You know, one thing you hear a lot if you talk to people about Filipinos going to live in the States is that they are going to become “Americanized.” I remember when I married Feyma, some people would ask me “Don’t you worry that she is going to become too Americanized?” Well, it’s not something […]
When are you going back home, sir?
I hear this question all the time! “Sir, where are you from?” I’ll reply that I am from the United States, and even tell the person asking that I have lived here for 8 years already. It never fails, though, the next question is always “Sir, when are you going home?” My response to that […]
Graffiti in the Philippines
In the Western World, for decades now Graffiti has been a problem. In Urban areas, no matter where you looked, you could see Graffiti painted on the walls of buildings and such, and much of it was Gang-related Graffiti. It is not a good sign when a neighborhood starts to see Gang Graffiti, because that […]
The Money Tree
Last week, Feyma wrote an interesting article about family demands for money and such. Feyma and I got married nearly 18 years ago now, and in that time, I have seen so many examples of Filipino families thinking that the money supply was endless now that their daughter had married a foreigner, or now that […]
The Good Life vs. The Cheap Life
It seems that one of the big motivators for Westerners who want to move here can be summed up in one word: CHEAP. Living in the Philippines is cheap, that’s the common belief. Well, it is cheaper to live here than in the West, however, as I’ve written several times recently, that gap is closing […]
Big "C" in the family!
Tonight Bob, myself, our nieces and Jean Jean were visiting a family member who was admitted to a hospital near our house. We didn’t know that she was there until late this afternoon. Actually this person is the wife of my cousin. This cousin is kind of close to Bob because he was the person […]