things I love and hate about living in the philippines

[mickcant]

Filipina's make it worthwile
Far better on average that British madams
Mick.

[chrisincebu]

1. power cuts nearly every other day where I live 2.interuption to the internet and can be very slow 3. satalite t.v signal goes when cloudy or heavy rain 4. cash machines mainly in the cities my nearest one is 12 miles 5. cock roaches and all the other bugs that invade your home 6. disease ridden dogs hundreds of them roaming the streets 7. karaokes,roosters ,music, blaring all hours day and night 8. general pollution,black smoke belchin jeepneys etc etc 9. hundreds of sales assistants following you around the store 10. no stock sir ,no VAT here but they have KANO ADDED TAX lol 11. large que,s for the basic services NOW THE LIKES 1. the warm weather all year round 2. the cheap cost of living 3. the friendly smiley faces despite the hardships 4. the price of land and property 5. the close family values of taking care of each other 6. my lovely girlfriend who takes good care of me lol

Good post, especially about the internet. I pay more here than BT in UK for lower bandwidth!!!!

Anyway, to add......trying to cross the roads and the attitudes of drivers, especially the SUVs with the tinted windows. When my Fiance and I visited UK, she was fascinated by zebra crossings. Pedestrian freedom. That is one of the things i really miss about UK. The ability to walk almost anywhere.

The growing snobbery of the middle class - thinking that other Pinoy citizens, be they a waiter, taxi driver, store assistant don't deserve any respect.

Obsession with skin whitening.

I can understand the want for a better life, but i haven't seen such a compulsion and desire for a citizen to leave their own country.

My Fiance trying to get a job as a chef, and finding that 80% of the Chef vacancies are MALE ONLY.
Also with her being asked within interviews on whether they are in a relationship with a foreigner and this being the deciding factor whether she gets a job or not. I can now understand the point i made above about leaving.....

The local ideology that us foreigners bleed money and are capable of being able to afford to buy anything and everything.


The LIKES

I can wear shorts and T-Shirt in the evening.

Immigration officers who actually SMILE!!

Strangers talking to strangers, and by that i mean between local folk, not foreigners.

Cheap travel.

Respect for elders still exists here.

Everyone is a romantic.

Enjoying listening to Rock ballads and love songs played in public from someone's cell phone on the Ceres Liner bus journeys.

Kids running around, playing and screaming is looked on as a joy rather than a nuisance.

[grahamw48]

Some well-observed 'likes' there.

I just love the craziness of the place.

My abiding memory of my very first trip there was of riding a (probably my first) Jeepney in some far-flung suburb of Manila, on my way to meeting a penpal, with Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the water' thumping out of the Jeepney sound system, when a load of pretty students got on and started to pay rather a lot of attention to me.

I'm thinking ...I LOVE this place !

[chrisincebu]

Thanks.
I think the attention one gets can make a real difference. But after going back to UK, withdrawal symptoms can kick in from the lack of glances and looks (if you do get them, it's usually for the wrong reasons ).
All in all, I think the good things outweigh the bad. I suppose when we start thinking of our pet hates, we unfortunately forget about good things that initially brought us here.

[Pete/London]

Go along with most of whats been said, but a big problem for me is the humidity.
Cant stand being sweaty and having clothes sticking to me, especially as I like walking, oh and the smells of meat and fish stalls in the markets.

[fred]

Some well-observed 'likes' there.

I just love the craziness of the place.

My abiding memory of my very first trip there was of riding a (probably my first) Jeepney in some far-flung suburb of Manila, on my way to meeting a penpal, with Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the water' thumping out of the Jeepney sound system, when a load of pretty students got on and started to pay rather a lot of attention to me.

I'm thinking ...I LOVE this place !

My first trip here can only be compared to Dorothy when she found herself in OZ!!Everything compared to the U.K was in black and white in comparison....Now life was in Technicolour!
Very well said Graham... I only wish I could be 17 again in order to appreciate my first time here!! Bloody magic!!

[grahamw48]

My first trip here can only be compared to Dorothy when she found herself in OZ!!Everything compared to the U.K was in black and white in comparison....Now life was in Technicolour!
Very well said Graham... I only wish I could be 17 again in order to appreciate my first time here!! Bloody magic!!

Hahaha !....I know EXACTLY what you mean, and for me anyway, still no magic rejuvenation potion that can match it.

[Moy]

Hahaha !....I know EXACTLY what you mean, and for me anyway, still no magic rejuvenation potion that can match it.

[grahamw48]

Moy, you're still only a baby anyway.

[grahamw48]

.

[chrisincebu]

One thing i will never tire of is watching the thunderstorms during wet season

[gWaPito]

Good post, especially about the internet. I pay more here than BT in UK for lower bandwidth!!!!

Anyway, to add......trying to cross the roads and the attitudes of drivers, especially the SUVs with the tinted windows. When my Fiance and I visited UK, she was fascinated by zebra crossings. Pedestrian freedom. That is one of the things i really miss about UK. The ability to walk almost anywhere.

The growing snobbery of the middle class - thinking that other Pinoy citizens, be they a waiter, taxi driver, store assistant don't deserve any respect.

Obsession with skin whitening.

I can understand the want for a better life, but i haven't seen such a compulsion and desire for a citizen to leave their own country.

My Fiance trying to get a job as a chef, and finding that 80% of the Chef vacancies are MALE ONLY.
Also with her being asked within interviews on whether they are in a relationship with a foreigner and this being the deciding factor whether she gets a job or not. I can now understand the point i made above about leaving.....

The local ideology that us foreigners bleed money and are capable of being able to afford to buy anything and everything.


The LIKES

I can wear shorts and T-Shirt in the evening.

Immigration officers who actually SMILE!!

Strangers talking to strangers, and by that i mean between local folk, not foreigners.

Cheap travel.

Respect for elders still exists here.

Everyone is a romantic.

Enjoying listening to Rock ballads and love songs played in public from someone's cell phone on the Ceres Liner bus journeys.

Kids running around, playing and screaming is looked on as a joy rather than a nuisance.

Oh yeah!! to that ...Thanks for reminding me

Well worth a rep

[chrisincebu]

Oh yeah!! to that ...Thanks for reminding me

Well worth a rep

Thanks. The dislikes....well, normally they can be shrugged off, but the odd day it does knark somewhat.

[nigelmac]

It really doesn't bother me so much. I can always find ways around that.
Some of those sales ladies are fun.

Maybe it's better to explain that you're British and you're looking to being ignored and derided whilst shopping.

Many folks may well yearn for imagined times past and those highly discreet UK sales assistants.
Unfortunately you may find imagination, as usual, has outweighed reality.

In UK they're no longer "discreet".
Personally I find British shop assistants to be lazy, indifferent, and oftentimes rude

Sometimes When I'm seriously thinking about taking a wad of very hard-earned spondooliks out of my unwilling wallet, I expect the sales person to stop chatting to their co-worker and engage with me.
I also want the person at the paypoint/checkout to treat folks with courtesy and a smile, not humpffing, scowling and rolling eyes.

Yes, of course there are exceptions – generally they're not British.
The sulky checkout staff at my local convenience shop hardly ever show any sign of recognition, despite my almost daily visits.

We Brits have historically been culturally challenged when it comes to 'customer service'.
But surely in these tough economic times a much higher priority should be placed on customer service.

It's hardly surprising for me that online shopping is absolutley booming here in UK
Nobody ignores you and there's no humpffing, scowling and rolling eyes.
In fact it's normal to be welcomed back with a friendly "Hello Terpe, welcome back" each time I visit.

If you think the customer service is bad in the UK you should go to France where the motto is I am King and the customer can lump it Literally I try to buy everything overseas since I went back to live there a few years ago and as for after sales service just FORGET it getting blood from a stone would be a much better use of your time than trying to get a refund or even something fixed and don't even get me started on insurance claims over there !!!!!!!