Smell Me

Funny how it seems that we don’t call ourselves racist but its inevitable how we associate someone with where they come from and judge them from what  little knowledge we possess from that country.

Just say for example, there is one that I got introduced with and upon knowing that I got married to a foreigner she asked ‘So how did it feel like you meet the first time coz they look different on Skype, right? ‘ This maybe just one of those questions that either you are too stereotyping that all Filipinas married to foreigners met their husbands/wives first in the internet  or you are stereotyping AGAIN that all Filipinas married to foreigners could not possibly meet their husbands/wives in some other circumstances other than online dating.

In defense, to all those who meet their spouses over the internet – I say- WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?

I did not feel offended from the fact that she thinks  maybe I met my man over the internet coz again – what is effing wrong with that? but then again of the reason why she jumped directly to that question. The table was full and everybody’s yapping and I hated it to raise my voice in defense of my ‘loveatfirstsight’ moment with my husband to some ‘stranger’.   I know I should have answered - ‘ NO! ACTUALLY I AM A *MAIL-ORDER BRIDE*.

Then again, some little incidents you encounter everyday when you talk about how you miss your country coz everything is cheap. And so then it will be seconded by comments like ‘ Ahh.. so how many maids did you have at home?’ is the same as asking ‘ How many cars do you have?’.

HELLO!!! – don’t talk about my countrymen like a commodity even if he/she is just my maid. I am paying for his service in a standard required and specific tasks agreed while he is in my employ. So literally, its just plain business. Not that I bought a human being to slave them to work. Well, what do I know? Slavery may exists in some parts of the world but we all know its ILLEGAL to do so. Maybe it is happening in my country?  What do I know – I have not lived and hopped on 7100 islands. Not in my 28 years of living there – NO. But that’s not the point.

I may come from a small country and I may not have traveled a lot yet but living here changes some perspective I have had. In my country, we adore foreigners  coz they look different, often always, we see them more beautiful than us. People go crazy with bleaching  their skin and coloring their hair. And we drop our jaws every time they start to speak FLUENT ENGLISH!  Oh no! Not only English, we really find it fascinating even those other Asians speaking their language – finally! we hear some real stuff and not coming from a dub on those soaps we have on TV.

I maybe just too sensitive  just so because I came from a 3rd-world country where political criticisms are as famous as  Imelda Marcos’  3-thousand shoes and or bombings in the South or blasting vaginas. But then again, all countries has its illnesses and that is just mine.  I know everyone has some share of it as well. As well as you and me and when we both know it – the fascination dies.

I can’t say YOU Americans smells like burger and fries – YOU Europeans do not shower at all! and YOU Asians with your smelly food!  Coz that means I only use my big nose to identify you.