Life abroad is not paradise.

[gikapoy]

paradise pud oi
labi na maka kita ka nila sa webcam nga happy nya nag pasalamat sa imo na hatag nila

[jennesse]

I am so surprise with just a few weeks of my stay here in America I've heard, seen and witnessed Filipinos who has practiced what we are famous for, adaptation.

But for the topic that entails "Paradise", I will relate to you what really is America from my stand point.
First, "Paradise" is how your mind best defines it. Until such time that we are here in this present world we live in, "Paradise" does not exist, BUT, we can procure the Idea of what is close to being in "Paradise".

Now, majority of Filipinos here has PREVAILED its mentality and personality back home, directly and indirectly. A trait that prevents our Country to Progress. To start, much to my dismay, in a given topic or subject very few are true to themselves, ranging from who they are, where they come from, where they're going, what they really have and had and some bits of details to exponentiates making the listener or the reader believes that they are great/better (or delusionally great/better).

For a starter a 10 miles trip hailing a cab (taxi) will cost you in the viccinity of $ 20-25 includes tip. One Filipino claimed that she took a cab from Wisconsin to Chicago (some 250 miles- or 500+ km) it cost her $ 500+.A bus, or train ride has multiple ways to save: they have the basic one way or the multiple rides in a day, or the weekly all the way upto yearly and of course the more advance you purchase the more savings you rake up. It ranges from $5-1.25 where the later is when you have a yearly pass, more savings.

ok food: with the Economy, $1 for a sandwich, every fast food chain you can imagine offers such cheap meal. Fresh milk $ 2.78 a gallon. Gas $1.99 a gallon which is then $0.50 cents a liter and I believe some remote are way cheaper.

A decent 2 bedroom, 2 bath average across America is $ 650 ( New York is different of course.)
To Purchase, given your credit score (this is their way of telling how good of a creditor you are) of 700 and above upto 850 as the highest, mostly you get approved with just 10% down and at a decent $200,000 price, your monthly mortgage will hit you around $1300 tops at 5%.

Now, your means of transportation. They say, purchase your dream car after you already have your house because of how the credit scoring affects liability versus asset. In most cases, DREAM cars here are the luxury ones like the Benz, Bimmers, Auds, Porscias, ...or the exotics like the Bents, RR, Lambo's. of which I have not seen a Filipino driving one. So lets settle for the Camry's and corollas, and Vios. Let me put in this perspective, a 5 year old pre-driven (second hand) daily car can be paid off in 1 year since it cost below $5000.

To those who have a family. Education is Free upto high school, otherwise, College is close to as being free too since the goernment regulate a law regarding a payment plan usually the same concept of study now pay later. When I say free, indeed its free, all you have to do is enlist yourself in the defense program mostly in military, navy and army, and in airforce. A good number of Professionals have their profession gained through this system. The best part, once you're done, perhaps be assigned in the battle field, you can quit without having to owe any from your Education.

There are 2 debts that I know that is covered by law that a Citizen is protected from being harrassed are Education, and Health. Any given time you have this problem, you will never be jailed, but to be adviced into a payment plan.

You can walk into any building or establishment without being prejudiced. If in an instant you feel like you are, Lawyers here is so adamant to defent you by suing the company responsible, you dont pay a dime since they will collect their payment from your settlement through the insurance company from the establishment. Just like waht I said, this is true to health care system.

This is not an expert information, and I am humbled for corrections.

Til then, to make this information relevant, I will consider such system of governance close to "Paradise".

[Dorothea]

jennesse: these things you talk about, all of these are dependent if you have a job. With the latest news of this being the worst recession ever, and having 3.6 million jobs vanish, a person's job prospects in the US is quite dire right now. Even those who are still employed right now, they are not getting a full 40 hours per week. This is as far from being paradise as the US has ever been.

Do you work in healthcare? People have lost their insurance coverage along with their jobs, and this is the bread and butter of the whole healthcare industry. At the moment, hospitals have hiring freezes and salary freezes, but how long can they sustain operations without paying patients?

Just the other day, I heard that the car dealership where I bought my car is closing down, bringing along with it, 150 casualties. I kept thinking of my car salesman who has almost become a friend, what's to become of him now? He can get in line for unemployment checks, sure, but it doesn't pay all the bills.

Every single day, I get another person telling me that he has been laid off, has lost his insurance and therefore could no longer afford the life-saving medication that he needs, and all I could say is, "I'm sorry", as if that helps at all. Recently, I just informed a cancer patient, that because he just lost his job, the medication that used to cost him $50 will now cost him $500. A lot of unemployed people don't qualify for Medicaid. They are just barely scraping by. I was crushed by the look on his wife's face, and their three little kids looking so vulnerable, not knowing that their lives are on the verge of falling apart.

I am honestly surprised that you, being a healthcare worker and all, still think it's paradise here. Do you stop and talk to the people you "nurse"? Or are you so happy to have a job in paradise that you fail to notice that things around you are starting to fall apart? Hospitals are cash strapped right now, some are on the verge of closing. Banks are closing. Businesses are closing. People are losing jobs. Wake up, jennesse. It's not paradise.

[vienzel]

@dorothea: mao ni stop ko share ug opinion ky lisod na ug kita pay ma-ingnan ug apil sa "nag-crab mentality" which is actually is happening as i understood sa mga past postings!

lahi ra mn gud kung mabag-uhan ang taw dri ky puro pa excitement, elation or positive things ang makit-an

[chad_tukes]

everything that jennesse said are all dependent on your legal and current job status.

that news two weeks ago... dad killed his wife and five children coz he lost his job... what a paradise.

people can't pay their mortgages so they end up losing their homes... what to do? join a small village of campers (living under tents, literally)... this is in Detroit, MI... indeed, what a paradise.

if i lose my job tomorrow, guess where will i go? chances are, i'll go back to the Philippines... yes, i can find another job somewhere, but can my mortgage/rent wait? can my bills wait? NO. if i can't pay my bills then my credit score goes down the drain.

credit is frozen. people with credit scores as high as 720 can't even borrow money from banks.

what a paradise.

[jennesse]

who does not know about RECESSION.
i hope everybody does.
in case nobody notice, PHILIPPINES is on RECESSION ever since in Memoriam.

these are present information, imagine what is your capacity when there is no RECESSION.

In a Decent Income in America, say $1400/paycheck/(14) days X 26 ( the number of weeks is 52 in a year ) is $36400-net. NO OVERTIME, NO EXTRA SHIFT, OF FOR 4 DAYS IN A WEEK.
$1400 mortgage
$300 car (will be paid off in 60 month) so by then this is shave off.
$300 food ( this is a conservative estimate )
$500 miscellaneous ( insurance on car and home, utilities-cable, internet-phone-water-gas- electric)
-------
$2500 per month therfore you still have $300 left for savings, plus some $2800 at the end of the year since there is 2 extra paycheck the while year.

ALL THESE CAN BE ACHIEVED IN LESS THAN 5 YEARS.
How about in the Philippines?
After 5 years, you are still exploiting the house of your parents, worse, you are still being fed by yor parents.
You are still trying to save for a pair of shoe or a formal dress or a cologne that you have been dreaming of.

[Usahay]

It is not paradise but a grand delusion brought about by the sudden change of state from nil to prosperity. It's a delusion that we from the third world will always experience once we take that quantum leap. It's the same experience I had in 1996 when I went to the US as a young engineer.

[jennesse]

Lets go back to the main Course: Philippines? or America ( or what have you)
Again lets deal the idea of whats close to being in paradise.
This is where I am focusing, and for the enjoyment of some, the discussion is open.

RECESSION - in the Philippines this is not a news, this is a NORM. Therefore, no future.

To someone who mentioned that the US economy if "far from what its been", therefore, it was once a paradise, the catch? It can recover. VERSUS Philippines, "NO MAS"

Health Insurance? What about? In Canada and in England, EVERYONE gets to be treated by their illness and as they are about to be discharged from the Hospital, they go to the Hospital's CASHIER- to redeem their medicine (free) and most of the time they get CASH (yes, the patient are the ones who takes cash from the Hospital's cahier as disbursement for their future medication that was prescribed ) In America, if you loss your job or you dont have a job, there is PUBLIC AID - it entails FREE HOUSING, EDUCATION, FOOD, MEDICINE...What more can you ask?
In the PHILIPPINES - noneda, no insurance, no public aid, nothing free- Worse if you dont have any deposit before your hospitalization stay, they kcik you in the curve. DO THAT IN AMERICA- you will be a Multi millionaire in a year. Law Suit-BIG TIME!

What does got a Car dealership do with your Purchased Vehicle? Be if they closed or Open?
Why? they key will not fit in the ignition? or the car wont start? or the wheels got locked?
I-DONT-UNDERSTAND.
Once you took the vehicle out from the dealers lot - the Bank takes over the payment? not your Car Dealer?
Your EMPATHY to your Car Salesman strikes a BIG cord. Is he your relatives? Or significant others?
BELIEVE me, salesman ( in any shape or form) does not care about you, all they care is the sales they make. And if they received pink slips? Too bad, but thats LIFE in general anyways. SHIT happens.
Better than a Full Pledge International-Licensed- Nurse, Working in Call Center.

I am Fully Awake! Never been this fully awake in my entire life!

H-A-L-L-E-L-U-I-A-H

May not be Paradise - But close to Paradise.

Philippines? One hell of a place to call paradise.

People commit suicide - Statistics shows, suicide case did not increase since 30 years, its in the NEWS because the MEDIA sensationalized it.
In the Philippines - people kill to survive. Is this Paradise to you?

AMERICA is close to being in "Paradise" (term used by the author)
Philippines- I dont know, What do you think?

This is the Root of the Discussion. This is my story and i'll stick to it.

[Sol_Itaire]

some would rather be right all the time than learn. that's lack of humility, don't you ALL think?

anyways, it's "near-depression" according to Roudini. I hope the world economy will recover.

[ice101]

naunsa mo oi, paradise gud, pag ingnong paradise, wla ka nay problema, pero naa gihapon, dli na paradise.

paradise for me is where you can live happy sorrounded by the people who you love, and love you in return.

paradise for me is to work in my country, and atleast give it a chance to grow, and recover. if i were to work abroad, il make sure that my savings is invested in the Philippines.

hinay hinay sa hangin oi, mangapalid bya ta, nakatungtong lng ta sa TATE ing ana na ta, kalain gud....hehehe!

sori diay, dli man gud kaau ko ma ingles, pero bisaya forum man ni, ok lng ba?

au au sa sa mga pasyente dha brod.

peace to all.