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 the beginning, we try to give the best impression to this person. Maybe a friend introduced you to this person and told you about their interests and hobbies. You try to keep conversations on subjects the other person has an interest. You try to show your best manors and grooming. Over time, if the relationship continues, you get comfortable and your true self becomes more exposed. Sometimes the relationship ends up in trouble or ends. It could be weeks, months or even years.

Even if the relationship turns into cohabitation or marriage, over time our differences can become a problem. I have heard different excuses, such as “we have grown in different directions” or “he/she is not the same person I first met.”

I have even had friends that had a vision of the person they think they can change the person into and see that person with that vision or conception. I remember when a female friend told me her boyfriend is not the same as he was when they met. I told her he is the same, she was not able to change him to the person she envisioned him to become. She thought for a while and then agreed with me.

If you were lucky, and this problem occurred before you moved in together or become married, all it becomes is a breakup. You go on with your life and start over.

Over the past 15-20 years with the internet, many of us tried the internet dating sites. We sign up, answer questions, fill out a profile and even post a photograph. Most of us try to be honest, but we will tend to tell about how wonderful we are all our great accomplishments and about our caring and warm personality. We do not discuss our weaknesses, faults or personality flaws. Some even deceive and use old photos when our bodies were thin and firm.

After you make a connection, you send messages and emails to each other. Eventually it goes to phone calls or voice and video chat. How many times we see the other person on video or meet in person and they do not look at all like their photo on their profile. Again, no big problem, you either disconnect the connection, or if you met in person, you finish your drink and dinner and go home and delete the person from your speed dial.

Now to discuss international meetings since this is what many of the readers here are experiencing. With the difficulties, finding ladies in our home country more and more are looking at ladies from Asia or Europe. Many Caucasian men, me included, find Asian ladies exotic and beautiful. We have also heard how Asian women through their culture are taught to take such good care of their man.

So we go online and visit all the sites to meet a beautiful and in most cases young lady. As soon as you add your profile, you mailbox will be filled with hundreds of ladies interested in you. At first, you will feel so special, so many of these beautiful ladies want to get to know you better. Over time, you will find a few or even one lady you want to get to know better. You email each other and then move on to one of the instant messaging systems such as Yahoo. You will hear how this young lady is interested in an older American or European man since we are more reliable, mature and responsible than most men in their country. This is true but in many cases, it is more and never said. Why do you think these women spend a big part of their meager budget to spend hours in an internet café?

As I have written many times, here in the Philippines it is very difficult to earn a wage to support yourself or your family. Many Filipinos need a lot less to be content. They are not used to the large houses, central air conditioning, or even modern conveniences such as a stove. However, from watching movies or television they see how we live in our country. Then many hear about how a friend’s life has improved when they move to America or Europe. Some have friends or hear about a Filipina who is living with a foreigner here in the Philippines.

With this dream of such an improved life, many of these ladies will tell the man in emails how she will treat him and take care of him. They will tell you how they enjoy every hobby the man mentions or tells him how exciting it would be to learn his hobby so they can do these things together.

Is this much different from dating in your home country. Not really, we try to be what the person we are interested in dating is interested in doing. The difference is you never get to build the relationship as you do if the lady is in your own city. There is the old saying that “Long distance relationships do not last.” Now you are starting on a relationship that is half way around the world.

From most of the relationships between a Foreigner and a Filipina, I know or have heard about, most of these ladies are from a poor family located in the Provinces. I have spoken or joked with ladies who have a better job living in the city, if they were interested in a foreigner. Most of the time they look shocked and say no. This is because they feel they can have a good “Filipino” life and do not need a foreigner husband to support them.

So now, I have discussed how we meet. What is the next step? You take your vacation and fly to the Philippines. You stay in a nice hotel and have the lady meet you there. You have a wonderful week or two. You eat in nice restaurants, you spend the day visiting places or you go shopping and buy your lady gifts that to you are not expensive but they could never afford. By the end of your vacation, you are on a cloud and so sad you have to fly home.

Think about all your past relationships and how wonderful they were in the beginning, and how they ended. If you are honest, you can see it was the fault of both. The truth about you comes out and the same of your partner.

I am not telling you to give up your thoughts of finding a Filipino for a wife, just think about the amount of time needed to really get to know someone. Visit more than once. Tell about your moods, your lifestyle and ask questions about hers and her needs and dreams. If you are planning to bring her to your country, tell her about life there, the weather and the lifestyle. Even in America life and lifestyle is different depending where you live.

If you are planning to move here, visit the city you plan to live. Get to know other foreigners and ask about their life. Once you are here, build the relationship slowly. Set your boundaries and explain your needs. Learn as much about the customs and norms. As I have written, the Filipino culture is so different from the American or European culture. One boundary you need to discuss is the ladies family. Does she expect you to support any of her family or does she expect to let members of the family live with you?

I knew my wife Elena for about three years before I moved here. I visited her three times and the last two I stayed in her house. With all this, once here there were things or personality traits I never knew about her and some she did not know about me. We have worked out most but no relationship or marriage is perfect. The best part is we love each other enough to get through the problems.

omeone asked me to elaborate on situations and problems with the relocation here to the Philippines.

I mentioned about appliances and electronics. If you’re coming from America, the electricity is 110V-120V. Here in the Philippines it is 220V. I do not know about the electrical systems in any other countries so I am no help there. Both US and Philippine power is 60 Hz.

In America the way the electric system is set up, there are 2 flat prongs and sometimes a round ground. One is 110V, the other is Neutral or 0 volts and the round ground is there in case there is a short, it will sent the electricity to the ground. In the Philippines there is no neutral. The plug looks the same, 2 flat prongs and sometimes a round ground. Both flat prongs carry 110V. You get 220V because they are opposite phase. For the round ground, hardly any house is wired for ground.

Before I moved here I bought (3) 220V to 110V converters. They were about $30.00 each. All they do is reduce each leg or the power from 110V to 60V. I destroyed an electric drill charger using it.

Many Electronics, such as computers, monitors and chargers are dual voltage. If your device is a dual voltage type you will have no problem. Just look at the sticker on the device or the information on the charger. If it has something like “110V-220V” or “120V-240V” you will be safe. If it is only “110V-120V” you will need a Power Transformer or a Power Regulator.   The differences is the Transformer steps down or regulates the voltage to 110-120 and creates a neutral. The regulator has circuitry to regulate the voltage incase the voltage varies. Such as when lights dim when an Air Conditioner or Refrigerators compressor kicks in.

On American 220V devices such as ovens, clothes dryers I am not sure. If you’re going to bring such a device, consult an certified electrician or electrical engineer here once you arrive.

It was strange for me, my desktop computer did not have a switch to change the input voltage settings but my monitor was dual voltage. I also brought a few kitchen small appliances such as a rotisserie, Stand Blender, Immersion Blender. One thing I needed to make sure was the Regulators I bought had a high enough amp or wattage rating for the needs of the devices.

Regulators come in many sizes. I know someone who bought a huge one and is running a refrigerator and other appliances from it.

Another thing to keep in mind, especially when you fly here, airlines restrict the weight of each piece of luggage or box and has limits of free baggage and limits of how many pieces you can bring, even if you’re paying for the excess. There will be things you want to bring with you so you have when you arrive.  There are also things you would like to have until it is close to your departure date. Remember again, most shipments travel by sea. They also first arrive in Manila and then shipped again to your location, especially if you are on a different island and not Luzon.

Most shippers require an inventory of what you’re shipping. I listed everything as personal items. I did not have to pay and VAT (value added tax). Make sure you know what charges you might have to pay once your items arrive in the Philippines. I thought all customs and fees were covered in the shipment. I also thought my boxes were to be delivered to my local address. When the shipment arrived in Manila, I was contacted by the agent in Manila and was informed we needed to send approx. 4,000 pesos to get my boxes released and then shipped to Davao. Being on Davao, I had no choice to send the money, even though I thought all charges was covered. Once the boxes arrived in Davao we were called and told where to pick them up. Again, how do you argue that they were to be delivered? They would have delivered them but probably we would have to pay an inflated trucking charge. Our neighbor had a friend with a Jeepney offered to go with us and all we had to pay was the gas usage. When we arrived the boxes were no longer on the palate and most looked like they were dropped or sat on.  Luckily nothing was damages except the one ceramic vase.

As I mentioned in the previous article, most houses here do not have closets or storage rooms. They day the boxes arrived and we were loading the Jeepney, and then again as we were unloading at the house, I was thinking “Oh my God, where are we going to put all this stuff?” I had 17 boxes. Well to my surprise and the exceptional work of Elena, in 2 days, all boxes were opened, unloaded, items put away. I also realized, since we would probably move in the near future since the lease was up and we needed a bigger place, we flattened the boxes and stored them under the beds and behind some cabinets.

After all was done, and with the use of the regulators, I wish I would have brought some other items as my electric grill/Panini maker, my convection toaster oven and my Tivo box.

Something also to keep in mind, electronics, in most cases, are more expensive here than in America. You can find good deals on computers, external hard drives, even some TV’s in the states. If you’re going to buy new, or will need them here, check the price differences. Buying there and shipping over might work out cheaper.

Best advice is using your computer, do lots of research and then plan your move. Remember, unless you have good support from someone back home, once you’re here it is hard to get the things you left behind. It is also good to have someone you can send money and they will ship things here. Before you leave visit Asian Markets, some will have Balikbayan shipping service where you, or someone once you’re here ship things to you. Shipping this way, you are charges by size of box, not weight. This will save you a lot of money compared to using the Postal service.

Any comments are appreciated since I am writing from memory and things I have heard from others.

Are you ready to pack up and move here? There are many things to consider. What to bring. Over the years you have collected many possessions. You probably own a home, condo or maybe renting. You have furniture, appliances, electronics, clothes, and some personal items you felt you could never do without. Now you need to decide what to bring, sell, give away or just toss in the trash. If you have a lot of stuff and money is not a problem, you can get a shipper that will bring to your home a 20 or even 40 foot shipping container. Just remember most houses here do not have closets and storage can be a problem.

Some shippers will let you use part of a container,they or you will just build a wall separating your shipment from the other shipment. There are shippers that will ship boxes by sea. Depending where you live some will pick them up for a door to door shipment. If you’re on or near a shipping port, you can bring to them or you might need to ship some domestic ground service to the shipper.

International shippers ship by volume, not by weight. You can ship the boxes as individuals or pay a little extra for them to be put on a palate.  One thing I will recommend, if possible find double corrugated boxes. Those are boxes with 2 layers of corrugated paper. Also use enough packing materials that the box is tightly full. Anything damageable, make sure it is protected well.  I had just used boxes from U-Haul. I used towels, pillows and even sleeping bags as packing materials. When the boxes arrived, most looked crushed. Luckily for me, only one ceramic vase was broken.

One thing to remember, this shipment can take 2 to 3 months to arrive. So with this in mind, make sure you bring necessities with you when you travel here. At the last minute I shipped a few boxes with the postal system. They took 2 months to arrive also. In the boxes I had packed some dress shoes. When I arrived Elena told me we were asked to stand up for a friend of hers sons wedding. Here it is called Ninang (female) and Ninong (male). We went out and bought a pair of semi dress slacks and a Barong. A Barong is the Philippine formal shirt. It is a long sleeve shirt worn out of the slacks. It is a thin material so you need to wear a T-shirt under it. Then we realized I needed black dress shoes. I knew I would live mainly in sneakers or flip-flops here and I had a pair of shoes in shipment. I was not about to go spend a lot of money for a pair of shoes I might need once or twice a year.

One day we were downtown and I mentioned to Elena about checking out some of the Ukay-Ukay shops. Ukay-Ukay is stall type shops that sell mainly used clothes. You sometimes can find items that might be out of date sold and shipped here still with tags on.

For the Philippines, I have trouble finding shoes my size. I am a size 12 E. Well the first stall we looked in had a pair of Florsheim black wingtips, my size and looking at the smooth, unscratched soles, were probably never worn. With a little bargaining I got them for 60 pesos ($1.50 USD).

That brings us back to moving here. If you have any special needs, clothes sizes, shoe sizes, maybe it is better to stock up and ship over.

Another item to think about is your money. What and where is your income coming from? Where will it be deposited and how will you get it here? Most credit cards will work here, just make sure you contact them to let them know you will be out of the country for a while so they do not see a lot of charges from the Philippines and put a stop on your card. ATMs work here too. You can use most credit and ATM cards at ATM machines here. For mail, there are mail forwarders available too. They give you a mailing address or box number and once a month, or how ever you set it up, will package your mail and ship it to you here.

I set up a bank account in the US where my investment payments are directly deposited and then I transfer it to my back account here for a small fee. There are also Philippine Banks that have remittance centers or affiliate banks in the US where your deposits will just be transferred to your account here. I do not have any experience with that yet so I cannot tell you who to use.

My mother is still alive and well so I am using her home address as my American address and things go through her. If you do not have a family member you can use, I recommend a trusted accountant or lawyer with your power of Attorney to be able to take care of financial and legal matters.

There are so many things to consider, I know I am forgetting things, or I have not experienced to mention. If there is something you need to ask, just add a comment and I will do my best to find the answers.

There are many reasons why someone wants to move to the Philippines and there are many I probably have not thought of. One of the main reasons is the cost of living here. Yes, in most areas, the cost of living here is cheaper such as foods, housing, public transportation and the other items needed to live.

Even though most items are less expensive here in the Philippines, not everything is cheaper. One rule of thumb I have noticed is if it is imported, it costs more. Also to create a lifestyle and have the comforts you are accustomed to having can cost more since it might not be easily available here.

Just like in other countries, cost of living varies by the location you decide to live. Manila is more expensive than Davao and the provinces are cheaper than the cities. With this choice of location you need to decide what you need and the accessibility’s you require.

Some areas have better hospitals than others. Travel to a doctor or hospital might be difficult, especially in the provinces. Do you need accessibility to an airport? Do you like upper scale restaurants, nightlife, culture? Housing, do you need a home, apartment, townhouse with special amenities?

There is also safety. Remember, you’re a foreigner and most Filipinos Look at you as rich. There is the criminal element, just like all over the world, which prey on others for an easy way to get things they want. Here a white or even Dark skinned person is obvious. I do not know if Filipinos can tell is someone a Korean from a Japanese person, or even from a Filipino but Europeans and Americans stand out. From my short experience here, most Filipinos like to talk and get to know foreigners, but some will not. Some can be jealous, here you are with nice clothes, car, home and just spending your money.

These are things to consider before making the plunge. There are many foreigners who have come here and are happy with the life here, and many who have given up and moved back, of continued their quest by trying other countries.

Back to some of the cost comparisons. I never lived in Europe so most of my thoughts are based on being an American. One item I can think of that is more expensive than the U.S. is electricity. I lived in S.E. Florida before moving here. I had a 2 story, 2 bedroom townhouse with all electric appliances approximately 1300 sq. Ft.(120.77 sq M) I would set a digital thermostat for the central air conditioning to daytime at 75F (24C) degrees and night at 73F (22C) degrees. Even in the heat that we had most of the year, I never paid more than $75 USD (3,543.51 Php). Here in the Philippines I have a 3 bedroom 120 sq M (1292 sq Ft) house and I only use a wall air conditioner in the master bedroom from bedtime to when I wake. The rest of the time we use electric fans and only when in that room. Here we pay about $100 USD (4,725 Php).

My friend Tom Martin put his thoughts in an earlier post very well in “Retiring and Moving Abroad”

I know some people will agree, and some will not. I hope you will comment with your thoughts. I welcome all thoughts, advice or additions. This site is my thoughts and opinions and I welcome others feelings.

Are you one of thousands of Americans or Europeans that have dreamed of the day you can retire and move to Paradise in a foreign land and become an Expatriate. No more First World Countries for you. Perhaps you have been visiting Paradise for a number of years during your yearly vacation. The people are friendly, the food is great, the mountains and beaches are indescribable and it is so much cheaper to live in Paradise than back home. Maybe you have never actually visited Paradise your knowledge comes from Internet Sites and other Expatriates, but one thing you are certain of you want to retire and spent the rest of your life in Paradise.

Often people do not seriously consider the life changing move they are about to make. They are tired of the nine to five, hustle and bustle, stress and problems and a slower pace in Paradise is certainly the cure all. Before you make the move you need to take the time to make sure you are not exchanging one set of problems for another. Not everyone has the personality or attitude to become an Expatriate, especially in a Third World Country.

Visiting your future home for a few weeks on holiday and staying in a hotel are not the same as living full time in Paradise and living among the locals. Someone was talking with me recently about their disappointing move to the Philippines and were actually shocked at the differences they have encountered living here and vacationing here. When vacationing they stayed at the Marco Polo Hotel and they are now living in a very nice house. I was shocked that anyone would be that naive. They told me the food at the hotel was great, of course it was great because the chef had been trained to prepare not only great tasting, but also great looking food foreigners will enjoy. The local cook they hired most likely only knew what her mother taught her. Often times hotels have food you cannot find in the local markets because they are catering to foreign travelers and the local markets are not. They told me the Filipinos working in the hotel smiled, spoke and went out of their way to accommodate them, but their neighbors and house help would hardly look in their direction and only spoke when spoken to. Of course the natives in the hotel smiled, spoke and went out of their way to accommodate them because that was their job and a hotel job is a good job in a Third World Country, but the same is not true of their neighbors they are not being paid to be friend them and their house help has not had the training the hotel staff has. The shopping venues and restaurants they ventured to while on holiday most likely were places other tourist visited because they were looking for places they knew they would be comfortable and secure and price did not matter while on holiday. Now that they are living in Paradise and they need to start eating at the places locals eat if they do not want to feel like a perpetual tourist and spend all their saving the first year they are here. Be realistic when assessing your new home. You most likely will find that sanitary conditions in restaurants are not the same as back home and you will have to decide what is acceptable and not acceptable to you. This may help, several years ago I attended a seminar and they were saying First World Children are more sickly than Third World Countries because children in First World Countries live in over sanitized conditions and have no exposure to normal everyday virus’ which in turns makes their Immune Systems weaker. Just remember you are developing your Immune System.

You arrive in Paradise and one of the first things on your agenda is finding a place to live unless you made the mistake I did and purchased a home through a Broker before you actually made the move. In my opinion it is best to rent or lease for at least one year before buying a place of your own. That will give you time to become acquainted with the various neighborhoods in Paradise and it will also give you time to confront some of the cultural changes you will need to make and accept if you are going to be content in Paradise. Only you can determine if you can accept those cultural differences. People telling you about the cultural differences before you arrive and living the cultural differences are two different things. Know the real estate laws in the country you are moving to and be very skeptical of anyone that tells you they know of loop holes in the laws to accomplish what you want. Basically in the Philippines the courts tend to protect Filipinos over Expatriates when it comes to land disputes.

It is sometimes difficult to assimilate into the new community. Friendships with the locals are not always easy to establish. If you choose to live in a Third World Country you may find you will always be regarded as the wealthy American or wealthy foreigner regardless if it is true or not. Remember in the Philippines most of the people are living on less than six dollars a day and this includes those working in the malls, hotels, restaurants and hospitals. a large percentage are living on less than two dollars a day. A good friend of mind is a doctor in a government hospital in Manila and after ten years of service makes $600 a month. Class Systems do exist in Third World Countries and even though you are willing to be a friend to someone of a lesser income they may find it difficult to relate to you as an equal and establish a friendship.

In the Philippines a large percentage of the people speak English, but speaking English and carrying on a conversation in English are not the same. You will not have any trouble in the stores making purchases, getting a taxi, getting medical attention, etc. If you choose another country where English or your native language is not the Secondary Language you will have problems and must keep that in mind before making the move. Regardless if a lot of the locals speak English or not you should always try to learn some of their language. It puts the locals more at ease around you and they appreciate your attempt to learn their language. It will also be of value in bargaining for better prices. I do not speak Tagalog or any of the dialects and it makes life uncomfortable for me when out in public places and I do not know what the conversation going on around me is about. It certainly will make the assimilation into your host country easier if you know the language. One of the things a lot of Expatriates miss the most is conversations in their native language with friends over coffee, dinner, drinks and nights out. Unless you have been a loner all your life or you are socially inept you will most likely experience this problem and will find Expatriate Clubs will help solve it.

Living in First World Countries we take public utilities for granted. We expect them to be operational 24/7 and following a bad storm back on within twenty-four hours. That most likely will not be true in a Third World Country. You will have to learn to deal with Brown-Outs. The water may be turned off several hours during the day or night and it is just a fact of life. You can bitch and complain all you want it is not going to solve the problem. If Internet and Cable Television are important to you then you had better make sure the service is offered before you move. Just because they are available on one side of town does not mean they are available everywhere in the town. You may also find the services are available, but the system is at full capacity and they will not take new subscribers.

Depending on where you choose to live their may not be super markets and malls like you are use to back home. Your shopping habit may have to change meaning you may have to learn a new way of shopping. You may find you will need to shop at Public Wet and Dry Markets. Refrigeration in these markets may not be available. In the larger cities you will find shopping is much the same as in First World Countries, but even then some of the products you are use to buying may not be available and you will have to make adjustments. If you choose to live in smaller cities, villages or towns you will find the cost of living will be much cheaper, but less conveniences. You will pay for the convenience of having the malls, super markets and department stores that the larger cities offer.

I am shocked at the number of people that make the move abroad and know absolutely nothing about the medical services available. Most of us that move abroad are older and medical service if not now may soon be important. Remember U.S. Medicare or Medicaid is not offered outside the United States. There has been discussion for several years about making it available in the Philippines, but due to the corruption in the Philippines I doubt it will happen and certainly not in the near future. A lot of the private insurance companies do not pay direct to hospitals and physicians abroad. You must pay the medical expenses and they reimburse you and this often takes six months are longer. I found that paying for my medical care was cheaper than the private insurance premiums, especially taking into consideration my co-pay so I dropped my insurance coverage. There are also Medical Evacuation Policies available if a major illness occurs and you need to return home and depending on where you live you sometimes can find affordable premiums. I was quoted in 2005 a medical evacuation cost of about twelve thousand dollars Manila to Los Angeles, California.

No one likes to think about it, but what will happen if you should have an accident or die of natural causes abroad? The American Embassy is not going to pay to ship your body home for free. What about your Will? What are the legal requirements in the State you are from. Where will the Will be probated? Does your home State recognize Notary Public Seals other than those you can get at the Embassy?

How will you go about meeting your banking needs? Will you have your money deposited back home and use a credit or debit card or will you have wire transfers made to a local bank? I think banking issues should be resolved prior to making the move. I went to a P.N.B. office in Houston, Texas prior to making the move and opened an account. I had no problem setting up direct deposit of my Social Security Check to that account prior to coming over, but I have talked to some that spent several months getting it done when they waited until they got here to address the issue. After you arrive I have found it is much easier to address Social Security problems with the people in the Embassy than trying to solve them with Stateside offices via phone and Internet.

SECURITY!! No need discussing this issue I am sure you are aware of its importance. I feel the State Department exaggerates dangers sometimes, but it would be foolish to totally ignore their warnings. There certainly are places on Mindanao that I would not choose to live.

Give thought as to what you will ship to your new home. Why ship clothing that require Dry Cleaning if the service is not available where you are moving? Why ship Winter clothing if you are moving to the Tropics? It is better to donate those type of items to a non-profit and get a tax write off.

You can easily find Internet Sites and books about living abroad that will advertise you can live the life of a King or Queen on $200 a month. There are a lot of locals living in the Philippines on less than $200 a month and have no problem doing so. The difference is this is the only life they know and you do not miss something you never had. A couple from Texas told me they were living on $350 a month and had everything they needed or wanted and lived on the water. After I was in the Philippines about one year I visited them. They lived in a squatter area on pilings over the water without any utilities. They carried water from a public well and bathed at the well to keep from carrying bath water back to their home. Now these people were happy, but I do not apologize for saying I could not be happy living that way. That is not my definition of Paradise.

Regardless of the money you have there will be adjustments you must make living abroad. If you cannot make these adjustments you are going to live a miserable life. You are not going to make the place you are moving to a mini U.S.A., Germany or France. The main reason for your moving abroad should be in search of a different lifestyle, finding adventure and experiencing a new culture. If you are a person that demands perfection, organization and schedules you had better think long an hard about moving abroad, especially to a Third World Country. Living abroad can be paradise on earth and it can be hell. Your attitude and ability to adjust will determine which.

Any time you spend researching the country you are considering moving to is time well spent. It is far better to spend hundreds of dollars on books providing information about the country before you make the move than make the move and have to admit failure and loose thousands of dollars moving back to where you came from.

I will soon write about the new home and moving experiences.

Please continue to come back and give the support you have all shown in the past.

Sincerely,

Bruce

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.

This morning a frined of mine wrote an article about me and my moving. He is a friend who was also a victim of the housing market as I was. When I worked at an Architectural Office he worked for the Builder/Developer that was my client.

With all the slowdown in the Housing industry, he got laid off a little after I did.
With his free time and his “Happy Attitude” of everything, he started a blog called “What’s Your Bitch” where he finds things to always complain about, but his writings are highly entertaining.
Today he wrote a nice article about my moving to the Philippines. You can read it here http://www.whatsyerbitch.com/?p=51#comment-43

I hope you read it and find enjoyments in all his writings.
Tom, I will miss your knowledge of construction and your friendship. I wish you and your family the best.

Sure I want to do one more load of laundry to have less dirty clothes to pack, but I will do that tomorrow.

I have emptied the refrigerator, the cabinets and the dresser draws. Giving all decent items to charity and thrown away the rest.

So now it is long days, looking on the net and watching TV.

All left is to put the final clothes. toiletries and my special pillow and get to the airport.

Then it is about 1 1/2 days on planes and waiting in airports until I am again in Elena’s arms, eating rice at every meal and listening of the motorcycle engines of all the muliticabs and dogs barking.

Well, I know this is not much to read about, but it is something.

Once I am in Davao I will tell about my trip and then continue my journal of “American in Davao”