If it were not for Filipinas and cost of living, would you still be here?

[Gratefuled]

Ok, we know most expats are here for 1 or 2 reasons.

1. They married a Filipina 

2. The low cost of living.

My question is. If it were not for neither of the the above reasons, would you still be here?

If not, then where?

Notice, that I said "most" and not all. 

[Jack Peterson]

1 minute ago, Gratefuled said:

My question is. If it were not for neither of the the above reasons, would you still be here?

If not, then where?

 I doubt it but as to where I would be? Just can't answer that mainly because I am here and happy.

[Dave Hounddriver]

52 minutes ago, Gratefuled said:

If it were not for neither of the the above reasons, would you still be here?

These are good questions.  Great topic!

Admittedly, one reason to retire here was to get treated like a rock star by filipinas and now I have my number one fan living with me.  Would I stay if she was gone?  Where else am I going to find a replacement with all the qualities of a filipina?  So my answer would be:  Its unlikely that a break up with any filipina would, by itself, cause me to move away from Philippines.

I also came for the low cost of living  If it was too expensive for me to live  here then I may look for cheaper places or may go back and be a burden on the social welfare of my own country.  I paid taxes for it during my working life so I feel entitled to use the safety net it provides.  I would not stay here in Philippines if I did not have enough money to be happy  Money does not buy happiness but I have basic needs that require a minimum budget before I can start worrying about whether I am happy or not.

There is a third reason to stay here:  Friendships and climate.  I love the weather here, most of the time and so far the earthquakes, typhoons and volcanos have not been too much to bear. I also enjoy the company of the many expat friends I have made during my years here.  It is frustrating that friends die off so fast now that I am at retirement age but that would be the case anywhere I lived.

So let me think, as I write, I would not stay here for a girl or for the cost of living  It is pretty easy to take a wife away from Philppines, once you have a good wife you can go anywhere you want.  I would not stay here for the low cost of living if I was not happy.  I can live as well on the social system back home or in another 3rd world country.  I would not stay here if I had a major medical condition that required expensive and frequent treatments.  Back home to the social safety net.  So I have to say I stay here because I can create all the conditions that make me happy, those being a beautiful wife, a quiet life, walks on a tropical beach, fantastic weather, a quiet little house with air con whenever I want, good friends and cheap beer whenever that mood hits, restaurants that I enjoy and that fit in my budget, road trips on my motorcycle to lakes and waterfalls and hot springs and tourist resorts just a few minutes or hours away, and finally, easy access to the cities of the Philippines and the countries of the world from an airport that is just a 10 minute tricycle ride up the road.

[Jollygoodfellow]

What ruffles my feathers is that it is continually said that Philippines/expats topics do not belong in the chatterbox. We appreciate all topics but please use the chatterbox for any other crap and put Philippines/expats subjects in a place that all can see them including search engines. Moderators could you keep an eye out for topics that do not belong here, if they dont, fold them neatly, place in envelope and post them back. 

This is a community announcement. No members were stripped naked and tied to a pole in the making of this post.  (This time)   

[Dave Hounddriver]

11 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

We appreciate all topics but please use the chatterbox for any other crap and put Philippines/expats subjects in a place that all can see them including search engines.

Moved to Life as an expat

 

EDIT:  Sorry guys.  I don't have the authority to ban JollyPartyPooper from the topic  .  Changed title to reflect what thread is really all about.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Dave Hounddriver

[Jollygoodfellow]

34 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

EDIT:  Sorry guys.  I don't have the authority to ban JollyPartyPooper from the topic  .  Changed title to reflect what thread is really all about.

No but I got that ability back now which was lost after the upgrade.  

[Tukaram (Tim)]

If money was not an issue I would be living back in Hawaii or San Diego - both have much better weather than here.  I came here because I could quit working at 48!  Marrying a cute Filipina was just a bonus :)

I am certainly not here for the amazing infrastructure ha ha

[stevewool]

We are hoping to make the Philippines our future home ,

But before i even thought about the Philippines it was going to be France for me, i still look at places that intrest me over in France, it has to be rural so we have the space to grow all we want and not have to worry to much about the big city life, 

There are bargins still to have in France if you are willing to do a little work, the only problem i see at the moment is Europe

[Jack Peterson]

1 hour ago, stevewool said:

it was going to be France for me, i still look at places that intrest me over in France,

 I lived in France for two years before I crossed the Border into Spain. The Biggest problem I found was the racism toward the Outsider and the English in Particular. Not anything anyone wants to hear but....... Seems Expats are Foreigners wherever we Go 

[manofthecoldland]

   You can find many countries with plenty of available, attractive women and a lower cost of living outside of the first world economies. So other factors must weigh in more.

   In Central America, South America, East and West Africa, South Asia and SE Asia, English is not as widely spoken. Tolerance of foreigners is less open and welcoming if there are greater or major differences in language, religion, levels of modernity. Lower levels of commonalities reduce trust and acceptability and increases suspicion and alienation. Not much has changed in 50,000 years.

    The PI was converted to Catholicism by the Spanish and was controlled by them for 400 years. They provided no universal education system for the masses, nor much else. Only the elite learned Spanish. The USA brought in different systems of government, universal education and modernity during the territorial era. English was taught. The Japanese Empire brought repression, massive death and destruction. The American WWII liberation, Philippine Independence as well large immigration to the USA, Canada, Australia, and other accepting first world countries, provided a generally favorable acceptance of and positive attitude towards these countries and their citizens.  Japan, Korea, China and many other Asian countries have no where near the level of compatibility and acceptance of, or for, foreigners from Western countries living amongst them.

   This is why its just not the attractive women or low cost of living that makes living here a comparatively enjoyable option when considering all the other alternatives.