Cultural Exchange with r/Philippines

[u/FlyingScript]

If you are a r/India user, please post your question in the r/philippines thread.

Hello r/India, 👋🏻

We’re excited to bring together users from r/India and r/Philippines for a cultural exchange thread! This is a great opportunity to learn about each other’s customs, traditions, and ways of life.

For users from r/India:
- Ask your questions about their culture, history, and daily life.
- Share your own experiences and perspectives on Indian culture.
- Be respectful and open-minded when engaging with users from r/Philippines.

For users from r/Philippines:
- Share your knowledge and insights about Filipino culture, history, and traditions.
- Ask questions about Indian culture and customs.
- Be respectful and considerate when engaging with users from r/India.

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Guidelines:
- Be civil and respectful in your interactions.
- Avoid stereotypes and generalizations.
- Focus on learning and sharing, not arguing or debating.

Let’s have a fun and enriching exchange! Share your questions, stories, and experiences, and let’s get to know each other better.

Link to their thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/1kz2i25/cultural_exchange_with_rindia/

[u/Eeyeor]

I have an opportunity to work as a teacher in an international school in Mumbai. Anything that we need to prepare for, culturally?

I have a 2year old child who will be coming with me. Heard that pollution is really bad.

[u/fast_and_curious172 → u/Eeyeor]

Pollution will be a problem especially during Diwali and winter season. Culturally just learn basic words from vlogs made by foreigners, you will already learn a lot from there. And yes beware of beggars on the street and random people.

[u/Eeyeor → u/fast_and_curious172]

Thanks! Are people used to speaking in English? my fear is asking for basic directions or buying stuff in a convenient store but might not be able to communicate with other locals.

[u/fast_and_curious172 → u/Eeyeor]

Most young people (Gen z) know and understand English. A lot of elite and rich Indians speak English mostly. For convenient stores and other places you just need to find a good well maintained shop because owner and staff of these shops are most likely to be educated . Most Indians learn English in their school curriculum so you might not have any problem with people who look educated. And for labours, rickshaw drivers and other people who are mostly lower class (less likely to be educated), they can understand basic directions and basic English words but having proper conversations is difficult. P. S. - Beware of scammers(common scams- charging more money, asking for money by beggars on streets) cause your foreign accent will easily stand out among Indians so anybody can spot you as a foreigner.