Things I Learned Living With Filipino Families

Early last year, my wife and I opened our home to individuals who have no place to stay and invited them to live with us. Welcoming others has been the most humbling and life-changing experience for my family. It has blessed us and has given us a deeper understanding of loving our neighbors and serving the strangers in our midsts.

So far, most of our long-term house guests have been non-Filipinos. I always wonder what was it like for them to live with a Filipino family. What did they learn from living with us? What do they think of our Filipino antics, food, parties, etc? This blog post by Kyle Jennerman of #BecomingFilipino is one of my favorite articles on Filipino families. According to his website, Kyle is a 26 year-old Canadian who is trying to "become Filipino." Living in the Philippines with a Filipino family for years have made him understand Filipinos very well and he shares a lists of values he learned along the way.  I would like to post his list because it made me reflect on the values my own family is teaching to our foreign households guests. I won't write about their identities for privacy reasons but what I can say is that we've grown to love these people very much and have accepted them as true members of my family.

Here's the list below. You can read Kyle's full article here.

1) You should always show respect

"It is a beautiful thing how much Filipinos care about showing each other respect. When I reflect on it… It makes me happy. It makes me smile. It makes me remember how important it is to always show a little bit of extra love to your family and those around you. One gesture and word at a time."

2) Always wait for family meal time

"But one thing I have definitely realized living with Filipino families… DON’T START TAKING FOOD UNTIL IT IS TIME FOR EVERYONE TO EAT."

3) "Celebrate pa more"

"Living with a Filipino family has shown me just how important it is to enjoy life and celebrate. Usually when I thought of celebrating it would be for accomplishments... But never in a million years did I think I would be celebrating in places like a cemetery... Sometimes we just need a little celebration to get us through even the most difficult of times."

4) Friends are family... everyone is family

"It was like everyone was family! It didn’t matter if Tito and Tita didn’t personally know the individuals, they would welcome others into their home LIKE FAMILY."

5) It is Okay to live at home with your family... actually it isn't Okay... it is a blessing

"This is the biggest lesson I have learned and something that really has inspired my life… IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE. IT IS A BLESSING TO LIVE WITH YOUR FAMILY...
I have never experienced anything like it! It has been one of the most inspiring things to be a part of a full Filipino family.   It made me realize it shouldn’t matter how old you are, or what you are going through… Living with your family is a blessing."