Jay Stainback
How can a (Filipino) person live a happy life on $200 a month in the Philippines?
“This is my house.” stated proudly my wife’s older sister as she showed my wife and I where she now lived. I was shocked at the site of her house. It was a beautiful freshly painted two-story house with a low white picket fence around it that was decorative in function, not a security type fence. This house would have looked in place in a middle-class neighborhood in the USA, but in this municipality Bohol…
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Can a person live a happy life on $200 a month in the Philippines?
I believe the answer to be, “Yes, millions do!” I made no mistake in my article title. I meant $200 not $2,000. I meant “happy life” not survive. The key word in the title is “person” which is not an expat. Most persons in the Philippines are not expats; they are Filipinos. Millions live on less than $200 a month. The only questions I have are: Are they living a “happy life” or are they…
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Jackfruit, Nature’s Laffy Taffy
I love eating ripe jackfruit! Ripe jackfruit is one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten. Recently we had a potluck dinner at our home and we invited two couples both of which included an American husband and a Filipino wife. After dinner, the wives tried to give their husbands ripe jackfruit for dessert. I was surprised at the men’s reaction to the offer. One husband completely refused to taste the jackfruit and yelled…
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Is subsistence fishing in the Philippines sustainable?
“You aren’t going to throw my first fish back in the water, are you?”, my then new wife asked my father on her first fishing trip in the USA. “Sorry this flounder is no more than 14 inches long and it has to be at least 15 inches by state regulation for us to keep it,” Dad explained. He measured the fish on the cooler so my wife would know that the flounder was undersized.…
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Filipinos like rice with everything
“Wait, where are our fries?” I questioned the sweet honey behind the counter at Jolibee’s in the Island City Mall in Bohol. “Sorry, out of stock.” the cute cashier answered. “There are no fries in Bohol.” I stated with disbelief. “The ship that was bringing fries was delayed, because of the recent typhoon. We substituted rice for fries. Filipinos like rice with everything. Sorry about your fries.” the adorable cashier cheerfully explained and apologized. “No…
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How to be seen as a walking ATM in the Philippines
How to be seen as a walking ATM in the Philippines I have never felt like a walking ATM machine in the Philippines. I have heard and read about a lot of visitors and expats feel this experience. From what I have heard and read about I think I know how you and I could be seen as “a walking ATM” if we want to. This is of course my opinion based on my limited…
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