English in the Philippines is one of the great attractions about the Philippines for expats and is one of the official languages of the country. It is not only nurses and other medical professionals, domestic helpers, laborers, entertainers and engineers that are OFWs. The USA also recruits licensed teachers from the Philippines and China recruits…
It is that time of the year once again. A time when many expats bitch and moan! Time to ditch those shorts and put on some long pants. Time to dig out a real shirt and put away that muscle T. Time to put the sandals and flip flops in the closet and put on…
Do not get on this boat with strangers! Especially if a tout gets your attention by saying, “Psst!” And no matter how nice looking the tour guides are. I will let your imagination run wild about all the things that can go wrong. If you are traveling the seas around the Philippines, especially the far…
As I always say, “Everyday unfolds a new adventure in the Philippines!” The last two days have been new personal experiences for me. For the very first time in the Philippines, I feel cold! An LPA, Low Pressure Area, moved into Negros Occidental, dumping a lot of rain on the Bacolod Area. It has been…
For me, there is no better place to spend Christmas and New Year than in the barrio! Nowadays, most villages in the Philippines are referred to as a “barangay,” however, my wife’s hometown is rich in Spanish history and many people still refer to the village as the “barrio.” Our barrio is located about one…
Ever since I was a little boy, I have always been a dreamer! Back in those days, in the 1960s, my dreams were not actually realistic and were child-like in some respects. As a teenager, a young adult and as a middle age adult, I still had dreams and the dreams became more realistic with…
Something you will learn when you are in the Philippines is that a number of English words take on a completely different meaning here. Most Filipinas desire a dirty kitchen! No, it isn’t a roach and rat infested kitchen with grease splatters on the walls and a pile of dirty dishes in a clogged sink….
It’s been a while since I wrote my last article on RTTP. The fact is it usually takes something substantial to distract me from my normal everyday existence and compel me to write. Last time it was because of a particularly annoying and arrogant expat that terrorized the barbers shop I was sitting in. This…
For many years, some expats have spread the tale that any and every Filipina is willing to marry a foreigner regardless of his age! It is not true. Of course, there are some who will, seeing the marriage as a financial opportunity but their agenda is not including being a faithful, loving wife. Others actually…
I took the above photo from the courtyard of our home in Bacolod City on Thanksgiving afternoon. Two days later, as I began looking at all our photos from our annual Thanksgiving Fiesta, this photo captured my attention in a remarkable manner! Initially, we were concerned of inclement weather, which would have moved our Thanksgiving…
Several days ago, an American friend back in the States seemed confused when I was talking about our Thanksgiving Festival, which was upcoming. He did not believe that there is Thanksgiving in the Philippines. Well, there most certainly is! This is our 5th Thanksgiving in the Bacolod Area of the Philippines and as always, we…
It has often been said that one man’s Paradise is another man’s Hell! I certainly believe it. One size does not fit all and we cannot paint a true picture of Paradise using the same brush, as people have different ideas about Shangri La or Dreamland. Everyone does not enjoy living on the beach in…