Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Same same madaam, same same....
That's what they say in Thailand when they mean that's it's all the same size. :)
Well, I was back in Indonesia last weekend where I felt like it's "same same" as Philippines. I felt so much at home, with Padang almost similar to the country side in the Philippines.
Based on physical features, I can pass to be an Indonesian (among many other nationalities that people think I have) as the lady gave me the immigration pass for the locals. The lady beside me started talking to me and really thought that I was an Indonesian. So I said, Filipinos and Indonesians really do look very similar.
She was with her daughter and was interested to find out more about Philippines. I described how traffic in Jakarta is no different from that in Manila. Then they taught me some Bahasa Indonesia words that I can use for shopping and getting discounts. As I was familiarizing myself with some words, I realized how some words were similar to Tagalog, and even some to my own dialect, Ilocano. It goes all the way back before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines and the local tribes are from the Malay-Indo race.
So if you're a Filipino travelling to Indonesia or the other way around, don't be surprised when you realize you're "same-same" in so many ways.
Well, I was back in Indonesia last weekend where I felt like it's "same same" as Philippines. I felt so much at home, with Padang almost similar to the country side in the Philippines.
Based on physical features, I can pass to be an Indonesian (among many other nationalities that people think I have) as the lady gave me the immigration pass for the locals. The lady beside me started talking to me and really thought that I was an Indonesian. So I said, Filipinos and Indonesians really do look very similar.
She was with her daughter and was interested to find out more about Philippines. I described how traffic in Jakarta is no different from that in Manila. Then they taught me some Bahasa Indonesia words that I can use for shopping and getting discounts. As I was familiarizing myself with some words, I realized how some words were similar to Tagalog, and even some to my own dialect, Ilocano. It goes all the way back before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines and the local tribes are from the Malay-Indo race.
So if you're a Filipino travelling to Indonesia or the other way around, don't be surprised when you realize you're "same-same" in so many ways.
