With the looming depression and current financial crisis that we are experiencing, I want to ask those foreign nurses who are currently working in the US. Do you plan to retire in the US or go back to your home land?
As for me, will just save enough and wait for my kids to finish their college and I'm 90% certain that I will go back to the Philippines and retire. The value of my retirement saving is more in the Philippines than here in the US. Plus, there's nothing like home:wink2:
Hope to hear from you guys...would also like to hear from those nurses who intends to work in the US. Do you plan to retire here or go back to your homeland???
I have been living in the United States for over 30 years and I have been a U.S. citizen since 1983. I don't consider myself a "foreign nurse", or even a foreigner for that matter. America is my home. I am an American with Filipino blood. However I am a foreign nursing graduate, this is one thing that will never change.
I consider myself lucky to have worked in a government-owned hospital here in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. As a government nurse who worked hard for 27 1/2 years I was able to take early retirement this year. My pension is coming from the hospital and not from the federal Social Security. The Social Security pension can kick in when I turn 62 years old should I choose to take early retirement on the federal level.
My wife and I have been closely following the economic, political and security issues in the Philippines. With the global financial collapse there have been speculations that the economy of the Philippines will follow the rest of the world.
Those U.S. Filipinos who bought luxury condominiums in the Philippines and who are now experiencing financial difficulties in the U.S. may foreclose or may try to sell their real estate properties in the Philippines. If enough numbers of them will do the same thing then the real estate bubble in the Philippines may burst, mirroring the housing bubble in the U.S.A.
Politics and corruption in the Philippines go hand in hand. Same old, same old.
Crime is one thing that worries me the most. It becomes very personal once you become a victim of crime. Filipinos are very kind and hospitable people, but poverty and crime are chronic and vexing problems. With the worsening Philippine economy things will only get worse before they become better. One has to use common sense to lessen the chance of being a crime victim.
I took early retirement in October and I plan to work in the private sector early in 2009. I may sound like a broken record to regular readers of this forum and I apologize if I bore you to death!
I went to the Philippines for an extended stay after I retired. Although I tremendously enjoyed my stay in the Philippines I don't think I will retire there on a permanent basis.
Once I'm receiving both my hospital and Social Security pensions, my wife and I plan to stay in the Philippines for a few months at a time if we are so lucky enough to live that long, however we plan to spend most of our "golden years" in the good ol' U.S. of A.
Maybe my wife will take care of the grand kids while I wow the old ladies in the local senior citizen centers with my dancing abilities. My wife has already speculated that those senior citizen centers may close down once they see me dancing on the floor. Rats!
Specializes in med-surg, tele, psych, float,preop/pacu.
Home is where the heart is, and my heart belongs to America. I love this country and this is why I decided to become an american citizen. I believe in her ideals and am very grateful for the opportunities she has given me (which I probably wouldn't have had in the Phil because I didn't have the right connections, or acted or looked a certain way). I like going back to the Phil to visit because it humbles me and reminds me where I've come from (living here for a while tends to make me think spoiled and selfishly at times). My parents still live in the Phil and refuse to move any where. I would like to probably later on do some mission trips to the Phil. (We are going on one to India next year through our church.
Specializes in Neuro-Surgery, Med-Surg, Home Health.
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I love this topic! If you've read my previous post above, you will learn that I took an early retirement in October of 2008 from a government-run and owned hospital here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I rested for several months to rejuvenate from my previous super stressful nursing job. For the record, I terribly miss the nurses I used to work with.
I am back working again, this time I'm working part-time in the private sector. As a matter of fact I just started working just about a month ago and I L-O-V-E my new job so far!!! I set my own time, I choose how many hours I want to work, and I get weekends off! Cool, huh?
My wife and I are constantly watching the political, economic and crime situation in the Philippines. As of this year, we still plan to retire here in the U.S.A. but in all probability we will take frequent trips to the Philippines and stay for as long as several months as long as we remain healthy.
The Philippines has lots of beautiful places to explore. I grew up in a town two hours away from Manila and I studied in Manila from high school through college. As a poor nursing student in the 1970's who was at the mercy of my mother for every peso I had in my shallow pocket, I never got a chance to see and enjoy the many beautiful places in the country (my kind widowed mother who is a doctor had to support all four sons through college). Since 1996 after an 18-year abscence from the Philippines, I have gone back seven times to enjoy Boracay, Cebu, Tagaytay, and the many fine restaurants, shopping malls and 5-star hotels in Metro Manila. The 5-star hotels in the Philippines are very affordable, thanks to the still valuable U.S. dollar. To those U.S. nurses who fly regularly to the Philippines, you know what I'm talking about.
Specializes in Neuro-Surgery, Med-Surg, Home Health.
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Oh, the food! Redranger, don't get me started. I love the food over there, who doesn't? Go to Greenbelt in Makati and you have so many choices where to dine but there is an excellent restaurant there that serve native foods. Their Crispy Pata and garlic-flavored soy Tofu are unbelievable! The Crispy Pata is so tender and crispy, it's hard to stop eating until you need a cardiologist! Their Tofu tastes just like real meat, it will fool you. Trust me, it is so delish!
Then there is a popular grill (I'm not sure if it's alright to advertise the name) that I always go to everytime I'm in the Philippines. Their grilled squids, tuna, pork barbecue etc, are to die for. The last time we ate there, there were eight of us, our table was overflowing with delicious food, and we paid the equivalent of just $80!!!
In Dec. 2006, we stayed in a 5-star hotel in Makati that is located along Ayala Ave. corner Makati Ave. This is a prime location in the heart of the financial district. They used the hotel's Mercedes Benz S500 car to pick us up from the airport. The tab for hotel pick up..just $40 in 2006. Breakfast buffet in their commodious and elegant lobby is included in the price of the room.
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, you ride a taxi that could be filthy, and get a driver who likes to stay away from the shower room, and you pay the same amount.
Also in December 2006 we stayed in a 4-star hotel near Roxas Blvd. in the so-called Manila's 'tourist belt'. We upgraded to a club room floor and for just around $140/night, we got a nice room with a pass to use the club room that serves food, juices and alcoholic drinks in the evening and plentiful breakfast buffet in the morning. The food and drinks are included in the price of the room. A great deal indeed.
Compare that to the popular hotel chain in downtown SF where we reserved a room at the club level floor as well. We were charged $200/night plus tax (in 2007) and the food was mediocre at best and the alcoholic drinks were extra charge in their club room. Their breakfast was equally disappointing.
And during my recent trip in October 2008, being so spoiled, I again stayed in the club level room in a Pasig City high rise hotel located right next to Robinson'sGalleria. The club room staff is so good they address you by your name as you enter the club room! I had to ask them, "How did you know my name?" I was in the club room one afternoon to relax and eat, and one of the staff offered to brew me a pot of excellent flavored hot tea. He brought a whole pot! Gawabanga, dude!
In my experience in the Philippines, if you pay for a club level room ,you don't check in at the hotel's lobby. They escort you to the club room to check in! They make you feel welcomed and a very important hotel guest.
The point is, in the Philippines, you get more bang for your American dollars. How can you not visit the Philippines on a regular basis?
Specializes in Dialysis, Nephrology & Cosmetic Surgery.
OK now you've got me really hungry with all this talk of food and I'm going off topic. Can you get Fillipino food in the US anywhere like you can get at home and as I've never been to there but I have been to Thailand are they alike food wise?
^ Not really. Thai Food is more of the heavier flavors and spices. Filipino food is generally lighter and milder and is mostly influenced by Spanish and Chinese dishes. (think rice, vegies, seafoods and of course tropical fruits)
Specializes in Neuro-Surgery, Med-Surg, Home Health.
OK now you've got me really hungry with all this talk of food and I'm going off topic. Can you get Fillipino food in the US anywhere like you can get at home and as I've never been to there but I have been to Thailand are they alike food wise?
Talking about Filipino food may not be off topic. After all, how can you retire if you don't eat? There are many places in major cities in the U.S.A. where you can get Filipino food especially where there are large Filipino-American communities. New York, Chicago, Seattle and of course here in California.
If you happen to visit the Philippines someday, splurge a little bit and stay in nice hotels. They generally have breakfast buffets that will will fill you up so you will have the energy to explore around, then have a nice big lunch somewhere nice. Take a dip in the hotel's pool or read a book by the pool in the afternoon, then go out to dinner in the evening.
Metro Manila is like New Orleans or Miami, it's a "party town". And if you avoid the months of June to September, you avoid the tropical typhoons and floods that visit the islands. There are so much to do. Tip: rent an air-conditioned car with a paid driver in the hotel premises. I paid just the equivalent of $12 to go from my hotel to a shopping mall, and I paid the same amount to have them pick me up a few hours later. Even if you get stuck in traffic, the rate is the same. I prefer this mode of transportation than the public taxis. I don't recommend driving in Metro Manila, leave the driving to your paid driver.
And for the ladies, Metro Manila is a shopper's paradise. Everything is cheaper compared to prices in the U.S.A. or E.U. They have modern shopping malls that dwarf many shopping malls in America and Europe in size. Surprised? I was.
Then the islands in the Visayas are truly tropical paradise. The people are frriendly, and you get to taste the Visayan dish. I can't wait to go back there myself.
The next time you come, Daly City RN, may I suggest that you visit Palawan. The island is so rich in natural beauty that's simply breathtaking. Even one who does not believe in God would have to ask, "if there's no God, who created all these?" It's a real winner
Right now, I see myself spending the rest of my life here in the USA. It has been three years since we left the Philippines. My children have all adapted living here. Though they still speak Tagalog to us but they converse more in English among themselves.
I miss the country very much and I am hoping I can visit there next year. My wife and my youngest child were able to have a short vacation there last year. Well, got to save enough money to go there.
The next time you come, Daly City RN, may I suggest that you visit Palawan. The island is so rich in natural beauty that's simply breathtaking. Even one who does not believe in God would have to ask, "if there's no God, who created all these?" It's a real winner
Is Palawan safe for Americans? That is next on my list.
I heard it expensive (American Terms)?
I found Camiguin Islands last visit, it on the Northern part of Mindanao, About a 2 hour Super Shuttle Boat ride from Cebu, It was amazing. Clear water, Many springs, Cold Spring, Hot Springs, Soda Springs, Very Clean and very cheap compared to PI prices.
Daly City RN
250 Posts
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I have been living in the United States for over 30 years and I have been a U.S. citizen since 1983. I don't consider myself a "foreign nurse", or even a foreigner for that matter. America is my home. I am an American with Filipino blood. However I am a foreign nursing graduate, this is one thing that will never change.
I consider myself lucky to have worked in a government-owned hospital here in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. As a government nurse who worked hard for 27 1/2 years I was able to take early retirement this year. My pension is coming from the hospital and not from the federal Social Security. The Social Security pension can kick in when I turn 62 years old should I choose to take early retirement on the federal level.
My wife and I have been closely following the economic, political and security issues in the Philippines. With the global financial collapse there have been speculations that the economy of the Philippines will follow the rest of the world.
Those U.S. Filipinos who bought luxury condominiums in the Philippines and who are now experiencing financial difficulties in the U.S. may foreclose or may try to sell their real estate properties in the Philippines. If enough numbers of them will do the same thing then the real estate bubble in the Philippines may burst, mirroring the housing bubble in the U.S.A.
Politics and corruption in the Philippines go hand in hand. Same old, same old.
Crime is one thing that worries me the most. It becomes very personal once you become a victim of crime. Filipinos are very kind and hospitable people, but poverty and crime are chronic and vexing problems. With the worsening Philippine economy things will only get worse before they become better. One has to use common sense to lessen the chance of being a crime victim.
I took early retirement in October and I plan to work in the private sector early in 2009. I may sound like a broken record to regular readers of this forum and I apologize if I bore you to death!
I went to the Philippines for an extended stay after I retired. Although I tremendously enjoyed my stay in the Philippines I don't think I will retire there on a permanent basis.
Once I'm receiving both my hospital and Social Security pensions, my wife and I plan to stay in the Philippines for a few months at a time if we are so lucky enough to live that long, however we plan to spend most of our "golden years" in the good ol' U.S. of A.
Maybe my wife will take care of the grand kids while I wow the old ladies in the local senior citizen centers with my dancing abilities. My wife has already speculated that those senior citizen centers may close down once they see me dancing on the floor. Rats!
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