Retiring in the Philippines

Interview by Valerie Espiritu
co-written with Jane Mangalus

A German National Enjoys A Quiet Life in Calapan

“Don't simply retire from something; have something to retire to.”
~Harry Emerson Fosdick~

  Go to Boracay, Dumaguete, or just roam around certain areas in Manila and you’ll surely come across foreigners who seem to have embraced a modest living here in the Philippines—as a student, a business owner, or maybe a retiree who have chosen to live a quiet and simple life in the country .

Take, for instance, the 72-year-old German, Wolfgang Hesch who has fallen in love with the way Filipinos acquaint themselves with other races. Although he described Pinoys just like how other nationals would do—friendly and hospitable—there are other pragmatic reasons  why the Philippines is a good place for retirees.

        Truth be told, most foreigners have longed to live in a  tropical country with  enchanting landscapes, pristine beaches, navigable mountains—and Hesch is no exemption; this retired German has always had a mental picture of waking up in the morning and facing the salty breeze from the ocean—which ,he said,  makes him feel young and vibrant. “In Germany, it makes me feel old,” he expressed. To have lived in a place where autumn and winter seasons could really take one’s patience and drive one to its most solitary state, it is no wonder why Western people would often explore other more health-friendly nations with tropical climates.

“When I was a young man, it's my dream to live in a house near the sea side. So I worked for it. When I was 18, I started to travel in the different parts of the Philippines until I settled here in Mindoro for almost three decades now.”  

His good friend for 25 years, Jaime Arabani, a local of Calapan shared, "He chose to retire here because of the customs we have. He loves the way how Filipinos treat their families...”

     Germany is known as the “Land of Ideas” because of its resourceful, innovative, and progressive stature. But this retired business man is bleary about the thought of progressions in his place of origin. As recounted earlier, he spent most of his precious time travelling outside his busy country—as if he has always wanted to escape from it.  

Hesch now spends most of his time in a bay-view house in  Balite, Calapan City, Mindoro. Hesch had been to Cebu, Palawan, Boracay, and most of the tourist spots in the Philippines; it was in 1983 , though, that he  first stepped onto the grounds of Mindoro, by chance.

    “ (Now) I live in a house near the seaside; I have my orchidarium, my fish pond, a huge bird cage, and tennis court which I cannot have all-in-one in Germany. For me, this place is perfect,” Hesch ended.
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Why Retire in the Philippines?

·         Relatively low cost of living compared to other Asian countries

·         Cheap health and dental care; affordable medicines

·         A Tropical paradise

·         A democratic country

·         Home of world-class educational institutions like UP, Ateneo, UST,  DLSU, Mapua

·         Melting pot of different cultures

·         Wonderful beaches and mystical caves, marine life, and forestry

·         Scenic landscapes in the countryside

·         Various hotels, inns, restaurants, shopping malls, resorts, theme parks, movie houses among others scattered in different parts of the nation

·         Conserved traditions celebrated thru annual festivals and processions

·         

It's Been a While, Weallexist Readers

It took me several months, several epiphanies, several downfalls and glories ( a whole bunch of watching One Tree Hill) to finally write here in WEA. No, I haven't stopped writing, in fact, I've been doing too much writing for school and work that I neglected this much-loved website.

Wasn't that video fun? Well, for you to fully understand, perhaps you'd have to watch all seasons and know the backstories and other things about One Tree Hill.


I guess picking this One Tree Hill thing for a comeback post isn't bad at all. Tree symbolizes life (which is what is WEA has been showing for the last 5 years) while the Hill could be a metaphor for conquering great fears and challenges. That's the only time that we become ONE with ourselves.


Okay, might sound lame but at least I have started posting here again.


I miss weallexist!

Cozy Reading at Libreria

I am a book lover. I could literally spend hours reading books (for free) in a library or Powerbooks or Fully-Booked or any bookstore which allows free reading without  obliging you to buy one. Bookstore is also always my first stop whenever I go to the mall. Or if I’m going to meet someone, I always suggest to meet up in a bookstore. You can either see me in the self-help/Psychological books section, the Filipiniana section, Inspirational/Religious, Travel, or the History section.

I just love reading–even if it could really take a long while before I could finish a certain book or even if I still have lots of books in the house which I haven’t finished reading yet. And I always find it a delight whenever I chance upon a real nice bookstore on the way to wherever I am going.

I love those community-type bookstores (I don’t think there’s really a term such as that but that’s how I perceive them). You know the kind of bookstores you can find along the street which those who are not really book lovers wouldn’t dare notice. These kind of bookstores could give you that homey, welcoming feeling, like as if you are just reading a good piece inside the comforts of your own abode. And if you’re being too engrossed with your reading, you can also add a cup of coffee to make your reading moment a real relaxing one.

As I’m writing this piece and describing that kind of bookstore, the one that’s actually playing freely in my imagination is Libreria Bookstore which is located inside the artsy haven of Cubao Expo in Quezon City.

I came to know Libreria through browsing over the pages of http://everydaysweetnotes.blogspot.com/. I first liked the pictures of the place and basically how she wrote about it made me want to really go and visit Libreria. I invited my walking buddy and fellow explorer friend Jane but she was super busy that time so we had to re-schedule the Cubao Expo adventure.

Days passed. One afternoon, I got a text message from Jane inviting me for a walk/food trip to de-stress. Since I’ve been inching to go to Cubao Expo and have a look at the bookstore which I’d also dreamed of during one of my afternoon naps, I immediately replied yes and suggested we go to Cubao.

Libreria Bookstore didn’t fail my expectation when it comes to the inducing that homey feeling. The first thing I noticed when I came inside was the sofa which was so prominent in the pictures I saw online. I’m not really sure if the books were arranged categorically but I loved how they were arranged–like on a casual, relaxed manner. The store also sells coffee for only Php50 per cup. Haplessly, we didn’t try the coffee since we were planning to eat somewhere  after that Libreria adventure. But we did try their homemade butterscotch which actually tasted good.

The place is actually small like you can see and count all the people coming in and inside the bookstore. I just didn’t find it comfy enough to read a book while the owner was there manning the store–or perhaps it was because it’s just the first time I went there and I need some warming up to do pa. But the owner was nice enough to answer our questions and allow as to take pictures. She even thanked us for asking permission to take pictures because according to her, there were people who would just click their cameras without even asking her consent.

I would definitely go back to Libreria. I think it’s best to go there on a Saturday and spend an afternoon reading books while sipping cups (yes cups!) of coffee. Para kahit hindi man ako bumili ng libro, kumita man lang sila sa akin sa kape:-)

my good friend Jane with the Libreria guestbook:-)

There's still another couch which I like but I don't have a nice photo of that:-(

Libreria is located at:

Unit 64-D Cubao Expo, Gen. Romulo Avenue, Araneta Cubao, Quezon City

Operating hours:

Mon-Wed – 3pm to 8pm

Thurs-Sat – 3pm to 10pm

Dear Tech Fairy, Kindle For Me

(Upon writing this, I am aware that iPad has been in the market for a while now.) 

Seldom would I long for gadgets.Truth be told, people close enough to me know that I was never a tech-savvy: I am really just not. Period (but that is: circa, 12 hours)

My  brothers would often gift me, though. And I do have a decent possession of some of the "essentials" in the world of the gadget-device buffs: a blue supernova cellular phone (at least 3 years old), a slim white Acer Aspire One loppy, an iPod touch (maybe also more than 2 years old), and that's it.  I never intended to really buy anything else or replace any of them as they are all fully functional. When I want to take better photos, I borrow my mother's iPhone.

I never want myself to be too gadget-dependent or, worst, gadget-thirsty. I don't really buy what marketing peeps say about technology bringing "more convenience and saving time". Why do we need so much convenience anyway? To not do anything difficult? And what do we do with time saved? Spend it to some techlust activities? There you go. Guilty heads.

But I will plead guilty at the moment for my heart is suddenly in love with this e-reading device called  Kindle. Blame the heavy reader in me. The surface is white (though surely there are some other colors, the one I saw kasi is white); With it, one will be able to read e-books, newspaper articles, and the like. And it's white. And white. Immaculate white. Damn, I am really into white and blue when it comes to tech devices.

I am not going to push myself to save for it. Who knows, my tech-fairy might just consider--I am not really here to cry and beg for one, but at least I shouted how wonderful it made me feel when I first laid my eyes on it.

Dahil Pangarap Kita, Ateneo

Hindi ko sinsasabing hindi ako tinuruan ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (sa Maynila) at ng Unibersidad ng La Salle (sa Maynila rin) ng mga kaalamang maihahanay sa pinakamagagaling na unibersidad sa mundo--sa katotohanan, higit pa sa aking inaaasahan ang ibinahagi sa akin ng mga institusyong nabanggit.

Marahil, ang pagnanais na maging bahagi ng kultura ng Ateneo de Manila University (sa Katipunan) ay naguugat sa kagustuhang maging ganap na produkto ng tatlo sa pinakamagagaling na pamantasan sa Pilipinas (alam kong mas madami pang magagaling na unibersidad, andyan pa ang UST, etc. ngunit sadyang magkakabit ang mga pangalan ng tatlong ito).



O siguro nga isinasadya ko ito para naman masabi ko sa mga magiging apo ko na ang lola nila ay nangahas na pasukin ang mga naturang unibersidad minsan sa kanyang kabataan.


Ayoko mang pangunahan ang pagkakataon, ngunit ang pagnanais na makatuntong sa Ateneo ay isang matagal nang dalangin. Nasa huling dalawang term na ako sa aking master's at wala akong makitang ibang pamantasan sa Pilipinas na gustong pasukin pagdating ng PhD kundi ang tahanan ng mga asul ang dugo.=)


Hindi ako balimbing. Naniniwala ako na magiging ganap ang aking paghahanap ng may kalidad na edukasyon kung tatapusin ko ang aking karera bilang magaaral sa Areneo(slang sa Ateneo).


Marami na akong mga naging propesor na nagturo na rin sa Ateneo. Mga propesor na umiikot sa UP, DLSU, UST. Samakatuwid, dala-dala ng mga gurong ito ang magkakatulad na sensibilidad kaya sa aking palagay, hindi nagkakalayo ang pamamaraan nila sa pagtuturo.


Hindi ko naman alam talaga kung anong meron sa hinaharap. Madami pang maaring mangyari. Ang dami ko pang exams na pagdadaanan, reports na tatapusin, at papers na isusulat. Minsan pakiramdam ko unti-unti na akong nauubos--pero ganun talaga. Hindi pwedeng magreklamo kasi pinili ko 'to.

Problema ko lang kasi ang layo ng ADMU. Minsan sinasabi ko na sana ilipat nila ang graduate school nila sa Makati tutal nandun na rin naman sa Rockwell ang Law School nito. Sana magdilang anghel ako.

O sana, may taga administrasyon ng Ateneo na makabasa nito.


Gusto kong maging guro si Ambeth Ocampo. Sa pagkakaalam ko, faculty member siya dun. Kahit na araw-araw niyang isingit si Rizal sa klase, okay lang.=)


Gusto ko ring maranasang magsuot ng t-shirt na may maliit na tatak ng Ateneo. O, di ba ang cute non? Naglalakad ka kung saan--bagsak ang buhok, pantalon, walang make up, pero nakaputing t-shirt na may
"Ateneo Babe".


Kahit papaano maihahanay na ako sa kagandahan nina Bianca Gonzales, Nikki Gil, Rica Peralejo, at Patty Laurel.


Malay mo doon ko na rin makilala ang susunod kong mamahalin. (yun pala yun,e no? hahaha)



Yun nga lang sabi ng mga prof ko mas maganda daw ang facilities at library ng DLSU sa ADMU, baka madisappoint lang daw ako. Hindi rin ata sing kolokoy ng mga mga Taga UP ang mga Atenista kasi nga naman mga pawang anak sila ng mga pamilyang elite.


Wala daw aircon ang mga classroom.

At di ba ang daming nabubundol dun sa roadway nila?





Ah, basta!


Ateneo, pangarap kita! (Animo! LOL)

INSOMNIA

I once read  in Time Magazine that when, out of nowhere,a person crossed your mind, it is highly possible that that person is thinking of you,too.

Whoa, there you are, hopes raising that the apple of your eye is likely thinking of you every second--because you do.

Okay, dream on. No one stops you.=)

It is just 11:18 p.m. as I try to muse on Insomnia. I was actually hoping to title this "Sleepless in Pampanga" but I have used that on my other articles.

I would have thanked my inability to sleep early has it been a school day when I am supposed to pen a rigid paper due soon, or when I am doing it for something purposeful. The thing is, it is sort of like a holiday for me--classes in graduate school is yet to start on the 26th and my work as an IELTS Instructor is yet to resume on the 23rd.

I don't want to turn this article into another listings of tips on how to cope with this problem. I want this article to be as spontaneous and as experiential as it is supposed to be.

And,so,this insomnia happens every time I eat so much dinner or I have showered late or yes, when my heart is feeling faulty--worse, when all three happen.

As today, luckily, I ate  too much lumpia and my stomach and chest aren't so happy being too heavy.

Your case might be different and I would love to hear from you.

In the mean time, I am trying to tire my eyes by blogging, watching films, and reading some poems--these activities somehow calm me.

I truly hope that I could get more testimonials or any sort of literature about insomnia. That might be possible when we start weallexist.com already. We are still working out some particulars and we will inform you about its launch.

Happy Thing To Do: Laugh at Bloopers and Outtakes

Are you the type of person who stays longer in theaters after the movie credits roll in? Some people do that thinking that they might still see something, like an additional scene related or unrelated to the movie. Some movies have that to keep people from going out early.

Even some TV shows also let you see how the actors and actresses make mistakes during filming a certain scene. We see it on comedy films, even on drama.

It's there probably to let the audience do something, laugh. Some of the crew's mistakes are so funny they have to show it. It may also be a way of showing how much hard work they put in making these videos.

But since they laugh at themselves, why don't you laugh too? You watched TV (and movie) to be entertained, right?

A good start is watch Jackie Chan movies (no plugging intended) since they always show their mistakes immediately after their final scene.

So why not give it a try? Just don't laugh too hard. hahaha

Image courtesy of pjlighthouse.com

Happy Deed: Saying Thank You

If some does even a very little favor for you, like letting you come out of the elevator first or complementing your clothes, a little appreciation for a good deed done to you can make your day brighter.

Even though it's obvious to tell it, just say "thank you" with a smile. If someone hands you a glass of water during dinner, or opened the door for you, or helped you carry your happy shopping bags, or saved the ball for you when you played tennis in Wii Sports, just say those two words.

If you're on the other side, say "you're welcome" also with a smile. You'll feel better too. Isn't it nice seeing someone smiling? Put a little accent to make it a little more funny.

Image courtesy of tycooncyber.blogspot.com

Happiness Through Simple Things

There are simple things that you can do to be happy.  It's right there. Our world is a very nice place. We just have to look at it at a certain angle.

This will be a series of happy things to have, happy deeds to do, happy places to visit, and simple appreciation of anything around us.

Are you a mall rat? Are you a music junkie? Are you a couch potato? Are you fond of physical activities like sports? Are you an internet addict? Does your parents leave you at the kitchen when you're younger? Do you remember the lines of the lead characters in the last movie you saw? Do you enjoy the nice breeze of air in the morning?

If your mind thinks positive, you'll notice the nice things around. You just have to open your mind. And eyes of course.

A Sky Lover

Looking up, wondering if there is life beyond what is seen on the ground,
and imagining how the stars, the moon, the clouds, the rainbows,
and other elements above are really like up close.

A Tree Chatter

One of the best things about Japan is that its culture silently whispers: "Nature is God."

And for a tree lover like me, a sight like the one above is more than just a delight in the eye. Though this is not a cherry blossoms tree (I went there during autumn, so, not the best time for seeing it), this tree's shade and panoramic view are enough for me to utter some secret wishes.

Sea Child

How wonderful it is to bask under the afternoon sun, half submerged in a vast sea, half-naked, wet and magic-filled.