In two days, Junfer and I would have been living here in the Netherlands for one year and six months. Both of us promised to learn Dutch the moment we set foot on Schiphol Airport but as they say promises are made to be broken and true enough up to this day we still can’t understand a complete sentence in Dutch. That is why I was so impressed with Ate Nicky the last time we visited her and Alex last March. She can totally speak French and not the choppy "barok" style, she knows the real deal speaking in complete sentences even though she has been there for less than a year. Amazing!
Strangely enough, although it’s taking me forever to learn the language, I have mastered at least 5 phrases/words the very first week (even less) that we moved here. These are "Goedemorgen", "Goedemiddag", "Goedenavond", "Astublieft" and "Dank u wel". Although Dutch is a relatively difficult language, I didn’t exert too much of an effort to try and learn this words/phrases. The only reason why I have learned them so quickly is because Dutch people are so courteous, greeting me as they pass me by, may it be on the side walk, in the bus, on the train, inside the supermarket, everywhere!
Ever since we moved here, I have always been amazed by how gracious people here are. I have never seen a person so accustomed to greeting people that they will just yell out “Goedemorgen” to everyone inside the bus as they enter. Incredible really. I was never accustomed to such pleasantries before. I have lived, studied and worked in Manila for most of my life and then I moved to Dubai and lived and worked there for 2 years but I was never accustomed to greeting a fellow pedestrian "good morning" or "good afternoon", whereas when we moved here it was like second nature for most people to do just that.
I remember quite clearly when I was still working in Makati, I would take an FX ride from Pasig every morning. Most often than not, I would be in the same FX with relatively the same people each morning who, I assume, also work in the same vicinity. In spite of seeing each other every morning and being inside a vehicle for approximately one hour every morning and sometimes another hour in the afternoon even, I don’t remember anyone greet me good morning or good evening ever considering I have taken that FX for almost 2 years nor did I greet them. It makes me wonder even more if I was a foreigner who would move to Manila, would I learn "Magandang Umaga" or `"Magandang Gabi" that quickly. Maybe not because Filipinos, nowadays, almost never use these words but would tend to say these greetings in English. But seriously, I wonder.
I can’t help but think that the reason why we were not accustomed to these pleasantries is because most of us are reserved and aloft, a trait which we inherited from the Spanish Regime. Another reason that is emerging at the top of my head is the crime rate that is steadily increasing and maybe being friendly to people you pass by the street is an inherent risk. I’m only guessing here but experiencing both sides, I can honestly say that a simple "Goedemorgen" or "Goedenavond" brightens up anyone’s mood.
