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Philippines: Moving to Manila - Advice on Housing:
You should definitely get into temporary housing before you make a firm commitment. There is a lot to consider. The conditions of apartment buildings and neighborhoods vary widely. Something that looks perfect in an online ad may be in an area that floods regularly or could be just a few yards from a major highway.
Also, you should keep in mind that foreigners are often required to put down 6-12 months of rent in advance. Plan accordingly.
Philippines: What is unavailable there?:
I've been here 3+ years now and I have learned that you can find just about everything here, it's just a matter of knowing where to look, and a shopping list that you could fill in one trip to Target in the US may require that you go to 5 or 6 shops here. And if you are fat, very tall, or have feet larger than a men's 10, you may have a harder time clothing yourself than you are used to, but it's not impossible. All of this is contingent upon you being near a major city, though, or willing to travel to one periodically to shop. It can be next to impossible to find things in the provinces. But it's almost all here. Including good electronics and medicine. In fact, some of the meds you need a prescription for elsewhere, you can just ask a pharmacist for here. Diabetes is VERY common here, so I imagine that the two major pharmacies (Watsons and Mercury) would carry what you need. There are many smaller pharmacies that carry a smaller variety of drugs, though. I would send your fiance a list of the chemical names of your drugs and have her take them in to her local pharmacy and ask what is there. Use the chemical names, because some of the brand name drugs are sold under different names here.
Some drugs have their prices set by the government, and others are just cheaper in general. Doctor visits are MUCH cheaper than in the US. You may find that it's just cheaper to pay out of pocket than to carry overseas insurance.
In the Philippines, people take care of their family members, so yes, you should expect to be "mooched" off of when you are here by your future wife's family. Family members who have help those who have not. And if you try to say no, your fiance will likely not be on your side. They aren't seeing you as a target. It's their culture to spread what wealth they have to their other family members. It will be expected. If you can't handle that, then this is not the culture for you to marry into. There are people who see it as a negative, but in the US there is unemployment, food stamps, etc where they tax us by force to help people who need it. Here, there are none of those things, but there are still people who need it. Not just within families, either. We've been at friends houses before where they've been approached to help pay for the funeral of a neighbor they didn't even know. And they did it willingly. It's a different mindset than what many first worlders are used to, because we have been separated from our "charity" by the IRS.
Philippines: be careful when living in the Philippines:
Here are some things that have helped in me in the case of being cheated:
* It helps if you take the time to learn the language. Sometimes, this will be enough for you to be accepted as "one of them" and they won't try to cheat you.
* If you are staying somewhere on a vacation, ask the people at the desk what the cost should be for you to get from point a to point b. Then, if the driver quotes you a high price, tell them that you know it is different, so you won't go with them, and approach a different driver. This also works if you are waiting for public transport anywhere, but ask someone else who is waiting instead. You can also do this if you are headed to a market and know you will buy a certain thing. (Like baskets, for instance.) The people at the desk wherever you are, or local friends, should be able to tell you what you should expect to pay. If the price is higher, just walk away.
* If you feel like the price is too high in a bazaar or wet market, just stand there and stare at the item for a few minutes. Don't get pissy and stomp away. Often times, the person's conscience will kick in and they will tell you that they can give it to you for a lower price.
* Accept the fact that you likely do live on a lot more money than they do and see the extra you're paying as a form of charity to help improve their lives.
* Only buy from places with posted prices, and still ask if it's their best price. Sometimes they will go lower.
* Usually in a bazaar setting, there will be many people selling the same item. If you see something you like, shop around. Even if you find it in another color elsewhere, if the price is less, you can go back to the booth you originally saw it and say you found it elsewhere for however many pisos, can they match that price? Often, they will. If you go give them a hard time, though, their pride will kick in and they will dig in their heels. I have often got things for 50%-70% less than the first price I was quoted by shopping around like this.
* Do as much of your food shopping as you can at a proper store with price tags. You will actually only pay ever so slightly more, but it will save you SO MUCH FRUSTRATION. If you live somewhere with only a palangke for groceries, consider paying someone a couple hundred pisos to do your shopping for you every week. You'll likely save more than you pay them, and it's one chore you won't have to worry about. If you're married to a local citizen, let them go on their own. They aren't children in need to supervision. They know what they are doing.
All that said, these things still don't always work. The one thing that has NEVER worked was my brilliant plan to take a Filipina friend with me to a bazaar to let them shop for me to get better prices. What ended up happening, is my friend would get pissed off at me, because they ended up being charged more for things because they were seen there with a whitey. :)
Philippines: americans receiving electronic presents from home:
If she sends it via a balikbayan box, they do not assess duties. The boxes are big, though, and I have no idea how much it costs from NYC, but they are about $150 from LA.
For that price, you could get roundtrip tickets to Hong Kong where you could buy whatever she'd get you in NYC cheaper.
Philippines: Retired, relocating to Philip. Need help, advice:
My favorite beachy place to go so far that hasn't been overrun with tourists is Baler, on the Pacific side, about 4-6 hours north of Manila. It is still a small town, but there is a small downtown area, a large wet market, a good amount of public transport, a hospital, etc. There is a bus terminal at the wet market where you can get transport into Manila on some fairly comfortable, air conditioned buses. There is a beachy/bar scene, but it all seemed to be in one area of town.
We're not here as retired people, but if we are still here when we retire, Baler is the sort of place I'd like to land.
Philippines: Cat Food & Supplies:
I'm in the Manila area, and have a dog, but I would second the suggestion to find a vet. Ours seems to make extra money by selling nicer brands of pet food in her waiting area.
Philippines: Migrating to the Philippines:
If you want to work here as an expat, the best thing to do is to find a position with a multinational company that will send you here. You will make a good salary that way, and they will usually manage your immigration paperwork for you. Some will even pay for housing and other things for you. There are plenty of small companies around that have outsourced to the Philippines but who have expats for their management staff. Another possibility is to start a business here that only serves foreign clients. (For instance, an engineering or telemarketing company who only handles projects out of Australia.) You get a good deal of tax breaks from the Philippines government. A small call center with 6-8 employees can create enough income for you to live comfortably if you are careful with your money and have a good client base.
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