Expat Community > Philippines

fruitofvictory
Joined 2013
Posts: 11

Seeking Advice

11 years ago

I am a 33 year old white male seeking to move to the Philippines later this year, to Davao City. My girl is there, she is a college student at Ateneo de Davao University.

My plan is as follows: Take a flight to Manila, and then travel from Manila to Davao, find a small apartment or room there to stay, and live until she finishes school so I can be near to her.

I have done a lot of reading and asking questions, and am slowly learning tagalog in order to be able to communicate better with the people I will find myself around.

I am far from rich, I have little savings but will be preparing for the trip well before I leave here, yet I will be living on under 1000 USD per month for as long as a year until she finishes school and joins me. My needs are small; I do not expect to live like a king - far from it. I can deal with subpar living conditions and somewhat expect to in order to be near to the one I love.

I have a lot of questions, however.

What will be the best way for me to make this plan work - and is it possible? What steps should I take to make this trip easier, and what is the least expensive way I can make it work? What should I be prepared for and expect in taking such a large step? I am told I can get a visitor visa extension for quite a long time without much hassle - is this true?

I have been told I should have her do my shopping for me, and things like that - I am not particularly worried about crime or being taken advantage of - she lives in Davao City and will handle as many of the details as possible herself or through one of our mutual friends. I am just wondering what else I should plan for or prepare for in order to make this a smooth transition, and not get myself thrown out of the country or anything awkward.

Thanks ahead of time for any help you can give.

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