My move to the Philippines

Jexnell

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Jul 17, 2017
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As some of you may know, some may not. I am a twice over cancer survivor. During my treatment my body attacked itself doing major damage to cartilage ares throughout my body, knees, hips disk in back my etc. This made it to where I was no longer able to work in my career field. So I ended up on Social Security Disability. Been on it near 20 years. For a while I could keep up with the cost of living, but as of late not so much.
So I started investigating living abroad and still being able to keep my disability. After months of my own investigating I come to the conclusion that it would be far better for me to move to the Philippines than to stay in the states.
It's been a month now that I have been here, and I am now settled into an apartment here. The one drawback is no pets of any kind here. So in a year I'll move to a place that allows pets and I can set up a tank, get a parrot again.

The cultural differences are quite shocking at times. Seems Philippines people are absolutely afraid of the rain. Like one drip will cause them to melt. While me being from the NW, it rains frequently, but it's cold rain. At least here it's warm. Us westerners change from the norm, even mundane in the states to now being the exotic. And they will state at you like it's the first time they have ever seen a white person. Especially the woman, even women walking with their man will stare at you like your a triple chocolate cake. There is no dating here, it's instant girlfriend living with you, taking care of you in ways a western woman never would. Feeding you more than you can eat in one sitting, won't let you do any household chores.

The cost here are shocking. Everything is about one third to one fifth the cost of the same thing in the states. As an example my apartment in the states was 1100 a month for a 440 square foot studio in Portland, Oregon. While my apartment here in the Philippines a tad bit bigger only cost me 247 USD. A quarter pound meal at McDonald's is 5usd, in the states 10 or more. A pack of cigarettes here is 3 USD and some change, in the states around 12 or so.

The plane trip over was long and arduous. Portland to San Francisco, to Taipei, to Cebu philippines. The first leg was fine. Was supposed to be a 6 hour layover in San Francisco, but the flight was canceled and ended up there a day and a half. San Francisco to Taipei was the long leg. 23 hours in the air. A 4 hour layover there and the last leg was just another two and half hours into Cebu.20240303_185524.jpg
At San Francisco 20240303_231931.jpg
On the flight to Taipei

The heat here is so very different. It's so very intense, a lot higher UV index. So just five minutes in it feels like an hour in the same temperature in the states.

My long hair and beard didn't last a week here, just too hot.
 

Rakeboy

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Aug 9, 2020
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Welcome to my beautiful country!

even ornamental fishes here is cheap compare to US and i bet also the aquarium equipment. If you are base on cebu there are alot of fish breeders. But i think it is mostly flowerhorns. Women here is beautiful and more feminine and way more sexier compare to westerners who are mostly overweight. I suggest you cut your hair since it is summer time here. The temperature is a whopping 41 celsius in the afternoon.
 

Jexnell

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Jul 17, 2017
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Welcome to my beautiful country!

even ornamental fishes here is cheap compare to US and i bet also the aquarium equipment. If you are base on cebu there are alot of fish breeders. But i think it is mostly flowerhorns. Women here is beautiful and more feminine and way more sexier compare to westerners who are mostly overweight. I suggest you cut your hair since it is summer time here. The temperature is a whopping 41 celsius in the afternoon.
Yes as mentioned it didn't last a week.
20240326_124931.jpg
I landed in Cebu at first, now I am down in Davao. And just loving it here, we'll besides the over oppressive heat. I have found me a very beautiful Filipina, and she is living with me. She takes so much better care of me then any western woman ever. The difference is shocking. A western woman will want everything that is super expensive, my Filipina get mad if I spend to much on stuff, she's all you need to get this instead, it's half the cost.
 

deeda

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Jexnell Jexnell , thanks for the update and congratulations on moving somewhere that is more affordable for you.

I think your haircut and beard trim look very good and probably necessary in a hot climate but I'm sure it's taking you some time to get used to it.
 

Jexnell

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Very cool! Do you have any wildlife photos? Do you like the food? Will you learn Tagolag?
So no wildlife photos as of yet. Not a lot of funds for fun these first two months. The flight over, paying rent and deposit for the apartment. In time I will be doing more things where I can get pictures of local wildlife. But have seen some wild parrots and lizards.
I have not really tried any of the local foods. Read, saw lots of stories of foreigners getting sick. So not tried any besides some my girlfriend as cooked.
Where I am it's a different dialect, Basiya (don't know the spelling) but in time I will learn it from her. Starting with some basics.
 

Milingu

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I have not really tried any of the local foods. Read, saw lots of stories of foreigners getting sick. So not tried any besides some my girlfriend as cooked.
I spend a few weeks in the Philippines once a year for work.
I eat nearly everything there without problems and I have a sensitive stomache. The most important thing for our westener immunsystem is to drink only bottled water or from a waterfilter you know is cleaned regularly (like in big office buildings etc).
Stay away from Pagpag.
 

ken31cay

Dovii
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Dec 25, 2022
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Cayman Islands
Yes as mentioned it didn't last a week.
View attachment 1539310
I landed in Cebu at first, now I am down in Davao. And just loving it here, we'll besides the over oppressive heat. I have found me a very beautiful Filipina, and she is living with me. She takes so much better care of me then any western woman ever. The difference is shocking. A western woman will want everything that is super expensive, my Filipina get mad if I spend to much on stuff, she's all you need to get this instead, it's half the cost.
Sounds good to me. I hope this continues to be a fulfilling new season in your life. I was sick for an extended period (over 3 years, one hospital stay was 7 months straight) when I was a teen so I can empathize.

Regarding the rain, you may or may not acclimate to the temperature there but if you do it will take time. If so, then you may start to feel as the people there do about the rain. Coming from Minnesota I've lived in the Cayman Islands going on 26 years now. But I could never get used to the heat here, my best time is spent in air conditioning.
 
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