Over the past weeks, I have been writing a series that I call “Seasons in the Sun” in which I have described the different “seasons of my life in the Philippines.”
My early years of living in the Philippines were my Winter years. Life was hard, and I experienced a number of hardships. I made mistakes that cost me dearly, or nearly did. I had a tough time adjusting to life here. I made it though, and after a few years, Summer came to my life here. Summer was a hot one too, things really went my way, and I loved life. I had many reasons for my love of life in the Philippines. In around 2006 and 2007, though, things cooled down a bit, and Autumn had arrived in my Philippine life. It was not nearly like Winter had been, but the temperature had certainly cooled down since summer… mostly in a financial way. When the economic crisis hit in 2008, Autumn really took hold in an even harder way.
Around 2010, though, Spring arrived in my life in the Philippines. What happened, how did the season change for me around 2010?
Business and Financial
Although the US dollar was still at a very poor rate, things improved for me financially. I had shifted business into more of a publishing mode, including this website. Along with publishing came revenue from advertising on my various websites. Another thing that I capitalized on was writing books and selling them through my various websites. I touched on these things in my previous article about Autumn, but really these things started flourishing during the Spring season of my life here. These newer ventures really replaced some of my older ways that I had made a living here.
As I pursued new business ventures, financial stresses became easier, and overall life improved for our family. I am happy for that.
But, there was much more than just business that brought this new season to my life.
Language
I started learning to speak Bisaya/Cebuano in 2007. By around 2009 to 2010, I was getting pretty proficient in the language. Finally, in 2011, I graduated from my language course, and was pretty much fluent in the language. Nobody is ever perfect in any language, even the language they learned from birth, and I am far from perfect in speaking and understanding Bisaya, but I do pretty well. I can go to the market or anywhere in public and carry on a conversation, and understand at least 80% of what is said to me. Understanding that percentage gives you the opportunity to be able to figure out what the other 20% is and be right in most instances, even if you don’t understand it perfectly. So, there are still times when I don’t understand what is being said, but I can figure it out and get by. Of course, as each day passes, I get better with the language.
Lately, I have been considering hiring my old language teacher, Bebe Metillo, to come back for maybe a few months, one day per week, to give me a bit of a refresher in the language. One of the biggest problems I have with the language is that I tend to go to places where I say the same things on a daily basis, rather than being able to engage in deeper conversation with Filipinos. For example, you go to the market, you are saying a lot of things like:
- How much is this?
- How are you this morning?
- Good day to you.
- Do you have “x product” in stock?
You know, that kind of thing. Of course, I say a lot more than just that, but it is conversation that is limited based on where you are and who you are talking with. But, still, I feel very comfortable in the language. If I go outside the house, out in public, I speak Bisaya 100% of the time, except if I am talking to another foreigner.
Learning to speak the local language has had a huge impact on my life, and made me enjoy my life more here. It is the best move I ever made.
Cultural Adjustment
When I took my language lessons, my teacher, Bebe, also taught me a lot about Filipino culture. She helped me understand situations that I previously was baffled by. She helped me learn how to be a more patient person, because by understanding Filipinos and their ways, I knew what to expect, so I was prepared for it. Bebe was really instrumental in helping me in this area. Oh, I am not perfect, far from it. I still lose my cool at times, and become impatient. But, now it is rare for that to happen. Before, it was a daily experience.
I am very thankful to Bebe for her assistance in this area. Learning to deal with the culture of the Philippines is very important for any foreigner who wants to live here.
I’m a lucky guy
The things that I have enumerated here, which have had a very positive impact on my life in the Philippines are all things that I began to implement in my life during my Autumn years of my life in the Philippines. As these things began to mature and come together to impact my life here, things in my life improved. In fact, it changed the season of my life from Autumn to Spring. Spring is a time of hope and happiness. It is a time when things are better and moving toward even more improvement. That is how I am feeling about my life in the Philippines at this point. I am loving living here, and seeing even better things down the road for myself and my family.
Overall, I would have to say that I am a pretty lucky guy to be living a great life in a place that I have come to love and enjoy, with people that I also feel the same about. But, I also have to say that I don’t really believe so much in luck. To quote Thomas Jefferson about luck:
I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.
Yes, I have worked hard to achieve the life I am enjoying today. I don’t mind a bit of hard work, though, it all pays off in the end.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my series, Seasons in the Sun, about the seasons of my life in the Philippines.
Nice and enjoyable series Bob. There are lessons to be learned from each and I prefer learning the hard lessons from others rather than from the school of hard knocks.
ONE THINK i will pass to you came from a Language teacher many years ago when I was in 9th grade. He said,” You will only be fluent in a foreign language (Spanish) when your mind stops thinking in English and translating to Spanish.” That stuck with me through all of these years and I believe he was correct.
Howdy Joe, how is everything going? What your teacher told you is correct, and I will add something else. My teacher told me that you know you are fluent when you dream in the language you are learning. I have had dreams in Bisaya, so I think I’m doing pretty good. Also, for many things I would say, I don’t have to translate in my mind. A few things I have to kind of “figure it out” in my mind first, but only a few.
Bob;
One of the things I try to impress on people who ask about living here,is that it is for sure a roller coaster ride, which your series of articles has pointed out so well. It’s been a hell of an E-Ticket ride for me also, but I now have the all day pass and I’ll be back in line to ride it again. Albeit I’m a lot wiser now.
Hi Paul – You sure hit the nail on the head. Being wiser now is something that I think all of us come to realize after living here for a while. I know that looking back, I made a lot of mistakes that cost me both in terms of money and also just peace of mind. Those are mistakes that I now know how to avoid, and that improves my life in the Philippines.
Hi Bob,
We are heading to Davao next year permanently I hope. Learning the language has been my main worry especially at a mature age. Are you saying it was a four year exercise for you and that a tutor is the way to go.
Enjoying your posts.
Regards, Nick
Hi Nick, I highly recommend learning the language, it will be the best thing you can do to have a great life in the Philippines. Learn the right language, though. Tagalog is not the right language for every place in the Philippines. Learn the language that the local people where you will live speak on the streets.
I took my time in learning. I took one lesson per week, usually about 1 1/2 hours per week. I did not push myself too hard, just took a leisurely pace. The thing is, even after a couple of months, you will already know enough of the language to use it a bit, and that will help you learn more. You don’t have to be fluent or even close to fluent to start saying a few phrases and such.
Yes, I think that using a tutor is the best way to go. A good tutor. A linguist. Somebody who KNOWS how to teach a language. A lot of people try to learn from their wife, and almost 0% of those people succeed. Nothing against my wife, but she could not have taught me to speak Cebuano in an effective way, because she is not a language teacher. She will tell you the same thing.
Good luck to you.
I’ll second getting an experienced educator as a tutor. Family will teach you words or phrases, but rarely how to figure out how to make the language work for you. You’ve got to be able to take those words & phrases and make your own sentences. Some type of written material can help.
One thing that helped me immensely while I was in Germany. I bought a phrase book and got on the train. I had the book in my pocket in case I got all tangled up. After many years, I finally found a textbook and a phrase book for Ilocano. The material is out there. Just keep looking.
Take care,
Pete
Pete, your remarks are right on the mark!
Bob,
Really a great series of articles. I have learned alot from Paul and Yourself which will hopefully help me avoid the pitfalls that affect expats. Take care
Hi PapaDuck – If I have helped you avoid a pothole or two, I am very happy to have done so. Good luck with the move!
On the topic of a linguist, or qualified teacher, how do you find one. I do agree that proper instruction is required to learn the mechanics of the language. I notice that many Cebuanos struggle with tense’s in English, so I wonder if there are definitive differences in the way the language works.
Hi Bill – There are a number of ways you might find a qualified teacher:
1. Ask around!
2. Check with Missionary groups, or places where Missionaries hang out. Check the schools where Missionaries send their kids. Many missionaries are required to learn the language, so they can be a great resource for a teacher.
3. Place an ad on Craig’s List looking for a qualified teacher.
4. Search the ads on Craig’s List for people advertising their services.
5. Check with Universities and inquire with their English Professors, if they can teach English to Cebuanos, they could teach Cebuano to an English teacher. 😉
6. #5 could work with High School teachers too.
Good luck!
Hi Bob,
I enjoyed your mini series “Seasons in the Sun”, always interesting to learn from others experiences.
Reminded me a little of “The Seasons of Life” by the late Jim Rohn which i read some years back.
Take care,
Chas.
Thanks, Chas! I am glad you enjoyed the series!
Thank you also for the entrepreneurial article that you sent me.
Thanks Bob.