Live in the Philippines

Live in the Philippines helps expats with visas, moving and other services regarding the Philippines.

A few things I’ve learned

Expats / by

Yes, today’s article will look at a few things I’ve learned over the past couple of weeks, and it will also contain an announcement toward the end of the article.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working on a new project, the thing that will be part of the announcement below.  As part of this new project, it has caused me to do research by reading a lot of new blogs that I have never read before.  Blogs by other expats.  Not expats in the Philippines, I already read a lot of blogs written by other expats in the Philippines.  No, this new project has required my reading of expat blogs from all over the world!

One of the first things I learned by reading and researching these other expat blogs is that there are a lot of expat blogs out there!  I honestly never realized that there were so many!  I thought that expats in the Philippines had a lot of blogs, but I learned that the number of expat blogs in the Philippines is tiny compared to some other countries around the world.

I also found that expats like to write about similar topics.  Many of the things you read right here on LiP are similar to what you might read from an expat in Estonia, the Seychelles or Rwanda.  Prices of stuff.  The food is different.  Schooling for the kids is different.  So many of the topics are the same, yet some of the answers to the same questions are very different, depending on where the writer is living.

One thing that also surprised me when doing my research was that there are a lot of blogs out there written by Filipinos living in other countries.  The funny thing I found regarding Filipinos blogging, though, was that they often describe their blogs as “expat blogs” but when you read the content, their blogs are rarely about life being different and such, but rather just a journal of what they are up to, not really about expat issues.  On others, though, Americans, Europeans, Australians and such, when they have an “expat blog” it tends to be about issues relating to living in a country other than where they grew up and call “home.”  I found that difference kind of interesting.  Is it because Filipinos are so accustomed to working abroad of OFW’s or whatever the arrangement?  I don’t really know why, but I do know that this is something that I encountered a lot in researching expat blogs around the world.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have learned a lot of interesting things about blogs from other expats, and the differences and similarities I see between expats in the Philippines and other parts of the world.

Why have I been reading all of these expat blogs?  Well, it’s because of my new project, as I said.  Let me tell you about how I decided to pursue this new project.

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about LiP, and some of my other Internet Enterprises that I own.  Most of what I own and do is focused on the Philippines in one way or another.  That’s OK, because as I have said before, I love the Philippines.  The Philippines is my home, and I enjoy writing about my life here.  However, when it comes to Internet presence, I am very well placed.  I would venture to say that almost anybody, if they are interested in moving to the Philippines, or even just visiting the Philippines, if they search the Internet for information, there is a very good chance that they will end up finding me, either here on LiP, or one of my other websites.  I feel that it is just a fact that LiP has grown into one of the best Philippine Expat Sites on the Internet.  I am not bragging, or trying to overstate my presence on the Internet, I believe it is just a fact.  As such, it would be hard to expand my presence on the Internet by doing more things focused in on life in the Philippines.

The fact is, though, I enjoy focusing on the Expat Lifestyle.  So, what should I do?  I decided at the point that I was thinking that question over that I wanted to expand my reach and focus on International Expat Issues instead of just Philippine Expat Issues.  No, that does not mean that I am abandoning LiP, or cutting it back.  It simply means that in addition to LiP, I want to start delving into looking at Expat Issues in other countries too.

My first step toward expanding my web focus is a new site that I am launching today.  It is called The Expat Telegraph.  The Expat Telegraph is a site that features blogs of expats all around the world!  Basically, I have scoured the net and found a lot of very good expat blogs from other countries, and if you go to The Expat Telegraph site, you will get a live feed of these hundreds of other expat blogs!  You will see the latest headlines from these other expat blogs, and a short bite from their most current articles.  If you click on the article title, you will be taken over to that blog and read the article there!  The Expat Telegraph covers the entire world.  I am featuring expat blogs from the following regions:

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Oceania
  • North America
  • South America

If you know of other expat blogs that are not currently on The Expat Telegraph site, and you think they should be, please let me know!  I’d be happy to add more!

I hope that you will enjoy discovering a whole new world of Expat Blogs through The Expat Telegraph site!  I know that I have discovered a number of new Blogs that I feel will be regular reads for me, and seen a lot of good information from some of these sites!

Give it a look!  Let me know what you think by leaving a comment here!  I am certainly interested to hear from you what you think of the new resource!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Bob,
    Good idea. At one time in my life I considered moving back to Sweden, the country of my father’s ancestry. I visited there with my father in 2003. It was pleasant visit. I was very shocked at the socialistic view held by my relatives. Much has changed since then.
    Jade

    • Hi Jade – I think that being able to read expat blogs from all over the world will help anybody learn more about a country, especially one that they are considering moving to. That’s one of the reasons I decided to set up the site!

  2. Hi Bob, I too like to check out expat blogs from other countries. Mostly it’s only countries that I’d be remotely interested in living in besides the Philippines that I look at. I notice though, that sometimes the things that interest other expats from other countries, or questions that people might have seem more geared to looking for a place similar to what they know at home, only cheaper.
    I laugh sometimes when comparing other places to the Philippines to settle, I realize how interesting and unique the Philippines seems overall. I can see that it would not be for everyone! Maybe I’m biased, but you can call the Philippines many things, but never predictable or dull! lol
    It’s true though, there really are as many expat sites as countries to visit, and there is something for everyone who seeks the expat lifestyle.

    I like some of the sites relating to expats in Mexico. You might want to check out http://www.yucatanliving.com if you haven’t already…

    • Hi Queenie – You know, over the years, there have a been many times when I have sat down with expat friends and discussed where else we would live if it ever came to be that we could no longer live in the Philippines. We have come up with other places we would consider, but we always said that none could match up with the Philippines. It would be a hard choice to decide where else I would want to live. The Philippines seems to be perfect for me (not that improvements could not be made!).

      • Hey Bob, Another great site to look at. Really looking forward to to reading it. Your right, comparing the philippines to any other country to live in, there really isn’t any comparison. It’s all philippines. Please keep up what you are doing and god bless and be safe

  3. Hey Bob,

    That wheel in your head is always spinning, great idea, and I look forward to reading the site as well.

    Take care,
    Danny H. 🙂

  4. Hi Bob – Nice key with “Navy knob.” Here I thought it might be one made from bamboo or coconut.
    😆

    That’s quite an enterprise – something that I think was needed among the communities. Sort of a virtual expat U.N. (but better).

    • Hi Paul – I am an old Morse Code freak… being a Ham Radio Operator years ago, it is something I had to learn in order to get my license to operate. I would have loved to feature a bamboo or coconut key… but neither substance conducts electricity well! 😯 ha ha

      I never thought of an “expat UN” ha ha… kind of nice!

    • Hi Bdul – I am familiar with the site. However, the site has no RSS feed, which it must have in order to feed my Expat Telegraph site, so there is no way I can include it.

      • Ah ok, Bob. I have been a lurker in your site for some time now. It’s nice and educational to see the Philippines from the perspective of people not born here. I was hoping I could return a small favor pointing you to this site…

        Keep up the good work and good luck in your ventures.

  7. Hi Bob – What a refreshing change well done. I was begining to think I had been left behind when the boat sailed but I’m happy to know there are other people around.
    Some of the Brits maybe interested in this link and you might want to include it in your new blog also http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/
    I have noticed that my Bethany link has disappeared from your blog roll. Maybe just a wee accident?
    Keep up the good work Bob.
    Regards.
    Jim.

    • Hi Jim – Your site (Bethany) is still listed, it is on my Links Page. I had written a while back (perhaps you missed it) that the links on the main page were going to be for writers who have regular columns here… other links are listed on the links page.

      Want to write a regular column? 😉

  8. Hi Bob – What a refreshing change well done. I was beginning to think I was the only one left after the ship sailed but now I realize there are others in this world.
    You may wish to include this link for the millions of British ex-pats around the world who might want up to date news http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/
    I also noticed that my Bethany link has disappeared from your blog roll. I was thinking it was just a wee accident.
    Best wishes.
    Jim.

  9. I am a Filipina married to an American and have been living in the US A for more than 10 years. Currently, I’m staying temporarily in my hometown , Davao City to pursue nursing school. I keep a blog called I Love-Hate America. When I first started my blog , I was thinking of conceptualizing it as an “expat” blog because I want to convey to people especially to Filipinos, that the image of America in their eyes and mind is way different from the reality of living in America…that’s why it is subtitled , “… as seen through the eyes of a foreigner” –but later I categorized it as a “personal blog” because, though I present views about living abroad, it is also a journal of my struggles trying to fit in to the culture, lifestyle and society of America.

    Hope you do check it out.

    So when I tried to search for the “other way around”–what Americans think and say about my country, I happened to stumble on your blog.

    It’s good that you are also trying to learn about expat blogs in other parts of the world…..

    • Hi bingkee – Thanks for your comment. To be honest, I was kind of offended when I first knew the name of your site. However, I thought it over for a while, and I came to realize that while I love the Philippines, there are things I hate about the Philippines too. Heck, there is plenty I hate about the USA. So, I changed my mind about the name of your site, and now I feel… why not? I just had a look at your site, and I will check it out more later today. Thanks for pointing me to it!

      • A lot of people are taken aback by the title and people hate me and my blog just because of the title. People have been dissing me just because of that.They just look at the blog title without even reading it, and then bash me to blisters. I gave that blog title based on a “relationship”—e.g. marriage, romantic, friendship–where you hate the idiosyncracies and peculiarities of your partner, because you are not exactly like your partner yet in the end, you love him after all—which is why you have that relationship in the first place.

        In my recent blog post, there you will read what I hate about my own place, Philippines, after living in America for so long.
        Yea, why you don’t check it out…start with my Most Popular Posts found in the side bar.

        I also drop by a lot but it’s only lately I find time to comment.

        • Interesting comment, bingkee. I understand where you are coming from both on having some hate for America, and also finding now that you have some hate for the Philippines, your homeland. Feyma felt the same when we came to live here, and in some ways still does. In fact, I know lots of couples where the American and his Filipina wife lived in the USA for a number of years, then moved to the Philippines. In every single case, the Filipina wife had a very difficult time re-adjusting to living in the Philippines, much harder than her foreigner husband did. It seems strange, but it is true in my experience.

        • Hi Bingkee. I really enjoyed reading your site. There’s alot of information that will be very useful when i retire to the philippines in a few years. I will be living in the Bataan area where my g/f lives and owns a Internet Cafe. Keep doing what your doing.

    • Bingkee, I checked out your blog and I think it is very interesting, humorous, and covers a wide range of topics that I think would fall under the topic of an expat blog. I met my wife in CT, she is an RN and I grew up there. We moved south but plan to retire in the Phils in the near future. Good luck with your studies and the “sacrifice” you need to make. My wife and I are making the same sacrifice, as she and the kids need to make preperations in the Phils, and so they are back and forth, while I am still blessed to be able to earn a good wage, thank God. No small thing these days. Thank God for Skype is all I can say. Again, well done with the blog. You and your husband are fortunate to have found each other. Gary

      • GARY—ohh..thanks so much and I feel flattered . Where in CT are u from? We live in Hamden, north of New Haven. My hubby is from Boston,MA. I used to live in New York City before we met and moved to CT when we got married,
        Good luck in your move to the Philippines…..i’m sure it’s the best move and will surely relish the life you will have here in the Phils. Readers like you inspire me to write more.
        You know, everything will work out right and for good. God is good all the time and may He bless you and your family.

        • We lived in Hamden as well (Townwalk) for a couple of years before moving south. Now in NC for almost 14 years. Looking forward to making the transition. Thank you for the prayers. We are situated just north of Baguio City but also plan to visit Davao and other places when the opportunity presents itself. My wife has been enjoying your blog as well.

          • That’s great, Gary! I hope that all goes smoothly for you and that your adjustment to the Philippines is a good one! I am happy that you and your wife enjoy my site!

    • Hi Rich – Sorry, but I did not forget you. The new site is an Expat site. As far as I know, you are not an expat. You are an American, right? And you live in America? Once you live in the Philippines, I will consider adding your blog, no problem there. I also do not add sites that are not regularly updated, only sites that the author updates at least a few times per month on a regular basis. I have nothing against your site at all… it’s a nice site. It just does not meet the criteria of what The Expat Telegraph is all about. Hope you understand.

  11. Bob, that’s really a great idea! I bet a lot of people would be interested, to check those world-wide websites out in a condensed form, all from a single ‘p0rtal’, without having to google and search for it themselves. And thanks for including my site also! 😉

    • Thanks Chris! I hope that the site serves two purposes.. helps people find new interesting expat sites that they can learn from and enjoy, and also helps expats grow their sites with new readers! I was happy to include Nomad4Ever on the site! It’s a great expat blog, why not?

  13. Hi, Bob:

    The “resource” that you refer to as Expat Telegraph is an invaluable reference tool that can be likened to the Portals to the World that are maintained by major research libraries like the Library of Congress.

    Whereas the fact-based (CIA, Wikipedia) Portals merely provide the researcher with internet links to the websites and brief descriptions thereof, the Expat Telegraph goes a step further by taking the reader/researcher directly to the geographically-arranged website for real-time information about the country, albeit information based on first-hand knowledge and personal experience of the writer which may or may not be factual or accurate.

    Nonetheless, the Expat Telegraph is a reference tool of enormous significance for the researcher soon-to-be expat.

  16. Hi Bob,
    Interesting,i’m always looking to learn more,with my thirst for knowledge.
    However,having expat friends in other parts of the world,i occassionally read other sites,but this is a great idea to bring the better ones under one roof.
    Something i have noticed though,they all have their share of whingers Lol.
    regards,Chas.

    • Hi Chasdv – I hope you find the site useful. I have found a few new reads there myself!

      I was not familiar with what a “whinger” was.. had to google it to find out! You Brits…. 😆

          • Hi John,
            Yes,most do originate from Britain.
            Those Aussies born to the original British settlers were the ones who made the term “whinger” famous.They used it to describe the Brits who mass emigrated to Oz in the 50s and 60s,coz they were always complaining about the conditions,heat etc.
            Kind of funny really,as most of the original British settlers were convicts, extradited there to do the hard physical labour in building the infrastructure,thus many remained when their sentences were up.
            regards,Chas.