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ABOUT THE BOOK

 

When author Paul Fussell was asked to go to the Philippines on a moment’s notice, he dropped into a cultural shock even though his business had previously taken him all over the world. “Americans take for granted things that are a luxury in other parts of the world. We are not expecting such beautiful people with such nasty habits”. Toilet paper is a rarity.

 

In this book he describes what he learned on multiple trips by sharing his real life experiences while traveling and staying in the Philippines. Your health and well being are at risk if you do not read his book.

 

What he discovered and solved about hygiene and etiquette will show you how to survive in a world that is unbelievable. He shows you how to stay well and what to do to accomplish staying well while you are there. If you don’t take his advice, it is almost certain you will get sick.

 

The author dealt with the cultural mind set of the people. He describe why folks lie to you, and why. You won’t believe the reason. The reader is enlightened on subject matters not talked about in any travel book or advisory.

 

Find out how to avoid getting scammed by local taxi drivers and other do’s and don’ts. Immigration laws are goofy. You learn how to avoid the problems encountered by the author.

 

But when He gets there, he not only battles the normal cultural differences in the day to day routines, but he has to battle a world of experiences you are not expecting when it comes to American common sense expectations like health, diet, fitness. He also gets into subjects of how Ethics, morality and even Social psychology of relations and interactions.

 

He wants to help enlighten those people who want to go to Asia or the Philippines and have an enjoyable experience without encountering the cultural shock he experienced. It doesn’t matter if you are a tourist, business person, military, church missionaries or a person moving there to live. He wants to save those people from the horrible experience that isn’t necessary. A simple remedy in this books shows you how to avoid his experience. In his words, “I’ve went thru the learning curve, it’s not necessary for anyone else.”

 

If you are a professional trying to do business with a Filipino business, understanding the cultural mind set is vital whether you intend to go to Asia or not. Appointments can surprise you. Who is meeting you where and when, whether going to them or they coming to you can upset your schedule. In their world, arriving 2 to 4 hours late is acceptable. Their psychology is “they arrived, what is the big deal? I’m here now!” They have no sense of our social ethics and protocol.

 

This book is not only informative, but it is entertaining. The author illustrates how he solves the problems in his real life experiences, and how you can be proactive and avoid any issues that could ruin your trip or relations.

 

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A personal note from the author:

This book blends the last few years of experience living and traveling in the Philippines and encountering unbelievable differences between American and Asian cultures.

 

 My main purpose for writing this book is if I can save one person the grief and aggravation that I had to endure, then it will have been worth the time and effort to produce this book for reference.

 

I feel this book will help a lot of people. For the cost of a little more than a cup of coffee from Starbucks, there a not much risk, and you gain a lot of knowledge.

 

 My belief is to give back and give more in value than I receive in return. I think I have accomplished my goal.

 

 

 

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