My name is Randy and am originally from Illinois. After retiring from working, we moved to the Philippines and we now share our time between the Philippines and Guam.

1. Why did you move abroad?
​To get away from the so-called rat race mainly. For my wife, it was a return to her homeland.

2. How do you make a living? ​
My wife and I both retired from working.

3. How often do you communicate with home and how?
​We communicate with family and friends via the internet and VOIP platforms, mostly free.

4. What's your favorite thing about being an expat in Philippines?
​Lower cost of living, freedoms and relaxation. We enjoy the Stish of it all.

5. What’s the worst thing about being an expat in Philippines?
​Crowded conditions, unreliable infrastructure such as electrical and water distribution, poor internet, and bad driving.

6. What do you miss most?
​When in the Philippines, we miss the wide open spaces, clean air, and organized traffic.

7. What did you do to meet people and integrate in your new home?
​We have family there. Meeting other expats is very easy, especially in the more provincial areas where everybody knows everybody.

Making  friends in the larger cities take a little more effort.

8. What custom/ habits do you find most strange about your adopted culture?
​The do-nothing attitudes that permeate Filipino culture. It’s called the “Bahala na” or “it is what it is” syndrome.

9. What is a myth about your adopted country?
​That it is dangerous and crime infested.

10. Is the cost of living higher or lower than the last country you lived in and how has that made a difference in your life?
​Cost of living like most locals is much cheaper. Though if you want to continue to live the same lifestyle you left, it can be more expensive. Most expats settle on a happy median.

11. What advice would you give other expats?
​Leave all expectations at home. You will not change the culture, no matter how hard you try. The culture will change you.

12. When and why did you start your blog?
​I began my blog about one year before we expatriated. It was designed to document the effort and preparations it takes to make a big move overseas. I just continued the blog during our settlement and into living in the Philippines “One Day at a Time.” I’ve also created a YouTube channel of the same name.

Visit the blog, Retired in Samar

  Find out more about being an expat in the Philippines with Easy Expat's

Manila Guide

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