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.
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 […]
Filipino Mentality Chapter 1 – Focusing on today vs Looking at the “Big Picture” I, like most westerners I know, tend towards being a “planner”. That seems to involve most aspects of my life from financial matters to vacations or even the meals that I have, and sometimes I notice that this need to plan […]
Filipino Mentality How my Thinking Differs – Introduction When I first decided to get involved with a Filipina, then again when I decided to live with her in the Philippines, I was certainly very naive in many respects. My initial belief was that the biggest problems I would face were going to be related to […]
LIVING WITH A FILIPINA Chapter 5 Her perspective of Living with a foreigner will remain a mystery for now So it has been several weeks now of gentle reminders to Shirley that she should start her series of articles and the truth came out today, lol. She just doesn’t want to do it. Though I […]
Living With a Filipina Chapter 4 Should I bring her home to Canada? In this series I am writing about living with a Filipina, this will probaly be an article that generates some polarized opinions. Though that might be the case, I have never been one to shy away from controversy in the hope that […]
Living with a Filipina Chapter 3 Remebering why I am in Love Loyalty – a good Filipina‘s unwavering commitment I awake early, and usually spend a little time these days out on my balcony, listening to the waves and watching the sun come up. The other day, when I came in the door, refreshed […]
Living with a Filipina Chapter 2 After my initial article of the series I intend to continue writing about living with a Filipina, some one commented that they would like more specific details of my experiences. I believe that is a good idea, but I do want to caution readers that this series is not […]
Living with a Filipina Introduction Over a year ago I wrote some articles about my experiences Finding Love With a Filipina and as time progressed I had planned to continue with a series on what it is now like Living with a Filipina. Well, on the 28th of March my wife and I will be […]