There are no people like Filipino people. In all my life I simply have never met a group more accepting, easy-going, and just plain fun, than Filipinos. Although I haven’t yet dated a Filipino guy, I’ve had a soft spot for pinoys for a long time now, and there will definitely always be a special place in my heart for Filipino men.

Traditionally, one of the most popular ways for a Filipino man to express his love to a woman was to serenade her- and frankly, I don’t know why anyone thought it would be a good idea to abandon this custom, because I don’t know a woman alive who doesn’t dream of having a guy show up at her window with a couple of his closest buddies and a guitar in hand singing a heartfelt love song. Luckily, some Filipinos still have the good sense to do this today, although I haven’t heard of it occurring outside of the Philippines.

Love letters are another traditional means of expressing one’s affection.

Today, dating in the Philippines really isn’t much different from dating in the west. The Philippines is the melting pot of the East, strongly influenced not only by other Asian nations and their cultures, but by that of its former Spanish and American colonizers, and by its Australian neighbors as well. Many foreigners live, work, and retire in the Philippines, and many Filipinos are of mixed lineage. These are almost certainly contributing factors to the open-minded, easy-going nature of Filipino people, and have contributed to the Philippines becoming a place where east and west truly converge.

I’m still holding out for a traditional Filipino serenade.