Tag: Pinoy

Cebu, Culture shock, expatriation, Family, Philippines

A “little” pica pica

In the Philippines, pica pica means “something that stimulates your appetite, and makes you want to come back for more“. Like our French apero, but a little more .. energy dense! In the Philippines, there is no such thing as light or modernist cuisine. In the Philippines, people take their food portions very seriously. Families love to gather in restaurants, so the portions are usually big. … Continue reading A “little” pica pica

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Cebu, Culture shock, Me, Philippines

The secret of my weight loss? living in the Philippines!

Don’t get me wrong: Living in the Philippines is great! awesome people, places, everlasting summer … But there is one thing I ll never get used to, it’s the food! For a vegetarian like me, Filipino food is a nightmare. It’s still very hard to find something without meat, and on top of that, I don’t like rice and I try to avoid any kind … Continue reading The secret of my weight loss? living in the Philippines!

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Bantayan, Christmas, Culture shock, Expat, Family, Parenting, Philippines

4 reasons NOT to spend Christmas in the Philippines

For a French/Swiss family like ours, Christmas is comes in white, with cookies and creamy chocolate. Christmas means building snowmen with cousins. It means a lot. But this year we decided to sacrifice to the tradition and we stayed on the little island of Bantayan. Tickets to Europe are too expensive at this time of year, so we had to stay in the Philippines, and my … Continue reading 4 reasons NOT to spend Christmas in the Philippines

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Culture shock, Inspiring Monday

Inspiring Monday: if I had to define the Filipino attitude

This picture sums it all: This taxi driver has two daughters and like most of his colleagues often struggles to make ends meet. There is no such thing as maximum hours of work a day in the Philippines. You have to work, so you work. Trade union doesn’t mean anything. Sometimes the driver is so tired that he can fall asleep at a red light. … Continue reading Inspiring Monday: if I had to define the Filipino attitude

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Philippines, Photo Challenge

The well deserved break of the Filippino biker

OFF–SEASON. : a time of suspended or reduced activity; especially the time during which an athlete is not training or competing. The tricycad or pedicab (tricycle) is a classic in the Philippines. It’s basically a customized bike, like a side car. In theory, they are made for made for 4 passengers. The reality is pretty different, as you’ll often find 4 … on each bench! Add … Continue reading The well deserved break of the Filippino biker

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Cebu, Expat

It only takes a 5-minute walk to know you are in Cebu!

And one minute for the Attilas to realize they are back on the rock. I took this pict in Bantayan, but it could really be anywhere in the Visayas (and probably far beyond, but I haven’t been out there yet). The friendliness of the Pinoy with kids is not a legend. I can’t remember a single restaurant where the waiter/waitress did not turn into a … Continue reading It only takes a 5-minute walk to know you are in Cebu!

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Bantayan, Philippines, Photo Challenge

The world belongs to those who get up early

I am not much an early bird. To be honest, I tend to like my bed more than I like most people. Except when I am at the beach. Then I love waking up with the sun to take massive stocks of Vitamin Sea. We are blessed to live by the most beautiful beaches of the world (Make sure you add The Philippines to your bucket list, you’ll thank … Continue reading The world belongs to those who get up early

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Cebu, meet the neighbors

And you thought Pinoy were lay back?..

« They confiscated my cell phone. Some weeks, I have to wake up at 3:30AM to prepare the breakfast of the 90 students of this building. I hardly go out anymore and I haven’t seen my family for weeks. Still, I have never been so happy and so proud of what I am doing!” Contradictory? Not when you are a student with Passerelles Numeriques (Digital Bridges … Continue reading And you thought Pinoy were lay back?..

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