At that time, I had filed for Elena’s Fiancée Visa and we were waiting for its approval. Well one day, the developer I was working for laid off 97% of their employees and then declared bankruptcy. I was unable to find a decent paying job so Elena told me to come to the Philippines. We thought with my savings, annuity, and help from her family we would be able to survive decently here.

Therefore, to the disappointment of my family I packed up and moved here to Davao. Since I was not receiving any pension or Social Security, it was not as easy for us as for other expats. I worked for a short time here but for Filipino wages which just covered food expenses for 2 weeks.

As I have written about life here, there are many things I did not like here, but I had to accept them. That is what you need to do and keep your sanity. I thought there was no way ever to be able to return to the U.S. and bring Elena to be with me. With the unemployment at such high levels and limited work in the architecture field for me to go back to my profession, here is where I would live and die.

Recently a friend of mine decided to move back and then file for his wife’s spousal visa. He is much younger than I am and has a father who will allow them to live in their house until he has enough money to get their own place. He currently has seasonal employment for income and will get his wife a job there too. He hopes both of them will be able to locate full time jobs in the future.

This made me start to think, so I contacted my brother and my mother about the possibility of me moving back and then bringing Elena. One turned it into an argument about how it was not feasible and would not help with basic needs if I came. The other was political and said there was a plan to change from a two-bedroom apartment to a one-bedroom unit. This was the nice way to say there would be no room for us.

Well, they made me give up the thought until a few weeks ago. One of the readers emailed me and commented that it sounded like Elena and I could use a vacation and offered us a room in their house in Las Vegas, Nevada. I replied that is was very difficult to get Elena a Tourist Visa but thanked her for the kind offer. She emailed me again and mentioned her husband gave up his business because of the economy problems and they bought a house in Las Vegas. Her husband is a little older than I am and is working driving a taxi. With all the tourism in Vegas, a taxi driver can make enough to live comfortable. This reader offered us a room; rent-free in their home as long as we need to get on our feet and her husband will assist me in getting a job driving a taxi too.

Elena and I discussed this and we decided this is an offer of a lifetime. This lady and her husband are so kind with this offer and it will give us both a chance to work. In addition, after Elena has immigrant status and living in the States for six months, she will be able to receive survivor benefits when I pass away. Once Elena works for ten years, she will earn enough Social Security credits to collect her own benefits.

We have discussed, once we retire, in all probability will not be able to afford to live in the States, we will probably move back to the Philippines. Because of this, our nephew who married recently will live in our house and take care of it for us.  He will take care of his sisters who live here. His brother’s support will continue to assist them with the expense of this house.

So, with all said, I will be flying out of Davao on May 4 and from Manila on the fifth. The flight will be interesting; the first leg from Manila is on Korean Airlines, which I never have flown before. I will also land in Inchon Intl, Seoul, Korea. At first, I thought I had only a three ½-hour layover in Korea, which is not bad. Then I noticed I land 5:20am and do not leave until 8:50pm. I guess I will know the airport well in that time and have to make sure I have enough books to read while there. So what I thought would be 18 hours total travel time, it is now close to 30 hours.

As soon as I am settled in Las Vegas, I will file for Elena’s spousal visa to join me there. At first, I will need to live as cheaply as possible since I do not want to overstay my welcome and these kind peoples home. I will need to save for a vehicle, furniture, and deposits once we are able to move out on our own.

I hope to be able to keep this site alive with articles of how my life will change and interesting stories of Elena’s live living in America. I hope to find Expats and Filipinos to assist me with this site by writing articles of news and cultural items about Davao and the Philippines.

For those of my readers who have relied on me and this site for information about an Expats life in the Philippines, I hope with others help this site will continue. For those who stop visiting, I understand and thank you for your two plus years of my readership.

If my friends in Las Vegas read this, again Elena and I thank you and feel you both are gifts from God.

I will keep all informed of the process and any other newsworthy items and I always do until I leave.

In part 1 I mentioned how I started using the internet to look for a future wife. At first I was in communication with ladies from China and Thailand. Some had a knowedge of english, but most had very little or none at all.  I then realized from my past, that English is/was taught in the Philippines.

From then on I concertrated my chat with Filipinas since they knew English. Over a few weeks I found a few ladies I was interested in and would chat frequently. As we got to know each other better, I would find things that was not compatible with my needs, my philosophy in life or different from my needs. At the time I had a 2 bedroom townhouse. Some women had a few small children and I was thinking, I would need a bigger home that I could not afford at the time. Others would tell me, even though they had children, they would leave them with their mother or family member with no intention to ever bring to the US.

There was one that was very religious and felt, no matter what, God would provide. I am not an atheist but I do not feel God will help anyone that doesn’t help themselves.

Well one Saturday morning, I was in the site and looking at the photos of ladies online and I saw Elena’s photo. I thought she was beautiful and then read her profile. She was single, no kids, had a college degree, a good job and owned her own home.

Elena had her own computer at home, so it was not waiting for a lady to go to the Internet Café. We started chatting and got to know each other. At first we would chat 2 or 3 times a week on Yahoo Messenger . Then it became every evening for me, morning for her, before she left for work. After a few weeks it was every morning and evening.

Over the next months we would talk about everything, life, loves, and feelings. Nothing was kept secret.  About 6 months later, I decided to fly to the Philippines for 10 days and meet Elena in person. Elena lived in a city on Mindanao that was not too safe for a foreigner to visit, so we decided we meet in Manila. So I went online and found a good deal on Continental Airlines.

What a trip. It started in Florida at about 9am, my next stop was Newark, New Jersey with a 4 hour layover. Then from there the next flight went over the North Pole to a stop in Hong Kong, China. Then a switch to Cathay Airlines to Manila. I did not arrive until 11:45PM. All in all I think it was about 17 hours of travel.

Elena arrived earlier than my long flight. When I got to the exit, I looked for Elena and then was informed security will not allow Filipinos to enter the airport to meet arriving passengers so I found my driver from the hotel and he called Elena on his Cell. Next thing I know I see Elena crossing the street and my first thought, she was more beautiful in person than her photos or the lady I looked at for months on a web cam.

After traveling for about 18 hours and not being able to sleep on the flights, we went to the hotel, checked in and then just talked a little before I needed to sleep. What a first night, Elena having to listen to my snoring through the night.

Because both Elena and I were strangers to Manila we did not know what to do with our days. Each morning Elena would make me a cup of the complementary coffee in the room and once showered and dressed we would go down to the buffet breakfast. The buffet had foods for all types of foreigners. I would usually have eggs and either French toast, pancakes or waffles.

We became friendly with the Assistant Manager Chona. She would always watch over us and when I needed ore coffee, instead of the pot used for most, she would make me a fresh cup. That was one of the beginning signs of the hospitality of Filipinos especially if you are nice to them.

In the first few days we would go down to the hotel pool, browse around a small mall across the street, of just go to the room to get to know each other better.

One morning, talking to Chona, we talked about things to see in the city. I wanted to see Corregidor, a small rocky island which is at the entrance of Manila Bay. Growing up watching all the WWII movies, I wanted to see such a historical place.

We hired a driver from the hotel to take us to the dock where you take a boat to the island. When you arrive you are brought to the Corregidor Hotel where you are severed a buffet lunch. Waiting for the tour to arrive I met Sheila, one of the tour guides. She was fun and liked to joke. So we made sure we got on her tour bus. We saw the place General McArthur said the famous words “I shall return.”

It was a fun day especially with the joking from Sheila. There was also a Filipina on the tour whose father was on the Baatan Death March and related a story. He survived the march because of Filipinos would toss down to the marching captives water and foods wrapped in Banana leaf parcels.

We also went to see Fort Santiago, which is part of the walled city of Intramuros. They had bronze statues of men in military uniforms to make it feel more realistic.

In the evenings we usually went to the lobby where they had a bar, seating and some form of live music.

All in all, Elena showed me the loving hospitality a Filipina has for her man. From making me coffee in the room, helping me with my clothes in the room, always concerned with me for my comfort, eating, beverages. What to do or not do being a stranger in her country.

We were like young lovers. If we were in the room, she would squeeze in next to me in the arm chair I would sit. We would walk holding hands or arms around each other.

The day we were to fly back to our perspective homes, there was tears in our eyes as I got out of the taxi at the International departure area at the airport.

Tuesday morning my mom picked me up at home at 630Am in Florida to take me to the airport. We went out for my final goodbye dinner the evening before and after dinner we loaded most of the luggage.

My flight itinerary showed my first part of the trip was from West Palm Beach to Vegas with one stop. Well the stop was Chicago. So it was north west to Chicago then wait to empty the plan and wait to reboard the everyone.

Then my next leg was Vegas to Manila with one stop too. The stop was Vancouver, Canada. The flights were long but as comfortable as a flight can be.

As usual I could not really sleep, so it was a LONG flight. Plus they are always offering food. I felt so bloated by the time I arrived I Manila.

At Manila I walked from the international terminal to the domestic flight. Then onto my final destination, Davao City. Of course there was another wait and a delay.

Waiting in a lounge, I met a few people that can help in a lot of ways. The most interesting was a Lady that had been a professor and is a share holder of the University. She gave me the name of the largest architectural firm in Davao, and told me to use her name as reference. She also will talk to the department head of the Architectural Department to see if they have use for my talents.

Elena meets me as I came into the baggage area. I had planned to just use to carts and move them myself, but then relented to have a porter help. Good thing since the porter realized my baggage would be in the international baggage claim.

Once home it was trying to figure out what and where to put my stuff. In the Philippines there are no closets. They buy wardrobe cabinets. Well Friday we went and bought bigger ones than she had and gave the original to the girls.

There will be a lot of things to get used to here, so many differences, but with the love of Elena and her nieces and nephews, I am sure I will adjust.

I now have joined the rest of the world now. I have a cell phone. Yes, anyone who knew me, I was the ONE person in America without ever owning one. In Florida I had a friend that got me a new Motorola Moto Q phone with a full keyboard so I will not get frustrated sending text messages.

I hope to be more active posting articles to journal my new life here.