# Would I Be Happy Living in QUezon City?



## Jesse69 (Jun 18, 2014)

I'm unhappy in USA getting $1171 monthly SSDI, as I've been long term unemployed since August 15, 2008. I lived rent free in a beautiful 3 story Wicker Park house in CHicago. All supported by my Parent's Pension. Then my mom died and my brother is selling the house on me. Now I have to temporarily move to Houston and sell 95% off my possessions there. I probably can't risk getting a job, as since Dec 1992 I only have 5.79 years technical work history and my jobs never last long. I could try to work in Houston, but that could cut off the security of getting SSDI.

I have a BSME degree and I had worked doing CAD, Some Product Design, and Technical Writing. It sure is hard to get a job in America's current bad economy, and companies discriminate against me for being long term unemployed. I fill in the unemployment gap saying I did freelance work, but an income verification will show I earned no money.

So life will suck going from living in a hot neighborhood in Chicago with a lot of possessions to living in our small $18,000 house in our cousin's lot in Quezon City in Project 6. It's a great area to live in with a nearby fresh market, cheap groceries, Circle C and SM North Edsa Mall nearby. I would just have 6 bikes and two computers from America.

The biggest change in my life is that I will almost have no purpose in life, except to eat good food, play video games, and browse the internet. I can try doing freelance work online but if I make too much it would jeopardize my SSDI. I'm 45 now and not working for the rest of my life sounds boring.

What can I do in Manila / Quezon City for fun? Going to the Mall often gets boring. What can I do in Quezon City that would make life have purpose? Maybe I'll go to church everyday and help out in my Aunt's Legion of Mary... What else?

Here's the possible cut of my expenses monthly:
ssdi	1171
rent	200
electricity	30
internet	45
water	10
food	280
Owen - help for car	60
storage fee USA	150
psychiatrist	15
psych medicine	20

Leftover 1	$361 monthly for enjoyment of savings.

Can I marry a Filipino woman and keep my SSDI? Will the US Gov me me $300 more per month for a Filipino child?


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I adopted two children here legally and couldn't get anything and I couldn't bring them to the states without a home study the cost for a home study in the middle 90's was $25,000. 

Your largest loop hole is that your not married and then when you do get married getting your Visa and I-card (Immigrant card) working with the bureaucracy and all the legal documents you will need. It sounds like your serious so, take a look at this website for all the requirements to get legal here, (keep in mind that all documents* must be verified with the Philippine Consulate that controls your state of Chicago* here's a quick link for downloadable forms.

http://www.chicagopcg.com/forms/newimmigrantform.pdf

Here's the home page for the Chicago consulate, if you have any questions they are the ones to answer them.

Consulate General of the Philippines - Chicago

If you want something to work it can but the last issue would be the requirements of the family members here in the Philippines and do they have jobs will they keep working them when your there, sharing is a way of life in the Philippines, especially if your living in their home, family members won't understand you don't have any money. Patience to a higher degree that I'm not used to but have been working on for years is another huge hurdle.

Another thing to think about, my home state has a shortage of workers ND, Bismarck or Fargo would be a great place to live, full of immigrants some from SE Asia.


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## Jesse69 (Jun 18, 2014)

I would stay in the Philippines if I got married and just live on the ssdi there. So I wouldn't bring her or a kid to America.

Big risk just depending on SSDI for 20 years.

Maybe I should just try to work in AMerica.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Real world*



lastyle7 said:


> lol, Hello Friend,
> 
> I'm also on SSDI and receive 1172 a month which includes the Medical Savings Plan (state of Florida pays my monthly Medicare premium) I also live in Quezon City off Commonwealth Feria
> road close to Ever Mall. I can walk to Pure Gold and the mall in less than 10 minutes. The area I'm in is a **** hole, in fact the majority of QC and metro manila/manila is nothing but
> ...



Nice hear some one break through and talk about the real world of living here. Love you man....


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

Jesse69 said:


> storage fee USA	150


Jesse,

I dont mean to pry (and not answer your question about purpose) but this really sticks out to me. What do you have in the US thats worth spending $150 per month on storage fees?

I did that for several years, storing a household worth of stuff in a climate controlled Public Storage facility, but after a few years, I realized all the stuff was just furniture and junk that just depreciated every year so I eventually donated all the furniture to charity, sold the books I would never read again to Half Priced Books and gave away the rest.

Unless its a classic car or Harley or something, why store it? If youre going to make the move to the Philippines, ship the priceless mementos in your luggage or a balikbayan box and give away or sell the rest of the stuff.

All I'm saying is $150 a month can go a long way in the Philippines.

Good Luck!


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## 197649 (Jan 1, 2013)

lastyle7 said:


> lol, Hello Friend,
> 
> I'm also on SSDI and receive 1172 a month which includes the Medical Savings Plan (state of Florida pays my monthly Medicare premium) I also live in Quezon City off Commonwealth Feria
> road close to Ever Mall. I can walk to Pure Gold and the mall in less than 10 minutes. The area I'm in is a **** hole, in fact the majority of QC and metro manila/manila is nothing but
> ...


Sir I am curious your on SSDI and medicare? I am also on both but have TRICARE. Since you can't use MEDICARE in PI how do you file claims with medicare?

WOW YOU DON'T SOUND HAPPY AT ALL
As far as the rest of your statement your right about living outside a gated community. :amen: Especially in and around Manila. When I first began coming here I looked around and its not rocket science to see that squatters, crooks, culprits are everywhere! Just 1 or 2 nights of watching the local news tells you the story. Most provinces are the same way. There are places you can live quietly outside a gated community I am sure. You mentioned ghettos as well. So you have lived in Detroit Chicago LA or NY I assume. I myself spent a few years driving trucks and would NEVER consider moving in a ghetto so why would anyone think it would be different here? When ever I go to THE CITY be it QC PASAY PASIG MANILA. I always lock my doors and stay vigilant. I would do the same in the USA. 

I love living here for 2 main reasons 1 economics 2 kicked back way of life. The hard part is putting my AMERICAN way of life in check when dealing with the Filipino culture. Once you take a deep breath count to 100 all is well. Some things just don't make sense but then again I am in the Philippines not AMERICA. 
Hell I have had to call the U.S. for banking, investment firms etc because they just can't figure out how to call the Philippines. So is it any different in some case not at all.


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## Jesse69 (Jun 18, 2014)

Honda - my mom died and my brother packed my stuff in the house into storage. I have to sell lots of my stuff that's in storage, or else my brother will sell it. If I'm in the Philippines I can't ship too much stuff to our house there, not enough room. So it hurts to get rid of a lot of stuff.

Yeah, I get SSDI and Medicare.

I want to work for a living but for the past 5 years it's been hard to get a good paying job in this economy.


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

Jesse, I hear you. I had all the contents of my 3BR house in the US stuffed into a huge storage unit that was costing me $100+ per month. After a few years I went back and donated all the furniture to charity and put all the smaller personal items into a smaller storage unit that cost me around $50 per month. Then about 2 years after that I went back and sold all my old books to Half Priced Books and got rid of some of the other stuff. Everything else I had shipped to me. It was enough to take up 5 or 6 of the large balikbayan boxes so not TOO much stuff.


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## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

The good word is that If you Want to stay in U.S., there are reportedly Lots of jobs up in North Dakota, as mentioned earlier, working in the shale and sand oil fields, And related economy that pay $100K per yr and more, depending on what you are doing. With all you describe about the situation in QC, it sounds like you'd be miserable there. Not knowing your full story, and eroneously posting earlier on this thread (rightly removed!)...you might be a "brother" I was even referring to....I wish you luck in your journey.


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