An American Retired in the Philippines
I’m familiar with warehouse club stores, even if I don’t want to be. My first experience with one was unusual, to say the least. My first 13 years of life were in a small city. The biggest grocery store was Safeway, and I can’t even remember the name of the biggest department store. There was … Read more
Unless you’re a Filipino or have close ties to Filipinos, you may have no idea what I mean when I mention balikbayan boxes. The word “balikbayan” is a Tagalog word that was coined way back in the 1970s. It refers to a Filipino who returns to the Philippines. The word “balik” means “going back” or … Read more
It seems like it doesn’t matter where I am and in which country. There are delivery services for food and merchandise that didn’t exist until a few years ago. I appreciate some more than others. There are delivery services that have been around longer, and I probably don’t need to mention their brand names. I … Read more
What is it with women and expensive designer handbags? I’d really like to know. Every man I’ve ever known, who has a wife with one or more expensive handbags, couldn’t care less about the brand name of the handbag or wallet he carries. As far as I can remember, it all started for me in … Read more
Shopping in the Philippines can be a disappointing experience for people who aren’t accustomed to visiting multiple stores to find things. I’ve been disappointed for more than 16 years. Shopping for anything other than Filipino food can be an exercise in frustration. The levels of incompetence in all the nearby venues is astounding. Since I … Read more