Book Review: The Philippines Expat Survival Guide
A Philippines expat needs to know how to live in the Philippines - and we believe that the expat guide ebook provides you with all of the information you need for life as an expat in the Philippines. But don’t just take our word for it; please read through our ebook book reviews and see what others think.
The first ebook book review is from an American expat who spent some years working in Saudi and traveling back and forth to the Philippines before retiring to the Philippines in mid 2011 with his long time Filipina wife. The second ebook book review is by an Australian expat who has been living in the Philippines for some years.
Book Review By Curtis Tuck
On reading Tom Henry’s Philippines Expat Survival Guide I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not just the lists of dry facts and figures I expected, but an enjoyable, well written book. The many facts, tips and details the guide does provide are pertinent, but presented in an easy to read, often humorous format I found enjoyable to review.
As I read through the book, I quickly found it to be no simple travel guide that just touches on a spot here and there, tossing in a few maps and pictures to fill space. Instead (and happily from my point of view), I found the guide to be well laid out, with lots of relevant information, much of which has user-friendly real-world applications; especially for any expat considering life in the Philippines. Because of the comprehensive coverage of topics, the Guide has something for all expats, whether from the USA (including the many military retirees from the former US air and naval bases at Angeles and Subic), but also the many other expats that come to the Philippines from Australia, New Zealand, the UK and other European countries. All are adequately catered for.
As an American expat with 20 years in the oil patch of Saudi Arabia, my personal experience is that to prevent upset, all expats need to know how to be better prepared to live in a country. I found that Tom Henry’s book delivers what we all need, both for those without experience in the Philippines and those, like me, who have limited experience with, one-foot-in, one-foot-out of the Philippines for a month or two a year while working on contracts overseas.
I really liked the way that the author smartly divided the book into four helpful parts, each building on information from the previous part without overloading or glossing over important details. He begins by drawing a country profile that's both interesting and displays the author’s ability to write clearly and entertaining. It covers interesting facts, figures, costs, government and politics, and the regional differences around the country’s 7,000 islands and cultural regions. The country history is short but insightful, and just what an expat needs to gain more of an understanding of the country, and why some things that appear western on the surface are in reality more oriental.
The author writes knowingly and frankly of the Filipino people and the importance of you knowing the Filipino concept of the family and extended Filipino family life, a common cause of problems for expats. Concepts like personal self-esteem, “face”, are explained, as is Filipino time (understanding both of these concepts will save you lots of bad feelings and embarrassment, too). If I knew years ago what I read here, it would have saved me lots of headache and heartache—and my patient Filipino wife a few tears.
In the second part, 'red tape-unraveling the bureaucratic maze' the author has all the nitty gritty information you MUST check out if you are serious about moving to, living in, or retiring to the Philippines, especially if you aspire to start any type of business. I admired the way he cuts through the thick tomes of legal stuff and explains in plain English what you need to know: things like types visas (21 days, 6 months, or longer stays). Did you know you must have ready to show a printed return ticket to get a visitor’s visa if immigration asks for it? Know about the ARC I card, or the advantages of an SSRV card? How to get visas and how much they cost? If you want to stay awhile, best you do know, and the chapters of part 2 get you on the right path.
Part 3 is all about “learning the ropes.” Mr. Henry covers tons of other helpful stuff here, ranging from the proper credit cards you can use in local ATMs, to good details on banks and their quirks. (Their idea of savings accounts is this: if the account does not have activity for a while, the bank takes the money and you are SOL. I lost 4,000 pesos in one Philippine bank while I worked in Saudi before I learned that fact the hard way!)
Should you buy a home fast, or rent and look around a while? How can an expat legally own property? Tom’s answers will help—and may surprise you. Certainly you must understand the Catch 22 of property ownership, pending changes in business and ownership laws, how to get reasonable competent legal advice, and where to keep your important papers. My advice here is simple; read and learn. I wish I had known this information previously, before my costs and problems when building a house in the Philippines.
This part also answers many other important question all expats have: security concerns, situational awareness, and more. Read this and it will steer you away from the slanted impressions of the popular press, to the right stuff you need to know. Also learn the facts on health care and health facilities available in the Philippines, and which best suits your needs. Everyone wants to know this: should you drink the water? Get the straight info and maybe save you from intestinal disorders. Learn USA medical programs and those of many countries do not work in the Philippines. No Medicare and Medicaid doctors or coverage, but they have VA clinic in Manila for qualified people. Checkout the alternative medical insurances available for expats and how best to check local medical facilities.
Food is always an interesting topic for tourists and expats alike, and you’ll find a wide variety of delicious foods are available. While thinking of food diversity, do you know what adobo is? Better learn; it’s a national favorite. Ditto baboy and manok lechon, which I love. (I love many Filipino foods, but I can’t eat one Filipino favorite, the chick-in-an-egg balot, known as Filipino Viagra!) The guide has a great list of foods and dining tips.
My opinion was that Part 3 is great to prepare you for the transition to live in the Philippines, but Part 4 will really help you to “fit in” to the local lifestyles faster and with fewer pains, social gaffs, and cultural headaches. Major topics in Part 4 cover a gamut from: do’s and don’t for domestic help (housemaids), the need for “chill pills” in stress times, steps to avoid causing hiya, the need for a barong, social networking (good old exchange theory: do a favor to get a favor) as well as Filipino style social etiquette, manners, conduct that will move you a long way toward hassle free acceptance.
Tom also treads where writers more shy do not go…into romantic relationships. Short term, long-term, and others, including the newest one—chat rooms on the Internet. The truth, warts and all in what Tom rightly calls “a land of contractions.”
Before you venture forth to a life in the Philippines, it’s best you have a good foundation on relationships Filipino. On family matters, he recommends you quickly learn the quirks in the culture, such as just who is considered family and the real facts on concept of extended family. I loved finally reading truth about budget needs…money (pera)? (When I first went to the Philippines, I heard “Walang pera” so much I thought it was the country’s national song. I learned fast the term means “no money,” or “out of budget”, or to put it another way, translated for a Westerner it means: "give me money.") Of course, as the author explains, to fully understand Filipinos, you must understand the concept of bahala na. Absolutely a must before you venture forth in the Philippines for almost any reasons.
The book just keeps on giving. You get the value of the price of the book—and more—just from the expat-to-expat tips and the section on useful links. For example, did you know it is illegal for foreigner to involve themselves in politics in the Philippines (apparently the CIA didn’t get the memo!). And, why is it almost mandatory that you carry copies of vital documents (like passports) rather than originals?
To summarize, with its detail and readability, I feel the guide is a must read for anyone thinking of living in the Philippines, retiring in the Philippines or just visiting the country. I also feel it's a very worthwhile read in its own right. Frankly, as it's packed with information, money-saving tips, and solid experience-based advice from a man who knows and lives the expat life, someone who has no fears about writing about things as they really are, deciding to read the guide it’s a no-brainer, even if you have only an academic or passing interest in the Philippines and its people.
Book Review By Michael Scott
This is the first in a series of thoroughly researched, in-depth Expat Survival Guides by local author Tom Henry, a British expatriate who has been living in The Philippines for two or more decades now. Having done the hard yards and discovered how things work (and sometimes don't) in The Philippines, he is determined to make things easier and more worry free for expats who follow him.
On reading through it, I found that The Philippines Expat Survival Guide contains answers to pretty much all the questions that budding expats should be asking - before deciding whether to embark on a new lifestyle in the 'tropical wonderland' of The Philippines. Mr. Henry goes into some detail about the country’s early history, the influence of Spanish colonization, the American period, the Second World War and finally independence, neatly tying off all the threads that make up today’s Filipino culture in an enjoyable yet informative manner.
One section of the book is likely to prove especially useful to prospective and existing expatriates. This section covers Visas - the various categories of visa available, who is eligible to apply, the requirements of applicants and any limitations imposed under the terms and conditions of each visa type. There is also comprehensive coverage of the ACR Card and SSRV, their many advantages and the different benefits open to those expats who hold them.
Tom Henry tells it like it is. Digging deep into the local psyche to explain why Filipino’s behave as they do, discussing the importance of inter-personal relationships, the vitality of the extended family (and why this can be troublesome for expats), and providing a realistic and current overview of the cost of living and how much it costs to maintain a reasonably comfortable expat lifestyle in the Philippines.
I feel that not only does this book help newcomers avoid some of the more obvious costly, time consuming and frustrating mistakes that most of us expats have made over the years, it contains a treasure trove of advice on: property, food, entertainment, getting around, politics and government, romance with the locals, business, education and, significantly, matters which may affect your health or that of your family while living in The Philippines.
After reading, my conclusion is that The Philippines Expat Survival Guide is without doubt the most useful book of its type I have come across this year, (or any other year, for that matter), and should be compulsory reading for those with a ken to visit or live in The Philippines. It really is a “Philippines 101” course, one I wish I'd read before I embarked on my life here.
Copyright © 2012 Able Ads Ltd Publishing & Media Services. All rights reserved.
Design by Free CSS Templates
