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Is anybody minding the store?

September 3, 2010 By MindanaoBob 85 Comments
Somebody did a poor job when labeling those boxes!

Imagine this situation, if you would.  Your brother just died in a foreign country, far away from his home.  You are mourning deeply for his loss, quite sad.  When your brother died, it was under unfortunate circumstances which caused an uproar, only making your loss more painful. Your brother's body is shipped back home from the foreign land where he died.  You and your family have made all of the arrangements for a nice funeral and you are hoping to get over it and hopefully get back to a normal life as time passes.  After the body is repatriated, though, you and the family open the coffin and the body inside is not your brother after … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bob Tagged With: Bob Martin, Daily Life, Expats, Filipino Culture, Living in The Philippines, Manila

C’est La Vie

September 1, 2010 By Patrick Duffy 11 Comments
There goes a hermit crab now!

The next day I rent a boat to take me back to Hilabaan and Butna for a few days.  The people are curious about my returning so soon and why I love it so much on their island.  It is somewhat difficult to explain to those who had never yet seen the big city with its big city problems, crime and smog. A place where people do not know their neighbors and have little time for “hellos.” These people here live in a world that only God can create and which Hollywood can only imagine. In the evening I walk across the islands with Melvin and Noling to observe the Mr. Math and Miss Science talent contest at the town Plaza. The people take it upon … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Guest Tagged With: Daily Life, Expats, Filipino Culture, Luzon, Manila, Patrick Duffy, Travel, Visayas, Weather

Getting around, or not!

August 24, 2010 By John 24 Comments
Coffee is out of stock?

I love to travel when I have  more than p5 in my pocket. Last week I flew from Davao to Manila, to see Migs and to see my friend off after his vacation, a two month vacation with me in Davao. Davao airport is OK, its normally efficient and reasonable, and there are coffee shops before you go through to the gate that are perfectly OK. I was told that a new coffee shop opened past the gate, so I felt I would give it a chance. When I went in there it was well laid out, very bright, and so clogged up in smoke, that I doubt I would have seen the sandwich let alone taste it. So, about turn and off to another coffee shop past the gates, this was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: John G Tagged With: Daily Life, Davao, Filipino Culture, John Grant, Living in The Philippines, Luzon, Manila, Transportation, Travel

Let It Rain

August 2, 2010 By Paul Thompson 27 Comments
My Mango Tree Before Triming

What’s not to like about the rainy season here in my Bataan paradise? It follows a two-month period of blistering heat; it turns all plants from brown to green and makes my new lawn look great. Plus it’s a good excuse to stay home and consume a few canned consumables. The wife will explain about the shortage of rice in her kitchen, and I can say, “I think the National Highway is washed out.” While watching the local News last year, it was announced that Mega Manila was 90% ready for the rainy season! Then three days later it was shown that Mega Manila was flooded after the first rain fall, not from a Typhoon. I figured that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Paul T Tagged With: Daily Life, Expats, Living in The Philippines, Luzon, Manila, Paul Thompson, Weather

Expat Life and being an American: What does it mean?

July 20, 2010 By JohnM 78 Comments
Expat John Miele

By the very nature of the term, expats are caught between two worlds: The old and the new. When you choose, and it is a choice, to live in a country other than that of your birth, you are leaving the old behind, and this includes your beliefs, mores and values with which that you may have grown up. Eventually, if you live in a place long enough, you begin to lose that which makes you different. The connections with the old become weaker. The relevance in daily life of your old ways changes. You begin to assimilate. This applies to all expats everywhere, whether in the Philippines or Timbuktu. This also applies to each and every OFW who leaves … [Read more...]

Filed Under: John Miele Tagged With: Adjustment, Daily Life, Expats, John Miele, Living in The Philippines, Luzon, Manila, Relationships

Manila

June 22, 2010 By JohnM 78 Comments
Another side of Manila - What a beautiful skyline!

Manila. A quick browse around many Philippine web sites, blogs, or travel guides will show much disdain for Manila. Crowded. Polluted. Crime ridden. Dirty. Manila is all of these things, but there is so much more to the picture. No one can argue that Manila isn't crowded and dirty. The traffic is horrendous. The infrastructure is crumbling. It is a rather ugly city, visually speaking. However, there is so much more to Manila that lies just below the surface. The city that is full of life. Daily life that is all around you, but seldom noticed behind the dilapidated facade that Manila presents to the world. Manila is real. No … [Read more...]

Filed Under: John Miele Tagged With: Daily Life, Expats, John Miele, Living in The Philippines, Manila, Travel

Greet the expat but not the local

May 25, 2010 By John 34 Comments
Photo0137

I must say that especially in places like Manila, the staff at Malls are on the whole better trained ,and more polite than here in Mindanao, and I always am greeted in Manila with " good morning sir", and always a big smile. This happens in the queue to pay,at the entrance to shops, and by the security guards too. I must say, that this is not the same as Mindanao, for some reason, although its present, its far, far behind the Manila experience. But wait, the Manila experience is the good thing right? Well for me it is, but I have been so aware recently that the "white man" is getting these greetings always, and I therefore I assumed so … [Read more...]

Filed Under: John G Tagged With: Daily Life, Expats, John Grant, Living in The Philippines, Manila, Mindanao, Shopping in the Philippines

Manila Zoo

May 11, 2010 By JohnM 29 Comments
Me, Juanito, and Emma with a big damn snake!

OK, there will probably be some people who disagree with me on this article, but I think that I make a few valid points. If you take a look at Trip Advisor, or several other travel web sites, the comments about Manila Zoo are harsh, to say the least. Though I cannot disagree with many of them, some of them are perhaps a bit unfair: They don't take circumstances into account and, to be fair, things have improved at the zoo and the staff are making an effort to do the best they can with what they have. Zoos serve many purposes: To educate, preserve, entertain... Some animals, due to environmental damage, poaching, or other reasons, may now only … [Read more...]

Filed Under: John Miele Tagged With: Animals, Daily Life, Expats, John Miele, Living in The Philippines, Manila

McDonald’s in the Philippines (a.k.a. The American Embassy)

May 4, 2010 By JohnM 76 Comments
scan0011

The title may sound a bit snarky (I first heard it on a trip to Europe a couple of years ago), but it is accurate. In nearly every corner of the world, there is a little piece of America in the neighborhood McDonald's. I've always thought that Mickey D's gets a bad rap sometimes. I mean, they are under continual fire for serving unhealthy food, but consumers make the choice to eat there... No one is forcing anyone to eat fast food. "Documentaries", such as "Supersize Me", leave out a critical fact: If you eat enough of anything, it will make you sick. Is McDonald's healthy? Not particularly, but eating it once in a while, just like anything else, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: John Miele Tagged With: Adjustment, Daily Life, Expats, Food, John Miele, Living in The Philippines, Luzon, Manila

Manila apartment

April 4, 2010 By John 20 Comments
apartment

Well its been nearly two weeks, and I am almost ready with the new apartment in Manila, don't get me wrong I have not left Davao, but for many reasons, some too personal to share with the mass public, well the two readers that read this, I have to have two small cheap places. I am now sharing my time half and half, for the next few months. So by a clever means of deduction, it means I have spare capacity in Davao and Manila, and if anyone wants short stay accommodation in either please let me know, and perhaps we can have a  mutual  way of helping each other. I have in Manila, moved into a two bedroom, two level house, that is in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: John G Tagged With: Housing, John Grant, Living in The Philippines, Luzon, Manila
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