He's My Brother, She's My Sister

One of my favorite things to experience while living in the Philippines is getting to call every person I meet either my sister or my brother. Here, strangers aren't a thing. Even if I've never met a person before, I will call her ate (pronounced ah-teh), which means sister in Tagalog, or I will call him kuya (pronounced koo-yah), which translates to brother. Volunteers are constantly saying that the solution to any problem is finding a kuya or ate, because they literally have all of the answers. Filipinos have an unique way of making you feel like you are their family, no matter where you might come from. I'm an especially clumsy and frequently lost person, but I always find my way with the help of my kuya or ate. I have lost count of how many times they have given me directions, helped me up when I have fallen, taken me where I need to be, told me how to say a phrase in Tagalog, not laughed at me (or laughed but meant it in a loving way) when I make a fool out of myself, given me an umbrella, caught rabbits that I accidentally let loose into the street, picked out a ripe pakwan or mango for me, told me which boat/jeepney/bus/trike/ plane I need to take to get to my destination, given me a bag to puke in, or told me which sketchy street to not walk down in Manila. I am convinced that I would not have survived my first year here without them. I think it is just in the Filipino nature to be helpful, and I am so grateful for that. I ask a dumb question, in broken Tagalog, and they answer it with a smile. I burst into tears because I'm on the wrong plane, headed to a place that is bawal, and they don't get frustrated, but simply escort me to the right place. I hyperventilate because I miss my stop on a bus and end up lost late at night, and they calm me down and put me on the right track. I get caught in a current while snorkeling and they bring me back to shore with their bangka. I think you can see how they have literally been my saviors. Now, I'm not positive if it's because I am a particularly unlucky and ridiculous person that I have experienced the helping hand of a kuya or ate so frequently, or if it's because they really are that helpful, but whatever the reason, I know I would be stranded on some random island, probably with the rabbits whose cage I knocked over, if it weren't for them. So, when I return to the states, I am proposing that the kuya and ate policy be implemented, making everyone be as kind and willing to help as Filipinos, because I no longer know how to function without them. Filipinos make connections with almost everyone they encounter, making people, even those who are far away from their family, feel cared for. I may be thousands of miles from my blood sister and from my friends who may as well be my siblings, but I've got plenty of ates and kuyas here to keep me out of trouble. Salamat!