A lot of Westerners come to the Philippines to retire as your money will go much further here.

I like Bogo. I came from Memphis so I miss being able to do my shopping at 2am. That was my time to go out. I’m not an insomniac, I’m just nocturnal. LOL Cebu doesn’t offer that so Bogo is just as good for me. I wish I had my own transportation. These buang bus drivers we have in Cebu going to be the death of me. I don’t go often though. Jessie likes to go so its a time for her to get me out of her hair.

I’ve written a lot of article on http://cebuexperience.com and my walks. I’ve not been walking as much lately, not sure if I’m sickly or lazy. I’m leaning toward lazy.

I learned buang the hard way. I once was trying to ask a girl if she was mad in a text message. So I whipped out my English to Cebuano handbook and asked her if she was buang. She didn’t reply. A few days later I looked mad up again and looked a bit closer and realized buang meant mad, as in mad dog! LOL I had Jessie talk too her and explain.

Jessie can converse in Cebuano but when they go deep, as she calls it, she’s lost. The language is significantly different. She’s Italian Waray-Waray, talking about an emotional combination! LOL Waray-Wary was explained to me by another expat as the warriors of the Philippines. He went on to say they are also the “redheads of the Philippines!” She’s actually pretty laid back but she does have that streak in her. They are dangerous with knifes!

She treats me very good, she’s an Angel, although sometimes she’s an ornery angel. It could be worse, she could be like me, just ornery. It works out well, we understand each other when others might get offended.

Now that last sentence, I have no idea what that means.

Perhaps you can make a mini-vacation up this way. Ii highly recommend Bantayan Island!

It is hard to find a place here to rent. I would be hard pressed to find another place as large as this. I’m luck, my retirement is a lot more than what many Americans make working but those Americans often are force to get two jobs. I retired early for medical reasons and earn 40% of what I did working.

Starting all over is making it a little difficult financially but it beats what my life style would be in Memphis.

I am working for a foreign company that I was already for previously in the states, who decided to open a call center here, and asked me if I would be the one to manage it, so here I am!

As far as coming here to try to find a job, I suppose it is possible, but any local job would most likely be at local wages (the only exception I have heard of was a French acquaintance of mine who was offered somewhere around 4 grand per month to work for a local company– he actually turned it down though, as he apparently could make a lot more in another country).

Yeah, learning the language helps, although the funnest thing to do is actually to pretend you don’t speak it, and just listen to what people say around you. I’ve heard everything from “Gwapo siya!” to “buang ka!” (you are crazy!) from a fellow standing on his porch as a friend and I walked by.

You know how life is; every time we walk outside to go to the grocery store it is like another adventure. Something interesting happens!

I have never been as far north as Bogo on the island of Cebu. From the rent prices it sounds like I should go there! For what it sounds like you have there, you’d be paying probably about three times that much here in Cebu City. I would actually prefer living in the province if it were just me probably, but with kids they need the international schools, etc, and the wife needs the malls! The upside to living in the city is the access to good healthcare (even with ambulances), western-style supermarkets, restaurants, etc. The downside is the pollution, the crime (although I have luckily never had any problem with that- knock on wood!), and the traffic. Before my current job, when I was here back in ‘99, I spent a lot of time in the province- out in various places in Bohol, Negros Oriental and Cebu. I am very happy in the simple life in the province, but there’s no work there unless you have some other type of income (such as retirement!).

That’s cool that your wife is Waray Waray. I have met a few of them. Knowing bisaya I can understand quite a bit of it, but it’s pretty different as well. I’m sure it didn’t take Jesse more than a few months to get fluent in bisaya. I know “Maupay”, but not much else! So is she from Samar or Leyte?

Pag-amping-amping mo diha!

Nate

I hope you’ll offer your opinions more, even when if you disagree.

Of course, that iwll make you wrong though. LOL

Learning the language is something I need to get much more serious about. I think to begin to really understand a culture it is absolutely required to know the language. I only know a few words. Living in Cebu with a Waray-Waray Filipina puts me at a disadvantage..

The standard of living is the reason to come for me, Jessie was one very nice bonus though. Would have been hard for me without her I think. Hard to say because I don’t know what it would be like without her.

Living on my retirement in the US would be a struggle. Living on my salary here would be very nice indeed!

Sometimes I have people ask me what is it like trying to get a job here. If someone is going to ask that question, I think they must be lost. Having something lined up before you get here though, that’s totally different. I haven’t run across very many that have pulled that off.

I know a guy that just lined up a job here, he’s making only about $300 a month plus room and board. A single guy can make it on that. I don’t think its going to turn out well for him though. He needs a break but he’s made a mess for himself with immigration, don’t see how it can possible turn out good for him.

Are you still working? what kind of work if you don’t mind.

I came out here for work, but I would recommend anyone to come and at least visit! I told my Dad he should come live out here as well. Life is slower paced and offers a great standard of living for those even with a modest western income, plus people respect and like Americans here, which is something that was becoming less and less common in the world.

I have learned Bisaya and to a lesser extent- Tagalog, and that has helped me to integrate (as well as cause lots of stares and laughter). I have only recently started reading your blogs but am becoming increasingly interested in them. You’ve done a great job in being informative as well as entertaining.

Your an anomaly! That’s okay, its a good thing.

I haven’t spent any time in Manila except at the airport. I look forward to doing so I can decide for myself.

When you come here, you are likely to be shocked by the lifestyle here. Manila may be the best place for you but it depends on what you are use too. I think most American women would have a hard time adjusting but it depends completely on you and your outlook. You might learn a lot about what is important in life. I wouldn’t get rushed to get married. You should spend some time here before doing that.

This site is probably one of the best places to learn about the Peso Vs. The Dollar. Right now one dollar is worth about 48 Philippine Peso. In the last 16 months the value has gone as low as 39 (perhaps a tad lower) to P50. It didn’t stay at 50 very long. Two to three years ago it was at 55 peso. That’s the highest I’ve seen it.

If you have a retirement pension or a huge amount of cash in the bank it is important. Or money from the states coming in some how, you’re money is going to go further here than it will in the USA. I have only a pension and a little income from my websites. Earning money here is not an easy thing to do. Many people enter on a tourist visa which means just your passport, you can’t work or run a business here on that.

You will hear a lot of negative things about the Philippines, especially from foreigners, ask yourself this, why are they here then? I love it here.

Manila has problems with smog, traffic and poverty. Sometimes they have terrorist attacks but those have been largely brought under control. Before I came, it seemed like a bomb was going off in a mall every week. The government quickly shut that done quickly. Kidnapping is also a bit of a problem. But much less so in Manila than it is in the southern island of Mindanao. Some areas in Mindanao are extremely dangerous while other areas, such as Davao City may be the safest place in the Philippines. Just outside of Davao is fairly dangerous as well. The mayor of that city clamps down hard on criminals, especially repeat criminals. Their life expectancy is not so good. So the negative element tends to keep just outside the city.

The expats I know that life in Mindanao says its perfectly s safe. I go on what I read and its scary. If you haven’t been to http://travel.state.gov you should go and read the travel warnings. I think I recall that URL correctly. If not Google “US Travel Warning.”

There is only one embassy in the Philippines and that’s in metro Manila.

If I were you, I’d concentrate on Manila and Cebu City. The biggest draw to Manila is that it is a modern city. You can probably get most anything there. Cebu City is very modern too. Both cities are plagued with pollution and pockets of crime.. Your guy can help you with that.

You’re going to hear about how the Filipino people are out too rip you off. That happens but it has not been my experience. I’ve lived here since Feb . 08 and the people I have met are great people. Now the culture is different. That’s it though, its not lessor its different.

Follow your guys lead. Where is he? he can help you a lot on knowing where to go and what to do. An extended stay would be a good idea. Returning home and thinking about what your doing from a distance would be a good idea. I didn’t do that though, I came and I stayed and it has been wonderful for me. I do caution you to move very slowly. Some Filipino men are quite controlling from what I’m use too. Some want let their wives out of the house without them. Some women do the same to their husbands, especially if their husband is a foreigner, You probably need to stick close to him at first. Despite what you hear, most people you meet cannot speak English well enough to communicate with. They can often write it much better than they can speak or hear it.

My southern accent really gives them problems with all my contractions. You’ll likely will have the same problem.

I hope this helps some but you’re going to have to experience for yourself to know. There is a lot of information here to help.

Thanks for the kind words, yeah, I’m a survivor.

Live is good, as good as taking you girls to school.