Personal Questions- How well do you know your neighbor?

I guess every culture is a little different in a lot of ways, for instance the Philippine people do not have large personal bubbles. Examples below of the personal questions I have been asked since being here by people of very short acquaintance (and complete strangers).

Note: These questions and answers are taken just as a fact, like oh you have blue eyes, not a judgement call and it doesn't change the way they treat you, just something they want to know (most of the time).

Q-Their question, A- My Answer, C- Their comment

Q "How much is your rent?"

A-"25,000 Pesos"

C-"Oh thats pretty, good", "Oh thats really high", and "that is less than ours, do you own your apartment"

N "No we are renting it from a friend"

C "My friend pays 70,000 pesos, she lives in the high end district" (that friend she was speaking of was sitting right next to me)

Q "How old are you?" "How old is your husband?" "How old or young (I get that phrase a lot) are your children?"

A- "26, 29, 2, 4 months"

C- "Oh you are young to have children"

A- "Yep"- not sure what else to say

C -" You look much thinner since being here" (Devin told me before we got here that at least one person would comment on my weight- I have had this comment twice- at least they say thinner, not fatter- which they would say even if I was a women)

A-"Thank You"

C- "Yes, thinner it is in your face"

C-"Spencer is much fatter, in his face" ( I can't tell the difference)

Q "Did you go on a mission?"

A- "no",

C-"Why Not?",

A- "Well I got married at 21"

C- "oh well then thats ok"

Q "How long have you been married?"

A 4 .5 years

Q "How old is your baby? (meaning Spencer- they always call him a baby)

A "Spencer is 2 years old"

C- "Oh did you have trouble having children when you first got married?"

A- "Well, i did have a miscarriage before Spencer"- this seems to make them feel better like I hadn't shirked my duty, even though we did intentionally wait at least a year before trying to get pregnant-but I didn't add that part :)

Q "How much is your rental car"

Q "How much is your Hotel?"

Q"Do you have a YaYa? (meaning nanny)" (I get this all the time, most people have YaYa's to watch there children, It is not very expensive, -if they live with you then you give them room and board and $60-$100 a month, if they don't live with you it might be $200-$300 a month)

Q"Why don't you have a Ya Ya?" ( cause I want to raise my own children not pay someone to do a worse job than i'm doing -but I don't say that either)-

A "I'm just here for a short time" or sometimes I'll say "I'm just here on vacation"

C- "I be your Ya Ya"

A "Thanks for offering, but really I don't have one in the USA either, just me all by myself, and I don't have a maid either" (then I get this look of shock and amazement)

C-"You don't want to work too hard being a mom you need to save yourself" (said by someone who was 33, rich, and no kids) - yep sure save myself for what? something more important than my children?

Q"Where does your husband work?"

A "He is doing an internship for a law firm"

Q to Spencer "Hello Baby, What's your name?, how old are you?" (Spencer gets asked this by strangers like 50 times a day, and if he doesn't answer they keep asking until I continue on to our destination or they get board.

A- "Pancer, 2 earold"- says this to people most of the time, unless he's annoyed.

Q: "How old is Marianne?"

A " 4 Months"

Q "Do you breastfeed her"?

A " Yes"

C 1"Oh that is very good"

C2 "Sometimes milk is not enough, you need cereal"

Every time she cries people tell me she either needs milk or is too hot (I get this regularly most of the time it is because she is tired)

C3: "We do not hold babies that way when they are so young here" (I had her on my hip- she is holding herself up just fine I might add)

Q: "Where your children both regular births or CS?" (meaning C-Sections) - this was asked a complete stranger who was a man who's wife was expecting there first child- who was due "really soon" (even though she was like only 18 weeks along)

Q: "Is your husband Philippino?" Q "Is your wife Philippina?"

A: "No"

Q "Why do you speak Tagalog?" (Said to Devin)

C "It is so weird to hear such a white person speak Tagalog"

C2 "You can speak Tagalog really well, but our previous American intern (Devin's friend from the mission) was much better than you" (but the next day someone else told him he spoke better than Devin's friend.