Best Posts in Forum: Expat Section

After 7 years in the Philippines almost think many are just avoiding others to an extent. While plenty of good foreigners around whenever a group seems to come up there are some very loud, obnoxious, often drunk types who just p*ss off the blokes who want to have a chat and make a few friends. When I first arrived in Dumaguete from CDO back 4 1/2 years ago I saw the same thing with the regular gatherings at McDoc. A couple groups that seemed more invitation only and then the main group sitting in the center of old McDoc free to whoever sat down. But in that group there were a couple of good chaps but always a few who all they would talk about is thing new young honey they nailed the other night and believe it or not often shoving a naked picture of the girl around. In my times here I have met former CIA hitmen, lawyers who made millions but somehow lost it all through getting screwed over somehow, former mobsters, former free lance assassins, a couple of former generals/admirals (insert very high military rank here), and some other very odd to find people.

Lot of us I think are just settled down with our honey, maybe have a family/kids (1 here), not into drink fests, and just wanting some company can have a slightly intellectual conversation with.

I'd love to see a regular but regulated get together and meet a few more. But not into hanging out at a bar, talking about chicks and latest sex conquests, or someone's massively fabricated life story. Until then I'll just be hanging around keeping it peaceful other then when strangle the occasional suicidal driver.

 

Not allowing foreign ownership of land, or making it difficult to purchase, and not allowing 51% ownership of businesses is a major factor holding back development of this country. If the Philippines turned into one of those developed countries you mentioned, then for the purposes of this thread, this exercise would be a “success”. Nobody is disguising anything. In any case, it is financially better for me if it stays the same but I would like to see the country improve, and it actually has, every year since I first first visited in 1988 and then retired here a few years ago. This is just a discussion about how to jump start it to make things better for everybody.


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We have a cattle fence from Europe(made in Poland), sandwiched between 2 strands of barbed wire on top of our blind side walls, 3m above ground level. Solar powered, 12V rechargeable battery that puts out between 4500-9000V, at very low amperage, every couple of seconds even in rainy season. So far collected 2 step ladders(bamboo) that would be intruders have left behind. I have personally tested it at 4500V, very effective, couldn't use an arm for about 2 hours afterward and cleared my earwax problem too. Only thing I've needed to do with it in 6 years, is one change of battery, easily available here and changed the conduction wire(to German stainless steel).

 

Some of the most valuable lessons are in that first job stocking shelves or doing similar mindless work. Lessons such as getting out the door in time for being at work when you are suppose to start. Getting to work even when you don't feel like it. Having to focus on a task for more than 5 minutes so that you can get something done. Having to deep focus on a task which might take a little brains. Having to sell (your services to your employer, your employer's services to customers.)

The world of work is so different from that world where people don't need to do much to get by, even if they have to go hungry occasionally. They can live off support from their family. Maybe pick up the odd job at their convenience for a little bit of money. Maybe the family hits the OFW or foreigner support lotto. If they don't feel like doing something, it's so easy to stay home and do nothing.

Maybe the actual farms are different. Maybe these people know how to hustle, but probably not in an urban jungle.

A job which pays nothing would be good for a lot of people who would otherwise have nothing else to do. Get the basics down if you have never worked (in the U.S. this would typically be a minimum wage summer job) and then look for something else when you hit your learning plateau. If nothing else, for better or for worse, a job might shift your tempo in life (AKA - entering the rat race.)

Unfortunately, the job world is complex to navigate and some people just don't have it. That's why the U.S. is so competitive, we know how to hustle. We know how to create something out of nothing. When I couldn't find a job doing something I loved in my local area, I created my own job by striking out on my own.

As a region, Asia seems to have difficulty in it's people learning to navigate between black, white and gray. They seem to get stuck on the solids and don't realize that really, everything is gray. For every rule, there is a work-around. A rule which provides information in writing hides much more information in what it doesn't say. They get intimidated, but don't realize that nobody really knows what they are doing (just be a good actor, show confidence, bust @ss and get lucky.) They're afraid of failure and rejection, but don't realize that every great achievement of our time on this planet was met with 90++% failure rate.

I don't know how to teach this stuff. For starters, I'm an alien, and a crazy looking one at that. It seems the kids here only listen to people who have badges of authority handed down from above. You want to make a potential employee feel safe and successful? Hand out ID cards attached to lanyards. Every step of life here from elementary school to college and job comes with a different badge. If you don't have one, then you must have gone off-track somewhere.

People just need to realize that everyone's sh*t stinks. We all do our thinking with a mass of meat so disgusting looking that we would probably pass out if the were to see it on the kitchen counter next to the keys. It's amazing anything works in this world, and in the Philippines, it just BARELY works. Nobody here is special. People who look special are just more effective bullshit artists.

Keep in mind, the global economy basically tracks back to the U.S. creating money out of thin air and hoping everyone just sort of goes along with the illusion. It sort of works. We have made a lot of "progress" in the past 50 years. But it starts with bullshit and ends with bullshit.

Tell the fam to quit taking no for an answer (and don't take yes for an answer either) and just start making stuff happen. Put in the work, but bring plenty of bullshit as well, it's what makes the world go round.

 

I retired to the Philippines in 2016, after testing the waters a year earlier. Sold/donated everything I owned except for what would fit in three large balikbayan boxes, and never looked back.
My decision to move here was mostly inspired by three things: love, the much better social acceptance of a fair sized age gap here, and the existence of a favourable tax treaty between my home country and the Philippines.
That last part enabled us to buy a nice house and live a good life here. Happily together for 7 and a half years now.
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Obviously, life here has its ups and downs like everywhere, but our little oasis of quiet within a short distance of everything we need helps.
As for "many having missed the boat" as far as property prices go, yes prices have gone up quite a bit over the past 5 years or so, but there's still a considerable price gap with most places in Europe. At around 5 to 6 million peso one can still find/build a fairly nice house here, less than that as you look further away from Dumaguete. If looking for a rental rather than buying a place, 20-30k a month is the going rate for a reasonably attractive 2-3 bed rental with aircon within Dumaguete.

 

10. Withdrawing financial support of a GF or wife is also illegal....

Kinda sick on that that they can complain economic abuse that you withdrew financial support or used that financial support to make them do things they didn't want (not that they would ever say *no, I don't want to do that* but just claim it after the money dries up).

 

Rentals need to be run like a real business. To set out to make money with rentals and then b*tch about associated problems is lame. If you can't stand the heat, get the **** out of the kitchen.

I haven't had a rental which cost more than $200 / month for a long time. How is it that the foreigner was able to rack up such a large bill? The deposit is meant for offsetting risk. Once the bill hits a certain trigger point, then the tenant needs to go.

Same for utilities. You would have to let them go for quite some time to get to 13K.

If you can't deal with the rentals, then get a property manager who can. People get too emotionally involved in these rentals (they shouldn't be renting them out if that's the case.) Collect the rent. Pay someone to clean empty units and repair damage. Do what you can to minimize losses. If you are losing money, then you are doing something wrong. Keep doing the wrong thing, then you won't be in business.

 

To add a little spice to the coversation the World Health Organization (WHO) ranks US healthcare as about number 32 in quality and it is twice as expensive and the next highest. Every European country, scandanavian, Canada, Australia and some pacific rim countries have better healthcare.

WHO ranks the Phils at about 62 I think if i remember correctly. The cost is a tiny fraction of US care. I have always felt since since expats have the resources to select the best care in the Phils that our experience is probably much better than the 62 accorded to the system.

I spent my whole life working in the healthcare system of the US. I am satisfied with my experience in Dumaguete. People always think bigger is better. Taint necessarily so