Post: #1

Another undisciplined, stream of semi-consciousness travelogue by IKE.
I returned from the Philippines several days ago.
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PART 1--Life is Cheap in the Orient. Literally.

"Life is cheap in the Orient." This quote came to mind as I staggered around Manila in early 2014. I tended to think of it as a racist kind of statement before, indicating insensitivity to human needs among the people of Asia-- but it has taken on a different meaning for me, partly due to my immediate success upon arriving from Tokyo. The barely legal teenage girl, who was very bright and worked very hard as a secretary, met me at the airport and accompanied me to my hotel room where she matter of factly changed into shorts and climbed in to bed with me on my first night there. I was far too jet lagged to even try to have sex with her, but it was delightful to cuddle through the night with her.

Life is cheap in the Philippines--literally. I have decided to try to have children, and when I brought the subject up with girls I dated or went to bed with, I would phrase is jokingly like "I want to make a baby."
Many of the girls would simply agree.
Not with the idea, but agreeing to actually have a kid with me!

Now this brings up the whole issue of intention, and how the tropical, concrete thinking of most Filipinas is removed from time as Westerners perceive it. Long term planning is not their forte. Their impulsive, childlike thinking tends to look deceptive or dishonest to a Western eye, but it's not quite the same-- they mean what they said at a certain time, but they don't view it as their duty to have any consistency in their thoughts or persistence in their goals in a dirty, choatic environment like Manila.

Childbearing decisions seem much more emotionally based in the Phils compared to the 22-year long, massive public works style project the middle class imagines when having a baby in America-- with $450K USD allocated for a house, $300k allocated for college, and twenty years of alimony payments to be collected from any disobedient husbands if frivorce freedom is invoked.

"OK" just meant at that time, in those circumstances, having a baby seemed like an idea she would like. I would eventually end up alienating that 19 year old when she wouldn't put out easily enough- (To my regret, I was getting arrogant by the end of my stay. Hell, I was getting arrogant after about 4 days.) And I'm in my late 50s.

Even I couldn't fail in the Philippines.

After I got over being stunned by the ease at which they agreed to have my baby, I asked them how much per month they would need to support the child. Some just said I should give them whatever I could, others offered estimates that were no more than about $250 dollars.

This was because most all have extended families with at least a few unemployed members living in low cost housing in the provinces, meaning a very poor rural area. All they really need to bring a child up at a subsistence level is the food and some basic medical cares. Since everyone isn't scrambling to prepare the kid to make their first million, it's less arduous, people are willing to take care of the kid along with the other cousin kids that are probably around (More siblings, more cousins, nieces, nephews, more efficient childcare available) . Kids are seen as a much more natural thing in the Philippines, not a massive public works project carefully considered before you ever do it at all.

It's not an optimal growth environment, especially compared to the West where every kid should get a STEM degree and surpass everyone on their way to millionaire by thirty status.
"Only the best for my kid." ( This extreme caution means that the fertility rate for college grad females in america is only about 1.6 child each, or about 2/3 the replacement rate.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3578704/
)

I've had people castigate me here on this forum because I intend to have children outside of the upwardly-mobile middle class system in place in the First World. I feel before I have that top one per cent, perfectly fed, high achiever kid some feel I am obligated to have, maybe I should think about the loss stemming from extinction of my line and at least try to have a kid at all.

Life is cheaper in the Orient. And that's good from some angles.

( The quote Life is cheap in the orient was as best I could find attributed to General William Westmoreland. After he said it he stopped the interview as the thought is sounded crass, but when explaining himself he used the same words again. )

Next Episode: The Hatred of The Trike Men.

Post: #2

Look forward to hear all about your adventures in the Philippines!

Post: #3

(03-21-2014 10:35 PM)DirectDanger Wrote:  Look forward to hear all about your adventures in the Philippines!

Me too!

Post: #4

OP - on the other thread, I think some guys had the impression that you were suggestion 250 pesos per month as living support for a child in the Philippines (which actually in some places is probably the amount actually being spent in a large family, per child). Glad you cleared it up here - 250 USD per month is actually, for a small village life or even in Manila, a lot of money for a Philippine household for lower-income people. No doubt the 250 would not be for your kid alone, but provide support for a much larger group of relatives. Regardless, I'm happy you clarified it. Also looking forward to reading more.

Post: #5

Thank you for posting an honest account of your experiences there IKE. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your stories. Congrats also on getting a young pretty girl!

Cheers.

Post: #6

Quote: especially compared to the West where every kid should get a STEM degree

...but most are way too lazy and get a B.A. instead

Quote:This extreme caution means that the fertility rate for college grad females in america is only about 1.6 child each, or about 2/3 the replacement rate.

So that mean fewer kids are raised by college "educated" women with Patriarchy-fighting B.A. degrees such as Communications and Womyn's Studies?

Sounds like a good trend. Maybe there is hope for Murica.

Post: #7

IKE, that is so raw and honest.

Thank you for sharing that.

The chick in your photo for a late 50's guy is also an inspiration

Post: #8

IKE, is that you? You remind me of Inspector John Hartigan from Sin City:



Very nicely written, wishing you all the best in the faraway land.

Post: #9

Look forward to reading more. Do post more pics if you have them. It's been at least 6 years since I last visited the Philippines, must be time to go again soon.

Post: #10

As much as I rag on the semi-pros, If I ever end up old and single, Philippines is definitely on my top 5 list. Unless I manage to learn Russian. Good report.

Post: #11

IKE, Here's how I feel on seeing you with that chick...

Post: #12

I can feel the collected *sigh* and eye roll of all the female lurkers reading this thread. Haha

Post: #13

Ike - I always enjoy your posts and your honesty is very refreshing.
As for the Philippines, it is a poor country and the girls know the reality of what life and their future entails.
You are from a Western first world nation, to most it is the only country that matters. An offspring by you means the child has half a chance to begin with, it is survival.
Enjoy your time and be careful!

Post: #14

You give the rest of us old guys hope for the future.

Post: #15

Nice report OP.

I'm still puzzled as to why I did so well in China last year, but I really flopped in Thailand. I can only think that geeky guys are much more appreciated in China, plus Thai girls are more conservative.

I've got the Phillies on my todo list. I like the curvy figures of your average Filipina, but American accents on an Asian girl are a bit of a turn off for me.

Anyway, if anyone here hasn't been to Asia yet, what the heck are you waiting for????

Post: #16

(03-22-2014 03:54 PM)TopPanda Wrote:  I like the curvy figures of your average Filipina, but American accents on an Asian girl are a bit of a turn off for me.

They do not have anything close to an American accent. It sounds like a Mexican accent mixed with some sort of Caribbean accent. Unless you have FOB Fil-Am friends, you have not heard a Pinoy accent before.

Post: #17

What a great thread! Now I'm definitely second guessing a trip to Bangkok. I bet phillies would be even more insane but probably less hassle with ladyboys and the like. And the "have my baby" thing, lol. That was gold. I read that and for a second thought it might have been a joke. I may just steal that line and try it out on half a dozen or so.

Post: #18

(03-22-2014 06:09 PM)Soothesayer Wrote:  What a great thread! ... the "have my baby" thing, lol. That was gold. I read that and for a second thought it might have been a joke. I may just steal that line and try it out on half a dozen or so.

Thanks for reading, and I'm happy you're enjoying the story.

The attitude towards having kids I sensed there was so diametrically opposite what I see In America, I really had a hard time believing it was real.

Women under 25 would openly admit they really wanted to have a baby, with a palpable sense of physical urgency in their facial expression. Wincing as they said something like "Oh, I want a baby!"; much like a fat American girl gets agitated at the entrance to an ice cream parlor. Women over 25 are so forlorn and worried about never having one they freeze up with a sad look on their face and can't talk about it.

Philippines girls want babies as much as an American girl wants a third ice cream cone.

Post: #19

I was just friends with this girl, but transport is so clumsy and slow, and in the cities pollution is so bad, that sometimes girls end up sleeping over and it's quite pleasant. Before any angry women get antsy, she's over 25 years old so fuck off and go on a diet. I'm taking this down in a week or so.

"If half the people in the world don't hate you, you're doing something wrong."

Lady Gaga

Post: #20

So did you get laid?

Post: #21

(03-22-2014 11:16 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  I can feel the collected *sigh* and eye roll of all the female lurkers reading this thread. Haha

You can see it too.

Post: #22

(03-22-2014 06:57 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  So did you get laid?

Please for the love of god and USA say yes!!

Post: #23

A better question to ask is how many girls did he bang? Remember this is the Philippines.

(03-22-2014 07:34 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

(03-22-2014 06:57 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  So did you get laid?

Please for the love of god and USA say yes!!

Post: #24

Skip to 7:30. Even a 75 year old man can do pretty well for himself in The Philippines.

Post: #25

There are, purportedly, a lot of women in China, perhaps some former KTV girls who are now independent financially (yes, this is very possible), who want to have what is termed a mixed-blood baby. These babies are considered smarter, much better looking and are a huge symbol of status in China, enough to elevate in perceived class just by virtue of being Euro- or American-Sino mixes. Many of these women would be fine having the baby on their own, without the father being around, because of these perceptions about such a child and even the opportunities the child and mother might have as a result. It goes so far as to become a situation where some Chinese men, who basically would never marry a woman who already has a child (unless they've already children of their own), might even be interested in marrying a woman with a mixed-blood baby. I'm not saying this is the majority of people, but its not exceedingly rare, either.

I've heard this attitude expressed in the Philippines as well, the desire for a mixed blood baby, even apart from having a foreign husband/partner/caretaker.