Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION
DEPARTMENT OF BROADCAST COMMUNICATION



Share a
Culture,

Win a
FRIE
ND


(Intercultural/international
communication)

Submitted by:

Natallie P. Beduya
RC 3-2

Submitted to:

Prof. Dela Costa

I. Foreigner Background

I have a friend a gay friend in our neighborhood named Rheyden
RheaAbestano. It was way back last year when Prof. Dela Costa asked us to find a
foreigner that we could befriend. He was easily come to mind. He has a Russian
boyfriend that he met online. I asked him if I could talk to him online. Fortunately,
my friends Russian boyfriend, Igor Golubev would be coming here in the
Philippines by 2014 to see her. We were both excited for different reasons. I was
excited meeting another person from another culture and he was excited for
meeting his online boyfriend in person. Months passed and Igor came here to the
Philippines on the last week of February. Rhea met him just as when Igor stepped
out the airport, he is from Moscow. Weeks passed and I had a chance of meeting his
Russian boyfriend. He was not that tall, he was white, handsome and a good contour
of the nose and he is twenty-six years of age. We get the chance to hang out once
since my schedule permits only to have at least a day out for other activities each
week.

While getting to know Igor, I found out that he had been here in the
Philippines for four times already. The first time he came here was just for a
vacation with his friends. Second one is because he wanted to go to Palawan. The
third one is because he is planning to take up dentistry here in the Philippines but it
didnt went well when he was already preparing his papers and all. Lastly, he came
here just for Rhea. He wanted to be closer to him.

II. Positive and Negative Perception in the Filipinos and the Philippines

When it was his first time here in the Philippines his perceptions about the
Filipinos were: 1) We are hospitable 2) We are cheerful 3) We are hardworking
and helpful people. He cited these things due for particular reasons. First thing is
that he thinks that Filipinos are hospitable because way back when he was still
studying about international culture, textbooks would say that Filipinos are
known to be hospitable persons. Second one is that when Typhoon Haiyan came
in the Philippines, he saw that the news about the Philippines, covered people
and children in smiles even in times of calamities. Just when the camera was
capturing the victims, they are already overwhelmed. Thirdly, Igor thought that
we are hardworking and helpful people is because they have a Filipina maid way
back in Russia and he said that they are really satisfied with their maids job.

He also has some negative perception about the Filipinos and one of them is
that he thought that Filipinos are trickster. It is because he had encountered
multiple incidents that taxi drivers from the airport were deceiving him.

His positive perception about the Philippines is the great water sports
Philippines has to offer, given the fact that Philippines is an archipelago. Igor
really likes water sports. Hes into windsurfing. He does not have any negative
perception about the Philippines.

III. Comparison of our culture and his/her culture

Actually, I cant see any major difference in culture besides the fact that their
minds are still close to the concept of third sex. That is one of the reasons why
Igor loves the Philippines and why he was attracted to my friend. He can let
himself out in the open unlike in Russia that they are being persecuted. He is a
Protestant and majority of the Russians are Protestant and maybe that explains
their behavior towards third sexes. Another thing that I noticed is that, Igor and
Rhea dont go out on a date on a Monday. It is simply because Russians have a
belief that Monday is a difficult day and its better to just do nothing on a
Monday. Another thing that I noticed is that he gave my friend a dozen and one
flower of one kind. Then I asked him why is that. He told me that giving a girl odd
numbered flowers symbolizes love, when you gave them even numbered flowers
means sympathy.

There is not really much of a difference between Russian and our culture
based on how I observed him, though I only get the chance to talk to him twice.
He was kind, understanding and respects my friend even for a fact that my friend
is a cross dresser.

IV. Conclusions in the End

Theyre culture is really nice and they are very strict to their beliefs when it
comes to religions. They are also the type of nationality that wants to be
respected, no one is inferior and no one is superior. They have traditions for
every day of the week, like what Igor said (but didnt practiced it when he was
here). Russians love coffee or tea. Russians are the type of people that interact to
someone in a demonstrative way. They like hugs, kisses and backslapping and it
is just a normal thing to them. Another thing is that an OK sign is not ok to
them, its very rude. They are also punctual persons.

For me, there is not much to consider a major difference between them and
us. Though we have differences, its not something that can make us culture
shocked or something. We just have to be good and appropriate in so many
ways.