Regrets

[MikeyD]

Like many here, the only real reason I am here is because of my wife.  I was interested in living more financially comfortably than in the US but the decision was made to move to the Philippines because my wife is from here.  The cost of living is really the only advantage I see here for me and that's enough for me most of the time.  So far, eight months in, it seems difficult for us to make any real connections to her family and friends, most of them seem to only want money they might be able to separate us from and the others don't seem to want to connect.  Her parents are the only ones I really trust but they went back to the US a few weeks ago, not sure if/when they will return to the Philippines.

I am almost never bored and am a homebody and feel no need to venture out except for necessities.  My wife is the extrovert and gets bored when we are home for more than a couple of days and feels the need to drag me out with her.

I read a lot of complaints about the traffic before we moved here but I never came across and actual day to day explanation about just how much of a pain it really is.  Traffic is one thing but the aggressive and dangerous tactics employed by many busses and motorcycle drivers is something else altogether and parking is right up there with traffic since a simple trip to the local 7/11 or pharmacy or restaurant becomes near to impossible if driving your own vehicle since there is frequently no place to park and if you are lucky enough to find a place to park that your vehicle actually fits in then getting out afterwards can be very tricky and sometimes dangerous. 

Inefficiencies in the systems and water and power outages have been annoying so far but I think these things will bother me more and more as time wears on.  But the US isn't perfect in these respects, better but still room for improvement.

My wife surprised me when she said she missed the US the other day but I reminded her that we would need to drastically reduce our lifestyle if we ever move back.  So, for now we remain here and keep trying to make things work better for us.

[Tommy T.]

Yeah... we just had power outage for 12 hours or more on Sunday morning. When the power goes out, the water also stops. I'm glad we have a 100 gallon tank on the roof! So now I am finally thinking to go out and buy s small Honda generator to cope with these times - maybe once a month or so. It won't help with the water, but I am always concerned about the food in the refer and freezer. It would also be nice if it were strong enough to power the air/con in our bedroom...

[stevewool]

Wow Spain is sounding better and better as I go through reading this thread or is it , may have to join expats in Spain and listen to there exploits 

[Jack Peterson]

Just now, stevewool said:

Wow Spain is sounding better and better as I go through reading this thread or is it ,

 I hear you Steve BUT remember, things ain't what they were Pre Brexit 

[stevewool]

1 minute ago, Jack Peterson said:

 I hear you Steve BUT remember, things ain't what they were Pre Brexit 

You are right Jack , looking very hard into both places and maybe give both places a go , out of all the replies in this thread my only thinking is that renting a place is the best way to go , don’t like it then I can upsticks to the next adventure 

[stevewool]

Wales looks nice at this moment 

[JJReyes]

2 hours ago, stevewool said:

Wow Spain is sounding better and better as I go through reading this thread or is it , may have to join expats in Spain and listen to there exploits 

Also consider Portugal.  During our most recent visit, the Portuguese seem to be more friendly than Spaniards and their prices are lower.

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, stevewool said:

You are right Jack , looking very hard into both places and maybe give both places a go , out of all the replies in this thread my only thinking is that renting a place is the best way to go , don’t like it then I can upsticks to the next adventure 

I guess it depends on how nomadic a life you want to live but the problem with having flexibility is that it may encourage folk to give up when problems crop up - those of us who have ties are more likely to tolerate a bit more inconvenience.  Of course, it would depend on just how big the inconvenience was. 

[stevewool]

On 2/24/2024 at 12:32 PM, craftbeerlover said:

Nope not bored at all, I keep myself quite busy, and have traveled to many many many parts of the country as well.   As Scott H mentioned much of is in the inefficiency, but more than that, it is the reasons for the inefficiencies.   Piss poor education, corruption at absolutely  every level everywhere, garbage everywhere (even in the so called nice tourist spots (I went to El Nido and could not believe that was (at least at one time) considered a paradise.   You could not swim in the water or eat the fish because all of the hotels etc... dumped the sewage directly into the water.  A complete lack of pride ("Filipino Pride") was nothing more than a slogan and was heard about when Manny was fighting or a 12 year old girl was discovered on youtube singing.   A wealthy class that abhors the rest of their fellow citizens, people in power doing anything and everything to stay in power...  no wonder it is inefficient.  Will catch another breath and press on

Maybe where you once called home is not to far behind the country you live in now , pride has long gone in many places the world is changing , but what may be shit for one could be just right for others 

[Jack Peterson]

 You know the Local Filipino is thinking the same, My daughter for instance just can't wait get out of Dodge