Mr Lee Posted October 1, 2009 Posted October 1, 2009 And what things about living in the Philippines made adjusting so difficult?Carl hit on some items that I felt might be important for many of us to talk about Carl's post that I mentioned What are some of the problems that some of you had settling in to a new country? I know that finding furniture that would be comfortable for me because I am quite a bit larger and heavier than an average Filipino was hard but we did eventually find things that worked for us, yet we never did find that higher platform bed with draws in the bottom that I would have liked to have to give us more storage and to make getting in and out of bed easier on my old knees. And I never did find many of the things that we would have liked to decorate our condo with, such as nice pictures to hang on the walls, but we have the rest of our lives to find many of those things and shopping and the hunt is half the fun. So what things did you all find difficult? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twostrokes Posted October 1, 2009 Posted October 1, 2009 A. no grass in the yard, orB. no yard, or C. an 8 foot hollowblock wall around the yard with glass in it, orD. the dust and dirt because there is no grass anywhereThen back in the day, No power half the time...The feeling that nearly everyone you deal with is trying to rip you off...(of course I am still trying to adjust to that here in the states now...everything is marketed now with outright lies and deception, so it buyer beware...Quite frankly, from what I have been reading on these forums over the past year, I have decided that I probably would not be very happy there anymore, tooooo much change and from my viewpoint, not much of that is for the good. So not sure if I will ever really spend any time there again. But that is just my opinion right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mik Posted October 2, 2009 Posted October 2, 2009 Waking up and wondering what country I am in.Living without Taco Bell.Not finding all the items on my shopping list.I can't go deer or bear hunting.Watching kids play and not understanding what they say.My relatives are far away across the ocean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted October 2, 2009 Author Posted October 2, 2009 I am really surprised at so little answers when I find so many things that I have to get used to when there, so as usual, I will type one of my novels. :lol:Not having a car to go shopping for groceries, but otherwise no car is good except when the taxi driver is coughing and sneezing the whole ride.No being able to buy beef at a reasonable price because in the states my main diet consist of protein to keep my weight down and in the Philippines I have to eat carbohydrates.No central air conditioning in our condo because those split units make a lot of noise and blow down instead of up or at the very least straight out would be good but no, the highest vent is still slightly downwards. No being able to find a platform bed with draws in it or a decent good looking picture to hang on the wall for decoration.Having to complain to PLDT about a dozen times to get my DSL speed up to where it should be because they were supplying me with the slower speed for the cost of the 1mb speed and just could not understand why I was complaining. :541: Having the power go out for a few minutes often and twice while we were there it went out for hours.No being able to find many items we usually buy when out shopping and when finding some of those things, the prices are much higher than in the states.Being surprised that the prices are often higher or the same on food items we buy when shopping.Getting used to thinking in pesos and converting to dollars in my mind, and also watching the darn exchange rate keep changing.Not being able to understand the news and most of the local programs because they are most often in Tagalog and I only understand a bit of Visayan since my wife is from Mindanao and Cebu.Having people reply to me "yes sir" when I ask them a question but they actually have no idea what I said to them or they are just trying to placate me but do not mean yes because it never gets done or they do not have what they said they did. :1 (103): The 12 or 13 hour time difference (depending on day light savings time or not) when wanting to call someone back in the states.Missing local TV until my friend hooked me up with a sling box.Always having many people quote me higher prices than the locals because they thing all white guys are rich. :1 (103): Having many people think we can buy 47 times as much just because we get 47 (at today's exchange rate) to our dollar, when in fact prices on many things are actually more when converted back to dollars. Example a cooked chicken is just under $4 but it is half the size of a chicken that we can buy at Costco here in the states for $5.99 so the same size or amount of chicken would cost us about $8 in the Cebu or CDO. :1 (103): Having to have my wife call hotels in order to get the locals rate instead of the kano rate. I usually like to do those things myself when in the states and it sucks to have to depend on my wife to do so many things, and even when calling to complain about things in our building or to service providers because they often do not understand English very well but again they act like they do and then things never get done because they did not understand me.Having food come out looking very different than on the menu. No truth in advertising like in the states and even when in places that are US franchises. :1 (103): Not being allowed much weight in our carry on or checked luggage when flying domestically within the Philippines. My clothing is much larger than the average Filipino, so most of my things will weigh more. Getting charged 3% on our US credit card when using it within the Philippines. And basically living off cash for most purchases when in the states we use credit cards for almost everything and then pay them off at the end of the month, so we use their money and not ours until payment time. Some places do take checks and others do take our Philippine ATM cards but many smaller places and especially most restaurants will not. So, always carrying around quite a bit of cash to make it through each day and always having to go to the ATM machine where as I usually only use the ATM machine a couple of times a month in the states.Most stores not allowing returns on goods sucks. At first living in a condo was very different than living in a house, but now we like it better than a house.The pollution.When buying shoes or even clothing, the sizes marked are very different than US sizes.The do it tomorrow attitude of many people and when making an appointment they rarely show up on time and sometimes not even the same day as the appointment.Not having hot water in the kitchen sink to wash the dishes with but we do have hot water in the bathroom sink and shower but the units were not plumed for the kitchen to have hot water and it would be a major renovation to change it.Not having our regular doctors and dentists or pharmacy to deal with and having to find ones to replace them.Not being able to carry a gun because in the states my wife and I both have concealed permits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMason Posted October 2, 2009 Posted October 2, 2009 1. Being treated as 'the foreigner' instead of an individual.2. People have no consideration for how their actions impact those around them. (noise, spitting, walking, etc.)3. Pollution.4. Kano pricing.5. Toy sized furniture.6. Smaller housing.7. Higher crime rate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twostrokes Posted October 2, 2009 Posted October 2, 2009 I am really surprised at so little answers when I find so many things that I have to get used to when there, so as usual, I will type one of my novels. :lol: Not having a car to go shopping for groceries, but otherwise no car is good except when the taxi driver is coughing and sneezing the whole ride.No being able to buy beef at a reasonable price because in the states my main diet consist of protein to keep my weight down and in the Philippines I have to eat carbohydrates.No central air conditioning in our condo because those split units make a lot of noise and blow down instead of up or at the very least straight out would be good but no, the highest vent is still slightly downwards. No being able to find a platform bed with draws in it or a decent good looking picture to hang on the wall for decoration.Having to complain to PLDT about a dozen times to get my DSL speed up to where it should be because they were supplying me with the slower speed for the cost of the 1mb speed and just could not understand why I was complaining. :541: Having the power go out for a few minutes often and twice while we were there it went out for hours.No being able to find many items we usually buy when out shopping and when finding some of those things, the prices are much higher than in the states.Being surprised that the prices are often higher or the same on food items we buy when shopping.Getting used to thinking in pesos and converting to dollars in my mind, and also watching the darn exchange rate keep changing.Not being able to understand the news and most of the local programs because they are most often in Tagalog and I only understand a bit of Visayan since my wife is from Mindanao and Cebu.Having people reply to me "yes sir" when I ask them a question but they actually have no idea what I said to them or they are just trying to placate me but do not mean yes because it never gets done or they do not have what they said they did. :1 (103): The 12 or 13 hour time difference (depending on day light savings time or not) when wanting to call someone back in the states.Missing local TV until my friend hooked me up with a sling box.Always having many people quote me higher prices than the locals because they thing all white guys are rich. :1 (103): Having many people think we can buy 47 times as much just because we get 47 (at today's exchange rate) to our dollar, when in fact prices on many things are actually more when converted back to dollars. Example a cooked chicken is just under $4 but it is half the size of a chicken that we can buy at Costco here in the states for $5.99 so the same size or amount of chicken would cost us about $8 in the Cebu or CDO. :1 (103): Having to have my wife call hotels in order to get the locals rate instead of the kano rate. I usually like to do those things myself when in the states and it sucks to have to depend on my wife to do so many things, and even when calling to complain about things in our building or to service providers because they often do not understand English very well but again they act like they do and then things never get done because they did not understand me.Having food come out looking very different than on the menu. No truth in advertising like in the states and even when in places that are US franchises. :1 (103): Not being allowed much weight in our carry on or checked luggage when flying domestically within the Philippines. My clothing is much larger than the average Filipino, so most of my things will weigh more. Getting charged 3% on our US credit card when using it within the Philippines. And basically living off cash for most purchases when in the states we use credit cards for almost everything and then pay them off at the end of the month, so we use their money and not ours until payment time. Some places do take checks and others do take our Philippine ATM cards but many smaller places and especially most restaurants will not. So, always carrying around quite a bit of cash to make it through each day and always having to go to the ATM machine where as I usually only use the ATM machine a couple of times a month in the states.Most stores not allowing returns on goods sucks. At first living in a condo was very different than living in a house, but now we like it better than a house.The pollution.When buying shoes or even clothing, the sizes marked are very different than US sizes.The do it tomorrow attitude of many people and when making an appointment they rarely show up on time and sometimes not even the same day as the appointment.Not having hot water in the kitchen sink to wash the dishes with but we do have hot water in the bathroom sink and shower but the units were not plumed for the kitchen to have hot water and it would be a major renovation to change it.Not having our regular doctors and dentists or pharmacy to deal with and having to find ones to replace them.Not being able to carry a gun because in the states my wife and I both have concealed permits.Lee,I am very suprised at your list since most of the time you talk if you really "fit in" and "accept" the 3rd world life. I could have listed most of those things as being "different", but not things I have a hard time adjusting to. In fact many of the things you list are just pain 1st world. Example, I don't mention anything about the internet, or cell phones, because all the years I lived in the PI, I never had a phone. or the direction of the air flow of the aircon???,, I never had an aircon while there. Same with hot water, except the last couple years I was there, I did get one of those instant hot water rigs for the shower. But, most of that I guess is just me. I have many people, including my wife that keep saying I am stuck in a time warp, back in the 60's and just don't want to leave that time. Maybe they are right. I have a 60's jukebox in my living room along with a 60's slot machine. My CD's are all "TimeLife" sets from the 50-70,s both rock and roll and country. I do have a few of Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Elvis, Humperdink, Lawrence Welk,Glenn Miller,Patti Page,Sara Vaughn, and a few others that I wanted the entire album. I can't name 5 top singers/groups with songs out now, except maybe country singers, and that's only cuz I live in Texas. My favorite radio station is oldies but goodies. So many of the things you complain about, I just don't worry about. About the main thing off your list, I didn't put on mine is the Kano Pricing...But even that, what do you expect??? Even that for me, I don't haggle well. If I think an item is worth the price on it, I pay it, If i don't think it is worth is, I walk away usually not even given them a chance to bargain. On the other side, many times, they will jump immediately to their lowest price, as they got to know me and know I will walk out.But the PI has changed too, I think maybe way too much for me. I'm not sure I could be happy there unless I was located really deep in the province....but then I would miss the ability to socialize with other expats, so that wouldn't work for very long either. Since this trip planned for Oct. is not going to happen, I don't know when I will get there now to find out just how much different it is....But maybe next year, I'll be able to make it and find out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted October 2, 2009 Author Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) Lee,I am very suprised at your list since most of the time you talk if you really "fit in" and "accept" the 3rd world life. I could have listed most of those things as being "different", but not things I have a hard time adjusting to. In fact many of the things you list are just pain 1st world. Example, I don't mention anything about the internet, or cell phones, because all the years I lived in the PI, I never had a phone. or the direction of the air flow of the aircon???,, I never had an aircon while there. Same with hot water, except the last couple years I was there, I did get one of those instant hot water rigs for the shower. But, most of that I guess is just me. I have many people, including my wife that keep saying I am stuck in a time warp, back in the 60's and just don't want to leave that time. Maybe they are right. I have a 60's jukebox in my living room along with a 60's slot machine. My CD's are all "TimeLife" sets from the 50-70,s both rock and roll and country. I do have a few of Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Elvis, Humperdink, Lawrence Welk,Glenn Miller,Patti Page,Sara Vaughn, and a few others that I wanted the entire album. I can't name 5 top singers/groups with songs out now, except maybe country singers, and that's only cuz I live in Texas. My favorite radio station is oldies but goodies. So many of the things you complain about, I just don't worry about. About the main thing off your list, I didn't put on mine is the Kano Pricing...But even that, what do you expect??? Even that for me, I don't haggle well. If I think an item is worth the price on it, I pay it, If i don't think it is worth is, I walk away usually not even given them a chance to bargain. On the other side, many times, they will jump immediately to their lowest price, as they got to know me and know I will walk out.But the PI has changed too, I think maybe way too much for me. I'm not sure I could be happy there unless I was located really deep in the province....but then I would miss the ability to socialize with other expats, so that wouldn't work for very long either. Since this trip planned for Oct. is not going to happen, I don't know when I will get there now to find out just how much different it is....But maybe next year, I'll be able to make it and find out.twostrokes, the name of this thread is how hard it was for me to adjust to my new life. I am not complaining but I tell it like it is and I do not want my posts on this forum to be like some members on other forums who only tell the good side of things. I feel there has to be balance and that is why I started the other thread on the good things about the Philippines and I hope others will post about them.I guess as we get older, we tend to have a hard time adjusting to new things. I actually have the same problems when I am in the states but I do feel that the customer service is often better in the states but not always. I once got a call from ATT telling me how they could save me money by packaging my plans because they now have packages two pack, three pack etc. Well it ended up costing me more and I never got my bill back down to where it was, so bad customer service can also happen here. I feel that you and I can not only make it in the Philippines but enjoy living there. There are many things that I really enjoy and I will wait to list some of them in the other thread when the time comes but the main thing is that I want to tell it like it is and I am sorry if people may take that as negativity. The good things in the Philippines often out weigh the bad but the bad needs to be known to people because if the are to adjust to moving there, then they have to know the bad as well as the good. I have had friends who moved to Florida and did not last a year because they could not deal with the heat or the slower way of life. When I first moved to Florida, I felt the same way and then I looked at the positive side, no ice, no snow, no nasty people, well the nasty people part has now changed but that is another story and the point I am trying to make is that once a person thinks about the positive things and not just the negative things, then life in the Philippines can be like living in paradise, but not knowing the negative up front might make them give up and go home before they had time to get used to it. There is no perfect place in the world and no perfect people and if we just list the positive and the negatives of things or people, then we will usually see that the positives out weigh the negatives and life in the Philippines is exactly that, more positives than negatives. Many of the problems I listed were easily overcome by having my wife do the shopping or the dealing, but I am just not used to that way of doing things and I think many single guys who move to the Philippines really need to know the bad things that I have listed so they do not give up too soon. BTW, you and other members who live in the states are always welcome to pm me and I will give you my phone number or call you with my Magic Jack even when we are in the Philippines and we can talk about anythings that bother you or them on the phone. We also have a phone number in Cebu when we are there and both my lines are always open to friends and those who we hope to become friends. Edited October 2, 2009 by Mr. Lee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Lee Posted October 2, 2009 Author Posted October 2, 2009 Lee,But, most of that I guess is just me. I have many people, including my wife that keep saying I am stuck in a time warp, back in the 60's and just don't want to leave that time. Maybe they are right. I have a 60's jukebox in my living room along with a 60's slot machine. My CD's are all "TimeLife" sets from the 50-70,s both rock and roll and country. I do have a few of Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Elvis, Humperdink, Lawrence Welk,Glenn Miller,Patti Page,Sara Vaughn, and a few others that I wanted the entire album. I can't name 5 top singers/groups with songs out now, except maybe country singers, and that's only cuz I live in Texas. My favorite radio station is oldies but goodies.Whoops, I forgot to address this issue. I like listening to this juke box in the background of my computer, try it you may like it. http://www.tropicalglen.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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