Living in the Philippines

Well what can I say about Philippine life, I came here for a 2 week vacation.... 2 and half years ago! I've been here ever since, people may ask me what my reasons are! I get regularly told to go back to my home country and earn good money!

What are my reasons?
I don't know exactly to be honest, thats not because i'm a crazy guy who decided to live in another country just to be random, its more to do with the fact that there are so many positive reasons, that I can't put my finger on one!

Things that I love about the Phillippines:

The people & culture

There is something different about the people here, in a good way. I can't decide on the exact reason however, but its a fusion! The kindness, the feeling of welcoming. Even though foreigners are mocked on occasion (expect a few "Hey man, whatsup"'s on the street followed by the occasional "Hey Joe") which could be classed as racism, but it is in fact more of a lack of understanding.

All that most people know, especially those who are poorer and uneducated are that foreigners are American. Becuase thats what they know. I don't look down on them for that and I take their comments are less of an insult and more of an attempt to show that they understand me!

I love that people are so interested that your a foreigner, they'll ask you questions and usually ask you what you think of their country. As your opinion means a lot to them. I think this comes mainly from the colonial mentality of the past, when Filipinos were treated as second class citizens by the Spanish and the US, but its still facinating to be treated in this way!

Culture wise the Philippines has a lot of positives, such as family first. Something that seems to have been lost long ago in the West, where a lot of people just put elderly or sick relatives straight into a retirement home. In the Philippines this would be looked down upon, children are expected to take care of their elders once they are old enough to take care of themselves.

One contrast compared to England, is that people are so transparent and will be willing to tell you all thier personal information at the drop of a hat. Coming from the UK where privacy is like gold, this makes an interesting change.

The final thing I have to say is that the country is so laid back, no one seems in a rush.

The Sun

I don't know what it is but having so much sun seems to have both a positive and slightly negetive effect on people.

The positive is the fact that people seem brighter and more friendlier and the days feel generally great! You can take a trip down to the beach if you've got the time, or you can sunbath in your garden! Feels a massive difference compared to the gloomy UK!

The disadvantage is that when it comes to work some people get a little lazy due to the heat. I myself can be affected by this, when its too hot, its just too hot to do anything, whether thats working, exercising or whatever your into.

Beaches

It has to be said that the beaches here are absolutely amazing, wherever you find them, you'll discover paradises that you'd have never thought existed before! Combine that with the great sun that I've mentioned above and you'll understand why its so amazing.

Imagine this.. instead of saving up all year for that 2 week spot in the Sun, you could literally go this weekend on a 1 or 2 hour trip, be in complete paradise for the next 2 days then go back to work on Monday all for a cheap price!

Find out more about the Philippines beaches here.....

Generally

A few other things are that the prices of items are so cheap here! I mean when you can get fresh lobster for a couple of hundred pesos compared to 3 times that in other countries, you can see the price difference.
This is one of the many reasons that people retire here, you could really live like a king/queen for just a few hundred dollars a month! In my estimation that would get you a nice rented, fully furnished house in a safe neighbourhood with enough money left to splash out from time to time as well as enough money to cover your general living costs! It does vary depending on where you want to live, but you get the picture!

Well i'll be writing more info as time goes by, I'd love to see some comments or replys about what you love in the Philippines (if your living here) or why you'd love to live here (if you don't).

P.S. Sorry for the lack of updates recently, i've been a little busy, but I've penned down a few articles which i'll be uploading as soon as I can!

Come to the Philippines

Thursday, August 12, 2010