As an expat in the Philippines I have noticed that I have gone through numerous attitude phases. When recently a friend of mine decided to throw in the towel (at least temporarily) and move back to the U.S. I realized that I am far from being alone. Adapting to a new country and its culture […]
We left the apartment on our Cebu bound trip a half minute late. But it was only because I used my lifetime of experience dealing with the ladies. Daisy had a whole raft of things that ‘needed’ doing before she left the house including cooking breakfast when there was 10 minutes to go. But my […]
Duterte talks a lot of crap and many foreigners want to know what is REALLY going on and how it affects everyday life for expats in this country.The brief and to the point answer is that little has changed for us here, except for perception. That perception of what is going on in the Philippines […]
It’s Sunday, Valencia market day. The best day every week the regional farmers come to Valencia to hawk their wares. We were there by 8:15am. Pretty darn early it seemed to me for them coming from out of town and having to set up and all. But there they all were looking as entrenched as […]
I started to think about both currency and Visa today. I need to change some money. I arrived packing a quantity of US$. They were full dollars too. Years ago I kept in a savings pile at home, all the US$ that were used to pay me by American visitors, rather than change them at […]
Having a Wall and a Gate is typical in the Philippines Might be Good To keep People Out, but it is embarrasing when the person it is Keeping out is You You’ll recall last week Daisy and I had visited Valencia market when I got nature’s call. I was dropped at our apartment gate, none […]
St. Valentine’s Day in Dumaguete – The Market Daisy thinks we should stay home. “Because so crowded.” The lady requires peace and quiet, not the hurly burly that comes with crowds celebrating. Most of Daisy’s conversations start with ‘Because.’ We aren’t sure why, that’s just the way it is. Daisy is supposed to be learning […]
The Next Step of my Philippine Adventure As I continue on my Philippine adventure, I pause to ponder the view. Outside our bedroom window, on the third floor of this guest house, is a narrow ledge barely wide enough to accommodate the foot of a walker, heel to toe in front of the other. The […]
Philippines Weather It’s the Sunshine, Stupid When you first think of coming to this country, it is natural to take a little interest in the Philippines weather you are likely to encounter. Frequent and highly alarming news reports of monsoons, typhoons, rainy seasons, floods, storms, tropical depressions and sodden landslides are bound to make anyone […]
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 […]
