Perspective as an Expat in the Philippines Forgetting to see the Beauty I am writing this article reflecting on my perspective as an expat in the Philippines as a follow up to my previous article on what the country looked like as a tourist who was just visiting. Very quickly after I sat down in […]
Finding a Girl in the Philippines Online Get Ready to be Overwhelmed! When I first went about finding a girl in the Philippines online, I was absolutely shocked and overwhelmed. I had been pretty much single for a decade or two and had tried all the online dating sites popular in North America from the […]
Life in the Philippines Perspective is Everything Recently Henry, “Reekay” Velez made a video called ” what do you see” and this made me once again reflect on the different perspectives I have looked at the Philippines from during my time here and how it has affected my enjoyment of life here. Perception of life […]
Living With a Filipina – Chapter 6 And her Family Writing this article about Living with a Filipina and her family, I expect to get a lot of reactions from all over the board. It can be a real touchy subject as just about anybody who has been in a relationship with a Filipina has […]
Ferry Travel In The Philippines Is it safe? If you are coming to the Philippines and have done even a minimal amount of research, you will know that ferry travel is likely to be a part of your itinerary if you wish to stray any distance outside of Manila, and an essential part if you […]
As an expat in the Philippines I am now part of a society in which for better or worse, I stand out and am highly visible. This is an ironic twist for me as for the first several decades of my life I desperately strove to be in such a position.
Growing up, I have to admit I was on the insecure side. I was never the guy that garnered a lot of attention from the girls nor was I held in great esteem by my peers who gathered around amazed at my wit, laugh at my jokes or be in awe of my abilities and accomplishments. For the most part I was just one of a faceless crowd that I felt I had to work hard to impress and show my relevance in the world in. In my late teens and early twenties I resorted to drink, outlandish behavior and extravagant spending to set me apart from the crowd and counterbalance my shyness and insecurity.
Don’t Get Involved! A Filipino Mentality that differs wildly from what I am used to This Filipino mentality showed it ugly side recently here in Dumaguete. There was a very sad and unfortunate incident that has made me remember something my wife has tried repeatedly to convince me of. Out of respect for the family […]
Having Kids as an Older Expat Should I, Should I not? Having kids as an older expat in the Philippines is something that just about all expats will have to think about. The reality is that most expats who have come to live in the Philippines will end up with a wife or significant other […]
Filipino Mentality – Chapter 2 “Crabs in a Bucket” or, “Me First” “Crab mentality, sometimes referred to as crabs in the bucket, is a way of thinking best described by the phrase, “if I can’t have it, neither can you.”The metaphor refers to a bucket or pot of crabs. Individually, the crabs could easily escape […]
Starting My Philippines Life Over What I Would Do Differently Here I am, 5 years down the road in my Philippines life, thinking back to how I behaved during my first year or two and wondering how I would do things differently if I was just arriving in the country now. It’s not that I […]