Making the move to the Philippines

[stevewool]

After all the planning and the doubts and have i made the right choice you are living in the place you are calling home the Philippines .

But is it what you have thought it would be and has there been things that you did not plan for , maybe the budget you thought you needed was not enough or maybe to much , have your plans changed over the time plus also are there any members here who have tried it and have moved to pastures new or back to where you came from.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, stevewool said:

are there any members here who have tried it and have moved to pastures new or back to where you came from.

Many, but they don't post here any more as they no longer have any desire to be Philippine Expats.  Some come back once in a while to give us an update.  Its not for everyone, but until you get here you will not know if it is for you.

Just as a foot note.  I don't know anyone who tried it and moved back who wishes he had never tried living in Philippines.  Its a life experience you should not miss.  Even the ones who ended up hating the Philippines are glad they tried it.  Better to try it and hate it than never try and never know.

[Snowy79]

I think the secret is always to have enough money to cover yourself if you decide it's not for you and you have to return to your home country.

I for one have certainly done my fair share of spending in the first year, travelling around exploring and buying a condo. I've spent more than I planned but have enough to survive over here.

One thing I never foresaw was the closure of Boracay where my condo is, and the threats of returning the land to the locals, even though my property is titled. Hundreds will lose their properties even without Land Reform.

One thing to be wary of here. The government can screw you overnight and as a foreigner you really don't have much protection over your financial interests 

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I know a couple guys that said they hated it so much here and could not wait to get home.  One was back here within 6 months ha ha.  The other one is back in the US but lives on expat groups badmouthing the PIs.

I think most that go back to the old country don't really post anymore, like Dave said.

 

For me, I planned it pretty well and had almost no surprises here.  I retire next year and will reconsider moving back to the city...or buy a car...  I get bored on the rice field. That comes as no surprise to me. I am, and always have been, a city boy.  The budget will get spent, no matter how much you make ha ha.  I do ok on what I have, but would not mind having more. That is pretty normal, I think.

[stevewool]

43 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

I think the secret is always to have enough money to cover yourself if you decide it's not for you and you have to return to your home country.

I for one have certainly done my fair share of spending in the first year, travelling around exploring and buying a condo. I've spent more than I planned but have enough to survive over here.

One thing I never foresaw was the closure of Boracay where my condo is, and the threats of returning the land to the locals, even though my property is titled. Hundreds will lose their properties even without Land Reform.

One thing to be wary of here. The government can screw you overnight and as a foreigner you really don't have much protection over your financial interests 

We have the house in Marikina "the family house" which if i decided could be my forever home  and i can always rent long term too, but no more investments in the Philippines, so money wise i think we will be fine.

[Balisidar]

I think the ones who have problems in the Philippines and leave didn't spend enough time there to really know what they were getting into.

  It's like that all over.  I knew a couple who retired to Belize.  I asked them before they left..have you been there?  Have you spent a lot of time..boots on the ground?  They said no but we've really researched it a lot.  They were back in 6 months.  The guy had to get another job to make ends meet and they were bad mouthing about Belize to anyone who would listen. 

 

The whole problem seems to be attitude.  You don't move to another nation (any nation, third world or otherwise) thinking that things will be the same or that people will change to conform to you.  You move to another country knowing that things will be different and excited for the difference, warts and all.  And willing to change yourself and conform (if even a little) to enjoy your new home.

I've spent the last thirty three years thinking, planning and spending time in the Philippines that my wife and I know it's the right choice.  Every time I visit there I wish I didn't have to leave.  Only 2 1/2 years to go.

 

Edited June 3, 2018 by Balisidar
Conform not confirm.😁

[stevewool]

7 minutes ago, Balisidar said:

 

The whole problem seems to be attitude.  You don't move to another nation (any nation, third world or otherwise) thinking that things will be the same or that people will change to confirm to you.  You move to another country knowing that things will be different and excited for the difference, warts and all.  And willing to change yourself and confirm (if even a little) to enjoy your new home.

 

 

Wise words indeed.

[stevewool]

12 minutes ago, Balisidar said:

 

 

I've spent the last thirty three years thinking, planning and spending time in the Philippines that my wife and I know it's the right choice.  Every time I visit there I wish I didn't have to leave.  Only 2 1/2 years to go.

 

33 years, i bet you have seen so many changers in that time.

I have just months left and thats down to single figures now, but we will stay in Europe for a little longer sampling Spain or even France, the wife wants to see many more places before she says " lets go".

[Tukaram (Tim)]

10 hours ago, Balisidar said:

The whole problem seems to be attitude.  You don't move to another nation (any nation, third world or otherwise) thinking that things will be the same or that people will change to conform to you. 

I keep telling guys that they will usually bring their problems with them (none believe me ha ha ha). 

I have heard some  people complain about our BI office, here in Iloilo. Most guys say they are friendly and helpful, a few say they are rude and useless.  Seems odd that we deal with the same few clerks - but see it so differently.  I got a perfect view of it the other day. I ran into a couple expats and was convinced to sit and have a drink with them (2 of us were drinking water). One guy was going on about BI being so bad. The other 2 of us were both saying they are friendly & helpful.  Then a couple beggars came up. They asked for money, we all said no, and they sat near us, at an outside iMart.  They did not ask again for money, they did have their hands out, they were not looking at us any more than anyone looks at 3 giant white guys sitting together... They were just sitting in the shade for a while.

But the guy that was complaining about BI kept telling them to leave, he was sticking his tongue out at them, and trying to shoo them away. He was quite an embarrassment honestly. When they left he said he was glad he got them to leave us alone, finally.  So there we were, 3 of us, in the exact same situation, have different experiences.

Their mere presence was driving this guy nuts. He was offended, and will say they were aggressive beggars. Because in his experience (somehow) they were...  You bring your attitude with you. That will have a major effect on your experience anywhere you go.

[Dave Hounddriver]

19 minutes ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

. . . the guy that was complaining about BI kept telling them to leave, he was sticking his tongue out at them, and trying to shoo them away. He was quite an embarrassment honestly. When they left he said he was glad he got them to leave us alone, finally . . . 

Some of us have different levels of tolerance towards nuisance beggars depending on our mood and situation.  I will usually try to ignore them but when I am feeling irritated I sometimes shoo them away.  I agree it can be unsettling when they are not bothering me but someone else at the table is feeling bothered and shoos them away, but the bottom line is this:

You noticed the presence of these beggars.  Did you feel more at ease when they stopped watching your table and left?  If so then don't feel embarrassed by your companion's actions.  Just realize that we humans are all different and our approach to life is different.

Some expats living in Dumaguete seem to get their daily stress under control by complaining to other expats about how bad things are.  A little bit of this is normal but when it goes on long enough they find that the only social group who will accept them are other complainers.  These people tend to give each other bad advice and that is fuel for more things to complain about and the circle goes on.