respective universities. Since it was not easy to just talk or contact any black African, the researcher used the snowball sampling technique wherein those who were first identified as participants were asked to suggest any of their friends who could also be part of the study.

The researcher assured the co-researchers (participants) of the confidentiality of the study, telling them that no part of the research or of the interviews would be directly attributable to any of them.

These interviews were conducted in locations near or in the places of residence of the co-researchers or also in places they chose for reasons of comfortability or also in the places suggested by the researcher himself.

\section{RESULTS}

After the in-depth interviews conducted, these several themes emerged as the recurring themes, purporting how the foreign students see the Philippine campuses as higher learning institutions (HEIs) and as a social environment. These themes are supported by some quotes from the narratives below.

\subsection{Philippine Higher Educational Institutions are preferred}

Blacks favor Philippine schools over other potential academic destinations. Considerations range from the high quality of education, minimal cost, simpler admission policies and the friendly and undiscriminating kind of the Filipino people.

``Deciding to study abroad is a kind of a complicated issue back in Nigeria. Because in Nigeria the academic system is quite different from here, especially in the Philippines. It's quite easier here, the academic system. In Nigeria, we have to go series of screen examinations before we can go into the higher institution. While here, it's just one exam or at most two exams.''

``I have a friend who studied in Batangas in Lyceum. Actually he graduated now, basically he said the system was, you know, pretty smooth and fast, there were no strikes, the tuition was affordable, even though not too cheap, it's affordable and then you could transfer schools if you wanted to and then you have a choice of doing whatever course you wanna do and back in Nigeria I wasn't so flexible, I was a bit rigid, getting admission was kinda difficult and then tuition was a bit higher so Philippines was so, you know, like a good choice after all those''

``I had higher expectations that the universities here would be like better than the ones in our country in my country, would be good in education and something to learn. I have to say that some of the expectations were met, the University reached the expectation I had.''

``I choose Philippines because first of all Philippines is an English education system, they use English. Secondly, it is cheaper because compared to other countries like China, Europe and US, it's affordable for my parents, so that I can stay here. It's cheaper and they use English as a system of language in education.''

``When you are coming from Africa to countries like Philippines, you don't know. It is said that people will be racist, that's what you expect but when I go here I didn't, I have never experience it today in my school and it's a very good thing and I'm happy that's why I feel like it's a good country and you feel at home. Except the language barrier everything is okay. So, I think Philippines is a good country for black Africans to study in.''

The language barrier is a real concern. Though blacks admit that speaking in our local language seems to be inevitable, they express concern about not being able to understand instructions and small talks in Tagalog, whether in class hours or not, and interpret those as somewhat offending and unfriendly though not really seen as strictly discriminatory.

``When they start to talk then they will say, I'm shy. I feel lonely. It's like the problem of language, language barrier. Sometimes, I have a class like I'm the only black in the class and others are Filipinos. Sometimes, the teacher, to better explain it they speak in Tagalog and I don't know anything about Tagalog so I feel like I am not welcome. The teacher is in the front he/she speaking Tagalog and you are in the class and speaks like for, if I have a class for one hour he/she speaks in Tagalog for thirty minutes, it's like what are we doing here, because we're like apart.''

``So I really don't know, but sometimes they really gossip about you in Tagalog, just for the few I understand, they talk about you, you would just hear your last name, I just hear my last name, Payube, but when I'm staring, they will not say anything.''

``I also felt and experienced that some are unfriendly to me, inside the campus I came across in situation like that because Philippines, most of the students in FEU they communicate in Filipino language, Tagalog. I'm not so fluent in understanding Tagalog but I try to understand their actions. I try to"