The only guy in the village

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I am a city boy, but a friendly one.  I will smile and say hi - it does not  mean I want to stop & chat.  Quite often the other foreigner looks away, or ignores me. That is fine with me. My wife thinks I should like all foreigners, simply because we are foreigners.  That is not much of a bond to me.

I met a subscriber to my channel, that lives a few towns over, and we hit it off quite well (and the wives like each other too). He and I both joke that we are socialized hermits.  I think a lot of expats are like that, especially farther from the cities.  If I wanted to hang out with a big group of friends... the old country would be a better option. A work acquaintance ended up in the same town as me and did not last a year here. He missed hanging out with all his buddies (and drinking).  He is back in Texas and seems happier. I know his wife likes it better, too.

 

3 hours ago, stevewool said:

Just to make it clear ,  don’t look anything like him either.

Really? I get you and Sir Elton confused all the time ha ha

 

[graham59]

1 hour ago, stevewool said:

Well would you believe it, we went to the laundry today and who is sitting there with his young lady the bloke I saw the other day and again as I walked past his head went down so I thought ok, we put the cloths in and I sat down while Emma went to get her nails done, well as I was editing some pictures I heard another voice coming into the shop and blow me down there standing in the doorway was the other chap too, again no introduction so I just went on doing my own thing, talk about deja vu .

Anyway 2 loads of washing done and folded with the help of the pretty assistant, still no sign of Ems , yes it’s much more fun in the Philippines. 

You do meet some funny folk in those places though, eh mate.     (Takes me back to my 'bedsit' days)

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[hk blues]

16 hours ago, Jake said:

My experience is somewhat unique.  Me being a Filipino with an American accent gave me the luxury of incognito most of the time.  It is me who usually initiates a greeting that is often met with a pleasant surprise.  However, there are times when the expat is obviously an a$$hole -- usually drunk at 9AM or humiliating their wife or GF in public.  Back then when I felt young and invincible, I would raise my voice (in a restaurant) and say -- HEY DOUCHEBAG, BACK OFF.   He would stop immediately, wondering where that came from, among all the locals surrounding him.  

These days, stupid people will continue to do more stupid things in public.  Since I'm old and worn out, I have to think twice about standing my ground.  You never know these days what they are carrying, possibly a bladed weapon.  In today's society, people are more sophisticated scam artists, gentle and nice with hidden agendas.  Proceed with caution.......

Respectfully Jake  
 

Not just here, but even back home I would never get involved in domestic disputes.  They are unpredictable and you can end up with both parties turning on you.  

[Howard]

I'm in the big city and surprisingly enough to me, I don't see many foriegners. When I do see one I usually do a head nod but rarely get anything back. Whether I get a reply or not I will just continue walking,  same as I would have in the US when dealing with a stranger.

[Tommy T.]

8 hours ago, JDDavao said:

Did you leave Seattle before the "Seattle Freeze" became a thing? It's a weird town now. Everyone talks about "community" and no one wants to make a friend.

Hmmm... That I really cannot say exactly. However, I first arrived in Seattle in 1975. It was generally a friendly town by and large. Over time I noticed the increasing chill - as you put it. The main thing seemed to be younger "kids" invading some of the nicer, settled bars and restaurants and other haunts and making them just not so warm or friendly. So I guess the short answer is that I escaped sort of after a lot of the Freeze began - 1993 was the year. As far as I was concerned, Seattle was already mostly "lost' to the millenials or gen x or whatever has superseded them all? Still, some areas like Ballard and other enclaves persist and with class and character... but mostly it is a place to be from for me and not a destination any more...

[OnMyWay]

14 hours ago, Gary D said:

In the Philippines it would have to be a very small village for you to be the only gay.

Like, less than 5 people?  

[OnMyWay]

11 hours ago, Mick said:

I think you sometimes need someone on the Same wavelength

Yes, not easy to find.  A lot of the expats here are not types I would hang with and I know this without meeting them, just by observation.  Some that I might have some commonalities with seem really old!  Am I that old?  I hope not!  I have usually had friends who are a bit younger than me.  There are some young expats here who I envy as they are into all the sports I would love to enjoy if I were younger and in better shape.  Wakeboarding, surfing, etc.  The friend here who I get along the best with is a very worldly Filipino who is more than 25 years my junior.  However, like you said, we are on the same wavelength!

[bastonjock]

The first expat that i met was at Manila airport ,after a few minutes ,he asked me for money, he may have been the genuine guy who got robbed of his passport and cash ,but i did not give him a peso ,i made a lame excuse about not having any Philippines money

Most of the expats down davao way have responded with a short chat 

The problem i see is that a lot of expats are avoiding something from back home , and its anyone guess what that is

[Tommy T.]

28 minutes ago, bastonjock said:

The first expat that i met was at Manila airport ,after a few minutes ,he asked me for money, he may have been the genuine guy who got robbed of his passport and cash ,but i did not give him a peso ,i made a lame excuse about not having any Philippines money

 

You should not feel at all like that was a "lame" excuse. The only people I have ever met who asked for money have been the true beggars. A foreigner asking for money at the airport? Smells like old fish to me...sorry...

[stevewool]

1 hour ago, Tommy T. said:

The only people I have ever met who asked for money 

FAMILY 

Edited December 6, 2019 by stevewool
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