you guys get weird 'vibes', etc for marrying a foriegn wife from various people?

[robert angel]

Mmmm--halo halo....with my wife's younger siblings, that was a really big treat and I just loved watching them enjoy it. I loved it too. I have a swwet tooth and that stuff is awesome!

[Ray]

Halo-halo makes me fart... 

[Dave H]

My wife loves--really loves to talk on the phone with the few people (Filipinas) lucky enough to be her friends.

She is almost a different person with them and on the phone--totally silly--laughing like crazy and ten times as loud as normal. It's like I'm hardly there when she's on the phone with her GFs, as she talks machine gun Bisayan, laughing and oblivious to whether we're at home, the mall, grocery store--whatever until I've had enough and ask her to wind it up--please. Geeze--Filipina and cell phones...

Hey Rob,

Great posts! I think that I married one of the few Filipinas not into phones, cellphones, text, the Internet, chat, Friendster, Facebook, etc. 

Dave

[robert angel]

Geeze Dave...

You say:

>>> I think that I married one of the few Filipinas not into phones, cellphones<<<

I envy you! I haven't taken a survey, but when I've been over there, I saw a kids who hardly had anyone to call on their phones still having cell phones on which they played games. It was weird because some of them couldn't afford composition notebooks and therefore didn't go to school too much, but they did have a phone and sometimes a SIM card!

We've been tossing this thread around Dave, and I am pretty sure that a LOT of the guys here would love to hear what it's like living in the REAL Philippines--not Makati, Angeles city, etc. A lot of us hope to eventually live over there.  Not saying that  Ange;es and Makati aren't representative of some 'aspects' of the RP, but I think where you are is more representative of 'the rest' of the RP, especially when you leave your immediate neighborhood.

You write really well guy, and I think just about everyone, whether they hope to move there or just want to keep their wife/family here would enjoy it. I know most ex pats who live there are more removed from every day life there than you.

You're not one to blow your own horn (other than your avatar's) and your posts, unlike mine, are usually short, concise and funny as hell, but it'd be great to see something along the lines of '10 things a kano needs to know before moving to the RP'...Just a thought...

[jm21-2]

Yes, and some basic information on the real costs of living there would be great.

[thekfc]

We've been tossing this thread around Dave, and I am pretty sure that a LOT of the guys here would love to hear what it's like living in the REAL Philippines--not Makati, Angeles city, etc. A lot of us hope to eventually live over there.

Yep, I would like to know too.  Some of the info I read elsewhere are not that helpful - like someone who is "just passing thru" wrote it.

My girl family is from Pangasinan & I do plan on taking a trip to the family's farm in there when I visit.
Some of her sisters speak both Tagalog & Cebuano so I assume that they have some ties to the south.

Great posts! I think that I married one of the few Filipinas not into phones, cellphones, text, the Internet, chat, Friendster, Facebook, etc. 

My girl's family is just the opposite maybe because they own a cafe. Her 48yr old sister even have an account.   

[thekfc]

Some of her sisters speak both Tagalog & Cebuano so I assume that they have some ties to the south.

Correction: they speak Tagalog & Ilocano.
My girl speaks Tagalog, Ilocano, English & Spanish.

[Dave H]

it'd be great to see something along the lines of '10 things a kano needs to know before moving to the RP'...Just a thought...

Hey Rob,

I will see what I can come up with...probably more than "10 things." 

Dave

[robert angel]

Dave--That'd be great, especially because you have written so few posts here! --ha ha...

Actually, and the comments seen here seem to bear out that there's a good amount of interest in the topic, especially because you're more 'on the inside' than most people there.

As JM mentioned, at least ball park figures of what it costs to live decently there would be great. Mindanao is generally less expensive I know, but I get all kinds of figures even there, including ridiculously low figures about having a house, a house keeper, driver etc. Not that I'd need all that. A lot of guys say how the maid--house keeper does a lot more than most 'similar' positions in the USA, including cooking, cleaning, doing the shopping and sometimes even more--it's hard to get a real idea...

If you go ahead and start a little something, I'll do a 'Ten things I hate about being married to a filipina", although it's hard to figure ten about now--and there's millions I could probably give for reasons I love being married to one..

There's a lot of room for humor here, including how my wife expects me to read her mind and claims to be able to read mine, how when she 's real happy or real mad--the expected response is the same--hugging and cuddling, (when mad--usually with some delay in there) supersitions, interesting foods and their peculiar odors, tampo and a lot more.

Anyways--regarding how others react to having a foreign spouse, I think Dr. Seuss had a good philosophy, based on this quote of his:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

[Dave H]

Hey Rob,

I will have work on it more after the holiday season.

The first thing you need is a source of income. Of the 300 foreigners that live in my region, most are retired. Some of the younger guys seem to be on Social Security for a mental disability. It is tough for a foreigner to make money in the Philippines...or Filipinos for that matter. Forget about hiring relatives to drive your "for hire" tricycles or multicabs! You'll be lucky if they pay you the rent, which is about P300 (about $6) per day on a multicab. Then you have repairs, maintenance, tires, etc. Internet cafes are often busy, especially when kids are out of school. But kids tend to destroy keyboards, mice, headphones, and other things while playing online games. At 15 pisos or so per hour, you need a bunch of computers, to operate rent-free out of your house, and enjoy people visiting at all hours. You will probably also need to open a carinderia selling food and snacks to suppliment the Internet cafe income. Some foreigners operate businesses that seem to prey on the fellow countrymen. They offer overpriced deliveries and services...from teddy bear and flower deliveries to spying on prospective mates. I can't count all of the "Internet books" for sale that tell you how to successfully marry a Filipina, start a successful business in the Philippines, etc.

If I could open a Jollibee franchise, I would go for it!!!

Shadow has experience in running a variety of businesses in the Philippines...but hasn't posted for a while.

[Ray]

The first thing you need is a source of income. Of the 300 foreigners that live in my region, most are retired. Some of the younger guys seem to be on Social Security for a mental disability. It is tough for a foreigner to make money in the Philippines...

And all of those Americans collecting SSI and living abroad are breaking the law. If the government ever cracks down on them, what will they do?

A lot of retired military guys live in the Phils. Besides their military retirement, they also have paid health care through TriCare, which gives them pretty decent coverage, at least in the popular Expat areas. When the US bases were still around, they had access to the extensive military medical facilities and limited commissary and exchange shopping privileges on base.

I agree with you on hiring relatives…generally a bad idea!

How much is a Jollibee franchise? The last time I checked, a Mr. Donut franchise was very reasonably priced. If it has sugar in it, then there is a potential to make money off of Filipinos!

Probably the best bet for a foreigner living in the PI is an Internet-based business, where the local politicians can’t get their hooks into your wallet.

Ray

[Dave H]

And all of those Americans collecting SSI and living abroad are breaking the law. If the government ever cracks down on them, what will they do?

Hey Ray,

I can only imagine how many are doing it...I'm sure lots. I am glad that I have a government retirement. They have my address and phone number if they need to reach me...to "activate" me and use my professional services in a crisis.     

A lot of retired military guys live in the Phils. Besides their military retirement, they also have paid health care through TriCare, which gives them pretty decent coverage, at least in the popular Expat areas.

That is a good  set up. My US insurance is basically useless here. Doctors all want cash. But then again, my cardiologist only charges P200 per visit. I collect submit my bills to my US insurance carrier. Then they scratch their heads trying to figure out the exchange rate.

I agree with you on hiring relatives…generally a bad idea!

What I have seen is a lot of people's relatives running tabs and not paying. It is hard for them to say "No," especially at a sari sari, when food for children is involved. Since it is family, they eventually let the debt slide.

How much is a Jollibee franchise? The last time I checked, a Mr. Donut franchise was very reasonably priced. If it has sugar in it, then there is a potential to make money off of Filipinos!

More money than I have! I might be able to sell balut walking through the barangay.  This page lists the initial investment as P10,000,000 for Jollibee.
http://pinoyfranchising.blogspot.com/2006/09/franchising-jollibee-fastfood.html

Mr. Donut lists a P400,000 initial investment.
http://pinoyfranchising.blogspot.com/2006/09/franchising-mister-donut-doughnut-shop.html

Probably the best bet for a foreigner living in the PI is an Internet-based business, where the local politicians can’t get their hooks into your wallet.

Ray

I agree! That would be the best way to go. I know a guy who lives in the Philippines and schedules T times for golf courses online throughout the world. About the only English teaching jobs would be at an international call center, teaching accent reduction and idioms and phrases currently in use in British, American or Australian English

Dave