I'd Like Your Opinion Please

[Paul Dean]

Hi Paul, was wondering if your a friend of Bill and Dr Bob?  welcome to the forum

Nope, I'm not. Thanks for the welcome!

[Jollygoodfellow]

Time for a group hug :grouphugg: Well done on sorting these "misunderstandings" out and now back on topic please.  :cheersty:

[Old55]

Welcome to the forum, I hope you will find that although some of us are kinda rough around the edges there is some very good information here. For the most part people are going to tell you how it is not what you want to hear. Dave is not yanking your chain Paul, what he is sharing is valid.

I have to say I admire what you plan Paul. I don't much understand what affect your challenges are even after doing a Google. I can only imagine what you must deal with every day.

I do understand the Seattle Freeze and the rest having lived near Seattle 60 years. Some wonderful people here in Washington but most lack empathy.

I have some concerns with your budget. No two people have the same needs it could work out just fine for you but IMO that is cutting things close. I read you say you have enough saved for emergency's and have an exit plan if needed?

It seems to me you may have a good chance to find a woman there who would understand your condition and truly love you support you and nurture you. 

How do you feel about living out in da Providences (countryside)? Costs would be less. People would be unsophisticated and somewhat shy but more accepting and real. Your budget would go much farther. 

The worst thing that could happen is it would not work out in Philippines and you would return to the States.

Good luck. Let us know when the book comes out?

[scott h]

It seems to me you may have a good chance to find a woman there who would understand your condition and truly love you support you and nurture you.

 

I agree Old,,but what about her family? That's the 500 lbs gorilla that's in the room.

[Hey Steve]

Hi Paul. What is your relationship with your great uncle on Samar? Is he close to you? Does he know and is willing to help you familiarize yourself with the culture as boots on the ground, so to speak? We can only glean so much from our research from afar. 

 

If so, Paul, that initial starting point may allow you to take off into a new society that you may come to love. The people are certainly very warm and friendly as I have been to Davao on 3 separate occasions (my wife's family is from there). Best of luck in your new venture.

[pokermike]

 I hope you will be ok in PI,  its not your disability i am worried about its that you will not have close to enough money. Contrary to whats being told to you on this forum. You would be much better moving from where you are in the states. Do some research i am sure you can find a better place to live. Dont be misled by these numbers you read about it costs to live in the Philippines, they are going up as we speak.

You do have an out and that is returning to the states if anything goes wrong, your emergency money . That might work just make sure its at least $10,000 then you have a little cushion.   Later Poker Mike

[Paul Dean]

Welcome to the forum, I hope you will find that although some of us are kinda rough around the edges there is some very good information here. For the most part people are going to tell you how it is not what you want to hear. Dave is not yanking your chain Paul, what he is sharing is valid.

I have to say I admire what you plan Paul. I don't much understand what affect your challenges are even after doing a Google. I can only imagine what you must deal with every day.

I do understand the Seattle Freeze and the rest having lived near Seattle 60 years. Some wonderful people here in Washington but most lack empathy.

I have some concerns with your budget. No two people have the same needs it could work out just fine for you but IMO that is cutting things close. I read you say you have enough saved for emergency's and have an exit plan if needed?

It seems to me you may have a good chance to find a woman there who would understand your condition and truly love you support you and nurture you. 

How do you feel about living out in da Providences (countryside)? Costs would be less. People would be unsophisticated and somewhat shy but more accepting and real. Your budget would go much farther. 

The worst thing that could happen is it would not work out in Philippines and you would return to the States.

Good luck. Let us know when the book comes out?

Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I do struggle, but it's hard for me to understand too sometimes. Being from Seattle, you know why I want to leave: constant rain and even more unkind people than rain clouds combined with cold winters = get me out of here! I feel like if I can manage with my budget here then I could make it work there. I went through three winters living in a 1968 Winnebago rv with a roof that leaked even after I fixed it, no internet, and parking it at a horse stable where i had to walk 80 yard through the mud to use the toilet. There isn't much that I can't adjust to.

 

I got approved for SSDI, and set aside the money left over after paying debts. I can either go to Detroit and buy a house at auction for cheap (but I don't particularly want to live there), continue to rent rooms along side criminals and drug addicts (part of the reason I have c-ptsd), or move to another country while I work on my fantasy series that will pull me out of poverty (hopefully). So I chose the latter of the three. I know I might not like it, but I'm pretty sure it beats renting a clean and sober room in Everett for $475 and driving my 1983 toyota tercel without insurance. But I can always fly back and do just that on the off chance that a third world country isn't a better place to live than Everett, which is hard to believe: knowing Everett as I do, I don't think there are many places worse to live on a disability income. 

 

I'm resourceful enough to get together some extra money if my budget is too small, I just want a change from my current situation. I'm fairly certain that my books will be immensely popular, or at least a little bit, especially considering that I always have the option of getting onto some daytime talk show as a disabled person who wrote some books for entertainment purposes, and I could reasonably expect to receive at least some income from my books whether or not I can convince Oprah to have me on her show. 

 

Really, all I want out of life is to own a house, put my thoughts to paper and have people read them. I could tough it out and stay here for the time being, but I don't want to. So, I'm going to check out what the rest of the world has to offer. I doubt that living out in the province would be a horrible experience: at least compared to homelessness, renting rooms with the incredibly kind people who also rent rooms (sarcasm), or living in Detroit. 

 

I generally don't disclose my disabilities because they aren't apparent and nobody really knows what effects they have, even if they are a doctor, I just told you guys because I am generally an honest and straightforward guy and was telling you all the reasons for my move/visit. Even if I went broke, I'd be able to get home. I'd just have my car sold for me and use that money to get a plane ticket. But I somehow believe that I would enjoy myself more over there and have a less stressful environment to do my writing in.

 

Thank you for the welcome, and the advice. A quot comes to mind, from someone who supposedly also had Asperger's: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results" - Albert Einstein

 

Well, I'm ready to do something different, I just have to wrap up a few things and I'll be down there in March or April. And I'll probably have a bit more income too, fantasy novels generally sell pretty well, especially if you're as good at writing as I am. (+ hiring a decent editor, lol)

[Paul Dean]

Hi Paul. What is your relationship with your great uncle on Samar? Is he close to you? Does he know and is willing to help you familiarize yourself with the culture as boots on the ground, so to speak? We can only glean so much from our research from afar. 

 

If so, Paul, that initial starting point may allow you to take off into a new society that you may come to love. The people are certainly very warm and friendly as I have been to Davao on 3 separate occasions (my wife's family is from there). Best of luck in your new venture.

I met him once, at a family reunion about 12 years ago, besides that... Well, anyways, he's a person I know at least. lol

[scott h]

Just wondering,,,,are you sure that SSDI is transferrable? Are we positive that you will be able to receive it if you live outside the states? Is there a requirement for periodic reexamination? If so where can it be done? I don't know that's why I ask. If you are not 125% positive PLEASE check on it. That is a priority in my book! One thing is for sure, having a guaranteed source of income is must.

[Markham]

Your budget is a bit concerning. You should always have a cushion because life happens. Is there any other way you could supplement your income? Maybe you could advertise around university campuses in Davao that you are available for English lessons (conversational, academic, busineas, etc.) or for editing work. You'reba writer, right?

Not if he's a visitor! Visitors are not permitted to earn money.