More Good Things I’ve learned about my Filipina wife

My wife and I got married in seven weeks and five days from the time we met online so we had not spent much time together before she immigrated here. I have learned a lot about her in the nearly five years we have been married.

--She doesn’t seem to be into designer clothes, instead pieces together nice-looking outfits from sale items. I have to say, I am impressed with her ability to do this. When she has a job here that requires her to wear her street clothes inside the building, she will be one of the better dressed women there.

--She wants me to look good at work. She has sneakily redone my wardrobe and I have gotten a lot of compliments about them. Her color schemes are a bit outside my box, but I just go with it because it makes her happy. She tells me I am better dressed than some higher ups. Her colleagues thought I worked in an office because of how I dressed at break. She is very happy about this. Like most any woman, a Filipina takes pride in how her man is dressed. Sometimes she lays out the clothes for me to wear the night before.

--She doesn’t like criticism or handle it well, but most of us don’t, including me. She has high standards.

--We sometimes disagree on what is criticism.

--She is good at calming down after an argument when we are in the presence of others. This is something I’ve read about, that a Filipina will not make a scene in front of others. I am not as good at simmering down.

--She is more patient, especially in airports! After one trip to the Philippines she said she was going without me next time! Not going to happen though.

--She does not like me to complain.

--She has a certain toughness about her that belies her looks. I tell people she looks like a lamb but has the heart of a lion.

--She is a great lover.

--She wants to improve her English, I should say, refine it. She often asks me if something she’s going to write on Facebook is written correctly. She takes her English seriously.

--When she is angry with me, she says things she knows I won’t like but later apologizes for.

--It is getting easier for us to apologize to each other.

--She is shy. One day she bought a pair of shoes, then as we were walking to the car, decided she didn’t want them but was too shy to go back to the store and return it, so I did it the next day.

--She cares what other people think of her, maybe a little too much.

--She is the prototypical responsible Filipina.

--In the winter with the way she dresses, she looks like the Michelin Tire Man. If she fell over I think she might bounce back up.

--She does not like to dress provocatively, instead, conservative but youthful looking.

--When I snuggle up to her I feel an amazing calmness. She’s like a tranquilizer.

--Sometimes I am not sure she is telling me all her feelings.

--She has never brought up our age difference, maybe it really doesn’t matter?

--Having said that, she does want me to “dress a little younger”, but also says the same to her father.

--Have I mentioned she likes shoes?

--She is an even stronger woman than I thought for immigrating here to be with me.

--Still waiting for her to be comfortable holding hands in public. Sometimes she does but mostly when it is dark! When we do, she initiates it.

--Her rule on public display of affection is that she is allowed to do it to me but not me to her! I will take it.

--She likes potato chips and pizza.

--She is 4’11’’ and 94 pounds. She says her weight is in her genes, I tell her to not bank on that always being the case. I fear my mom is trying to make her fat! “Aiza try this”, “Aiza try that”, “Aiza help yourself to more”.

--She was okay with going to my church, even though it had a much different style than she was used to. Hers had a lot of choruses and louder music. We have an older congregation.

--She remembers names exceptionally well; basketball players, coworkers, church. She really is good at this.

--If she doesn’t have rice for two days, she is miserable.

--The last bag of rice we bought may have weighed more than she did.

--I’ve learned I am so blessed to have married her. Praise to God and Christian Filipina!

I am afraid to ask her what she has learned about me! That would require a lot of proof reading. I hope she has at least learned that I love her very much and need her so bad.

I always remind my pastor of the verse that says “Whoever finds a Filipina finds a good thing and obtains favor of the Lord”. Well of course I changed the words a little bit but the fact is marriage is God’s idea and a most wonderful thing, despite the spats and differences and frustrations it will bring to deal with now and then. I would rather deal with that with a Filipina than anyone else. After being married to one, I now know what I have heard for decades-Filipinas make good wives. There is an overabundance to choose from on Christian Filipina if you are serious about proposing to one of them. You don’t have to look anywhere else.

I look forward to learning more about my Love Beyond The Sea!