Philippine Expat Lifestyle - Part 2

A Local Outing With Some Of Our Expat Partners

 So , what were you thinking based on the part 1 piece ending ? That part 2 would include a bevy of young Philippine lassies freely  cavorting along white sand beaches or table dancing ?  :-) Sorry , guys but this blog isn't the place for that and besides if that's really what you were looking for i am sure it can be found .

The particular photo used above is one that i just happen to have and like  and is of my wife and some of the other expat partner ladies at a local social gathering . There is not a " one size fits all " approach to Philippine women any more than there would be to women of any other culture .

Culture and the role of the female within it is important to understand however and that tends to be  especially true in regards to discovering the  attraction to these ladies besides their obvious physical attractiveness . To paraphrase a common media expression " it's the economy ,, stupid " in this case " it's the culture , guys " .

In keeping with the concept of " culture " a better understanding of what makes the Philippine female unique in many respects will be better understood . The role that the female plays in this culture at present is often times what is meant when an expat makes reference to the " good old days , back home " .

In other words when the female stayed home , tended to the daily household and treated her man like he was special even when he wasn't . Now , you could make up  a team of psychologists , sociologists and social engineers  and have them study this forever and they would ( and do ) have varying opinions as to why it is the way it is .

" Although they generally define themselves in the milieu of a masculine dominated post-colonial Asian Catholic society, Filipino women live in a culture that is focused on the community, with the family as the main unit of society " . The above quote comes from Wikipedia and the entire article is available by just clicking on the word link Filipino .

The main point being made here is that in this culture it is the " family " unit rather than the individual that takes precedence . That precedence is visible in many respects within Philippine culture and if you are seriously thinking of living here you would be well advised to familiarize yourself with the many ways those preferences play out .

Many , if not most expats come from cultures where the individual is taught at an early age to compete in order to get anywhere in life in terms of a socio - economic status . That can lead to the dreaded " keeping up with the Jones " routine of material acquisition of course and that routine is not as visible in this culture  as a rule but may be changing some say .

One of the appeals of residing here is the money exchange rate of course simply because your home currency has more value here than there . But , do not fall into the trap of comparing costs here with costs there in terms of what your money can purchase , at least not in regards to items made there and not here .

The simple fact is the Philippines does not have a large manufacturing base and that holds particular true in regards to Consumer goods . There are opinions out there that basically suggest the Philippines doesn't need to have a strong manufacturing base in order to be progressive but there are just as many counter - opinions .

Now , if you don't mind paying 2 - 4 times more for vehicles , appliances , electronic goodies and the  like and often times getting inferior quality you may not care . But , if you will have a hankering to own some of these things while residing here i suspect you will care . All of which means don't burn your bridges behind you should you make the move .   :-)