Questions · Kababayan meetup
Questions for meeting your kababayan in a new city
A kababayan is a fellow Filipino, literally someone from the same bayan (country, town). Abroad, finding them matters: at a community event, a Philippine Independence Day picnic or the Filipino store on a Saturday. These questions help a first hello turn into a friendship.
- 16 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
How could you help a friend who was new to a school or neighborhood?
Paano mo matutulungan ang friend na bago sa isang school o lugar?
Being shown where things are or having someone stay nearby — either might help.
Puwedeng makatulong ang ituro kung nasaan ang mga bagay o ang samahan lang sila.
The questions
16 questions for meeting fellow Filipinos abroad
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
First hellos
6 questions
Easy questions for after “taga-saan ka sa atin?” (where are you from back home?).
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When you enter a classroom, meeting room, or café, where do you usually choose to sit?
Pagpasok mo sa classroom, meeting room, o café, saan ka usually pumipili umupo?
Back of the card
Seat choices can reveal comfort, strategy, or pure habit. Somehow we all have a spot our body chooses first.
May sinasabi rin yung seat choice: comfort, strategy, o habit lang talaga. Minsan katawan na ang pumipili.
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If money were no problem, how would you spend a Saturday with nothing you had to do?
Kung walang kailangang gawin at hindi problema ang pera, paano mo gagamitin ang isang Sabado?
Back of the card
Picture the end of your Saturday. What would make you wish it were still morning?
Isipin ang katapusan ng Sabado mo. Bakit mo gugustuhing umaga pa lang?
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With an unlimited budget, what extra room would you add to your home?
Kung walang limit ang budget, anong dagdag na kuwarto ang gusto mo sa bahay?
Back of the card
If the new room had a sign on its door, what would it say?
Kung may karatula sa pinto ng bagong kuwarto, ano ang nakasulat doon?
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If someone funded one helpful idea for your neighborhood, what would you build or improve?
Kung may sasagot sa gastos, ano ang gagawin o aayusin mo para makatulong sa lugar ninyo?
Back of the card
Picture its first day in use. What would you be happy to see people doing?
Isipin ang unang araw na ginagamit na ito. Ano ang ikatutuwa mong ginagawa ng mga tao?
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Which everyday invention from the future would you most want to see?
Anong pang-araw-araw na gamit mula sa future ang gusto mong makita?
Back of the card
Give the invention a name people could remember.
Bigyan ang imbensiyon ng pangalang madaling tandaan.
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In a group hangout, which role do you usually fall into: planner, joker, listener, snack person, or something else?
Sa group hangout, anong role ang usually napupunta sa'yo: planner, joker, listener, snack person, o iba pa?
Back of the card
Group roles can be funny because they appear before anyone assigns them. Somehow every hangout finds its planner, joker, listener, or snack person.
Minsan lumalabas yung role bago pa may mag-assign. Sa bawat hangout, may planner, joker, listener, o snack person talaga.
The Pinoy things we all miss
4 questions
Small habits and comforts that only another Filipino would get.
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Which small outside task do you secretly like doing, like buying something, picking something up, or dropping something off?
Anong maliit na task sa labas ang secretly gusto mong gawin, like bumili, kumuha, o maghatid ng something?
Back of the card
A small task outside can feel strangely satisfying. It gives the day a tiny mission with a clear finish line.
May small task sa labas na strangely satisfying. Parang may tiny mission yung araw, tapos malinaw kung kailan tapos.
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Name one pambahay item you always reach for, like a shirt, shorts, slippers, blanket, or mug.
Magbanggit ng isang pambahay item na lagi mong ginagamit, like shirt, shorts, tsinelas, kumot, o mug.
Back of the card
The best pambahay items are not trying to impress anyone. They just show up, stay comfortable, and do their job.
Yung best pambahay items, hindi kailangan magpa-impress. Comfortable lang, reliable, at laging ready sa bahay.
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Where do you feel like you can finally breathe a little?
Saan mo nararamdaman na parang nakakahinga ka na ulit?
Back of the card
The place does not have to be special to anyone else. If your body softens there, it counts.
Hindi kailangang special sa ibang tao yung lugar. Kung doon ka lumuluwag, counted yun.
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If you could remove one tiny daily inconvenience forever, what would you remove?
Kung kaya mong tanggalin forever ang isang tiny daily inconvenience, ano ang tatanggalin mo?
Back of the card
Tiny inconveniences can be louder than they deserve. Removing one forever would feel like a quiet luxury.
Minsan ang ingay ng tiny inconveniences. Kapag natanggal forever yung isa, quiet luxury na agad.
Helping the newest arrival
6 questions
For the person who landed last month and still doesn’t know where to buy rice.
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How could you help a friend who was new to a school or neighborhood?
Paano mo matutulungan ang friend na bago sa isang school o lugar?
Back of the card
Being shown where things are or having someone stay nearby — either might help.
Puwedeng makatulong ang ituro kung nasaan ang mga bagay o ang samahan lang sila.
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What small task would you happily ask a friend to help with?
Sa anong simpleng gawain mo gustong magpatulong sa friend?
Back of the card
Would their help save time, make it more fun, or simply give you company?
Makakatipid ba ng oras ang tulong nila, mas magiging masaya, o magkakaroon ka lang ng kasama?
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How do you usually show a friend that you care?
Paano mo usually pinapakita sa friend na may care ka?
Back of the card
Care has many shapes: checking in, feeding people, remembering details, giving space, or staying when it gets inconvenient.
Maraming itsura ang care: nangangamusta, nagpapakain, nakakaalala ng details, nagbibigay ng space, o nananatili kahit hassle.
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Tell us about a friend who made you feel like you belonged.
Ikuwento yung friend na nagparamdam sa'yo na belong ka.
Back of the card
Inclusion can happen through one seat saved, one question asked, or one person making room on purpose.
Minsan isang upuang tinabi, isang tanong, o isang taong sinadyang magtabi ng space ang nagpaparamdam na kasama ka.
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What helped you feel welcome in a new place?
Ano ang nakatulong para maramdaman mong welcome ka sa isang bagong lugar?
Back of the card
Would you do something similar for someone new? You can also leave it as a good memory.
Gagawin mo rin ba iyon para sa bagong dating? Puwede ring magandang alaala na lang muna ito.
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If someone worked or studied with you for one week, what would they notice about your style?
Kung may makakasama ka sa work o school for one week, ano kaya ang mapapansin nila sa style mo?
Back of the card
Your style may show in pace, focus, questions, breaks, or how you handle pressure. People notice more than we think.
Pwedeng lumabas ang style mo sa pace, focus, tanong, breaks, o paano ka humarap sa pressure. Marami palang napapansin ang tao.
How to use them
Before you ask
Filipinos abroad have a ritual for meeting each other. You overhear Tagalog at the grocery, you smile, someone asks “Pinoy ka?”, and then: “Taga-saan ka sa atin?” Where are you from back home? After the province and the job, the conversation often runs out. These questions are for the next ten minutes.
Use the first group at community events, picnics and Philippine Independence Day gatherings (June 12), where you’ll meet many people quickly. The middle group is the shared homesickness: the small comforts and habits that only another Filipino understands, which is often what new friends bond over first. The last group is for the meetup veterans welcoming someone who has just arrived. Help is the most Filipino greeting there is.
Members from different regions may speak Tagalog, Bisaya, Ilocano or mostly English. The cards come in English and Filipino, so everyone has a way in.
Good for
Tips
- Ask where someone is from back home, then ask about their favorite thing there, not about money or visas.
- Introduce new arrivals to two people before they leave.
- Keep a shared list of where to find Filipino groceries, churches and remittance centers.
- Mix regions at each table. It is a chance to hear words from other provinces.
Decks for this
Kababayan meetup
Frequently asked questions
What does kababayan mean?
Kababayan means a fellow countryman or someone from the same town or country, from “bayan” (town, country, nation). Abroad, Filipinos use it for any fellow Filipino.
How do I meet other Filipinos abroad?
Try Filipino churches and Masses, community associations, Philippine consulate or Independence Day events, Filipino stores and restaurants, and professional groups such as Filipino nurses’ associations.
What should I talk about when meeting a fellow Filipino abroad?
Start with where they’re from back home and what they miss, then light questions about their weekends and their new city. Offer help to newcomers; it’s usually welcome.
Bring a better question to the table.
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