Moving to the Philippines

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.

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Don’t Ask For What You Don’t Want.

Why Don’t People Ask For What They Want?

I came across something a day or so back from a faithful reader, JJ,  which I certainly should have made into an article here a long time ago.

This was originally a comment to my article expressing one of my embarrassing moments at trying to be funny at the expense of a Filipino … never a very good idea.  So, here it is.

Funny Filipino Words

Actually there are a lot of funny Filipino words and even funnier ways that Filipinos use them.

Sometimes Filipinos repeat the first syllable to make the word in future form.

So the word “baba” which means “down” will become “ba-baba” or “will go down”.

“Kain” or eat becomes “ka-kain” (will eat).

“Talon” or jump becomes “ta-talon” (will jump). And so on.

Another word we use like the word “lang” (In English, “lang” typically means “only”) is “ba”.

We use this after asking a question.

So for example if you are going to ask if a person will eat, it goes like this “ka-kain ba?”, of if going to jump “ta-talon ba?”

buh buh buh buh – buh buh buh buh”. Hehe

Ha ha JJ, ha ha (or should I say, ha hahaha ha? 

[Read more…] about Ba Baba Ba — Going Down in the Philippines

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

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Live in the Philippines — Use a Fixer?

(Updated 15 Sep 2018)