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Very Filipino Problems

Very Filipino Problems

By Arvin Cudanin

A personal take on the different issues and problems Filipinos encounter in their daily lives. Brought to you by Arvin Cudanin, a Filipino professional living in Finland, and the program co-hosts.

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S2E06 Filipino Party Problems with the Engineering Club

Very Filipino ProblemsOct 07, 2022

00:00
47:55
S2E20 Online Etiquette with the Educators Club (Part 2)

S2E20 Online Etiquette with the Educators Club (Part 2)

The Educators Club is back in this podcast with the second part of their episode talking about online etiquettes. Is grammar and punctuation marks really important in any messaging platform? What could be the effect on the message when there are missing punctuation marks? Or how does it feel when people shorten their words or use SMS-speak or leetspeak? How important is to keep the privacy of the people you are dealing with online? Why is it bad to just tag people in photos when you don't ask for their permissions? Why do people reveal a lot of things in social media when some private matters are supposed to be kept within themselves? Why do we need to also respect the time of other people especially when communicating, interacting and setting schedules? Why is it harder to forgive than ask for apologies? And why do we have to understand and be more forgiving to the people that do us wrong? Let us hear Arvin, Tiana and Eugenio talk about netiquette, time, respect and boundaries that rule the online world.

Mar 18, 202350:34
S2E19 Travel Buddy Problems with the Brits (Part 1)

S2E19 Travel Buddy Problems with the Brits (Part 1)

The Brits are back and we are going to talk about the qualities of being a good travel buddy. How important is punctuality and how can you get the perfect balance between being on time and having some flexibility? How does it affect the mood and the synergy of the group if someone is late and how bad it can be if it is an international flight that we are talking about? And how hard it could be if there are some mishaps along the way, especially being sick or unable to continue with the travel? Another quality of being a good travel buddy is being responsible but in what ways? practicality? emotionally? or financially? Why should we prepare extra funds when we travel and do due diligence especially with the practical things such as visas and entry requirements? How helpful it could be when there is someone that reminds and take care of these things? And how much pictures and videos to take and exposure to social media is enough? And how can we respect others privacy when we want to upload our shots but other people are in your photo as well? And why you should not go traveling with people when you don't feel it or are not prepared for it? And how do we avoid the dreaded FOMO? Listen to Aaron, Tiffy, Dave and Arvin talk about their travel experiences and the qualities they want (and don't want) to have in a travel buddy.

Mar 10, 202301:00:39
S2E18 Virtue Signaling Problems with the Engineering Club

S2E18 Virtue Signaling Problems with the Engineering Club

The Engineering Club is back in the podcast discussing about virtue signaling problems. What is virtue signaling and how does it affect us on how we perceive other people's motives and beliefs? Why is it bad to show a moral viewpoint just for the intent of representing good character? How is virtue signaling  demonstrated in our social media platforms? How do politicians take advantage of different situations to draw their moral compass and show them to voters without really making impact in the society? Why do celebrities tend to pretend someone that they are not just to gather support and show people that they are what they are expected to be? Why do rich people tend to do things that "looks good" to the masses even though they can really live a better life just to show that they can connect to the unreachable? And is the saying "customers are always right" always applicable and true? Let us hear how Chito, Malaya, Clint and Arvin talk about virtue signaling and how it affects individual judgement towards people.

Mar 04, 202349:39
S2E17 Online Etiquette with the Educators Club (Part 1)

S2E17 Online Etiquette with the Educators Club (Part 1)

Another episode with Tiana and Eugenio in the podcast discussing different etiquette we must follow when interacting with people online. Why do we have to follow some unwritten rules when dealing with people online? What is the difference between online and physical connections? How do we respect the time of other netizens despite the convenience that we get from using current technologies? Why we should be aware and careful with the digital information that we create and upload in the internet? Why should we try to show our best side when communicating with people online? How important is asking questions? Why do we have to read first before responding to any messages we received from different online channels? How do we make our online communication efficient, effective and correct? What is the importance of correct grammar, punctuation and spelling when messaging people around the internet. And how powerful is the element of anonymity in changing the online landscape on how people deal with each other? Let us hear the Educators Club tackle real situations involving the online world and what to do in between those situations.

Feb 24, 202301:02:23
S2E16 Pinoy Valentines with the Engineering Club

S2E16 Pinoy Valentines with the Engineering Club

After the last episode, we go back to the Philippines with the Engineering Club talking about the Filipino way of celebrating Valentines Day. What would be their plans during the VDay? How would it be celebrated if we have enough money to spend? And what if we want it to be cheaper? Why is it so hellish to go out during VDay especially in the Metro? Can VDay be celebrated with family and friends in the Philippines? Should the guy always pay for the dating expenses or should we go Dutch? Why do we have to avoid certain areas in the Metro during Vday? What are the unique Filipino ways of celebrating it? Why are some people sneaky during VDay how to avoid these kind of unexpected events? And are Filipinos naturally romantic? Let us hear Malaya, Chito, Clint, Vanessa and Arvin talk about the Filipino way of celebrating it and what are the things to avoid.
Feb 17, 202355:48
S2E15 Valentines Day Problems with the Brits

S2E15 Valentines Day Problems with the Brits

For today's episode, we have Tiffy, Aaron and Dave on the podcast for the first time live from the United Kingdom. They called the group "the walking chaos" and they discussed different things about Valentines Day. Why celebrating VDay is the worst? Is it really expensive to celebrate VDay and can you really have unnecessary expenses without noticing it?  Why are there preferences on what you would want to get for VDay and why are some things are just plain wasteful? Are businesses really jacking up the prices and getting more money out of VDay? How can you plan your VDay date when everyone else are hanging out, dining and dating in every form and places? And did you know that the VDay has some dark origins coming from Ancient Roman practices? And why is it that dating during VDay causes more harm than good to your partner and to other people who are not celebratory at all? This episode is full of realizations, laughter and real talks, brought to you by the Brits who call themselves the walking chaos of UK. Consider yourself warned!

Feb 11, 202341:59
S2E14 Achievement Unlocked with the Engineering Club

S2E14 Achievement Unlocked with the Engineering Club

What's up everyone? Our favorite podcast is back! 2023 has started and the Engineering Club have a lot of topics to share in this quick yearend review. What a whole year of new things post-pandemic: new administration, new travel plans and price hikes for onions. Why is it so hard when we have to cover more task than usual when our workmates are leaving the company in certain crises? How are we able to manage not to get burnout even with a lot of workload and stressful environment outside? Why is it that we feel we have to do a lot of catching ups after a very long break? How are we able to manage to do a lot of things in such a short amount of time when our hearts been broken? Is it really possible to start meaningful relationship virtually with people online even if you have not met them yet? And also connections that are not there anymore for certain reasons such as political color or different principles. Let us hear Malaya, Clint and Noel share what they feel about the past year and what they can ask for in the upcoming year. Also hear Arvin extending the gratitude for the people who became part of this podcast that reached heights during the last year. Maraming Salamat sa inyong suporta!

Feb 10, 202353:54
S2E13 Education System Problems with the Educators Club

S2E13 Education System Problems with the Educators Club

The Educators Club are back in the podcast with Eugenio and Tiana talking about their personal experiences regarding different problems in the education sector. How does the lack of financial capacity and infrastructure affects poor kids on how they access the schools and educational facilities around the Philippines? Why are there still problems with FIlipinos going to school despite the increasing national budget being allocated for education and the facilities being built around the country? Are Filipino educators paid enough or are they receiving just the right amount to survive daily living expenses? How much stressful it is for educators to handle a lot of tasks beyond their capacities, including additional extra-curricular works? Why do corruption affect the quality of education we get and how we provide the needs for tools for use in teaching? How are we going to address all of our issues and start small changes so that when there are emergency distant learning like the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be able to easily adjust? And how do we fare against Southeast Asian counterparts in Thailand and Singapore?  Let us hear personal stories and experiences coming from Eugenio and Tiana and how they feel about our education system in the Philippines in general.

Nov 25, 202256:38
S2E12 Toxic Family Culture Problems with the Engineering Club (Part 1)

S2E12 Toxic Family Culture Problems with the Engineering Club (Part 1)

The Engineering Club is back in this episode with Noel coming back to the Philippines and joining again our podcast after a short business trip in Armenia. We talked about some toxic family culture in the Philippines, including disagreeing with older family members and tolerating harmful people just because they are your relatives. Why do we always hesitate to have different opinions and expressing it in front of our family members? Why do Filipinos think that is so disrespectful to contradict older family member even though you have a valid point? Why are some of older Filipinos close minded and think that they are always right? Why do Filipinos tolerate harmful people especially when they are blood related to you? And why do a lot of Filipino people easily let bygones be bygones even when there are unrecoverable damages done to you by your relatives? A lot of realizations in this episode regarding how we should treat our relatives and their wrongdoings with Arvin, Malaya, Vanessa, Clint and Noel in the podcast.

Nov 18, 202243:47
S2E11 Job Seeker Problems with the Engineering Club

S2E11 Job Seeker Problems with the Engineering Club

Warning! Long episode ahead. But this is a very important episode regarding the hardships every Filipino jobseeker encounter in their lives with the Engineering Club discussing certain points of our jobseeker lives. Why do we feel that local companies offer lower salaries against overseas companies? Why are employers looking for certain things that are not so important with the job they are offering? What is the Filipino padrino system and why nepotism at the workplace is really bad for us? Why is that there are a lot of contractual jobs in the Philippines and how companies are exploiting the workforce with this kind of system? How are we affected with employers hiring more people from prominent universities and ignoring those that are coming from less known places? When should employees pay for the trainings they are getting to perform in the job and when they should not? Why are there a lot of Filipinos competing for the same job and a lot of jobs without applicants as well? And why is it so expensive and tiring to apply to another job where completing the requirements requires us to spend lots of money and time for the most basic documents we need? Let us hear Arvin, Chito and Malaya talk about the job seeker life and the very Filipino problems in between.

Nov 11, 202201:12:16
S2E10 Childless Problems with the Engineering Club

S2E10 Childless Problems with the Engineering Club

The Engineering Club is here to talk about how to answer the very intrusive Filipino question of either bearing a child or opting to become childless. Why are there growing numbers of young Filipinos considering being childless? What are the common considerations that affects this decision of upbringing a child? What should the government do to help people do family planning and make upbringing of children easier for starting up families? How do we evaluate ourselves when we are ready to bring a child financially and emotionally? Why do Filipinos always feeling the pressure of bringing grandchildren to grandparents even when we are not yet ready to take the responsibility? And to talk about the toxic Filipino culture of upbringing children to have retirement plans and support system when they get old which trap Filipinos into this endless sandwich generation. Lets hear our thoughts and opinions regarding bringing a child or being childless with Arvin, Vanessa, Malaya and Clint in the podcast.
Nov 04, 202251:59
S2E09 Very Teacher Problems with the Educators Club

S2E09 Very Teacher Problems with the Educators Club

With the World Teachers' Day that happened this month, we bring two newcomers in the podcast coming from Thailand and Singapore with Eugenio and Tiana in the podcast to share their interesting journey as educators in the neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. How are they able to come up with the decision to leave the Philippines to teach in another country? How do you convince your parents to let you go to the country of your choosing to jumpstart your career in teaching? How hard is it for Filipinos to apply for documentations and visa just to comply with the exit clearances and be able to travel and stay outside the Philippines? Where do you source the strength and determination to move to another place and start to explore life on your own as a starter? And how do you handle all the shocking changes in the airport when you just landed in the foreign country? Let us hear stories from Eugenio and Tiana their unique experiences of leaving the country to work as educators.

Oct 28, 202255:54
S2E08 Balikbayan Problems with Doc Lui (Episode 2 of 2)

S2E08 Balikbayan Problems with Doc Lui (Episode 2 of 2)

This episode is just the continuation of the previous one where Arvin and Lui talked about their recent trips in the Philippines. How important is planning when visiting Philippines and why every second counts while spending holidays there? What are good places in the Philippines that are really worth your time visiting? How majestic is the island of Palawan and what they can offer for those that are visiting Philippines for the first time? Why are most of tourist gaining weight coming from a bountiful holiday season in the Philippines? Why are Filipinos really splurging a lot of money when coming home during their holidays in the Philippines? And why do tourists have a lot of options with the colorful festivities Philippines has to offer? Let us hear the closer episode about Arvin and Lui's holidays and what they feel about their recent trips back home.
Oct 21, 202237:00
S2E07 Distance Learning Problems with Kristian Rivera

S2E07 Distance Learning Problems with Kristian Rivera

Let's talk about distance learning here with our political science student from Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur, Kristian. What does it feel when all your expectations transitioning into the college life became so different with the burst of the COVID-19 pandemic where everyone stayed at home? How was distance learning adopted in the Philippines and what are the implications of it moving forward now that we are slowly going back to normal? How hard is it to sacrifice your dreams of studying in a prestigious university for your own safety? And those that struggled financially or technically like the unavailability of tools and infrastructure? How does it feel when you are shortlisted in an opportunity if you competed with the best ones in the industry? And how to stay focused in achieving your goals after everything that happened during the pandemic bubble? Let us hear Kristian on his early struggles as a student, on moving forward and being resilient and doing the things he loves to do despite all the changes around him.
Oct 14, 202246:43
S2E06 Filipino Party Problems with the Engineering Club

S2E06 Filipino Party Problems with the Engineering Club

It is our birthday month this October. Hooray! Happy Birthday to us! But with our upcoming birthday celebration comes with our common Filipino problems where there are latecomers, gatecrashers, ego-maniac individuals, baby sitters and "marites" all around the Filipino party. Why do Filipinos always come in late in a party? Why is it so hard for Filipinos to make financial budget on their celebrations and deciding how much and how big the party is? Why are kids always been a part of Filipino parties? Why are Filipino foods being brought in a Filipino party always so greasy? Why is it a habit of Filipinos to talk and/or gossip about someone who is not in the party? And why do we need to allocate more time before leaving the Filipino party especially those that are fans of Sharon Cuneta and Regine Velasquez? Let us hear our personal experiences and struggles dealing with all the people we had encountered in a Filipino party with Arvin, Malaya, Vanessa, Clint and Noel in the podcast.
Oct 07, 202247:55
S2E05 Karaoke Problems with the Engineering Club

S2E05 Karaoke Problems with the Engineering Club

We are back in the Philippines with the Engineering Club talking about the favorite Filipino past time of singing in the karaoke/videoke. Why do most Filipinos like to sing in the karaoke? Where is your go-to karaoke place around the Metro? Which favorite songs Filipinos like to sing in the karaoke and why do Filipinos like to sing birit songs even if they can't properly sing it? Do Filipinos really able to connect to the meaning of the songs or we just like to sing the most popular song available in the karaoke? And what are the most annoying persons you can be with while singing in the karaoke? Let us hear Arvin, Malaya, Clint and Vanessa talk about their experiences and stories about singing, karaoke and annoying people around karaoke seshs.

Sep 30, 202251:35
S2E04 Balikbayan Problems with Doc Lui (Episode 1 of 2)

S2E04 Balikbayan Problems with Doc Lui (Episode 1 of 2)

Doc Lui is back in the podcast and we are to talk about our recent holiday trips from the Philippines. How expensive it is for Filipinos living abroad to plan a holiday back home in the Philippines? How did Arvin and Lui make a grand surprise to their families by coming home without the families and friends knowing their plan? Why is it that there are a lot of documentations and expenses needed for a Filipino planning to work abroad and even for those that are coming back home? What are the common adjustments to take the moment you landed at the airport especially during post-pandemic? And how does it feel to be back to square one where basic services such as transportation and communication still are lagging behind? Let us hear Arvin and Lui’s excitements and struggles from their recent holiday trips in the Philippines.
Sep 23, 202254:14
S2E03 Pride Month with Ellie Ugaddan

S2E03 Pride Month with Ellie Ugaddan

Lets go back to one of the most beautiful cities in Italy with our student traveler Ellie from Turin sharing her Pride March experiences in this episode. How did the month of June became the official LGBT+ Pride Month and where did this Pride March started? What does joining and representing during this Pride March mean to her? How is the LGBT+ treatment differs in Europe as compared to the Philippines and what responsibilities does the Philippine government have in protecting the rights of LGBT+ community? What is the usual discriminatory experience she had while living in the Philippines and how did she able to overcome this problem? What is this SOGIE Bill and why does this bill provide inclusivity for the benefit for everyone not just the LGBT+ community? Let us hear Ellie's experience with joining the Pride March and her thoughts and opinions with several issues surrounding the Pride Month and the LGBT+ community.

Sep 16, 202241:21
S2E02 The Spirit of Volunteerism with Kristian Rivera

S2E02 The Spirit of Volunteerism with Kristian Rivera

In this episode, we go back to Philippines in the city of Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur with student volunteer Kristian Rivera talking about his advocacy works during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did he started his leadership journey and why did he decided to do volunteer works within the community? What are the advocacies he is promoting for? What are the common struggles of managing and sustaining a non-profit organization and how is he able to cope up with the situation while in the middle of the pandemic? How do you set up your priorities to do things that you need to do and things that you want to do? And how does it feel being able to help people who are out of reach and struggles the most during the pandemic? Let us hear Kristian share his incredible journey towards starting his own advocacies, running a non-profit organization and carrying over during the COVID-19 pandemic with the true spirit of volunteerism.

Sep 09, 202237:46
S2E01 Talking Stage Problems with the Engineering Club (Season Opener Special)

S2E01 Talking Stage Problems with the Engineering Club (Season Opener Special)

Welcome to the VFP Season Two baby! The Engineering Club is back live in this episode with another very interesting topic regarding talking stage of a relationship. What is the difference of talking stage and courting stage? How important is raising questions during this stage of building a relationship? Why are they suggesting on managing your "rupok" levels and not fall very early in the process? How is the Western dating culture differs with the Asian culture and how does it matter regarding the do's and dont’s of talking stage? How do you introduce someone to your Asian parents with the understanding that you both are still the talking stage? And how important is communication and setting the right expectations for dealing with the other half during the talking stage? Let us hear Vanessa, Malaya, Clint and Arvin talk about this confusing stage of the relationship and their unique relationship experiences and struggles.
Sep 02, 202253:53
S1E40 Online Dating Problems with the Engineering Club (Season Ender Special)

S1E40 Online Dating Problems with the Engineering Club (Season Ender Special)

Finally we got a face to face episode live in the Philippines! The Engineering Club was able to pull another interesting topic spontaneously. How is technology evolving to disrupt the dating culture? How creative Filipinos are in using different platform to look for a date? How do we explain to the older generation when we met someone coming from an online dating app? How can we avoid being a victim of dating abuses especially when meeting strangers online? What are some of not well known dating apps that serves specific purpose? Let us hear the Season One Ender with Arvin, Malaya, Vanessa, Chito and Cinta discussing this topic over drinks in the Very Filipino Problems podcast.

Jun 06, 202249:33
S1E39 Public School Problems with the Engineering Club

S1E39 Public School Problems with the Engineering Club

We are back with the Engineering Club discussing how different public schooling is from private schooling in the Philippines. How different is the experience studying in public school and what are the common struggles of students? Why is there no private schools in Finland? Are tuition fees directly equate to the quality of education we have? Why do students coming from public schools being discriminated against private school goers? How different it is studying in the province and is it really more relaxed as compared to those studying from the city? And how about handling transfers? Malaya, Chito, Vanessa and Arvin have a lot of experiences to share and a lot of comparisons to check with private and public schooling.

May 30, 202251:01
S1E38 Studying Abroad Problems with Ellie Ugaddan

S1E38 Studying Abroad Problems with Ellie Ugaddan

In this episode, we went back to Turin with our student traveler, Ellie, to share common struggles when studying abroad. How is it like studying in a far away country with a different culture from what we have back in the Philippines? Why are some European students hesitant to adopt and use English in their daily conversations? How does European countries differ based from their educational system and how does it feel to adjust coming from an Asian perspective? How to manage daily life in Europe including budgeting finances, transportation and preparing food? Why do we have to capitalize on the education system that is being offered by the European countries? And what are the things that Filipinos can learn from the European systems? Let us hear the unique experiences Ellie is having while studying abroad in France and Italy.
May 23, 202249:41
S1E37 Disaster Problems with the Engineering Club

S1E37 Disaster Problems with the Engineering Club

We are back with Clint and Chito in the episode and we talked about different disaster problems. What are the common struggles of Filipinos when there are disasters such as typhoon and floods? How can we quickly adjust and respond to these unfortunate events that can happen anytime in an instant? Why do we need to adapt to the new technology of doing things remotely including work and study so that we can still move forward in times of crisis? Why are Filipinos very resilient and strong even when we have the most disastrous typhoons and floods in our history? Are there preparations you can really do in such a quick random event like an earthquake? And how about the volcanic eruptions that happened prior to the pandemic? Really relevant topic to discuss regarding preparations, survival and moving forward with different disastrous things and whatnots.

May 16, 202255:30
S1E36 Happiest Country Problems with Kumu Nordic

S1E36 Happiest Country Problems with Kumu Nordic

In this episode, we go back to Finland with Kumu Nordic talking about living in the happiest country in the world. How subjective feelings like happiness can be measured objectively? Are you going to be really happy with having lots of money alone? Is the saying "health is wealth" making sense and how does our health condition affect our individual happiness? Are there really places that are zero tolerance against any type of corruption? How does it feel to have someone to count on when something bad happened to you? And how important it is to have the freedom to make life choices and be generous enough to help others as well? Let us hear how we perceive happiness in the happiest country in the world with Meg and Charlese in the podcast.

May 10, 202201:08:19
S1E35 Moving For Love with Joan of Kumu Canada

S1E35 Moving For Love with Joan of Kumu Canada

We are back in this episode with Joan of Kumu Canada for another interesting story coming from Ontario, Canada. How would you handle moving to a place very far from where you are in the sake of reuniting with the one you love? How to face bigger risk in your life and realizing how important the outcome of huge decisions you have to do with your love, life and career? What are the surprises you might encounter as a Filipino when discovering your life on another place unknown to you? What is the difference on how we are treating others at work as a Filipino worker abroad as compared to what we had experienced in our own country? And how to deal with making mistakes and moving forward with life especially in an industry that requires a very delicate process? Let us hear Joan as she shares moving places, dealing with workmates and adjusting to a new place that is so different from where she had back then.
May 03, 202253:60
S1E34 Election Problems with the Engineering Club

S1E34 Election Problems with the Engineering Club

Celebrity endorsements, dramas and dirty politics around the 2022 Philippine Elections campaigns and Malaya, Chito and Arvin has a lot of points to discuss. Is social media really a big factor on how people decide who to vote for in the upcoming elections? How is lack of media accessibility affecting Filipinos that have farther reach to technology and information? How truthful and reliable election surveys are and what to expect with these tools? Why Filipinos vote for the popular and winnable candidate instead of voting for who they believe and support to? Are there gender preferences when electing a candidate in the Philippines? And why do women candidates need to portray a stronger personality to convince people to vote for them? Let's hear what the Engineering Club has to say about the upcoming elections.

Apr 26, 202251:05
S1E33 Everything Expensive with Dominique of Kumu Europe

S1E33 Everything Expensive with Dominique of Kumu Europe

Lets go to the land of chocolates, Heidi cheese and Swatch which is Switzerland with Dominique in the episode. How is it like to be in one of the most expensive countries to live in? What would you do if all of a sudden, you learned that you and the whole family is going to live somewhere far away such as Europe? How do you restart your life in a place and environment you never been to and how do you find your interests in a very different culture you never experienced with? And why is it that Filipinos coming from other countries might look like very rich people back in our country but it is not what it is in reality? A lot of preparation, migration and living stories in Switzerland you might not want to miss from Dominique in the podcast.

Apr 19, 202248:45
S1E32 Kwentong Sabaw with the Engineering Club

S1E32 Kwentong Sabaw with the Engineering Club

The Engineering tropa is back with their own sabaw moments during their student life. Arvin got really drunk on a Sunday midnight while having a scheduled examination on early Monday morning. Chito is attending as a panelist in a thesis defense Saturday morning when the group decided to drink out the boring Friday night before the defense. Malaya had an all-nighter to finish a report due Saturday morning but after getting very tired staying awake, he escaped the laboratory class to sleep somewhere convenient. Noel just finished an examination but he heard the topnotchers discussing a different answer from what he got. Vanessa had the greatest adventure going home from a very disastrous moment during typhoon Ondoy. Really crazy episode you would not want to miss.
Apr 11, 202246:26
S1E31 In Pursuit of Learning with Ellie Ugaddan

S1E31 In Pursuit of Learning with Ellie Ugaddan

Another newcomer in the podcast with student and traveler Ellie, based from Turin, Italy. How is she able to move to Europe from the Philippines to do her study under limited resources? Why is it we need a lot of adjustments when studying on a different environment and different countries? What are the challenges of studying while in the midst of the pandemic where there are restrictions all over the place? How does the typical challenges for local Filipino students like us molded us to act quickly and deliver everything even in frustrating times like the pandemic? And how to look forward and still hope for the things you dreamt of even when everything are starting to look badly? Let us hear the struggle story that brought Ellie traveling across Europe to discover life and live the student dream.

Apr 05, 202250:41
S1E30 Filipino Time Problems with Doc Lui

S1E30 Filipino Time Problems with Doc Lui

The episode for today is about the dreadful Filipino habit of being late. Why being late is generally acceptable in our culture? What is the most common reason why people are late in meetings and appointments? How managing time differs between Philippines and European cultures and what can we learn from their practices as well? Why is it really a bad habit that we need to change? And why we need to make an effort not to be late and start valuing our time? Let us hear different stories from Arvin and Lui and a deep discussion about the very Filipino problem of managing our own time.
Mar 29, 202259:33
S1E29 Reaching The Dream with Joan of Kumu Canada

S1E29 Reaching The Dream with Joan of Kumu Canada

Another newcomer in this podcast coming from Ontario with Joan of Kumu Canada and this episode to share her experiences from the Land of Maple Leaf. How do you make sacrifices to engage in another study so much different from what your interests are so that you have better working opportunities abroad? Why is it so hard to make huge career mistakes when you are in a foreign land? How to keep pushing forward when every opportunity given to you is on the line? Is it that hard to make the first step going inside the plane and leaving Philippines behind in search of better life? And how does it feel arriving to a place you never been and to a cold weather you have never experienced before? Let us hear Joan's story and her early struggles migrating and settling in Canada.

Mar 21, 202252:19
S1E28 Filipino Mentality with Lynette Calderon

S1E28 Filipino Mentality with Lynette Calderon

In this episode, we go back to Bay Area with Lynette talking about how she was able to get the job on her own without the help of others. Why should we hesitate to network with Filipinos with a very different mindset from ours? Why Filipinos try to speak fluent English to pretend to be someone that we are not? How to handle discriminatory remarks when you look younger and different? And how to handle unsolicited advices and suggestions especially when it crosses the line of issuing medications and therapies? Let us hear Arvin and Lynette when they talk about different issues regarding Filipino culture, traditions and practices that are very concerning at these modern times.

Mar 15, 202258:00
S1E27 Looking For Opportunities with Kumu Nordic

S1E27 Looking For Opportunities with Kumu Nordic

Kumu Nordic is back to talk about looking for opportunities in the Nordic region. How are we able to end up in the job we have right now? How do we handled a lot of rejections and "ghosting" by the hiring managers? Are the academic credentials we had in the Philippines enough to compete in this ever evolving and competitive industries? How important for us to learn the language and integrate to the society before getting the job? How are they treating us in the workplace and how thankful we are for having such great opportunities in the Nordic region? A lot of experiences, struggles and success stories with Bytz, Charlese and Meg in this episode.
Mar 08, 202201:08:14
S1E26 War Problems with the Engineering Club

S1E26 War Problems with the Engineering Club

Tensions ongoing around Europe as of this moment and the topic for today is the relevance of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine to Filipinos around the world. Do we really have to join the ongoing war that is thousands of kilometers far from our place right now? What are the effects of the war to our region and internally to our country? Why do Filipinos feel that we have to always fight back and be stronger even if we are miles away from being at par with the military might of other developed nations? What should we do to address the repercussions of this war in our own backyard? And are we really prepared to undergo a full blown war at the moment if something happen around our region as well? Let us hear the thoughts and opinions of the Engineering Club as we talk about the ongoing war and very Filipino conflicts.
Mar 01, 202250:54
S1E25 Vote Buying Problems with the Engineering Club

S1E25 Vote Buying Problems with the Engineering Club

Another newcomer in the podcast today with Chito Lapitan in the episode. Today's topic is about the rampant vote buying during the Philippines election. Is accepting money during election period acceptable or immoral given this are obviously coming from our own taxes anyway? How will you respond if you are not offered money but position in the government? And if there is a certain amount that likely you will agree to sell your vote, by how much? Let us hear this timely discussion that put us in question during election times with the Engineering Club giving their own opinions and key takeaways.

Feb 23, 202244:41
S1E24 Filipino Taste with Bytz Grauzul

S1E24 Filipino Taste with Bytz Grauzul

Eating out is very expensive in the Nordics so it is essential for most people to learn how to cook. But how can you do it without the usual ingredients available around? How do we adopt to a very different culture of eating and cooking? What are some unusual foods we encountered here in the Nordics? How do cute animals like reindeer, bear, whale and rabbit taste like? And why are people around here very curious about the Filipino dishes? Bytz and Arvin has a lot of experiences with the kind of foods available around and how to get by with having a Filipino taste while living abroad.
Feb 16, 202259:56
S1E23 Pursuing Your Passion with Lynette Calderon

S1E23 Pursuing Your Passion with Lynette Calderon

Let us welcome another newcomer in the episode coming from Bay Area. Lynette Calderon is a behaviorist and child development specialist that had earlier struggles between choosing a career path that she is passionate about and settling with what the people around her suggests. How hard is it really to convince family and relatives with what you want to do when you are just restarting your life in a foreign land? How to start anew living alone and being independent? And how to deal with other people with different beliefs and non factual practices in the industry? Let us hear her journey and stories in the land of opportunities.
Feb 09, 202243:24
S1E22 Pandemic Layoff Problems with Florencio Guinhawa (English Episode)

S1E22 Pandemic Layoff Problems with Florencio Guinhawa (English Episode)

This is another English episode with Florencio Guinhawa to tackle how hard is it to lose a job in the middle of the pandemic. What things can possibly change when you don't need to go to the office in the morning of following day? What are the things to do and check and how will you respond to this shocking news? How do you cope up with being isolated in a very long time? And how he will continue supporting scholarship grants and outreach programs during the pandemic where help is mostly needed in these hard times? Let us hear stories of hope and reflections in this heartwarming episode.

Feb 02, 202249:49
S1E21 Crossing Boundaries with Kumu Nordic

S1E21 Crossing Boundaries with Kumu Nordic

This is the first Kumu Nordic episode with another set of newcomers in the podcast. Intersections' hosts Charlese and Meg tell us why they decided to leave the Philippines to move to Finland and how their family and friends reacted to their decision. Also, Bytz tell us how she was able to move to Norway by becoming an au pair and how she is able to settle into the country. Let us hear a lot of unexplored boundaries being crossed and intersecting experiences along the way with their unique and heartwarming stories.
Jan 25, 202201:08:01
S1E20 I Am Drunk Problems with Doc Lui

S1E20 I Am Drunk Problems with Doc Lui

This episode is a quick catch up with what happened during the holiday season and our struggles with our jobs during these times. But something crazy happened during the New Year weekend that makes this episode full of excitement! Let us hear the drunk story that took an unplanned trip to Sweden without coronavirus tests and being lost in the middle of nowhere early in the morning with Arvin and Lui in the episode.

Jan 19, 202201:01:30
S1E19 Cold Weather and Midsummer Problems with Bytz Grauzul

S1E19 Cold Weather and Midsummer Problems with Bytz Grauzul

Long dark winter, cold weather and midsummer is a textbook definition of what a Nordic climate is. But coming from tropical islands, how do we cope up with a very different environment that we used to have? What are the struggles of a very dark winter and a very long sunny day during midsummer? What do we do when there are a lot of ice and snow around? And why are Filipinos happiest during the most unfortunate events like typhoons? Bytz and Arvin have a lot of experiences to share with dealing with harsh dark winter days and the idea of integrating to another culture.

Jan 13, 202253:15
S1E18 Where To Eat with the Engineering Club

S1E18 Where To Eat with the Engineering Club

What is your go-to student meal? What is the magic of dumplings that makes it an all time favorite? How does the combination of pancit and mayonnaise taste like? And why is the food industry a really sustainable business in a long term? Let us hear some clean, dirty and weird stories from our Engineering Club featuring Noel and Christian as our newcomers. And fair warning, you might crave a lot of foods (or not) in this episode.
Jan 06, 202250:55
S1E17 Asking Questions with the Engineering Club

S1E17 Asking Questions with the Engineering Club

What demotivates you from working? How hard is it to ask questions when you don’t know what to do at work? Why are other people hesitant to train and teach others in the workplace? And how do you recover from a very demotivated working state? Fresh ideas in this episode with newcomers Christian and Noel with the Engineering Club in the podcast.
Jan 06, 202201:03:50
S1E16 Crab Mentality Problems with Doc Lui

S1E16 Crab Mentality Problems with Doc Lui

Why are Filipinos pulling each other down? Why does this crab mentality exist in our culture even in the early days of colonial times? Is being a poor country affecting our way of life and the way we treat others too? How do we pull each others up instead? And what are the positive and negative connotations of ”sana all”? Let us hear how Arvin and Lui discuss this toxic Filipino culture that is affecting us deep in our societal and familial level and what is our take in these pressing issues.
Jan 06, 202251:50
S1E15 Student Fashion with the Engineering Club

S1E15 Student Fashion with the Engineering Club

School life sucks when you always have to prepare your school uniform attire every fucking day. But how does it feel when you are not required to wear anything particular when attending school? Can you stand on your own wearing a controversial university statement shirt in front of other students? And where do you source your casual clothes when you are just a poor and broke college student? Hear us out and see what the Engineering Club thinks about wearing different kinds of clothes, shoes and bags at school when you have an option to do it.

Dec 20, 202144:31
S1E14 Christmas Hustle with the Engineering Club

S1E14 Christmas Hustle with the Engineering Club

Filipinos celebrate Christmas very early and that means as early as September. Very uniquely Filipino right? But how hard is it to set your budget during Christmas season when every favorite shops you went to are on sale/discounts? Are you going to succumb to Black Friday budols? How Filipino parents are scamming their kids with the hard earned aginaldos and how they are able to cope up with that through caroling? And the never ending road traffic issue during Christmas is one hell of problem! Not to add the long queues while having your long list of gifts to buy. Hear the Engineering Club's "diskarte" so we can avoid these problems during Christmas season.

Dec 13, 202153:48
S1E13 Work Life Balance Problems with Bytz Grauzul

S1E13 Work Life Balance Problems with Bytz Grauzul

Work-life balance is always an integral part of living the Nordic culture. How does it differ with our own working culture in the Philippines? How do the Nordic people treat Filipinos at work? Why Filipinos report to work even if sick and tired? And what do we get from paying a lot of taxes here? Bytz and Arvin a.k.a. Linus shared their interesting (and not so interesting) stories regarding working in the Nordics.

Dec 08, 202149:16
S1E12 Killing Time Problems with the Engineering Club

S1E12 Killing Time Problems with the Engineering Club

Where do you spend your time when you don’t have classes at school? How do you cope up with the boredom in between classes? How do you make yourself comfy around the campus? The Engineering Club got a lot of experiences including farming and harvesting, managing gang members, selling friends, outsourcing the tasks to other people and defending bases. And those fucking stories during summer outings are all real. Lots of crazy stories behind this episode and you probably have the same experiences with us too!
Dec 01, 202149:04
S1E11 Nordic Culture with Bytz Grauzul

S1E11 Nordic Culture with Bytz Grauzul

Nordic countries ranks high in the most happiest countries in the world. What would be the secret to living the Nordic culture? What are the shocking difference between our country and the Nordic countries like Finland and Norway? And what are the difference between "culture" and "habits"? Let us welcome Bytz to the podcast as we tackle a lot of topics between very different cultures and very Filipino problems.

Nov 30, 202145:17