Hi there my name is Feyma Martin, wife of Bob. I am going to tell you what’s my thoughts about living here in the Philippines, having lived in the States for 10 years. I do hope I would be of help to those filipinas that live abroad for a long time and thinking of moving back here.
I was born in Patag, Malapatan, Sarangani Province. Studied my secondary years in Notre Dame For Girls in Lagao, General Santos City. Finish up college in Cebu. Right after graduation I went to the States. Bob and I have been married for 16 1/2 years. When we decided to move back here I was so scared, because I was thinking it would be hard for Bob and kids to adjust to life here in the Philippines. I was wrong, I was the one that really had a hard time. After living here for a month I was ready to move back to the States. Luckily, Bob and I made an agreement that no matter what, if we like it or not we have to commit to stay here in the Philippines for five years.
Honestly it took me two years to finally adjust to living here.
Now Davao is my home, I don’t think I would want to go back to the States to live. I can see also that my kids are happy here.
Well, if any of you ladies wants to ask me something about life here in the Philippines, please feel free to ask I will try my best to answer your questions.
Hey Feyma! Hope all is well for you….nice to see you posting as well. Marisol says Hello!
Hi Feyma,
Just wondering what you found difficult adjusting to when you moved back to the Philippines. If you could make a list, and why, that would be great. Thanks!
HI Feyma,
Glad to see your addition to these blogs. My wife is from Cebu. We have been married and living in the US all of that time. We will be visiting the Philippines next Winter to look for a place to live. Plan on visiting Davao as Davao is at the top of my list for places to live in the Philippines. I shared your blog with my wife. Her response was that she does not think she will have any difficulty readjusting to life in the Philippines. We will be reading your future blogs with great interest.
Thanks, Bill
HI Feyma,
I JUST FINSIHED WRITING TO BOB.NICE TO SEE U TOGETHER NURTURING UR KIDS WITH THE BEST U ALWAYS WANTED TO GIVE THEM SPECIALITY OF BEING ORIGINAL AND NOT FOLLOWING THE RAT RACE.
I HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT MY TO BE PARTNER LIZA RESIDANCT OF PANGASINAN PROVINCE AND DAGUPAN CITY.
WHAT WILL I DO THERE WITH LIZA ,IF I WILL EVER DECIDE TO STAY THERE LIFE LONG.I DID MY GRADUATION IN COMPUTER SCINCE IN 2001 AND NOW WORKING AS A LECTURER.WILL I BE ABLE TO SHARE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY AMONG PEOPLE OF PHILLIPINES AND RING THEM BACK TO REAL INDEPENDANCE SPECIALLY ON 4TH DIMENSION "FINATIAL INDEPENDANCE" AFTER PHYSICAL MENTAL AND SPRITUAL.ACTUALLY I THOUGHT ABOUT LIVING MY LARGE PART OF FUTURE LIFE WITH LIZA THERE IN DAGUPAN BUT STILL I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT PEOPLE'S INNER PASSION TO WORK WITH A FOREIGNER AND SHARE THEIR LIFE WITH ME.
HOPING TO LISTEN TO U SOON.
THANX.
PS
I forgot to say how long my wife and I have been married. We have been married for ten years.
Bill
Craig, Tina and Bill
Thank you so much for the warm welcome. I will try to share with you guys my experiences and adjustments in living here. I hope it help some of you in the near future when the time comes you decided to live here.
Hi Marisol. It was a pleasure meeting you and Craig. Hope to see you guys again soon.
It was interesting to read about your experiences with relatives in your hometown. I have to share my comment . I open your husbands website every night after doing a hard day's work and household chores. I enjoy viewing the photos especially of Samal. I may feel nostalgic but contented to see the photos. I am a native of Davao and my family visit twice a year. It was a wise decision that you moved to Davao. Davao City is the best place to live, work and play, such quality of life. share us more of your experiences in Davao. Are the dabawenyas treating you right?
Hi NEERAJ,
Thank you for your nice comment. Honestly I don't know much about Dagupan though. But if I were you, try to live there for awhile with Liza. It would be hard for me to tell you when I haven't been to that place yet. Good luck to you and Liza.
Hi Lettie,
I'm glad you enjoy seeing the photos of Davao. I am treated good here in Davao, we would not stay here this long if we're not happy here. Maybe when you come for a visit let me know and we could hangout.
Hi, my name is Ikay. Cagayan de Oro city is my hometown although I now live in Australia for 15 years. I've been back in Cagayan de oro many times with my husband, and have been experiencing many heart breaking moments when it's time to leave. The lenght of time I spent living in Australia has not changed the longing in my heart to be back home and never to leave again. My husband is willing to try calling Cagayan de Oro city our permanent home. However, I am a little worried about his safety after all these news I'm hearing regarding the situation in Philippines particularly Mindanao. Your advice on this matter would much appreciated. Thank you heaps.
Best regards to you and your family.
Ikay
Hi Ikay,
I know what you mean by heartbreak when comes time to leave. I"ve been there before. You can stop the heartbreak if you move back here. Your husband would be safe in living in Cagayan. I saw lots of foreigner everytime I go there in Cagayan. My friends that lives in Iligan they are mostly foreigner, they go to Cagayan quiet often. Everytime we go to Cagayan I didn't feel scared for our safety. It's safe in Cagayan.
G'day Feyma,
I wan'na thank you for sending a prompt reply to my query. I rang my former classmate in Xavier University(where I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology) and we went into discussion regarding the present situation in Philippines. She also mentioned about Cagayan de Oro being a safe place to live. I feel this utmost concern not only for our country and our people but for the whole world. I hope that everyone will sooner or later realize that all we need to survive in this world is LOVE. Love is a positive encompassing energy, therefore if we have love we also have abundance in everything positive. I believe that it is easier to give love than to create trouble. It makes me feel sad to see that some of us don't understand how the universe as a whole really works. We experience life according to how we want to experience it; "what we sow is what we reap", spoken by one of the greatest individuals whose presence once graced this earth. You and your husband would be blessed no doubt. You are both implanting a good image of our beloved country into people's minds and that is absolutely positive.
More power to both of you.
Ikay
Hi Feyma, howdie? It's lunar new year holiday here in Korea and it's pretty quiet, with families getting together , visiting the dearly departed and the best part is the bowing of young ones to the elders and in return they get the envelope. Wished I were in Davao when there are holidays like this. Can you and your family visit my small place in Samal? It's in Camudmud along the shore. Re your response from my initial comment, yeah ….looking forward to hanging out with you. BTW, I'm a neophyte with this blog thing, can you erase my last name in the blogs? This is my first ever to be interested in this kind of forum. Thanks.
Hi Feyma, I just discovered this Live in the Philippines blog when I came across a link from Bob's topic Wanna be my Neighbour? My husband and I have been following the Mindanao Blog for about a year now. My husband Jim was the one who asked if Bob could feature Bethany Christian Home for Children in Bukidnon, which he did and we are indeed very grateful. I enjoy the Mindanao Blog and have learned a lot of things. I'm glad that you have decided to join Bob and share your experiences about living back in Mindanao. My husband and I will be retiring back in Bukidnon next year and would love to swap stories, experiences and information, etc, which would help us settle and adjust back there. Speak to you soon.
Hi Marilou,
Thanks for visiting our website.
I'm glad that you guys introduced us to Bethany Christian Home, It was really great honor to have meet Louise. She's a great lady.
Hope to see you sometime next year then. Good luck to you.
Actually, there is a possibility that we might be visiting Davao City next month. One of my best friends here in the UK comes from Davao City and has invited Jim and I to visit them. But you know what it's like when you're a visitor. Your host wants to take you around here, there everywhere in a couple of days. We might bump into you. We know what you and Bob look like, so don't be surprised if some strangers start waving like long lost friends. Cheers.
Hi Feyma,
I've been reading your advise of living back in the Phils. It's very encouraging, I just found out about mindanao blog sometime last year now I check it out just about everyday, I was in Davao a month ago looking for a land to buy to build a vacation house, with limited time, I didn't really find a land instead found a lot, anyways when I read about "Wanna be my neighbor" I started thinking & considering maybe Samal who knows, Anyways, thanks for all the info in your blog. Cheers!
Hi Marilou,
I know what you mean. Sure I would be happy if ever we would see each other. Have fun.
Hi Edith,
Maybe we could be neighbors after all who knows. 😉 For Bob and I, we like Samal still clean and beautiful. Good luck to you. Honestly I do hope we could be neighbor someday.
Feyma,
Thanks for the info about life in the islands, I have been in the States for 33 years and planing in to retire there. My wife and I have built and apartment complex with two units rented out and one unit for our use in Iligan. I was surprise how inexpensive it was to build it and built it to Stateside sandard. There pretty good carpenters there. Your building a house in Samal, well that place is almost paradise.
hi! great blog, i am currently living in davao and considering moving to samal. i am looking at 2 lots one in camudmud and one in mambago, babak. do you know how those 2 places are? I am hoping for somewhere very quiet (no karaoke, no loud neighbors). davao is great (food, low cost of living) but the noise is intolerable everywhere. hoping for any feedback or even references to a good quiet place to live either samal or davao. rental is fine. thanks!
Hello Feyma,
Thank-you so much for posting your wonderful website and allowing people to contact you. I could use some good heartfelt advice about some plans I hope to have in the future. I am from Canada. I met a women from Davao City on the internet and I want to marry her. It would be the first time for both of us and we do not have kids. I will finish my career in six years, and can then move to Davao to live, which I think would be great. The love of my life could come to Canada until then, and then we could both return at the same time.
My question really is: Can I purchase a modest home and support a wife on pension income of about 25,000 usd/yr.
Of course we could also save for five years prior to moving. She is also younger so I'm sure children will come later.
I look at this situation as all my dreams comming true. I just worry about the costs, as I truly want to be a good provider for my future wife and children.
Larry
Hi Larry- Honestly you could live here on what you said your earnings 25,000 usd/yr. It's way cheaper here to live in the Philippines than Canada. Maybe my husband and I would see you next time you visit here in the Davao.
Goodluck to you and your lady.