American Expat in the Philippines
Posts from my 2nd blog, “Lizard Poop!”
My asawa and I had received disturbing text messages one Friday afternoon from the adviser to our nephew Sharwin: he had been attacked at Santa Teresa H.S. on Guimaras Island. I was on my way to the high school the following Monday morning to find out why the pupil who had punched my nephew was not reprimanded.
Nephew Sharwin in the middle participating in field exercises at the high school
My Filipina wife and I lived in Savannah Subdivision in Iloilo for two years. We’ve recently moved back to my asawa’s home province of Guimaras. At the time we moved to what is supposed to be one of the premier subdivisions on Panay Island, I was impressed. But the lack of infrastructure; no running water, frequents brownouts, and the lack of enforcement of existing rules and regulations has been extremely frustrating. 
American expat in Philippines rescues report cards at Iloilo High School. Yes, I had to make a return trip to the educational institution which our niece Shaina and nephew Sharwin formerly attended. (Note: after misspelling our nephew’s name for over four years now, my asawa has finally corrected me on how to properly spell the young man’s name. My apologies, Sharwin, not Sharwen.)
Sharwin and Michelle. Don’t ask.
Read moreAmerican Expat in Philippines Rescues Report Cards at Iloilo
This American expat in the Philippines and his lovely Filipina wife are making the move back to Guimaras, the sweet mango province in Western Visayas soon. The original move date was scheduled for next year. That date was pushed up by a year when Lolo’s Alzheimer’s worsened.
Pump boat at sunset on the Iloilo Strait
Read moreAmerican Expat in Philippines Making the Move to Guimaras
Arrived at my niece and nephew’s high school around 6:30 am. Went up to my nephew Sharwen’s classroom to see if the instructor that had taken his 840 peso change for a new school t-shirt had arrived yet. She hadn’t. I wanted to have a chat with the Iloilo City high school teacher that tried to cheat my nephew. I wasn’t in the best mood. My asawa had stayed at home. She knew I was on a mission and there was no stopping me.
(Photo Source: sunstar.com)
Read moreIloilo City High School Teacher Tried to Cheat My Nephew: Part 2
An Iloilo City high school teacher recently tried to teach cheat my nephew Sharwen out of money owed to him. Now that Sharwen and his sister, Shaina, our niece, are enrolled in the public high school system in Guimaras, I’m releasing this post as I feared possible repercussions from the “teacher” involved in this incident.
Read moreIloilo City High School Teacher Tried to Cheat My Nephew
I'm convinced public urinals are a waste of money in Iloilo City where we currently reside and are pissing away public funds. I can't speak for the rest of the Philippines, but in the "City of Love," I've only seen one person occupy one of the fixtures pictured below.
Read morePublic Urinals: Pissing Away Public Funds in Iloilo City
Conversion of Foreign License to Philippine Driver's License: My Asawa's Experience is concluded today with this post. My wife had made the trip to the main Land Transportation Office in Iloilo, located in the Jaro District, to have her Illinois Driver's License changed to a Filipino license before her birthday in September. 
Read moreConversion of Foreign License to Philippine Driver’s License: My Asawa’s Experience, Part 2
Conversion of a foreign license to a Philippine Driver’s License. Something I don’t plan to do. My Illinois Driver’s License expired last year. My wife, who at the age of 40, obtained her first driver’s license while living in the States, decided to have her Illinois license converted to a Philippines license before it expired next month on her birthday. The advantage of converting a foreign driver’s license before expiration? Don’t have to take any written or driving exams in the Philippines. That’s a huge plus in my books.
(Our Chevy truck in Illinois not long after my wife got her first driver’s license. OK, OK, I was driving and a deer hit our Colorado on the way to work about 5:30 in the morning. Just a little “husband humor” for you guys out there.)
Read moreConversion of Foreign License to Philippine Driver’s License: My Asawa’s Experience
ILECO's substandard service in Savannah Subdivison, Iloilo, where we reside, is an ongoing problem that is increasingly worsening. I long for the days when I complained about 44 brownouts we experienced from late October 2011 through late June 2012 in a post titled Iloilo's bothersome brownouts.
Read moreILECO’s Substandard Service in Savannah Subdivison, Iloilo