read here why). I don't have gifts to give anymore and what I have I try to sell to survive. People asking me for gifts still has
continued.
Every single time I see my landlord here in General Santos City she would ask me for a pair of jeans.
Every single time I see my landlord here in General Santos City she would ask me for a pair of jeans.
“Where’s my jeans?”
She would ask.
A couple nights ago, I bumped into her in a
supermarket. Guess what she asked? Yup. “Where’s
my jeans?”
To which I replied “Gone.
Rats ate it.”
“How about a ball cap?
I like ball caps.”
Eh?! Say that again?
“Poor me, you haven't given me anything.”
?!#?!#?!
?!#?!#?!
“From that sale I was able to pay you rent.”
GOOD GRIEF.
Yup. There it is.
My friend at work is Filipino, she is Canadian born never been to Philippines. Thing is her folks came her late 70's, I asked why they have never been back, and your story is the same explanation I heard they could not afford it to gift everyone. Besides that all of there family is already here, Filipino people are 3rd or 4th language spoken in Toronto now.
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