New Member from USA but hope to be in Bacolod/Silay soon

Hi everyone.

I'm a US citizen married to a filipina for over 10 years. She is from Murica area near Bacolod City. Couldn't find any forums that were closer to her area so I settled for this site in hopes to find friends and information needed to retire there within a year or two.

Please contact me if you are from that area! We were there just a week ago and enjoyed my time as always.

 

I don't think you will find many site like this one - it seems to be a high-level model to follow and not many areas have yet followed. People here sometimes make reference to travelling to Bacolod and searching posts here for 'Bacolod' may gain you some information.

But, with 10 years experience of marriage to a Filipina and, I assume, frequent visits to the Bacolod area, you must be quite well informed already. For me, it seems your main issues would be the differences between visiting and then living permanently and having a Filipina wife living abroad and then living near her family (as I assume you will be).

 

I have heard from some of the gentlemen in the past mention that it is best to not live too near to the family.....? I guess it makes it a little more difficult for them to constantly ask for money from the "wealthy" foreigner/husband. I am sure not all of them are like that, and hopefully not the case with you. Good Luck with your future plans!!

 

Hi Rye, nothing in particular. I'm really just looking to make friendships online with other expats that are close to that area. When I do move there, I'm looking to completely retire, as in do nothing! So I figure I need to make some friendships to keep myself occupied.

 

Hi thanks for the info! Yes, actually my wife and I have had conversations in the past that we probably should not live too close to the family. Thankfully for us, although her family is poor, they don't look at me as a bank.. maybe an ATM with a daily withdrawal limit, but not a bank

 

It is, of course, entirely your own personal business how you handle matters with your own family, but even small but frequent 'support' will soon mount up. Other threads here have discussed the 'killer' issue - that of medical costs, not only for ourselves, but for extended family members. Anyway, that can be an issue whatever distance you live from family.

 

Well I look at it this way. They are my family, and if I have the means to help when help is needed, then I can't say no! So something like medical bills I'm fine with helping.

The only time I put my foot down is when they come to me with the next greatest investment idea lol. Been there, done that, no thanks!

 

My past experience is: when helping with medical bills, do not hand them the money to pay the bills with, you pay the facility directly or have them give you a list of medications if they need medications, and purchase them yourself. I have given money for hospital expenses, only to find out the money was spent on new phones, etc.... You live and learn.