Up North: UPDATE

So very much can and does happen in three months time.  Has it been three months already?  Let’s check the calendar and see.  We arrived home in mid-July and November is replacing October on the calendars.

Yes, I guess we have been here for about three and a half months – time for an update on what could and did happen.   There have been dry, sunny days as well as typhoon-induced windy and rainy days.  There have been good days, great days, and days better left to history alone.  

I’ll highlight the better-known (and reported) incidents.  They are, however, just the tip of this tropical iceberg called Live in the Philippines, Up North.

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HEADLINE:  Katulong – Lost and Found!

As you may know, the katulong who had taken care of our house in our absence, greeted us when we arrived, and helped us unpack is no longer in our employ.  She left us for that “higher calling” of love and marriage, and appears to be getting along well in that endeavor.  After what felt like an eternity of searching, we employed a new, part-time katulong.

An Ilocano proverb fits our situation pretty well:  “Ti napíli makapíli ti kuggangí.”  [He who is choosy often picks the worst.]

So far, so good:  our new katulong is learning the ins and outs of the job and of our expectations.  Sure, as with all new employees, there have been a few hiccups.  We solved those with improved communications, explaining the job’s requirements and limits.  You can’t do well if you don’t know what it is you are to do! 

Progress was positive, then what I believe was the inevitable happened.  You see, our katulong is a fisherman’s wife and has lived in poor fishing sitios and puroks all her life.  Not only was she learning how to keep house for us, she was learning how to keep house, period.  (It’s the often-observed result of a culturally pleasing affirmative answer whenever most pinoys/pinays are asked if they can do something.  “Can you do the work of a katulong?”  “Oh, yes!”)  She now says that we “may not be seeing her for a little while.”  (Translation:  “I give up; I’m quitting!”)

So, it will be back to “search mode” for baket ko (asawa ko) [my wife].  She still has some prospects lined up, and I’m still partial to fried Spam & rice, so things will work out.  (A little cuter this time, honey!)

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HEADLINE:  “The ‘BRO” & Internet Connectivity

Another search, this one a little more adventurous, resulted in putting us “on-line” and connecting us with the world via the Internet.  We sought out, found and obtained “broadband” service through SMART Bro.  Though fate stymied my further search for the “Share It” router and its 2Mbyte service, I remain happy with what service I have.  After all, I have “The ‘BRO’s” word that this higher speed service, which has yet to make its way to the smaller municipalities of outlying provinces, will be available next year.  In addition, I’m sure I could say that my current service is faster than “dial-up” if I had landline telephone service for comparison.

Sure, as with all new systems, there have been a few hiccups.  (I’m getting a sense of déjà vu – seems I’ve seen that somewhere before.)  Ever since the seven-day brown-out that accompanied and followed the show-stopping, three-time appearance of Typhoon Peping in early October, my connectivity has been spotty at best.  (Okay, Paul, enough with all of those hyphenated-words . . . now stop that!)  Service finally came to a halt some nights ago.  A call on the SMART Bro Hot Line resulted in the scheduling of a visit by a crack SMART Bro Tech Team on Saturday, same week.  (The little truck appeared at noon.  Manolito, Mo-Mo and Jackie-Boy had returned and they repaired a bad connection to the feed-cable inside the antenna unit.  THANK YOU, SMART Bro.) Coincidently, the LBC courier showed up the day before the “halt” with the SMART Bro bill that is due in two days’ time.  Do I detect an adventure (”turn over the money and will give you back your service”) story here somewhere?

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HEADLINE:  Rainy Season Nixes Movement

Wet weather continues to keep us close to home though, as reported here, we managed to venture out a couple of times.  This past week has been a little drier than most.  What that really means is that the rains start a little later in the day.  Planning trips or outings that will take longer than half a day is not yet possible, as, by the time you know the weather will hold for the day, there isn’t much time left in the day for the outing.

Sure, as with all . . . (insert your favorite “hiccup” déjà vu line here).  A few outings started out dry but ended up with our damp turn around for home.  There are plenty of dry days ahead of us, so those trips and outings (and their resulting articles and reports) will be on the back burner for the not so dry now.

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HEADLINE:  Wee Hour Wee Visitors

It appears that we had another visit from the “small people,” as our nephew refers to them.  I’ll refrain from saying the name “Aeta,” as I’ve since learned that they don’t really enjoy that label (ditto for “Negritos” or “Pugot”).  For lack of their proper tribal name, then, I’ll borrow on our nephew’s diplomacy and refer to them as “small people,” too.  The chronicler for this visit was our Auntie, the mother of the nephew who related the first visit.  Auntie was more forthcoming and timely in her report.

This episode involved only two small individuals for whom all of the neighborhood dogs barked as before (déjà vu for two?).  One of the two peered in through the gate while the other sat and enjoyed a smoke (Auntie believes it was a hand-rolled cigarette, or something of that nature, as this person’s hands were a bit busy prior to the smoke).  They stayed around for the duration of the latter’s moment of pleasure, only to hasten off again when they detected Auntie watchfully eying them.  She described them as short, stout, very dark almost black, very curly short hair, wearing shirts, shorts and slippers, and being very fleet of foot.  Having a longer look at the “small people” than her son had previously, Auntie was able to provide more detail in her descriptions of everything she witnessed.

Where was your humble columnist during this episode, you ask?  As before, here was a chance for a nocturnal, cultural adventure, AND I SLEPT RIGHT THROUGH IT!  Baket ko (Asawa ko) [My wife] now makes sure that any dog barking at night is answered by my sleepy-eyed gaze and investigation.

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HEADLINE:  Three Strikes & You’re Out!

I guess this is the major story of our first three months.  Typhoon Peping took three good strikes at us, and then was out to sea for good.  It was very similar to my going through the same typhoon three times in five day’s time while stationed in Okinawa during the early seventies.  (What is it with all of this déjà vu stuff, anyway?  Am I repeating unlearnt history?)

My “Fascination with Rice” took a new turn.  The beautiful rice crop that was in the paddies took it kind of tough during those three passes.  Early estimated reports of damage were high, but farmers are replacing those estimates with lower ones.  There were three or four different plantings of the rice crop, with the most damage suffered by the youngest crop (last planted).  Its “flowering” is doubtful and it will most likely end up as just straw.

The first planted crop was close to harvest time, so it suffered “field loss” damage – some of the grains were blown off the plant, leaving others still attached a little weaker and prone to drop off “in the field.”  The result will be fewer grains harvested and marketed.

Damage to crops planted between the first and last is extremely hard to compute.  All crops planted were a hybrid version formulated to withstand excess water and storms.  Though some of these crops were “laid down” by the high winds, signs of resurrection are hopeful.  The worries here are just how long will standing water remain in the fields, will the rice grains fill out properly, will disease or pests infect the crop, etc.

No one will really know the total damage until after the final harvest.  Prices at the market for harvested, un-milled rice may go up a little and help offset the losses a little, but profit may still be a big squeeze for the farmers, not to mention the effects of rice availability, etc.

Personally, my “banana crop” loss is approximately 75%.  I lost one entire fruiting tree and half of the fruit of another.  The remaining fruit on the latter is yet to approach harvest time, so who knows what could happen.  The three typhoon passes also eliminated 100% of the eggplant that was almost ready for harvest.  Three of four malunggay trees snapped in half with most of the remaining leaves being lost to the wind as well (good thing we harvested leaves before the storm).  I still have five calamansi fruits on one bush, and a second bush is trying to recover from storm damage.

(Note:  At the time I am drafting this acticle, Typhoon Lupit [Ramil] is threatening to finish up the damage started by Peping, and throw in some of its own for good measure.  We can only hope it decides to wend its way north an miss The Philippines all together.   We’ll find out later this week just what are Lupit’s (Ramil’s) intentions.  You have to love living here and put up with its storms, or else leave.

Further update:  After snaking around the Philippine Sea for a week, it appears that Lupit had made an abrupt turn to the ENE, lost some of its power – being downgraded to Tropical Storm – and is headed for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands.  For this storm, waiting seems to be its worst aspect.  While six international weather services have amended their projections for Lupit to coincide with its current movements, they still warn that “the snake” could turn for us again as well as intensify prior to visiting.  That won’t happen as Lupit was last seen skirting up the coast of Japan, having lost a lot of its intensity and dispersing in cooler, northern sea waters as a low pressure area. 

Harvesting rice has become very hard work.  The fields are still flooded from all the rains, the rice plants are all soaked and heavily laden with moisture; and the cutting, carrying, threshing, etc. is more back-breaking than ever.  Reminds me of shovelling “wet” snow is winters past.

Oh yes:  Lupit hasn’t affected the remaining banana crop.  For the “Bananaphiles” out there, eight hands remain, each averaging between 14-16 fingers.)

-:-

That’s the UPDATE from Up North.  All in all, I make a poor farmer and a merely average resident.  I just hope my article writing is a little better.

Yes I’m Alive, I Think!

Why? (One could ask!) Would any human being desire a trip to Mega Manila? I’d sooner drive a Peterbilt 18 wheeler through New York City at 5pm rush hour, or accept a sharp stick in my eye, so I hired a driver! Four hours from my house in Dinalupihan Bataan to the Philippine Capital or NCR.  What does the “MEGA” in Mega Manila mean? (Oh, I know, mega problems), the reason for the trip was that I came to renew my un-expired Retired Military ID card as requested by letter from some very high placed government official. I arrived at the location designated in a most official letter I had received from The U.S. Government asking me to visit them at a hotel in Manila. Very Nice Hotel on the U.S. Taxpayers dime I might add.

I told the driver to park and I entered the hotel to find the visiting ID card people. Four Minutes later I’m seated in front of a computer station and the young lady from the States is proving to the computer that I am indeed me. Three minutes later I process a new and updated Military ID card and had time to chat. The reason that I was there, I discovered, was because retirees in the P.I. seem to live an extraordinary long time, Spanish American War Veterans were still collecting their checks. And for some reason the Government had serious doubts that this could be true. I told them I felt it was more than likely true.

You see in 1997 I pulled into Manila Harbor onboard the USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO-99) and noticed while boarding the liberty boat, that there was not one Pinoy from the ship with gray hair, whereas, the day before there was. This could only bring me to the conclusion that the waters of Manila Bay must contain magical properties, or at best be the true Fountain of Youth!

I told the young lady a story on how this longevity occurs. A Local Bank in Olongapo City in the 1970’s told the Filipina wife, she could not pick up her husband’s money without his thumb print. He had lost both legs to diabetes after retiring from a base Civil Service job, and she had to load him into the car once a month and take him to the bank. After he passed she never notified the U.S. Government and still went to the Bank every month to collect his (her?) money, but now she only had to take his frozen thumb in a cooler.

The young ID card lady from Washington seemed to view that with much humor, and went to explain my theory of Philippine Longevity to her fellow workers, who stopped working and started laughing. I departed, thinking, “What do they know?” I choose to live here, and am kinda’ glad I do, as I want to live forever also!

That’s What Friends are For

That’s the words recently sent to me from someone on this web magazine, you see first I have to apologize to the readers of my column here on LIP but last week was a busy one for me and having computer and Internet issues didn’t help.

That’s what brings me to this article this week though, I thought I sent word to the editor of this fine medium, that I had company his week, my mother in law and some family members came from Leyte to stay with us and sell thier farm there in Maragusan. But the message never went out, I don’t know why.

So a week later our Editor sends me a e-mail asking if I am OK, not saying “hey wheres last weeks article” or anything like that but more of a, hey are you OK are you sick ? is there anything I can do for you ? so I thought to myself, yes this group of people that are in a foreign land far from thier original roots do have a genuine concern for one another. The same is to be said for those who are part of this community that are affected by the wrath of mother nature all of us LIP community members have a concern for you and your family and well being.

It really is a warm feeling that although we are not related and really have not spent any considerable time together, we as part of this community that our Editor had knitted together have each others back so to speak. This is just another facet of living here in the Philippines. I participated in many other forums when I lived in the US, mostly race related and not so many social sites but never did I once get a mail saying hey are you OK after not signing on for a week and I just wanted to say in public Thank You Bob and Feyma (the birthday girl) for caring enough to ask about my well being.

It really is wonderful to belong to this community. I will resume my regular articles next week and thanks to all of you for being supportive.

Mabuhay !

Antique Philippines

As mentioned before I have met so many people from around the world, who live or pass through the Islands of the Philippines, which makes me a better person as travel in itself does too.

Recently I have had the pleasure of meeting a new friend here in Davao city , called Tim Walker who has come from a family that was already was in the business, so it really is in Tim’s blood, and his knowledge and experience is outstanding.

His father from a farming family and my mother from a family of working influence but together they started an antiques business in the same years of his birth, which appears to be a secret. He was very fortunate from an early age by the path in which his parents took and he gladly followed blindly.

He started my business at the age of 15 years old, and was known on the antiques show circuit as selling on a card table his parent’s booth from the age of about 9.

Now he is in the Philippines and it is amazing to have someone stand up at an expat meeting and share his total knowledge of Antique furniture and toys. Toys being my favorite subject of his so far.

It made me wonder what the antique market was like here in the Philippines, and I actually visited some places in Manila recently and was surprised by the amount of stock, but had no idea at all if the prices charged were reasonable, I then realized how important it would be to have Tim with his years of knowledge in assessing items for sale and valuations. Can you imagine if you get that wrong!!! What a skill that is to have here in the Philippines.

I wonder if toys from the last forty years here in the Philippines, the baby boom times would be valuable like they are in some of our home countries? He sold vintage farm toys,in the Dyersville Iowa Farm Toy National shows that his father use to drive me there to.So without doubt he knows his stuff.

The reason for writing about this is that Tim asked me is there a possibility of doing business here in the Philippines, domestic and selling and importing from abroad. Honest I have no idea, and would be very interested to hear from the LIP readers if this is something that is “hot” here, and where the hot spots are. This will allow Tim to set up a business here and enjoy the life of living in the Philippines.

Its not just toys, as when he was in the 20’s he ventured into designer furniture and vintage glassware.. By his mid 30s he had collected a large array of antiques for my home from Period Furniture, Paint Decorated Furniture, Fine Paintings and high grade Adirondack antiques as well.

So does Baguio or Manila have the role of antique center of the country? Id love to be able to tell Tim more, anyone have any ideas?

Thoughts about moving

The other day, I got an e-mail from a friend.  He is thinking of making the big move to the Philippines, and he had some questions to ask me.  His questions primarily were about the age old decision of whether you should move all your stuff with you when you come, or if you should just replace it when you get here.  And, of course, how much does it cost to move the stuff!

Well, when Feyma and I moved here back in 2000, we moved almost everything we owned.  Today, after having lived here for 10 years or so, I would do it a little differently if I had to do it all again.  I would move less stuff, I would sell much of it, or give it to family and friends.  One thing that I would certainly not move with me, which I did bring with me 10 years ago, is small appliances which require 110V power supply.  Let me say, there are a lot more appliances of this kind available in the States.  You can purchase transformers here to step the voltage down from 240V to the 110V that is required by US electrical items.  As long as you use that transformer, you have no problem.  However, it is inevitable that somebody is going to plug the thing directly into the wall, and the “magic smoke” will come out from the appliance.  It will either have to be fixed, or thrown away.  You can get it fixed, but after a few times of fixing it, it really doesn’t work like it used to.  For me, the solution on that is to just purchase such appliances with the correct voltage here, and be satisfied with what you can get here.  It’s not like you can’t live without that super duper electric slicer/dicer that is the rage in the States right now!

Anyway, here is the message that my friend sent to me a few days ago:

Hope you’re feeling better now and back to your old self.
Question:
I have a lot of personal belongings that I would like to bring with me to the Philippines but I’m finding it incredibly expensive to send even a small package. You had mentioned in your video tour of your house that you moved your furniture from the U.S. to the Philippines and I was wondering how you did that. I live in south western Pennsylvania.

Also, will a laptop made in the U.S. work on the higher voltage electric current in the Philippines? The ac adapter says input 100-240v-1500ma 90 watt, output 20v-4500ma
I appreciate your help.

And, here is the answer that I sent to my friend:

So, you are planning to make the move?  That’s great!

First, let’s start off with your laptop (or anything else with a similar type transformer).  If it says “100-240v” then indeed it will work fine for you here in the Philippines.  That is a universal voltage item, and should work just about anywhere int he world without a hitch.

Back in 2000 when we moved here, we brought basically everything we owned.  It filled two containers – one 40 foot container and one 20 footer.  It was a lot of stuff!  In retrospect, there was some of that stuff that I would not bring with me if I were doing it all over again.  Basically, decide what you really, really need, and cannot replace when you are here in the Philippines.  Family heirlooms that you want to keep in your life.  Things that you want or need, and use regularly, and are not available here.  That kind of stuff, you should bring with you.  Other stuff that can be replaced here, or is not used anyway… well, sell it, give it away, or whatever works best for you.  Just don’t pay to move it here.

By the way, moving those two containers of stuff that we moved cost us $10,000 in 2000.  I can’t say what it would cost today, but it would likely cost more now than it did a decade ago.

There is, though, another solution that you might consider.  If you can narrow your items down to smaller stuff (not like furniture and such), you could ship the stuff in a bunch of Balikbayan Boxes.  A Balikbayan Box can be shipped here for $75 to $100 or so, and the weight of the box doesn’t matter.  For the price of $10,000 that it might cost to ship your stuff in a sea container, you could ship 100 Balikbayan Boxes, and I just don’t see any way that you would ship that much!  If you don’t know what a balikbayan box is, check here.

I hope this helps, my friend.  If you have other questions about making the move, please let me know, and I will gladly answer if I can.

Announcing….

We have a new writer starting today on LiP.  I am kind of excited to be announcing this one too.

It all started a week or two ago when I got an e-mail from John Miele.  John asked me if I thought it would be OK for his wife, Rebecca to start writing some articles here on LiP!  Wow… it was a surprise to me, because I didn’t see that coming.

Surprise or not, it was something that I was quite happy about.  I enjoy John’s articles, and adding Rebecca’s perspective can only make for some interesting reading, in my opinion.

So, I am happy to announce that Rebecca’s first article is appearing on LiP today!

John and Rebecca are now the second LiP “blogging couple” after Feyma and I teamed up on this site about 2 1/2 years ago!  I look forward to reading what Rebecca has to say.

So, please join me in welcoming Rebecca Miele to LiP!

A friend’s problem

A week or so ago I bumped into a friend. We were chatting for a few minutes. Then she told me of her problem with a person she cared about, her foreigner friend. It’s not her boyfriend because she’s a happily married. She just knew this friend for quite sometime now. She was telling me that her friend was living here in the Philippines for a while now, he is from somewhere in Europe if I remember. He is a single guy. The foreigner was intending to live here for good.

The problem of my friend now is that the foreigner is dating a lady that has 4 kids. She didn’t have problem with the 4 kids, but she had problem with the lady being still married to the father of the kids. The lady is trying to get separated, but is not totally yet. The lady also has a boyfriend on the side, plus the husband, and all the while dating the foreigner too!  The foreigner knows about this too, but apparently is not concerned about it.

She wants me to meet the guy and talk to him. I told her that the foreigner guy is a big boy and can handle himself. And, I told her I don’t have business to be telling him what to do. I told her to let the guy find out for himself. The fear of my friend if the husband and/or the boyfriend might hurt the foreigner and they will get all his money. I told her let him learn his lesson,if he will not listen to common sense. If that’s what happens, let it be. I would not want something bad happening to the foreigner, but its not my business or my friend’s business to tell him any more. I told her that I had a friend before that I also warned him that the law here is so different than in the West, and that the politicians here would really protect their very own people.

Like what I told her, the foreigner will learn when the husband or the boyfriend will do something to him. Here, if the husband or the boyfriend caught the foreigner making out with the lady they can do anything to him. I’ve seen a lot on the news on TV that the lady and the lover get killed by the husband because he find out and caught the wife with somebody in bed. Here if the husband  or boyfriend had somebody on the side(mistress) its more acceptable in the society. Like its just the norm here for that. But if the woman caught having an affair, its gonna be a big problem here. I felt that that the husband has the right to do anything. It’s really not fair though. I forgot theirs a lady politician trying to pass a law trying to get a fair right for the woman here in the Philippines. I am against having an affair, why not separate first before going to get involved with somebody.

Honestly I am really debating to write this because I am not so sure if some people will like it. But I also want some people to learn a lesson from somebody. I heard of people saying that it is not an easy place to live here because lots of beautiful ladies to look at and its so tempting for them. Well, its okay if the lady that you are dating is not committed yet to somebody. SO JUST BE VERY CAREFUL though if living here.

I don’t really know what to say more to my friend. I don’t really want to get involved with them. I am just crossing my fingers and hoping for the foreigner to learned his lesson and wake up to the reality. Any advice from you guys really are helpful. I will relay to my friend. Thank you to all!

Cheers!

Big Trouble for Tourists?

Lately, I have been watching a TV show that I downloaded from the Internet.  The name of the show is “Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand,” and it is a show from the Sky Network in the UK.  The show is about British tourists visiting Thailand, and some of the troubles they run into.

“But Bob,” you might be saying, “this website is not about Thailand,” and you would certainly be correct.  However, some of what I’ve seen on the show certainly applies in the Philippines.  And, I have seen things on the show that would be good lessons for the Philippines to put into practice, I believe.

As I am sure all readers know, Thailand is a place well known for partying, sex tourism, and other “revelry” that is not necessarily so wholesome.  Because of this type of expectation, many of the tourists that end up on this show have gotten themselves into some real trouble by being a little bit too involved in this type of lifestyle.

The show is a documentary type show, 100% authentic, not fiction, acting and such.

Now, what exactly is the TV show about?  Well, it is about the Thailand Tourism Police.  Thailand Tourism Police?  What’s that? Well, in Thailand, at least in certain parts of Thailand that are frequented by foreign tourists, the Thai Government has “Tourist Police” which are actually foreigners!

Yes, you read that correctly.  They have foreigners who are police that deal specifically with foreign tourists.  Based on what I have seen on the TV show, it appears that most, possibly all of the Tourist Police are British, but I can’t say for sure.  Since the show is done by a British TV Network, they may just be featuring the British who are participating in the Police.  Based on what has been said on the show, it seems that these foreign policemen are not paid, but do this on a volunteer basis.  They are long term expats who live in Thailand, and they have volunteered to Police foreigners who have come on holiday, or vacation in Thailand.

Why do they need foreigners for this?  Well, the reason is because many of the foreign visitors do not understand how things work in Thailand.  You know, I have explained many times how many foreigners don’t understand cultural aspects of life in the Philippines?  Same for Thailand.  Things work differently in these foreign countries.  What is common “back home” may actually be a crime here, or may cause friction with the locals, and could actually get the tourist killed.  For example, here in Asia, causing somebody to “lose face” could lead to your death.  By having foreign expats policing the foreign tourists, they can help explain to the foreigners in a way they can understand, and smooth over trouble before it starts, or at least before it gets too far out of hand.

As I have watched this show, my first reaction was that it was kind of weird, and not needed.  As I watched several episodes, though, I have come to the conclusion that such a program could be quite beneficial for the Philippines too.  I believe that it can offer several potential benefits for the Philippines:

1. For the expat who lives here and gets involved in assisting with such policing activities, it would help make them a part of the community in which they live, make them part of society.
2. The expat policeman could help the tourist stay out of trouble, or at least minimize it.  Doing this would help the Philippines gain a higher regard in the tourism community.  Instead of having people who got into a bad situation going around badmouthing the Philippines, you could potentially have people encouraging others to travel here and telling them that the Philippines goes out of it’s way to assist tourists in having a good time while still staying out of potentially dangerous situations.
3. It could help cut back on corruption in the Police Force.  Right now, a lot of foreign tourists believe that every Philippine Policeman is out to scam them.  If there is a “tourist policeman” who is an expat from the West, it would make tourists more confident that they will be treated fairly.

While the Philippines is certainly under no obligation to do a program like this, I believe that it might have merit, and could make the Philippines a more attractive tourist destination too.  It shows that the country is going to extra effort to help make foreign tourists feel comfortable and safe while visiting the country.

What do you think?  Have you seen the show?  Do you think this has merit?

Constant Change

Almost everything in life is changing constantly, that shouldn’t be a big surprise.  Very few things remain the same over the long term.  One place where we American expats are seeing a lot of change lately is in the value of the US Dollar.  The US Dollar, in the past few weeks, has been losing value against almost every world currency, and that includes the Peso.

I can remember the years when I was living in the States.  We would hear on the news that the dollar was losing value, or was getting stronger against different world currencies.  It would be on the news, and people would talk about it a bit – a “strong dollar” or a “weak dollar” – but in the end, if you live in the USA it doesn’t not have an immediate or huge affect on your life.  Oh yes, if the Dollar sustains a long period of weakness, then you will start to see inflation in prices, overseas vacations will be more expensive, etc.  If the Dollar has a sustained period of strength then you will find imported items cheaper, when you go overseas your dollar will stretch further, etc.

When you are an expat, though, living abroad, if your primary income remains in Dollars, when the dollar loses strength the affect is immediate.  When the dollar goes down in value, you feel the squeeze that same day.  It doesn’t take time for the affect to reach you.

In the past few weeks, the dollar has been taking a dive.  It all started out when the dollar was actually showing strength.  After a prolonged period of the dollar staying at a Peso value of roughtly 47.8 to 48.0, in a matter of just a couple of days, the dollar was suddenly nearing 49.  But, just a couple of days later, the dollar dropped like a rock!

This past week, we actually had one day when during intra-day trading, the dollar breached the 46 level and was trading at 45.99.  What a drop!  As it is now, the Dollar/Peso rate is hanging around 46.5 or so.

All during this past few months, we have continually heard that the Dollar will by 52 Pesos or so by year’s end.  Now, they are talking about the Dollar going below 45 by year’s end.  Somehow, I feel the days of a 40:1 Dollar coming back – it wasn’t very long ago when we American expats were facing that value.  48 to 49 Pesos to a dollar has been a nice recovery.  I’ve been hoping to see 50, and would have been happy with the dollar at 50 Pesos, but it is looking like that is not meant to be, at least not soon.

The thing is, the dollar is losing value all over the world.  With US deficit spending totally out of control, it will likely continue to lose value in the foreseeable future too.  I don’t think it is unreasonable to think that we’ll be seeing an exchange rate of 40:1 again.  US spending is out of control, and that damages the value of the dollar.

So, here we are, back in the 45 to 46.5 realm again.  There are no signs that the US Government has any intention of taking actions to retain (or regain) dollar strength.  I think we are in for another round of expat belt tightening ahead.  I find myself considering just pegging my pricing in Pesos and moving on with that.  I mean, after all, I live in the Philippines, why should I continue to value my work in Dollars, when that is not the currency I am living on.  It is something I will be considering, and making a decision on in the coming months, as I observe what the dollar is going to do.

What about you?  If you are an expat already, do you still earn or receive dollar income?  If you are hoping to become an expat, do you have a plan for dollar decline?  Will you earn in Pesos or Dollars?

So you are thinking of moving to the Philippines?

Today’s Guest Post is from Lloyd Cromer.  Lloyd is a long time reader of the LiP Web Magazine, and has contributed this article about getting everything lined up for a move to the Philippines.  Thank you for your contribution, Lloyd!

I do not have hard statistics, but I would guess that many that make the move  to the Philippines abandon their idea and move back to their home country within a few years.  Between Louis and Bob here on the LiP site, the consensus opinion is that 50 to 66% of foreigners who move to the Philippines end up going home within a relatively short time. There are many reasons, but I would guess the top 2 are: lack of income or funds, and not being able to adjust to the Philippine culture.

I have put together some of the important things to consider prior to making the move.

These may appear as common sense things to consider but in the excitement many people overlook the obvious.

1.  Are you ready to make the move?
•  Are loose ends all tended to and all potential problems solved prior to your move?
•  Do you have a firm grasp on what living in the Philippines entails?
•  Can you make the adjustments of living in the Philippines?
•  Remember, a vacation in the Philippines is NOT the same as living there.
•  Have you done your homework, and feel secure that you have all your important q uestions answered?
•  Do you have the complete support of your family that you will leave behind in your native country.
•  If you are having a difficult time living in your native country, don’t expect living in the Philippines to be any better.

2.  Have a clear cut reason why you want to live in the Philippines.
•  Saying “I want to retire in the Philippines” sounds great, but what does that really mean?
•  Once the primary reason is determined, all your decisions should support that reason.

3.  Have a plan, but don’t micro plan.
•  You know the old saying, “People don’t plan to fail… they fail to plan.”
•  Have an overall plan, a back-up plan, and finally an exit plan with a “threshold”
that will tell you when to abandon your thoughts of living in the Philippines.
•  Do not get so involved in planning, that you have made decisions that cannot possibly be attained.
•  You must be flexible. Things can and do change, you must be able to take it in stride.

4. It can’t be emphasized enough, Homework, Homework, Homework do it before you go anywhere.
•  Read and research as much as you can. Take the time to learn. Be informed.
•  Stop and learn why things are done the way they are.
•  Don’t make decisions in haste.
•  Remember “You can read everything written, but until you experience it, you will not fully understand.”

5.  Income
•  To live in the Philippines it requires money, do NOT ever think otherwise.
•  Have a budget and be realistic. You will usually spend more than anticipated.
•  Where will your income be derived? A secure, predictable income is a must.
•  Have a large enough reserve for emergencies, and only use it for emergencies.

6.  Medical issues
•   If you do not have medical insurance, you must have adequate money to cover medical expenses.
•  Only the major cities have hospitals capable of handling extreme emergencies.
•  There is no such thing as 911 (emergency) in the out-lying areas.

7.  Family issues
•  If you have children, schooling is the #1 issue. Have this worked out prior to your move.
•  Usually a filipina wife that has lived overseas will have a harder time re-adjusting to Philippine living.

8.  Don’t start a business you know absolutely nothing about, and don’t pretend to be something you are not.
•  Unless your visa allows you to work, it is illegal for you to own and run a business.
•  If you are able to operate a business, don’t expect to make a living wage.
•  If you plan to start a business, proceed slowly with your eyes wide open. Businesses are probably the number one reason for foreigners to lose most of their money.

9.  Leave your western mentality at the departure gate on your way over.
•  The Philippines is a different country with a different culture. Your way, may not be their way.
•   If you insist on “doing it your way”, you soon will become very frustrated and disillusioned.

10.  Don’t burn your bridges.
•  You may need support eventually. Make contacts and friends to have a support network.

11. Once you have made the move, set goals, and assess those goals every few months.
•  This can be therapeutic and prevent boredom. You must have a purpose for getting up each morning.

12. The Philippines is NOT the “Wild West”.
•  The laws of the universe still apply here. You will be quite conspicuous and under greater scrutiny.

13. Learn the language. Much can be gained by actually knowing what is going on.
•  When you get settled and have time, learn the language, it will be an education in itself.

14.  Finally, we all have common sense. Don’t leave home without it.
•  If you wouldn’t do something back home, then please don’t do it while in the Philippines.

I must credit Bob Martin for providing many of the above tips and considerations. Bob’s blog should be a daily read for those considering moving or even those already living in the Philippines. He doesn’t hold back on “telling it like it is”, and every article he writes is entertaining while being very informative.

I am sure every person that has made the move, successfully or not, has a story to tell.  I invite you to share your experiences, good or bad, so that others may have a better insight on what it takes to move to the Philippines.

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