Hi all, I joined this forum because I was thinking to move to Dumaguete for the schooling for our child (2 and a half now). As much as I like Argao, staying here long-term is out of the question due to the quality of the schools. I only visited Dumaguete once last year for a few days. Lately I’ve been thinking to go back to the US for the child’s education and also to get my wife US citizenship in 3 years; I figure I owe her that (and a lot more) before I cash it in. I’m still on the fence though and would prefer to stay. Been here 4 years and don’t fancy the thought of starting over again. I would like to hear from anyone who is in similar straits w/child(ren), whether you have chosen to stay or go and your thoughts on the matter. Thanks.
Sounds like the US is the best place to get citizenship secured and also education if its in your means to get in a good school for the kid, and it is free education of decent quality in US through University.. Dumaguete has Silliman from Grade school up to University highest levels.. You will pay even for filipino grade school access although college will be very cheap compared to anywhere in the USA.. Silliman is hard to beat by any filipino education standard.. If you can easily afford to live in the US, more will get done for your goals.. Even a University degree from philippines will fall short in the US if a student decides to move there and work.. The US may require some Extra course work ,or at least more test and certification to an american standard before meriting a philippine degree or certification for the US version.. Philippine MD certainly cant be a doctor in the US without making the US medical board and remedial courses that may be required... That goes the same for many professions in the US.. If the US option is in reach, it will make things easier in the long run when the kid starts to make choices with his education experience.. Philippine option will only prolong his efforts to make it, if ever choosing to live and work in the US using the education/certifications.. Philippines will always be easy to come back to from the US and all US's opportunities, not to mention the lady getting citizenship when sooner you get there is sooner she gets citizenship ,while philippines will be waiting and you will have a lot taken care of and wider options from there on forward , for everybody concerned. When i was in philippines, my son wanted to leave his mother and be with me and even finish highschool in philippines, I wouldn't have it.. I would not even let him go to school where i lived in the US because it was bad in every aspect.. Bullies and poor academics.. I just flew him to visit with me more often and returned him to his mom for school.. Today, he is at the end of his 2nd year of university and lives on campus(no mom in his hair) and he gets financial support to pay it all through me, financial aid, and his mom.. I turned down a nice lady in the US because she would travel with me to be with me but have her young son needing to be in school but i was not going to let her settle for less for him just to travel with me around the world. Be hard for me to find another girl that good looking but i know what its like to be american with early education in 3rd world countries. I was an expat child and know better than to do that to my kids or others if i have the option to have them school in the US
Thanks, I appreciate your input and Silliman was the main one I was interested in. I am concerned with the bullying thing I'm reading about in the US. Aside from that I believe he would be better off growing up there with Little League, nice parks and all that. He looks 100% Caucasian so he will always stick out here just like I do. Finding an affordable place back there is easy, finding good schools also easy. Finding them together not so easy. That's the main challenge, when I came here I had no intention of ever going back so I'm at square 1. But the longer I stay here the less I want to.
After 6 years in Oslob, we moved here to enroll our boys in Silliman HS. Our older son just graduated as an engineer. There are a growing number of American families living here for the education, his classmate was a Black American who's pilot dad died in Iraq. His Filipina mom chose here as their pension buys more including an education without student debt. Another US family with 4 kids lives near us for the same reason. If they can so the math of a STEM subject the jobs will follow most anywhere. My wife is already a US citizen after 10 years in America, that would be invaluable for your wife's future. I found a job in Guam for this so we could visit Philippines regularly. Guam (and Saipan) are a bit like Philippines where the US never left.
