Private Questions

In Canada when you go into a store the cashier will never ask you the following questions:

Are you married?
Are you single?
Where do you live?
How much did you pay for this house?
Where do you work and how much do you get paid?
Do you have children?
No children? Why not? Don't you like children?
How old are you?

Or questions a random acquaintance would consider rude to ask in Canada:

Have you gained weight? You look a little fat.
Why don't you have any kids yet, what's the problem? Do you hate kids or something?

Over here the line between what a Canadian considers rude is quite different than what a Filipino considers rude. It's perfectly acceptable to ask these questions here. Having these questions asked is commonplace so don't feel it's rude; be honoured that a complete stranger is taking an interest in you!

Yesterday I had almost all of these questions asked while I was paying for something in a store. While the cashier was ringing in my purchases she went through the questions like they were a check list.

You married?
What do you do here?
Do you work? You must be paid well.
Do you have children? No? Not interested in children?
Is your wife a Filipino? I bet she's beautiful.
Where do you live?

When I first arrived here 3 months ago I would have looked at the cashier perplexed and somewhat insulted that she was asking me questions I consider personal. Now, well now, things are different. I'm so used to complete strangers being interested in my life that I answer the questions as quickly as they ask them.

You married? -
Yes
What do you do here? -
I live here, I'm a resident
Do you work? You must be paid well. -
I work occasionally, the pay is good
Do you have children? No? Not interested in children? -
No children yet, yes I like children
Is your wife a Filipino? I bet she's beautiful. -
Yes she's Filipino, yes she's beautiful
Where do you live? -
In Quezon City

I'm amazing how within 3 months time I've become a question answering robot. No thoughts anymore about why the questions are asked or whether I consider the questions rude or not; I just answer. Does this mean I'm one step closer to becoming Filipino?