Dave Starr

Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines

2018-10-18 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Things To Think About Before You Retire To The Philippines.

(Updated 18 October 2018)

Recently I read an interesting article about a USA couple who retired to Mexico. Part of the title had the phrase “what no one tells you about starting a new life abroad.”

What PhilFAQS Will Tell You About Starting A New Life Abroad.

A lot of this article offered some good advice, much of which I have been advising people about for years. (If you have questions or need help about moving overseas, email me, I’ll be glad to help.)

But sad to say a lot of this article presents a surprising degree of naivety and a lack of research, or basic understanding of how things work, both in the USA and in overseas locations.

So Here’s Your Homework Assignment Do it Now, Please.

Is Getting Married a Quick Way to the USA?

2018-10-16 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Is Getting Married a Quick Way to the USA?

(Updated 16 October 2018)

Here’s a very common question I get here at PhilFAQS … how can a US and a Filipin0 (Phil-Am) couple get together in marriage as quickly and cheaply as possible?

I’ll keep this short and simple and answer this reader’s questions as directly as I can.

If any of you have similar questions which I don’t cover here, feel free to write and ask.

I value all your comments and I appreciate them greatly.

Here are the reader’s questions and my answers, as best I know.

(Please remember, I am not a lawyer, this is NOT legal advice and is my personal opinion only).

Making It Hard On Yourself In The Philippines

2018-10-03 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Making It Hard On Yourself In The Philippines.

(updated 30 Jul 2018)

Why would people want to make it hard on themselves?

Especially when breaking the law and prison time is involved?

Frankly, when the consequences of breaking a law include possible prison time, I personally become very law abiding … you can be sure of that.

But what about a law that seems ancient and virtually obsolete to many Westerners?

Adultery.

You Have To Make Decisions Before You Die

2018-09-24 by Dave Starr 4 Comments

Making decisions before you die.

(Updated 24 September 2018)

Most People Who Die Don’t Want To Die and Most Are Not Ready For It.

I think that is a pretty well-accepted statement above. We all know we are going to die, but except for the sad case f suicide, virtually none of us wants to die. And we sure are not ready right now. Most of us know there are many things we would like to straighten out and make right before that last morning wakeup.

You Can’t Make Things Perfect, But You Can Try

Especially if you move to the Philippines, you usual;y have more loose ends than you bargained for. For the sake of your loved ones, and especially children you may have left behind, please give things some thought BEFORE that moment when all your earthly thinking will stop.

I Get Messages Like This All The Time, And They Make Me Sad.

Do It Yourself or Ask For Help in the Philippines

2018-09-23 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Do It Yourself or Ask For Help in the Philippines.

(Updated 22 Sep 2019)

I had fun writing about my waiting for the chicken article centered around getting my car fixed. I’m glad some other folks enjoyed it also.

Just Fall In Line Behind The Chicken

I actually had fun that day living out the experience too … why? I feel, mainly (except for the un-invited summoning of Philip), I was on my own.

Not knowing the language “to speak of” and often being a bit ignorant of local customs, it can sometimes seem a bit daunting to go off on your own to get things done. But always having to have an interpreter/helper/shepherd guiding you can be very wearing at times as well.

Many Foreigners Refuse To Have Fun in the Philippines

Just Fall In Line Behind The Chicken

2018-09-22 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Just Fall In Line Behind The Chicken.

(Last Updated 21 Seo 2018)

Hauling Out and Dusting Off An Old Favorite

I first published this post nearly 10 years ago. It’s always been a favorite of mine because it tells a lot about what it’s really like to live in the Philippines, day by day.

It has had its share of readership but it is now buried so far back in the archives hardly anyone is ever going to find it, so I decided to dust it off, polish it up and make a few edits to bring it up to the present.

How Did The Chicken Get In Here?

A while back I took my car to the dealer for its routine 40,000-kilometer service (that’s about 25,000 miles for the Metrically challenged out there).

Yep, four years now of living in the Philippines and car ownership in the Philippines and I have accumulated 25,000 miles already?

Already? Heck, I would have run up that many miles back in Colorado in only a year … one of the many reasons that living here is much cheaper than living in the US, even if you insist on the luxury of your own car.

It’s now 12 years living here and I have just over 100,000 km (60,000 miles.)

Use A Fixer in the Philippines?

2018-09-15 by Dave Starr 2 Comments

Live in the Philippines — Use a Fixer?

(Updated 15 Sep 2018)

Should You Use a Fixer?

Here are a few thoughts on a question that comes up frequently here on PhilFAQS where we try to answer the most common questions about living in the Philippines.

With this question, you are not going to get a clear, quick answer from me, but I’ll give you some current guidance and some real-world experiences that will help you decide some things for yourself.

I Know A Guy

One of the joys, as well as the hazards of living here in the Philippines, is that you can often buy almost anything you want .. or hire someone to get something done for you.

There Is No Profit in Being a Skeptic

2018-08-30 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

There Is No Profit in Being a Skeptic.

Updated 30 August 2018

If you are interested in learning how to make a living online (or off), I recommend you take the time to read this great article my blogging colleague Chad Hamzeh recently published. [Read more…] about There Is No Profit in Being a Skeptic

Home Country Things You Better Hold On To.

2018-07-29 by Dave Starr Leave a Comment

Home Country Things You Better Hold On To.

(Updated 26 July 2018)

Just recently I was telling a reader that writing about moving to the Philippines seemed very boring to me.

I had gotten very old and stale.

But then I just had a conversation with a fellow US military retiree here in the Philippines and I realized there’s a whole raft of things out there I should be writing about.

One thing people always ask about over the years I have been writing about is:

“What to Bring from the US and What to Leave Behind”

Well, I think rather than a blog article someone could write a whole book on that subject. Sorry, that won’t be me.

But one thing that did come up with my retiree friend recently is something many westerners who move to the Philippines don’t think about a lot when packing their moving boxes. [Read more…] about Home Country Things You Better Hold On To.