When I first arrived in Manila, I expected the city itself to be the biggest adjustment I would have to make. I was prepared for unfamiliar streets, a different academic environment, and the challenge of communicating in a place where I did not know all the local expressions.
Instead, one of the first things I noticed was how often people tried to make me feel comfortable. Sometimes it happened through a simple invitation to eat, a classmate explaining something I did not understand, or a stranger answering a question even when I was clearly still figuring out my surroundings.
A small act of kindness can also show how people make others feel welcome and cared for. This social-media post about actress Sofia Pablo helping a sampaguita vendor connects with my experience because it reminded me that hospitality is not always about grand gestures, but can also be expressed through simple acts of kindness.
Coming from Vietnam, I was not completely unfamiliar with the importance of hospitality. Vietnamese culture also places value on welcoming guests, sharing food, and showing care through everyday actions, so the Filipino way of welcoming people sometimes felt surprisingly familiar.
At the same time, I began noticing small differences in how that warmth was expressed. Conversations in Manila often felt relaxed and spontaneous, and people seemed comfortable turning ordinary moments into opportunities for connection.
That moment was small, but it changed the way I thought about being an international student. I realized that adjusting to a new country is not only about learning practical things such as transportation and schedules, because it is also about finding people who make unfamiliar spaces feel easier to navigate.
Food became another way I experienced this kind of hospitality. Meals were rarely treated as something that had to be rushed, because eating could also become an invitation to sit down, talk, and get to know one another.
Vietnamese girl + Manila college life = endless culture shocks. I’m a Communication Arts student exploring the funny, surprising, and sometimes confusing differences between Vietnam and the Philippines. Basically, I’m here to answer one question: Pho real? 🍜