Hey, Joe
4 November 2009 at 18:49 Adam 4 comments
I have been mistaken for this guy a lot since I've been here
By Adam Preston, KF9, Philippines
The Filipinos are a very generous people. So generous, in fact, that if they don’t know your name, they will even give you a name – and that name is Joe. I am greeted in this way no less than 3 or 4 times in a day, coming from men and women both young and old: “Hey Joe!”
As many guide books will tell you, in many parts of the Philippines foreigners especially males of Caucasian decent (read: white dudes) will be greeted as “Joe” referring to the GIs (American soldiers) who had a presence here through World War II.
“Finally, Filipinos have a unique greeting for male (and sometimes female) Westerners: ‘Hey Joe!’ (‘Hey Kano!’ is a less used variation). Both are hangovers from Word War II when the country was overrun by GI Joes or American soldiers (‘kano’ comes form Americano’) and are used ad nauseam. Of course, if your name’s Joe, you’ll feel pretty special. If not, you may start to feel like a clown set especially to give the locals a laugh.”
“Philippines”, Lonely Planet, p. 63, Edition 8, 2009
What is interesting about this experience isn’t just that this moniker dates back more than 50 years, but it is how it is often said, the utter exuberance in which the greeting is delivered. When waiting for my tricycle and I hear someone shout “Hey Joe!”, oddly, I don’t feel insulted. When I look over at the guy saying this, he is looking right at me with a big smile on his face. He seems to be genuinely glad to see me. I politely turn and wave and reciprocate in the only way that I know how: “Hey buddy”, I respond.
Adam Preston is a Kiva Fellow working with ASKI in Cabanatuan City, Philippines. He answers to both the name his mother gave him and also now to Joe. To get involved click here.
Entry filed under: Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), blogsherpa, KF9 (Kiva Fellows 9th Class), Philippines. Tags: Adam Preston, blogsherpa, Cabanatuan, Philippines.
1. Suzy Marinkovich | 6 November 2009 at 05:37
Thanks Adam, now I cant get that Jimi Hendrix song out of my head.
2. Julie | 5 November 2009 at 15:55
Haha! Instead of “Joe” I get “oye güera!” (hey white girl!)… How do folks usually respond to “buddy”?
3. Hello Mister | 4 November 2009 at 19:39
Great post, Joe! Glad to hear people are making you feel welcome. It seems everywhere in South-East Asia has its own little spin on the “generic greeting”…
4. Jessica Wu | 4 November 2009 at 19:30
you have a lot of names to answer to! haha