Living in Bohol 101: Boholanos

Thinking of staying in Bohol for a long time? You might be a tourist who simply wanted to travel or a volunteer who has been assigned to make a social impact. Either of them, you still need to know Boholanos, apart from being very "Hospitable"  (known Filipino attitude) there are other things you might need to know about them.

Boholanos are…

1. Happy people. They find ways to make themselves contented to live a happy life. Regardless of the hardships.

2. Love to sing. Anywhere you go, you'll find karaoke or videoke machines. Most families even have it in their house. Boholanos are also great singers, I must say. I also think singing is in the Filipino blood, Filipinos also love to watch singing contest on TV or live so don’t tell them that singing contest on TV are cheap cause they definitely have high standards when it comes to singing.
3. Love to help other people. Bohol is a safe place for tourists. Ask a Boholano, and you'll know. They love it when they are able to help.

4. Receptive to foreigners. They very much welcome foreigners because they see them as cool, handsome and wealthy people (in general), this might be a disadvantage in some cases, but mostly foreign people are able to benefit from how they are treated. :D

5. They speak English, specifically American English. Yeah, for foreigners who don’t know, Philippines speak great English and Boholanos as well. I would like to emphasize this because I worked with a British youth when I was volunteering and he said that he didn’t expect people in Bohol to be speaking in English. So if you'll stay there for long, don’t worry, you won’t get lost cause you can ask people around.

6. Shy people. This is when they are around foreigners, they are shy to speak in English (though they can speak well or a bit), they are shy because they are conscious with their grammar not because they don't know how to speak English.

7. Love to dance. Attend to events and gatherings, and the most frequent talents are singing and dancing. Aside from singing, Filipinos also love to dance and most of them are not shy when you make them sing or dance.

8. Love to eat. Fiesta is part of the culture, and the height of fiesta is from April to May. You can see banderitas (hanging colorful streamers) in a series of towns you'll pass by. And when you say fiesta it is eating a lot of food - healthy diet is not an excuse.

9. Religious people. Bohol is known for a lot of old churches, and most of them are true-blue Roman  Catholics. Going to church is an important thing on Sundays, so if ever you are staying in a host home or Boholano family, it is a sign of respect if you agree to them taking you to church. They are not going to convert you or something, going once or twice is enough. Don't be surprised if they ask you your religion, it is  a normal thing, so be prepared to answer nicely.

10. Clean. They are mostly concerned about cleanliness, and house keeping is done if not everyday or during weekends. They do household chores frequently. Just don’t be too messy and you'll be fine. They would also appreciate if you'll try to help, (though most of them will try to tell you you don't have to, but  insist anyway) they are glad to teach you how to do chores like  washing  clothes with your own hands or cooking in wooden fire.
11. Taking a bath once or three times a day. Body odor is sometimes offensive, be sure to take a bath at least once everyday.

I'm sure I've got a lot of things missed. Most of them are just drawn from my volunteer experience with British people. So if someone out there would like to ask specific questions, I'd be glad to answer back in a Boholano perspective.