Haveing a hard time with a decision

[hook2001321]

I have been mainly a lucker on planet love for the last 3 years and finding it hard not only to make a decision to take a trip and just go for it and also to where i would prefer but fits my situation best? I am torn between colombia and the phillipines on which lifestlyle and coulture would work. I will start off by saying that i work offshore in the gulf of mexico mainly and every once in a blue moon my company might do a job elsewhere. I work in the commercial divng buiseness and we don't really have schedules and are pretty much on call when we are home 24/7. Their are some years to where i work 8 months and some years where i might only get 6 months, with the exception being this year i have only work a totall of 3 months.
  The hard choice is buckling down and choosing which one best fits between columbia and phillipines. I like the look of a latina a little bit better and i also like the fact that they enjoy many different things and shows you alot of affection. With their open persanalities and the language barrier when they first come to the states could be a issue. Even if you put them through english their will still be limitations to what they know and learn before they arive. Since i am gone alot i see this as a stumbling block and not so sure how well it would work in the short and long term. I know that both groups are big on family it just seems to that not being home everyday would be like asking for a failer. I love how phillipinoes seem a little more reserved and that they can speak english already. Seems like they are a little more family oriented then some latina's, but its a little bit harder to meet them and learn more about them other then joining a website and talking online. I get the feeling that they would be able to handle things a little better when they first come to the states and after some time and i would have to go to work.
 I have looked and read on here for several years and done research on each culture and i can't seem to make that last and final direction in which i want to head in. I'm pretty much tired of trying to date in the states and love the information i usually learn from reading everyone's post. Looking to talk more to everyone and moving forward soon.

[Alabamaboy!]

My ex wife is Filipina and my ex fiancee is Colombia. I have traveled to both places. I can say without a doubt that you can find beautiful, excellent wife material in both places if you spend time there and do not get shell shocked by the sheer number of beauties you see. And if you are more attracted to the "Latina look" don't count out Philippines. Because Spain was there for around 400 years I believe and there are some of the most jaw droppingly exotic beauties I have ever seen in Manila, especially in the high rent districts of Makati when I was there. Latina/asian mixes. Wow.

I will say that in general the Latinas are a little more emotional and high maintenance and the Filipinas a bit more practical. But both are gorgeous and in my opinion beat gringas hands down.

Remember that all Filipinas will speak English as well as their own dialect, but very few Colombianas will speak English and many have a very difficult time learning.

Also keep in mind that if you plan on traveling much to her home country, that trip to Philippines is a killer. And to Colombia is pretty painless for most guys.

[JimD]

AB I went to a party that was full of offspring from both black and white GIs and vietnamintas. Absolutely stunning chicas!

[hennatoes]

I know a Colombiana who came here not knowing English and is now fluent. I also know some who still don't know much English after several years.

How good is your Spanish? I sometimes pause to arrange my words, or throw a French word in Spanish, but otherwise I'm fairly fluent, by Salvadoran standards. If you can say "cara a cara con cada carro caro" (face to face with each expensive car) so that they can tell which consonant is which, and put together sentences that make sense, you should do well in Colombia. Colombian Spanish is reputed to be the best on this side of the pond.

If you're a language geek like me, and like learning different languages, try the Philippines. Tagalog is no relation to English or Spanish.

Do you get a call for a job that takes several months? Can you tell your boss "On weeks so-and-so I'll be on vacation"?

[Ray]

If you're a language geek like me, and like learning different languages, try the Philippines. Tagalog is no relation to English or Spanish.

 

On the contrary, modern Tagalog is definitely related to both English and Spanish!

Ray

[Researcher]

  Hook, if you can visit both places do it.I did and came close to marrying a filipina but ended up marrying a Colombiana.IMHO, where to go and what culture is best depends on your preference. While I have no regret for travelling to the Philippines I decided the latin culture was the one I liked best.After being married to a latina for a while I see I made the right choice.I work for an Asian company and I believe the latin culture fits me best.

  As far as being away from home while you are working that may be a problem no matter where the woman is from.Most women like daily attention and being apart for long periods may not be such a good thing.Just make sure you let the women you meet know this up front.

   Good luck in your search.


    Researcher 

[hennatoes]

On the contrary, modern Tagalog is definitely related to both English and Spanish!

Borrowing does not constitute relationship. The structure of the language is still very Austronesian.

English is related to Spanish, but not as closely as you might think. True cognates include ven/come, padre, madre, the numbers 1-10 and 100, and colina/hill. "Ganar" was borrowed from Germanic; "vision" and lots of other words were borrowed from Latin.

[raycjs]

Hook

the real issue here is not the type of women or where she is from, you need to make sure a women wants to leave her country, family, and friends to come to a new place and be left alone to deal with life while you are away working hard to support your family. To be very honest with you i think you are setting yourself up for a big let down. You may find a women that thinks she understands what you are explaining but until she is here and being left by herself while you are way could really get old fast.

i wish you the best of luck

Ray

[mudd]

hook2001321

in your own personal situation,  i would go with a Philippians, due to the fact that you can be gone in your work.  i havent seen many Colombians who could deal with the husband gone for long stints, they  either get bored, lonely, home sick and either get another man  who isn't gone or they go back home. Asians are more tolerable in this area, but that's just my opinion from what i have seen. also, the English thing seems also to be a factor in your choice.

[Ray]

Borrowing does not constitute relationship.

It most certainly does...

Tagalog also uses the identical vowel sounds found in Spanish.

The latest Tagalog alphabet is identical to the English alphabet with 2 additinal consonants, one from Spanish.

Ray

[Fuzzyone]

  You are going to have to make your own mind up on that one, it counts what you are looking for. On this forum guys have been lucky with girls from both areas.

[fathertime]

Hook, you should just take a trip to one of the countries.  Just get the ball rolling a bit.  I'm partial to Colombia and Barranquilla, but obviously that varies from person to person. 
Save a couple grand up and give it a go!

Fathertime!

[utopiacowboy]

Here is one thing to consider. What is the second largest Spanish speaking country on earth? The United States with 50 million speakers. Hate it or love it, it's a fact.

[Ray]

Here is one thing to consider. What is the second largest Spanish speaking country on earth? The United States with 50 million speakers. Hate it or love it, it's a fact.

That's all, just 50 million?

[robert angel]

Ac to the 2000 census, and I'm sure the numbers of people speaking the below 'foriegn' languages has increased significantly:


>>Spanish is the second most common language in the country, and is spoken by over 12% of the population.[6]

The United States holds the world's fifth largest Spanish-speaking population, outnumbered only by Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia. Throughout the Southwestern United States, long-established Spanish-speaking communities coexist with large numbers of more recent Hispanophone immigrants. Although many new Latin American immigrants are less than fluent in English, nearly all second-generation Hispanic Americans speak English fluently, while only about half still speak Spanish.[7]

According to the 2000 US census, people of German ancestry make up the largest single ethnic group in the United States, and the German language ranks fifth.[8][9] Italian, Polish, and Greek are still widely spoken among populations descending from immigrants from those countries in the early 20th century, but the use of these languages is dwindling as older generations pass away. Russian is also spoken by immigrant populations.<<

At one time, there were more German speaking people in the state (actually the 'colony') of Georgia, and I imagine in other states.  Not sure, but as New York was 'New Amsterdam' first, that English wasn't the predominant language at first there either....

If English General and settler of Georgia, James Oglethorpe, hadn't convinced the Indians that the Spanish were giving them a crappy deal and had them help the Brit's rout the Spanairds back to Spain after The Battle of the Bloody Marsh, we might all be speaking Spanish today, although there were sizable French speaking populations in what's now Louisiana and in what's now the midwestern and northeastern USA. Really, save for a few battles, politics and purchases, it might be argued that a large portion (or larger anyway) of USA citizens might be speaking different languages.


>>Tagalog and Vietnamese have over one million speakers in the United States, almost entirely within recent immigrant populations. Both languages, along with the varieties of the Chinese language, Japanese, and Korean, are now used in elections in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington.[10]<<

[hook2001321]

Thanks for all the great replies. I am starting to learn some spanish and it isn't the language that is scaring me because i'm willing to learn new things. My biggest concern would be since i'm gone so much how well would a latina or phillipino would be able to handle that. I kinda agree with some of the posters that i think a latina would find it harder to deal with and likely to have more problems down the road, which no one ever wants. I plan to try and take a trip to both countries to get a better feel for things but my gut tells me that phillipino's probably would be able to handle the circumstances better then say a latina would. I find latina's more atractive but i'm sure i just haven't found the right phillipino yet. My search will continue for now atleast.

[fathertime]

Thanks for all the great replies. I am starting to learn some spanish and it isn't the language that is scaring me because i'm willing to learn new things. My biggest concern would be since i'm gone so much how well would a latina or phillipino would be able to handle that. I kinda agree with some of the posters that i think a latina would find it harder to deal with and likely to have more problems down the road, which no one ever wants. I plan to try and take a trip to both countries to get a better feel for things but my gut tells me that phillipino's probably would be able to handle the circumstances better then say a latina would. I find latina's more atractive but i'm sure i just haven't found the right phillipino yet. My search will continue for now atleast.

You WON'T regret beginning the process, whichever country you choose.  The toughest step is the first one, after that it gets easier and easier.  Click a few keys, make a reservation to the city of your choice and go for it. 

Fathertime!

[Ray]

Thanks for all the great replies. I am starting to learn some spanish and it isn't the language that is scaring me because i'm willing to learn new things. My biggest concern would be since i'm gone so much how well would a latina or phillipino would be able to handle that. I kinda agree with some of the posters that i think a latina would find it harder to deal with and likely to have more problems down the road, which no one ever wants. I plan to try and take a trip to both countries to get a better feel for things but my gut tells me that phillipino's probably would be able to handle the circumstances better then say a latina would. I find latina's more atractive but i'm sure i just haven't found the right phillipino yet. My search will continue for now atleast.

hook,

I can’t speak for Latinas, but I have known hundreds of Navy guys married to Filipinas, and deployments away from home for 9 months to a year or more were common. How did the wives handle the separation? In most all cases, they readily took charge of the family business and there were no major problems with the separation.

But as always, your mileage may vary… 

Ray

[z_k_g]

AB I went to a party that was full of offspring from both black and white GIs and vietnamintas. Absolutely stunning chicas!

Jim, when did you go and where was the party?

Zulu

[z_k_g]

I have many friends and relatives married to latinas (Colombian, Panamanian, Brazilian) and Asians (pinays, thai, chinese and japanese), most were in military.  My observation, If you leave latinas for long periods of time...the relationships fail.

From what I've seen, Asian women were less likely to stray, not saying it doesn't happen, just less likely.

This is based solely on my observations.

However, generalizations are meaningless, and, fact is, all relationships succeed or fail based on the two participants.

Zulu

[utopiacowboy]

"The United States holds the world's fifth largest Spanish-speaking population, outnumbered only by Mexico, Spain, Argentina, and Colombia. Throughout the Southwestern United States, long-established Spanish-speaking communities coexist with large numbers of more recent Hispanophone immigrants. Although many new Latin American immigrants are less than fluent in English, nearly all second-generation Hispanic Americans speak English fluently, while only about half still speak Spanish.[7]"

If you don't count the illegals, that is true. If you include the illegals, that puts us past Spain, Argentina and Colombia.

[raycjs]

Hook

I can tell you from experience that when i travel for work and have to leave my girl home for a few days at a time she is ok with it but if she had her choice i would not be traveling. i only have to travel 4 to 6 times a year for a few days at a time.
i can not speak for any other culture by girl is from Colombia....

good luck

Ray

[jm21-2]

I work as a divorce attorney in an area with a very large percentage of navy and ex-navy guys. I've seen lots of marriages with Filipinas fall apart for various reasons, but usually not deployments. Usually it's a really controlling guy who married an uneducated girl from the bundocks and it ends up a mess.

I would think more about the culture you're planning on marrying into. Then concentrate on finding the right woman. Remember you will be stuck with her culture for the rest of your married life and if you don't enjoy it there will be problems. Forget about which country has hotter girls, there are hot girls everywhere. I actually don't really like the looks of typical Chinese/Taiwanese girls but my fiance is cute as hell and my eyes were constantly wandering at the shilin night market in Taipei. More importantly the culture in Taiwan really agreed with me: laid back/informal, emphasis on nuclear family, mostly homebodies, very frugal, good food, and so on. I'd never fit in with a Latina who loved dancing and going out all the time, no matter how hot she was.

[hook2001321]

Very good points and thanks for all the insite. Looks like i will do some more digging into the culture but i might be leaning a little more twards the asian side of things, but ultimately i will take a trip to both countries and see which one fits the best.

[Jeff S]

Yeah there are details about cultures that you don't think matter, but in the long run will really stick in your craw. I've been around enough Latin American cultures, and I love traveling there, working there and the people, but would drive me absolutely batty if I had to come home to. I'm sure there are exceptions, and you could probably find someone who'll break the mold for you, but why bother - go where the culture suits YOUR personality.