I bought a plane ticket for a 1 month trip to the Philippines to see if I can make it there doing freelance editing, writing and tutoring work on the internet.
I did this in 1991 at age 26. The Philippines was much more poverty stricken at that time. There were literally piles of garbage burning along Manila Bay at that time.
You have a different politics than I do. I don't believe the government should take care of the people. I believe doing so always results in megadeath in every instance in human history. I have an entire thread dedicated to you dumb fuck westernized (socialist) Millennials:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/please-spread-this-message-to-the-spoiled-brat-millennials-1703293My son is age 20, half-filipino and a USA citizen. He recently decided to move back over here even though he was earning up to $500 a day on tips working at a casino in Wala-Wala, Washington State. He returned because he prefers (actually loves) living in the poverty and being close with all his filipino friends. He loves that he is never alone and is always busy doing social activities, which includes a lot of basketball, billiards, etc.. He is thinking about putting up a coin operated netcafe in that poverty stricken squalor area where he prefers to live.
One thing you may not be ready for is that you are an ATM machine because you are white. Everyone will try to extract money from you. Every 5th cousin will come out of the ground and pressuring your gf to extract money from you.
The culture is very different. It is tribal and selfish. You won't find that families want to help other families unless they are already close over a long period of time. They don't help strangers except for token donations for 5 pesos to street beggars. They view you as an asset and they don't want you expending your resources on any other family. You may find exceptions to this but it is very rare. If you think you are going to teach them, you will learn the hard way that we can't change the culture, attitudes, and system of other people. I can't change your philosophy from being a dumb fuck socialist. You can't change the filipinos. The Spanish tried for 400 years to change them and could not.
You are entering a tribal country. Your nationalistic idealism is sort of what Durterte is trying to instill, but the filipinos remain fundamentally very opportunist. They take what they can get from any system for themselves and their family. The nationalistic idealism is (mostly) a facade they game.
You are in for a big reality check in terms of human nature, economics, and politics. You will either become much more realistic about reality or you will get fed up and go back to the USA with your tail between your legs.
We laugh at you virgins. You have to learn by experience.
You are a cow for milking.
Socialism made you westerners think that human nature is actually not selfish. This works for a short time because the government borrows money to give you everything you want. But throughout history of mankind, this always collapses back to the reality of human nature and megadeath. Humans leverage the system they are in to get the maximum they can for themselves and their love ones. When there is abundance, humans are more sharing, because sharing becomes a gift culture wherein status is gained by giving. But this only works in a capitalistic society that rewards production. A socialist/communist society destroys production. In fact one of the reasons the Philippines is poverty stricken is because of the communist family structure, where one person works and everyone else is lazy and parasites on those who work. The filipinos are also lazy because the aristocracy had enslaved them as captured oversupply of labor. This is changing now that filipinos can go abroad to work. The culture is changing, but not entirely and slowly.
I agree, being white increases the chance to get laid with hot young women. LMAO
And catching strange infections and ending up fucked up incurable chronic illness as what happened to me.
Many if not most people here are mostly all carrying tuberculosis, STDs, skin mites (enjoy it when they shake your hand and you itch like hell), etc.. Enjoy. It will be "fun" in the beginning.
You well fed, fattened western body will be delicious to all the parasites here. You will feel you are in paradise for a few days, while all the parasites are incubating and then wham! You'll feel like shit.
Don't walk barefoot, the tropical worms enter your body through the soles of your feet.
Don't get bitten by mosquitoes, because Dengue is very widespread and it can fuck up your health for life (as is my case).
Philippines is a third world shit hole full of corruption and crime. Better not flaunt that your rich otherwise you'll get kidnapped.
It is better than it was in some areas now. But the corruption and shithole aspects are still prevalent in most areas.
For example, last night my gf's brother got stabbed in the arm by neighbor in Pagadian (her home town). The police did not arrest the perpetrator, so my gf's family is planning to kill that guy today. That other family will of course make a revenge and kill some member(s) of their family. And this will go back and forth until most of both families are dead.
Some of the police are corrupt as hell.
I lost my right eye to a gang attack in Luzon.
This place is raw and reality. You had better be ready for dealing with human nature in its raw form.
Btw, if anyone wants you dead, the cost is only $400 or less. If someone asks you for money and help, and you refuse and otherwise act "humbog" (high pride), they might resent you enough to kill you. My former maid's father had killed numerous guys (in the mountain area) he didn't like the way they walked with their head too high and cocky attitude.
You'll find a lot of loving and caring people in the Philippines, but lurking underneath are these other aspects which will eventually become an issue. At the beginning, you might feel you landed in paradise. Then problems will find you.