What do expats find most challenging?

"Very heavy traffic. There's a lit of poverty, which means run down buildings, bad roads, etc. Some things I want to buy are hard to find. Mostly food items. Like I really had to search to find salsa. Strawberries and blueberries are hard to find and expensive when you can find them. Water service here is unreliable, but everyone in my neighborhood has a big water tank so when the water is on, it fills, and when its off, you use what's in the tank. We've never emptied the tank. Electric often has brief power failures, but its always come back in an hour it's two. Have get to have a power failure that lasted more than two hours. Long lines and slow service at government offices and banks -- but service at most other place s is good. There are lots of beggars. I struggle with whether to give them anything. I prefer to give to established charities who hopefully can tell who is really needy. Some exists complain that they are charged a "skin tax" -- prices at informal markets are higher for foreigners. I figure they're still cheap, so so what? one a cab driver overcharged me by 50 pedos. That's $1. I just gave it to him. If he goes home smugly satisfied that he cheated that gullible foreigner out of $1, let him enjoy his victory," explained one expat living in Cebu, Philippines.

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"Expats in the Philippines find that the country has a complex social hierarchy which can be difficult to navigate. They also struggle to adjust to the relaxed pace of life, which can be in stark contrast to their home cultures. Acclimatising to the warm tropical climate, which consists of two distinct seasons, wet and dry, presents another challenge. Finally, expats often find it difficult to learn the native language, Filipino, which has been heavily influenced by Spanish and English," said another expat in Philippines.