⌛ Leaving the West

Over the years I’ve become, what you may call, cynical towards life in the Empire of Consumption (meaning the U.S.). I want out of the corporate life and the excessive pressure of bigger, better, faster, now.
I understand these things still exist in the Philippines but to a much lesser degree than here.

Do I think the Philippines is some type of idyllic paradise? No, not at all. Do I believe I can have a better life there than I have here? In many respects, yes, I do.
I’ve done a fair amount of research including the history and customs of the islands. I’ve spent a fair amount of time during my visits living in the province, sleeping on the floor, eating the local fare, riding in buses and tricycles, and “hanging out” with the locals. I’ve also had the pleasure of waiting on the local government to “take care of business” and engaging with (meaning bribing) the local constabulary, pollution, crazy drivers, beggars, storms, criminals, greedy politicians, heat, humidity, snakes, cockroaches, fire ants, mosquitoes.................

At this point I think I’ve eliminated all the silly, unrealistic perceptions of “life in paradise” and have a pretty clear idea of what our life will be.

Here’s the basic plan:
Sell everything except the clothes on our backs and some basic “necessities”.
Spend some time in Manila getting situated and perhaps take a trip to Europe.
Transfer to the Visayas (right now Bohol is getting the nod but we’ll see).
Go scuba diving and sailing.
Spend a lot of time exploring and looking for some land to build a house on.
Our goal is to live as self-sufficiently as possible with a minimal impact on the environment. This includes:
1. A water well and filter system.
2. Solar panels for electricity backed up with a diesel generator.
3. A house plan maximizing passive cooling techniques. No artificial air-con.
4. A small vegetable garden utilizing composted material for fertilizer.
5. Waterless (composting) toilets. No septic tank.
6. Making bio-diesel to power the vehicle and generator.

The house will not be a large "Western" style home or have a swimming pool, maid's quarters or other unessential luxuries. Freedom includes being free from excessive material attachments as well.

I’ve posted a couple of times what I believe to be correctly estimated monthly living expenses based on input from others and what I’ve experienced on my extended visits. In total I would expect to pay around US$500 a month for “necessities” such as food, utilities, fuel, etc., plus dining out, telephone and Internet. I’m doubling that to account for play money and anticipated (but temporary) rent expense. I expect the amount for necessities to decrease due to not having to pay rent or for water and electricity but for estimation purposes and having a “cushion” I’m leaving the numbers as is. Added to this budget is an annual adjustment for inflation and potential medical expenses that may arise. I am not planning on any income from a job or business in the Philippines. An opportunity may come along but that’s not part of the plan.

There are some who would question our decision to buy land and build a house. I can understand their viewpoint; rent is cheap, you can pack up and move any time you like and you minimize your interaction with the local government. It’s a valid argument.
1. We don’t want the interference of a landlord. If we want to plant a garden, raise chickens and/or goats or brew bio-diesel then we can choose to do so.
2. This will be our permanent residence for at least as long as I’m alive. When I’m gone everything transfers to my wife and she can do with it as she pleases.
3. If the world really does go, as the expression is, “to hell in a hand basket” we stand a good chance of surviving. I’m not an “end of the world” preacher or “survivalist” but it is worth thinking about a little bit.
4. We enjoy socializing but sometimes you need some space of your own. Therefore, we prefer to be away from the very densely populated areas. This will require a somewhat large piece of land to accomplish.

I hope this information is helpful to someone. I would encourage all those that are thinking of moving to the Philippines to take a lot of time to be sure of what you’re doing and be very honest with yourself. It’s easy to fall under the spell of what seems like life in paradise. While there are a lot of positive things there are some serious negatives as well. Be prepared to drop your Western expectations and adapt to your new homeland while always remembering you’re in someone else’s country.
I would also like to encourage everyone, regardless where you live, to examine your lifestyle and its impact on our world then make some positive changes.
Mabuhay!

 

if your idea of excessive consumerism, is spending everything as soon as it gets into your pocket, only 1 week max in advance financial planning, buying an suv when u can not feed you family etc. you will find so many world consumer champions in asia, the usa will not get a look in.

 

This is a great post as you write very open about your plans and visions.

It may not work for others but is a perfect example what to consider when aiming for a "Life after the West"

I hope everybody here reads it. It is your plan and with all your research and knowledge AND real experience here with the culture and population I hope (and I am almost sure) your dream comes true.

cheers

Rhoody

 

Hi cactusflower!
Thank you for the question as it is something high on my list of non-polluting activities.
Many hail the modern sewer system as the savior of our civilization because, they think, we've successfully developed a system to remove and treat solid waste in a safe, non-polluting manner. Upon closer examination, this proves to not be the case although it's better than what we had before, which was essentially nothing.
The idea behind composting or waterless toilets has been around for many years. In simple terms, you are working with nature to break down feces into a harmless, non-toxic substance that can be placed directly into the earth. With continued research into understanding support of the bacteria needed for successfully breaking down human feces it has become relatively simple and inexpensive to build composting toilets. This is not your typical "out-house" and the best part is, they don't stink!
There are many variations of the design from compact, self-contained units to large, multi-bin designs. There are manufacturers offering ready-made units along with organizations offering plans to construct your own. There's even a gentleman here in my area that will build to order and deliver to your site.
Many organizations have taken the idea into poverty stricken areas of the world, including many parts of Asia, to provide sanitation assistance to those who lack the means or knowledge to prevent polluting their ground and water.
A great deal of information on the subject is available on the Internet.
Composting Toilet World

 

Ah, so true. After all, the pretty displays we watch with all the pretty pictures flashing by sympathetically with engaging tunes and beautiful people telling us we deserve a new Lexus are built, primarily, in Asia.
:D

 

You might want to make one addition to your plans. Move as far away from your wife's family as possible. When you just come here for trips they are on their best behavior, however when you move here permanently they will have crisis after crisis.. each one directly related to the amount of cash you have readily available or can afford with monthly payments.

At first it is not such a big deal, but one day reality will sink in and you will resent the fact that you worked your whole life and sacrificed so that you can support people that have no work ethic other than working you out of your money.

Harsh words? Yes, but true

 

i would love to hear about innovative tactics to reduce this familial bill, here are some commonly used ones
1.) low ball your income - obviously do not disclose to wife
2.) channel fixed monthly amount of funds through one respected family member for all. then let them fight between themselves. (remember i do not have any money, is the only acceptable explanation).
3.) look for work in exchange for money, the work has to be done before the money is handed over no matter how immediate the 'crisis' is
4.) locate far from family(as was stated)
5.) refuse to give money to anyone from the outset(risky - but had worked in the 3 cases that i know have used it)
6.) never employ family
7.) my favorite was an english guy who would only go out with orphans, so he had no family obligation

donations are regarded both as a sign of kindness and weakness.
the truth is the descent ones, will never ask for money and only take it in extreme conditions. the opportunists will try, but do not expect. the ones that feel an obligation, are the ones difficult to deal with, especially after some money has been rolled out and a perceived precedent has been set.

my favorite set of crisis came last year from a 1-2 month affair with your typical gold digger, always drama and emotions etc. no urgency to get a job, loved lee plaza, u know the type. I had to leave town for a few weeks and was wondering, when all the imminent crisis were going to happen, so i preempted this by stating, that i had no means of banking while away.
within 48 hours of departure, the crisis from this girl and her mother had gone from requesting money for one lost phone on the first day, to day two when father and brother needing police bail. mother, girl, one sister in hospital(mother close to death), mother and sister needing money to escape from a violent father, mother and aunty needing money for trader licence. girl needing a heart operation. literally every text had a new crisis.



god knows what it would have been like with the whole extended family using their request skills in the ample free time available. well it was interesting drama anyway. i heard one dummy, fell for the heart operation line since($5000).

one guy i know married rich, and has no family financial requests, but he has to purchase loads of the status symbols, which are also very expensive, but granted less frustrating and do not make you feel like a complete sucker.

it is not only the wives family that are lazy, i have seen tired wives here with 4 maids, to assist 1 child.

 

Hello Tim8ter, wish you all the best of luck.
I support JoeMabini's view though, find yourself a place far from all relatives...unless you do not mind having them living with you and having your food, drinks, cigarettes (you might be a no smoker but they do smoke!) expenses quadrupled overnight. Also if you were to choose a secluded spot, security could became an issue. One last thing...which visa do you plan applying for? This could mean you having to leave and re-enter the country every few months, having all additional costs to shoulder.
Having said that, I admire your spirit and really do hope everything will work out just fine.
Cheers, UJ

 

Hello barramak, the world is full of suckers, I was one myself.....but i learned pretty quickly.
My wife's family had kind of an expectation from her, being the lucky one living and working abroad, plus the fact that she is married to Joe doubled up their expectations. I'm lucky to have a wonderfully loyal wife whom understands and shares my views when it comes to "providing" for her family. After all, I only married her, not the whole lot. We had a long chat and agreed that whatever we gave away was something we had subtracted to ourselves. We then gradually started reducing the amounts and with time it came to a point where expectations almost vanished, as the number of relatives got the message and we were left to live our lives in peace. We are getting older and need our savings, and you can bet your last dime that when the money runs out, you'll be left to fend for yourself and they'll find another sucker. Do not get me wrong, many of the dramas they present you with may be true, after all it is a developing country, but there is only so much you can afford to help and you cannot save the world.
Something for timn8ter to reflect upon....it seems you have thought long and hard about your plan of relocating, but it is too perfect on paper and unpredicted problems will always place a spanner in your works. Ever considered the cost of healthcare? You'll have to foot the bills for everything, from tests to scans to medications, surgeon fees, hospital bed fees....and this is just an example. Do not cut all links with the western world, leave something behind to fall back to if things were not to work out. Just a friendly advice.