Show your Filipina sweetie that you give a damn. Filipino writers have no idea how Filipina wives compare to western wives or what foreigners need to know when they visit the Philippines. Read this detailed cultural and social guide for western men written by an award-winning journalist who has been married to a Filipina for more than 20 years and has lived in the Philippines. It's easy to fall in love chatting with a Filipina online, but you need to understand who she is before you go to the Philippines. She'll likely be a terrific young wife, loving and loyal, a trophy, but you need to learn how she's different from western women. How does she think? What she will expect of you? She has grown up in another culture. Learn how Filipino customs and attitudes are different from the west. It will help make things easier for you and for her. The Philippines is a developing country. It's easy for foreigners to get jammed up there by hustlers who prey on ignorance. Learn what to expect to avoid getting ripped off. Know in advance how to get around, about local customs and how to order food. Learn local dating customs and how to behave when you're out with her in public. Learn what not to do so her friends and relatives will respect you, and she'll be proud of you, not embarrassed by you. If you've prepared yourself, if you know what to expect, it will be a far more comfortable experience. You can concentrate on your sweetie and enjoy your visit without worrying about screwing up. Her family may want a preposterously fancy, expensive wedding that you'll be expected to pay for. Are you ready for that? What should you expect when you visit them at their home? You're essentially marrying into a family, not just an individual as it is done in the west. Loyalty to her family and many relatives has consequences that you'll have to accept. Prepare yourself by knowing about the consequences in advance. You're going to need a whole lot of good luck if you're too cheap to buy a straightforward, clearly-written guide to understanding Filipinas and the Philippines. You'll be spending a lot of money flying there and risking your future happiness, so don't be so preposterously dumb as to avoid spending a few bucks to learn what's ahead. The cost of this book is pocket change, peanuts compared the painful emotional and financial costs of a marital misadventure. You may have fallen in love with her chatting online. Learning about her culture likely won't cause you to change your mind about her, but she'll respect you for taking the time to learn about her country and its habits and values. It's the mark of a thoughtful potential husband. When you visit the Philippines, you'll come off as being more intelligent and cosmopolitan than an uncomprehending dolt and potential mark. Make her proud of you.