DATE ARCHIVES : October 2017

Please Don’t Keep Up with the Joneses

Please Don’t Keep Up with the Joneses

You are going to the USA, that’s something to be proud of. There are many hurdles along the way, but if you got a job and a visa, it will definitely change your life. How that change will affect you and your family will depend on the many choices you will make.

This is a new, exciting chapter in your life. You are about to embark on a new journey, meet new people, explore a new continent, and do work that you love. While it’s never easy to say goodbye to friends and family, the truth is, your relationship with them will also change. Continue reading →

Don’t Convert Dollars to Pesos in Your Head

Don’t Convert Dollars to Pesos in Your Head

When we first came to the United States in August 2015, it was so tough to spend money on almost everything. Why? Because we often convert US Dollars into Philippine Pesos.

For example, a bottle of soda costs $2. If you convert that to Peso, that is roughly equal to PhP 100. That is expensive for us in the Philippines. And if we kept thinking this way, we would not have been able to drink soda or even eat at a nice restaurant.

Even when we went shopping for clothes or anything in particular, once we started converting to Pesos, it becomes so difficult to spend money. A pair of jeans here costs between $20 to $50. Again, if you convert that to pesos, it’s between P1,000 to P2,500.

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High Sierra Loop — My Very Useful, Inexpensive Travel Backpack

In addition to my carryon luggage, I am really glad I found the perfect backpack. Let me begin this post by saying that I don’t care about high end (aka expensive) gear. I am after function, convenience, and it’s even better if I get it inexpensively.

I tend to keep my backpacks for several years. As long as they work and they don’t look like they’ve been picked up from the dump, I will keep using them.

My former backpack was a 1400-peso Adidas backpack, which I bought in the Philippines in 2014. It has been with me to South Africa, Germany, and the United States. A friend of mine who works at Goodwill gifted me with a smaller UnderArmour backpack from Goodwill. Yes I got it secondhand and I don’t mind using it.

Stumbling onto the Best Backpack

I looked online for the best travel backpack that I could use. I finally stumbled onto the High Sierra Loop. It costs $34 on Amazon and I just added it to my wishlist.

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You’re an OFW Now, So What’s Next?

You’re an OFW Now, So What’s Next?

Many Filipinos consider the United States as the “Land of Milk and Honey,” and that if you had the chance to go there, your life will never be the same. If you just get there, you will be swimming in dollars and you can lift yourself and your family out of poverty.

Some Filipinos may have found that to be true. And even for those who do struggle, life in the USA tends to be more comfortable than life in the Philippines. The good thing about working and living in the US is that you earn dollars. And if you convert your money to Philippine Pesos, you’d get a lot! If you had $1,000, that would be equal to around PhP50,000, depending on the exchange rate.

Alas, you earn in dollars, you also spend in US dollars. And if you’re not careful, you also get into the consumeristic, materialistic lifestyle of most Americans.

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Visiting Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, South Africa

Visiting Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg is a beautiful city. Its O.R. Tambo airport is one of the biggest hubs in the continent of Africa with flights to and from major airports around the world. South Africa is also home to beautiful wildlife.

Johannesburg, and the whole country of South Africa, has a difficult past. Apartheid, or institutional racism, has made life difficult for many Black South Africans. It ended only in 1991, which is pretty recent.

Amid this tumultuous history, heroes rose and helped pave the way for peace and reconciliation. Nobel Peace Prize awardee Nelson Mandela is easily the most recognizable name from this era.

I visited Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg sometime in July 2017. It was a chilly, rainy morning. We bought our tickets. We waited for the guide and took the tour of the facility.

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How Much of Your Possessions Should You Bring to the USA?

How Much of Your Possessions Should You Bring to the USA?

You’ve been accepted for a job in the USA, you applied for and got your visa. You let go of many things that you own in the Philippines, now it’s time to pack your bag or boxes as you travel to the United States.

How much stuff can you bring?

Most airlines traveling to the USA will allow you to check two big bags or boxes that weigh up to 50lb or 23 kg. You are also entitled to bring 2 carryon bags. That sounds like a lot, but it really is not, especially if you are a family of three or more going to the USA.

Excess baggage fees are expensive! If your bag or box weighs more than 50lb or 23 kg, you will pay $75 or more! If you are bringing more than two checked bags, the third box will cost $200 or more! If you’re willing to pay that amount, I won’t argue with you.

How much stuff SHOULD you bring?

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6 Crazy Things I Did as a New Father

6 Crazy Things I Did as a New Father

Before our son was born, my wife and I watched some movies about babies and parenthood. I particularly remember the movie “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”

One particular scene cracked me up. It’s when Gary Cooper (played by Ben Falcone) panicked and kept pacing and looking for his car key inside the house. Finally, his wife, Wendy (played by Elizabeth Banks), who was in the throes of labor, threw a magazine or a booklet at him. That helped him get his wits back.

I sympathize with Gary Cooper. When you’re a new father, you face a lot of changes in life, and you may panic for quite a bit.

Here are 6 crazy things I did as a new father. Some of these are pretty silly, some had happened because of accidents and mistakes, but almost all of it was probably because I was clueless and nervous. Or downright afraid of the prospect of taking care of a small human being.

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How to Apply for a South African Tourist Visa in New York City

How to Apply for a South African Tourist Visa in New York City

My responsibilities at work require that I travel to South Africa this year and next year. I’ve been to Johannesburg twice now and I will be there again next year. As a Filipino residing in the USA, I need to apply for a visa. I’m writing about my experience in applying for a visa to help anyone who needs to.

Who need a visa to go to South Africa?

If you are a US citizen, you don’t need a visa to go to South Africa. The South African Government has established some relationships with other countries, which led to visa-free arrangements.  Continue reading →

How to Apply for Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC)

How to Apply for Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC)

Since you are going to the United States for work, you need to apply for an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC). Every OFW is required to get the OEC as this is a requirement under the rules and regulations of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Its purpose is to ensure that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) are documented and protected. There are several requirements before you can get the OEC such as the contract. Ideally, this requirement will protect Filipinos from being duped by illegal recruiters.

We can consider the OEC as our exit pass. If you have an OEC, you will not pay the travel tax (which is about P1,620) and the terminal fee (which is PhP 750).

How to Apply for the OEC

Continue reading →