How Did You Become An Expat Living In Philippines?

[robert k]

Back problems put me out of heavy construction and heavy equipment mechanic work along with spinal arthritis. I still enjoyed riding my motorcycle on hot days and met a Filipina online through a motorcycle forum. It seems that all my personal bankers were Filipinas! I jokingly told one of my bankers that I loved her and when she asked why I told her that anytime a man gives a woman his paycheck and she gives him however much of it he wants back in cash, even the whole thing, it must be love! She told me to go to the Philippines. I looked and it was doable. Still not fully settled, ran into several pitfalls. It would be much easier if one already had a filipina spouse but well worth the effort in my case.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I always wanted to travel - and the Navy delivered... in abundance! I fell in love with Asia back in elementary school.  We saw films in Social Studies class and I immediately loved it. My friends all laughed at the films and said it looked poor & dirty.  I was enthralled and said it looked vibrant & alive.  Once I joined the Navy we did a bunch of South Pacific port visits and I was hooked.  So no  real epiphany... my life was always headed this way.  (Reading Kipling helped too)

 

Hell in one of the videos they showed Indians breaking a twig off a tree, chewing the end, and using it as a toothbrush.  How cool is that!?

 

My kids always heard me talking about retiring overseas (I was a single dad).  So it came as no surprise to them.  It did kind of surprise all of us, including me, when I realized how young I could move over here.  Once they moved out of the house I was only using one room of the house so I was ready to sell it anyway.  Then I did the math and saw that I could quit working and move over here at 48. 

 

Been here 3 years so far (just turned 52 three days ago, and 13thFEB is my 3rd anniversary here).  Only 3 more years until my first retirement ha ha... that will help a lot!  

 

It is everything I hoped for.  I am an easy walk to the beach, close to a big city, tons of friendly people (and lots of cute girls).  I got a great wife.  Her family is friendly and leaves us alone money-wise.  We can go out in the yard and pick radish, pechay, bell peppers, green hot peppers, mango, bananas, papaya, guava, star apple, tino-tino (small tomatillos), coconuts, and eggplant.  Probably a few more things but that is all I can think of offhand.   Better than working for a living!      :tiphat:

[Steve & Myrlita]

Been here 3 years so far (just turned 52 three days ago, and 13thFEB is my 3rd anniversary here). Only 3 more years until my first retirement ha ha... that will help a lot!

Belated Happy Birthday Tim.

[i am bob]

i met a woman from Taiwan who came to Canada to live with me...  it lasted 4 years and then she went home to be with her dad who had brain cancer (and finally succumbed earlier this month)...  I started looking at moving to Taiwan to be with her but realized I could never afford to live and work there the way i wanted.  But I was bored and started looking around the area to see what other countries were like to live in.  Found out about the Philippines and realized that I could live on just my military pension quite nicely!  Also the fact that my former gf and i realized that we were better off as friends and wanted to leave things as they were.. (she's still on my FB and listed as family)  Anyway, i wanted to hear more about the Philippines than i was finding online (hadn't found this forum at that time) so I decided to get a penpal...  And did I!  I beautiful young Filipina who, after just a few months, found that we were becoming romantically involved...  So, after 3 years of talking online, here I am!

 

For those of you wondering?  No, it didn't last.  But I did find someone who i don't want to ever live without...  Someday, once we get the complications out of the way...  

 

:mocking: