Today marks the 4th year anniversary of my arrival in the Philippines as an expat retiree. Aside from dealing with the petty annoyances that everybody faces on a day to day basis, this period has been personally less stressful than any other that I can recall.
As a result I've had more opportunity for creativity in terms of writing and overall self-expression than ever before. I can think more clearly because I no longer have to concern myself with making a living as I did in California by working at a job that I hated but had to put up with in order to survive. Now that my wife Lydia and I have retired and are collecting social security, that frustration is no longer a problem, for which I am thankful every day.
To be sure, our income has been sharply reduced from the days when I had a salary. However, the cost of living in the Philippines is much less than in America, and by living within our means, our life style is modest but comfortable. And speaking of comfort, Lydia , bless her heart, has gone out of her way to see to my peace of mind to the point of spoiling me rotten. She has decorated our condo very artistically without busting our budget. There' s no way that we could live like this in the States without going into serious debt. And don't even get me started on the wonderful meals that she prepares.
I think that another factor that has made a difference is that I had no great disillusionment about life here vs. how I imagined it would be before I left the U.S. That minimized the culture shock in adjusting to the chaos of Philippine society. The trick is to roll with it while still hanging on to one's principles and ideals. Yet the challenge in attempting to achieve this balance has not diminished my enjoyment of life here.
In short we have become so embedded in our way of living in the Philippines that repatriating would be extremely difficult and prohibitively expensive. I can only hope that as time passes we will continue to be content with our decision to retire here as we are today.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Yet Another Perspective on Cory
So much has been written about the late former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino (b. 1933), who died on Saturday and was buried today, that it's hard to add anything original. But to foreigners who may not be that familiar with this remarkable woman, I will just say the following.
Her well known display of of honesty and humility was not a show. Cory was one of the relatively few leaders in the Philippines who did not abuse her power or use her office to enrich herself. I'm familiar with the neighborhood where she lived after retiring from office. And while it's pleasant enough, it's not where you would expect a former president and descendant from a wealthy family to spend her final years.
Cory was loved by the people during and after her term (1986—1992)as President. Ironically, it may have been a particular weakness in her style of administration that bonded her to the populace: her reliance on prayer instead of objectivity and firmness in making policy decisions. Such dependency on supernatural direction is major part of the Philippine national character. Yet how much more effective a president Cory would have been if she had relied on the same grit that saw her through the years when her husband, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was imprisoned under martial law and then assassinated.
Importantly, Cory will achieve immortality in the best sense of the word: By being well-remembered by those she left behind. Not just the Philippines, but the entire world is a better place for her legacy that grew from the "people power" movement and for her example of overcoming the difficult odds against making the transformation from housewife to President—during extremely trying times for the Philippines at that. It will likely be a long time before this country sees another leader of such combined inner strength and moral calibre.
Her well known display of of honesty and humility was not a show. Cory was one of the relatively few leaders in the Philippines who did not abuse her power or use her office to enrich herself. I'm familiar with the neighborhood where she lived after retiring from office. And while it's pleasant enough, it's not where you would expect a former president and descendant from a wealthy family to spend her final years.
Cory was loved by the people during and after her term (1986—1992)as President. Ironically, it may have been a particular weakness in her style of administration that bonded her to the populace: her reliance on prayer instead of objectivity and firmness in making policy decisions. Such dependency on supernatural direction is major part of the Philippine national character. Yet how much more effective a president Cory would have been if she had relied on the same grit that saw her through the years when her husband, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, was imprisoned under martial law and then assassinated.
Importantly, Cory will achieve immortality in the best sense of the word: By being well-remembered by those she left behind. Not just the Philippines, but the entire world is a better place for her legacy that grew from the "people power" movement and for her example of overcoming the difficult odds against making the transformation from housewife to President—during extremely trying times for the Philippines at that. It will likely be a long time before this country sees another leader of such combined inner strength and moral calibre.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Road (Out)rage
A few days ago, my wife Lydia and I returned from a visit to her home town, Gumaca, in Quezon Province. This was my first such trip outside of Metro-Manila in 3 years (that journey was also to Gumaca), and it was good to take a break from my daily routine.
While we there,I had intended to do some walking in the countryside outside of town and take in the tropical scenery. But due to time constraints resulting from unexpected family matters that we encountered upon our arrival, I was not able to do this. So the only rural greenery that I saw was along the road from the bus window en route to and from Gumaca. Even that, however, was refreshing. I did make some time to to stroll along the promenade in town overlooking Lamon Bay. This scenic stretch of water can also be viewed from the national road, Maharlika Highway, for several kilometers.
We were well taken care of during our visit. Lydia's step-niece prepared some great meals. Food ingredients in the province such as fish and produce are very fresh. We also spent one night at the Perennial Hotel in Gumaca. This was my first time in such lodgings outside of Metro-Manila. The place is a fairly new establishment. It was clean but very bare bones, and the rooms are quite small. However, each room has its own bath, but there is no hot running water.
Lydia left here for Gumaca on July 27, the day before I did as there were some matters that I wanted to attend to before going. Unfortunately, it turns out that her journey--and that of countless other travelers and commuters throughout the country--was disrupted by a nationwide celebration by the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) which was marking the 95th anniversary of its establishment in the Philippines. Members of this church converged on various convention centers and sports stadiums. However, their most outrageous act was holding roadside festivities along the national highway, bringing traffic to almost a standstill by parking the celebrant-carrying buses directly on one lane of the two-lane artery, leaving only the other lane open for for traffic in both directions to pass.
As it was, it took Lydia eight hours to reach Gumaca, a bus ride that was almost twice as long as it should have been. But she got off lucky. Her sister and brother-in-law who were also visiting there were in transit for 14 hours.
Frankly, I don't understand how such a recognized and prosperous organization as the INC could in good conscience display such inconsiderate behavior. For besides inconveniencing countless commuters and travelers on a weekday no less (Does Iglesia ni Cristo consider the Golden Rule non-binding on itself?), consider how many hungry people in the Philippines could have been fed with the funds that went into sponsoring this over the top event. But then if you saw magnificent structure of the INC churches in contrast to their surroundings of poverty, such narcissistic behavior would come as no surprise.
So if you intend to travel within the Philippines, keep up with the news. Besides unexpected bad weather and road conditions, major rallies and celebrations are another variable that can frustrate your plans. And in a country where large gatherings and fiestas are a way of life, this scenario may well happen more often than not.
While we there,I had intended to do some walking in the countryside outside of town and take in the tropical scenery. But due to time constraints resulting from unexpected family matters that we encountered upon our arrival, I was not able to do this. So the only rural greenery that I saw was along the road from the bus window en route to and from Gumaca. Even that, however, was refreshing. I did make some time to to stroll along the promenade in town overlooking Lamon Bay. This scenic stretch of water can also be viewed from the national road, Maharlika Highway, for several kilometers.
We were well taken care of during our visit. Lydia's step-niece prepared some great meals. Food ingredients in the province such as fish and produce are very fresh. We also spent one night at the Perennial Hotel in Gumaca. This was my first time in such lodgings outside of Metro-Manila. The place is a fairly new establishment. It was clean but very bare bones, and the rooms are quite small. However, each room has its own bath, but there is no hot running water.
Lydia left here for Gumaca on July 27, the day before I did as there were some matters that I wanted to attend to before going. Unfortunately, it turns out that her journey--and that of countless other travelers and commuters throughout the country--was disrupted by a nationwide celebration by the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) which was marking the 95th anniversary of its establishment in the Philippines. Members of this church converged on various convention centers and sports stadiums. However, their most outrageous act was holding roadside festivities along the national highway, bringing traffic to almost a standstill by parking the celebrant-carrying buses directly on one lane of the two-lane artery, leaving only the other lane open for for traffic in both directions to pass.
As it was, it took Lydia eight hours to reach Gumaca, a bus ride that was almost twice as long as it should have been. But she got off lucky. Her sister and brother-in-law who were also visiting there were in transit for 14 hours.
Frankly, I don't understand how such a recognized and prosperous organization as the INC could in good conscience display such inconsiderate behavior. For besides inconveniencing countless commuters and travelers on a weekday no less (Does Iglesia ni Cristo consider the Golden Rule non-binding on itself?), consider how many hungry people in the Philippines could have been fed with the funds that went into sponsoring this over the top event. But then if you saw magnificent structure of the INC churches in contrast to their surroundings of poverty, such narcissistic behavior would come as no surprise.
So if you intend to travel within the Philippines, keep up with the news. Besides unexpected bad weather and road conditions, major rallies and celebrations are another variable that can frustrate your plans. And in a country where large gatherings and fiestas are a way of life, this scenario may well happen more often than not.
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