The thing about being a Cebu Expat is that there is an expectation from people outside of you sitting under coconut trees and enjoying cocktails as they are brought to you while you laze in a hammock.
The reality of life though is that Cebu is often dusty, dirty and extremely noisy. Because the majority of people don’t move away from the densely populated areas you would have to assume the average Cebu Expat isn’t living the dream.
Doesn’t mean they aren’t living their dream it often means they aren’t living yours. Because for many people it was a case of moving to the tropics and finding a more relaxed lifestyle that brought them here as well as to find a new partner.
They generally get everything they asked for but not always in exactly the way they had originally hoped. But I have to admit as a Cebu Expat myself what else do I need in life?
Because in reality I have the house, kids, wonderful wife, business from home, live near resorts and beaches. In fact the only downside to my life is the constant development of Cebu itself. The fact that its becoming more densely populated and the pollution and infrastructure issues that comes with it.
If you had asked me the same questions in 2007 my thoughts were different because at that time my understanding of the education system and environment were less educated at a local level. These days though I hope my kids aren’t educated here and go back to the UK. As the education system in the UK is internationally recognised, not so badly manipulated with church and corruption. But also the social networking attribute will offer them a chance in life that the Philippines can’t offer.
Will the UK be the same by the time we get back? I am not sure as the recession is biting and sooner or later all that bloated expense that came in the Labour years is going to cause mayhem to the education system. Acadamy’s replacing schools yet no real long-term finance thinking the same as many other things in the UK system.
But the attitude of learning and wanting to learn is hopefully still there as I remember it. Being keen to want to learn new things and understand the world just doesn’t revolve round one country. Because its these things that bother me most in the Philippines is how can you expect a nation to improve when the people don’t even understand or think of countries outside its own borders.
So I am a Cebu Expat today and for the near future but will I be here in 10 years time is the big question.
