I found a very interesting post on the londonelicious blog. It is a list of 100 food or drink items some unusual and some common. Of these 100 items including such things as Vodka jelly/jello, Baklava, Rice and Beans, Steamed Pork Buns etc., you bold any of the items you have eaten and leave the ones you haven’t. I guess it’s a way to keep score of who has eaten certain foods. Anyway it’s called The Omnivore’s Hundred and it has sparked other lists such as the Vegetarian’s Hundred and the American’s Hundred. I plan on starting a list called the Moving to the Philippines Hundred. Of course I will need everyone’s help in compiling this list. If you have suggestions for the list comment them back to me.

As with the first list just copy it to your journal or blog or website and put what you have eaten in bold. If you haven’t eaten an item just leave it and if there is an item you would never eat cross it out. So here is my start to the list. If you don’t know what something is and you are not filipino, ask a filipino. Please forgive my spelling!

1. Chicken/Pork Adobo
2. Balut
3. Menudo
4. Aso Pulutan
5. Dinuguan
6. Kinilaw na Isda
7. Tuba drink
8. adidas
9. San Miguel Beer
10. Red Horse Beer
11. Lumpia (any kind)
12. Kare Kare
13. adobo sa gata
14. laing

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So you think you’ve traveled the Philippines extensively? Take this test and get the score on how well traveled you are. Lakbayan: How Much of the Philippines Have You Visited  by Eugene Villar. I scored a lowly D on my test but then again I only left Luzon once. Did anyone do better than me?

One of the blogs I make a habit of visiting quite often is Bob Martin’s Live in the Philippines. Bob’s blog has a few authors that have their own blogs. One of these authors is John Miele, who writes many interesting posts. Today he has a post titled “How much did it cost to move” which lists a line by line total of how much it cost him to move to the Philippines. Besides being interesting I think it is a good educational and informational tool for anyone proposing a Move to the Philippines. Heres a link for How Much did it Cost to Move .

Recently RT Cunningham of the website Untwisted Vortex did a post on Jollibee in his series on Philippine success stories. Jollibee, it seems wanted to take the fast-food concept of McDonalds and apply it to the Philippines. The food served there if you’ve not been there is typically American style fast-food with a Filipino touch.

But my favorite place to eat in the Philippines is Chowking. Instead of serving western type fast food Chowking as per their website “ pioneered the quick service Oriental restaurant concept in the Philippines which combines the best of Western fast-food service and the delicious taste of Chinese food in Oriental restaurants.” So what I get from this is they are doing the same thing as Jollibee but where Jollibee serves Western fast-food, Chowking serves Oriental food. Either way it tastes good and there are over 300 hundred  Chowking restaurants in the Philippines with at least 10 more in the US. They also have Chowking restaurants in U.A.E. and Indonesia.

When you visit Chowking you will see things such as Lumpia, Pancit, Bangus, and my favorite Halo-Halo. I believe they have the best Halo-Halo around but if someone has better let me know because dry hot days were made for Halo-Halo. There are other Oriental style dishes on their vast menu too numerous to mention but I have to mention the Siopao or my wife will edit this post with her own remarks. I think as far as Siopao goes Chowking’s is a little dry but my wife likes it and she’s more of an expert than me. 

The Chowking I visit the most is the one in Pavillion Mall about five minutes from my house in Binan. But with over 300 stores in the Philippines it seems like they are on every corner. I also like that when you order they give you a number and deliver the food to your table. Last but not least all of the counter girls are friendly and cute!

When I started this blog I wasn’t sure of what direction I was going in. To let thousands if not millions of strangers to view personal details of my life was not all that attractive to me. I was shooting more for sharing what I learned in the process of preparing for my move from the US to the Phillipines. I think I am accomplishing that but recently I have been learning so much more about the Philippines than I have been teaching. I think it comes with studying the various sites concerning Americans living in the Philippines. I don’t intend to make this a site where I just recommend websites and blogs for my readers to go to but I have just been finding so many great ones I have to share them with you. I fully intend in the future to tell more of my story if it interests you but today I am going to recommend another site that really needs mentioning. And to the web master of this site Ken: Thank You! I have been on your site all morning and I am now hours behind in my writing! LOL!

As you all know from reading my previous posts I am retired US military, spent a few years in the Philippines, fell in love with a filipina and the country, moved back to the states, and now am moving back to the Philippines. My story is not so uncommon that I can’t find numerous blogs/websites of people in the same situation. Recently I have come upon a website run by Ken Rice and his wife Prelia. The name of the site is Welcome to Ken and Prelia’s Virtual World and right now Ken and Prelia are living the life which I will be living soon. They spend about half of the year in the Philippines and half the year in the States. And you probably know thats what I plan on doing for a few years until I get older and then I’ll be staying in the Philippines year round.

Ken’s site is a little unique in that it is more graphic than text based. Of course there are the About Us pages and their story but what jumps out at you is the many photos and videos from the present and the past. I found links to old photos and videos of Angeles City to videos of the Mall of Asia, one of my favorite places to visit. There is also a link to a Philippine run travel agency Mabunga Travel International  which I plan on utilizing real soon. So please visit Ken and Prelia’s site and let them and me know what you think. Their site is Ken and Prelia’s Virtual World.

I write for a few blogs and when I’m not writing it seems I am reading blogs. I came across a blog awhile back due to the author of the blog commenting on my blog. Is it confusing? Well whenever someone comments on my blog I check out the link from the person who comments. Sometimes I find a sales pitch or a make money quick scheme but generally I find some well written blogs about things I’m interested in. When I checked out the blog from a commenter named named bigenya I found a jewel.

This particular blog La Biguena is a delightful mixture of personal notes, educational material, philosophy, and news about the Philippines. I enjoy reading through the archives and feeling exactly what the author feels as these posts are written. Please bigenya find some time that we can sit down in person and talk about the things you share in your blog. I’ll buy the coffee or tea! La Biguena blog is now included in my blog roll check it out you will enjoy!

As I prepare to move from the US to the Philippines I realize that a move like this would not be as easy years ago.  I would be going to another country which I would have no idea about what it was to live there. Sure I lived there while I was in the military and I have visited quite a few times since then. I also know many of the customs and the culture as well as a bit of the language. But I wouldn’t know what it really was like living there from day to day.

Now I have a much better idea because of the people who have already moved there and are willing to share their experiences with anyone who logs on to their websites or blogs. People such as my internet friend Bob Martin whose blog Live in the Philippines shares his life living in the Philipppines every day. Reading his blogs and others have given me a good idea what to expect.

So what can I expect you may ask.

Well I know that no matter how long I have spent in the country previously it is not the same as living there permanently. Even though I know the language somewhat I will need to know how to converse for more than just a couple of sentences or words. Even though English is common in the Philippines there will be times when I will have to get by on my tagalog. Secondly, my regular diet will be made up from items I get locally and some things I’m used to having in the states may not be available in the supermarkets where I live. These things are minor compared to some of the cultural and societal differences between the US and the Philippines which I can only learn by being in the country for awhile.

The solution my wife and I have come up with is we will not permanently cut our ties with our life in the US until we have spent a reasonable amount of time living in the Philippines not less than 3 years. After that the move will be final and any visits to the US will be just that, visits not a return.  So do you think 3 years is a reasonable time? If you are living in the Philippines now what things can you think of I should prepare to encounter?

An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a person of Philippine origin who works and lives outside of the Philippines. With a lack of well paying jobs at home and the knowledge of English Filipinos are welcome abroad by many countries. Many Filipinos become OFWs because they are supporting their families at home through remittances.

According to counts there are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide which is equivalent to 11% of the total population of the Philippines. Each year more than a million Filipinos leave to work abroad as skilled workers and also as unskilled workers.

Money sent by OFWs back home is a major financial boon to the country’s economy. In 2005 according to Philippine banks, US$10 billion was sent through remittances to the Philippines. In 2006 that number was US$12.8 and in 2007 the number was US$14.45 which equaled 10% of the gross domestic product. These numbers don’t reflect the money sent overseas via non-banking methods such as door to door and human couriers.

My Filipino family has quite a few OFWs in various countries around the world. I have a sister in law in Israel as well as a niece. I have three nephews that work for cruise lines in the US and I have a niece that works in Canada as a domestic helper. In fact my wife was working in Israel when I met her. I can tell you for a fact that if these relatives were not working abroad and sending money home this family would be suffering. In fact because of their children working abroad my in laws are doing quite well. My concern is that my nephews and one of my nieces have spouses and children at home. The children are growing up without the influence of their fathers and mothers and it could and has led to problems.

Please comment and tell me what you think about the Overseas Filipino Workers. Do you think it hurts the Philippine economy in the long run? How many OFWs are there in your family or are you an OFW? Any stories to tell from personal experience?

I am now officially a grandfather. Kydalyn Sophia was born to my daughter Jennilyn on Monday at 2:30 pm. I can’t wait to hear her call me Lolo and perform the Mano Po. Since she is a third generation filipino my wife and I will teach her Philippine customs and traditions. To see the first pics of Kydalyn follow this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan1658/sets/72157606679248734/

I have traveled over much of the Philippines in my years living there. Much of my travel has been on Luzon because that has been where I lived. I have compiled a list of my favorite places to visit and some reasons why I like going to them.

1. Tagaytay has been self described as “Probably the most pleasant city in Asia.” It is located about 60 km / 37 miles south of Manila in the mountains of Cavite Province. Tagaytay is home to Taal Volcano, which is reputed to be the world’s smallest and yet most active volcano. The volcano is the reason that Tagaytay is one of my favorite destinations as I am interested in volcanos and I also like the horse ride up to the top of the volcano. Bring a picnic basket and either have lunch at the top or have it before you go.
2. Manila- Say what you may about the traffic, the pollution, and overcrowding but Manila is my city. With great scenery like the sunset at Baywalk and the people-watching at Luneta, Manila is just a wonderfull place to be.
3. Laguna Hot Springs is one of my favorite destinations due to I usually visit here on family outings  to picnic and swim. I especially like to swim in the warm pools at night. I get to play with my great nieces and nephews and act like a kid again.
4. Hundred Islands in Alaminos Pangasinan is my second home in the Philippines. this is where my wife’s province is and we usually visit during fiesta. If you like to dive or fish or lay on the beach this is the place to go. We plan on building a cottage in Aliminos when we finish with our house in Laguna.
5. I grew up around the hills and mountains of West Virginia so Baguio is as close to my home in the US as you can get in the Philippines. I like the cool temperatures and the friendly people there. The ride to Baguio is a little hairy but I don’t mind except during rainy season.

There are a few places I haven’t been to or haven’t been too in awhile so I will put them on a second list of places i want to visit soon. Those would be Boracay, Subic/Olongapo, Davao, and Mt Pinatubo. I lived in Olongapo for eight years in the 70’s and 80’s and I haven’t been back there in years. That is the first place I will visit in the next couple of months when I return to the Philippines.