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Holy Father Forgive me for I have sinned!

I got old!

 

I will say many Hail Mary’s and live with the consequences of my sin.

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May I digress?

 

I left college to work in construction. I was attracted by the rewards of work and get the cash instead of the corporate we pay less now but in the long run the compensation will be more.

 

I met my Lady love and we made a home of love and “security”. $2. Per hour for how every many hours you could work in a week. I think we were happy for a time and had 3 lovely children but some how, when the work stopped, I wandered to find work and along with work I found a world full of new opportunities. Beer and escapades of the night became the norm. Much different than the pay the mortgage and car payment world in which I lived.

 

It took a tornado to change my life but it did. I Made $100. Before noon. Then 2 days of party, then work for 2 days and make $400. I had cash in my pocket and in 3 weeks I was rich with 3 months wages in tow! I went home to discover that when I left my marriage had expired! With one last “roll in the sack” I was alone and discovered loneliness. “Beware men your friends do and will lie on you”. Loneliness is only real when you don’t want to be alone.

 

Now 30 years and another marriage gone awry at the age of 62, I am filled with consternation because I Want To Retire! However the accumulation of 40 years of working for a living my wealth leaves me only the option of living in poverty perhaps only as a homeless and vulnerable loner. To my undeveloped vocabulary retire means stop working for a living. However my option seems only to continue working perhaps a reduced schedule and reduced pay rate. Is that retirement and my reward for working more than 40 years while contributing to Social Security? Then Bah Humbug. Perhaps my faith in the United States Government has been misplaced as many of my friends have tried to convince me since my college years in the 60’s.

 

While going through my email a couple years ago I was attracted to a “dating” site with girls from around the world. While many of the ads were proven to be fictitious I searched a few more sites and found an abundance of girls that wanted to meet and marry an American. These sites had “live chat” even some offered live web cam so you could see who you were chatting with. While some of these girls were just “gold diggers” those soon lost interest in a 60 year old gold less man. While others were truly interested in meeting a man from another culture for possible marriage. True many of  these were primarily interested in getting married to get a visa to the US some were truly looking for a soul mate a lifetime partner even if you didn’t plan to bring them to the US. I met several who seemed serious about me and planned a trip to meet them. Yes at 61 years old I got on an airplane and flew half way around the world to a place called the Philippine Islands.

 

What I found in the Philippine Islands was a shock to this “old mans eyes”. A land where English is widely spoken, in fact the only language spoken through out the country. There are many local languages but the language of education is English. I found a people very accepting of foreigners even kind and generous with what little they have. Yes they are most accepting of Americans because of a long time presence of the US military there in the islands. I said I went to meet several I had chatted with but the first one was a stand out. I was taken by her innocence and her openness. She even told me after a couple of days, “If you are really going to retire soon why couldn’t you retire here?” I had presumed her interest in me was predicated by her desire to migrate to the US. We had lengthy discussions of the possibilities of retiring in the Philippines.

 

When I returned to the US to resume my lonely and boring life of work and sleep, I began to search the internet for information about life for Americans in the Philippines. I found a wealth of information much of which was offered by foreigners currently retired and living there.

 

I then decided to check on the possibilities of getting my Social Security while living in another country. I ran an inquiry as to the amount I would receive if I were to take retirement at 62. I was aghast to discover after more than 45 years of working and being “forced” to pay into social security and my employer also had to contribute on my behalf. The sum per month would be only $625. This “Paltry Pension” was insufficient to sustain life here in the US. However, would it be possible to live in The Philippines on this income? Finally there was a silver lining in this cloud called “living after retirement”. The Philippines is indeed a very poor country and the locals live on much less but I am accustomed to living with a degree of comfort and would not be interested in living as a poor peasant in a foreign country. Would my “Paltry Pension” be sufficient to live the same degree of comfort I am accustomed to here on my working income? NO! Would it afford me more pleasant living conditions than trying to live in the US on this “Paltry Pension”? Most Assuredly!

 

For instance: In Cebu City, A modern city of possibly 1 million people, an apartment with utilities may be $100. - $200. You can buy local produce and products to feed you and keep you comfortable for another $150.-$200. Per month, Dinner at a nice restaurant perhaps $5, A taxi ride across town $3-5, A visit to the Dr. for advice on an illness $6. (Prescription Medications are comparable to US prices) Many perhaps most of the Dr.’s and medical personnel are US trained and certified. Automobiles are very expensive to buy and maintain, if you must be mobile Motorcycles are much less expensive however they are much more vulnerable in a country without good traffic control and huge traffic jams.

 

All of these prices are approximate and accurate to the information I have accumulated. These prices are also less than what it would cost in Manila and more than it could cost to live in a small village in the province. In the city a housekeeper can be hired for approximately $40 per month, in many cases this may lead to a more permanent situation if you and she are so inclined.

 

While this may not be the solution for all retiring men who have been disappointed with the prospects of retirement, this old man is looking forward to the adventure of retirement instead of fearing the inevitable poverty of retiring on Social Security in the US. I don’t intend to live on Cat food and sandwiches passed out by the ministries to the homeless, nor does sleeping in underpasses warmed only by newspapers and discarded cardboard boxes bring me comfort.

 

Yes I will retire on schedule to a less than luxurious life style. I will lollygag on the beaches of the more than 7000 islands of the Philippines. I will be snacking on the pineapples and mangos which are abundant there. While the locals live on dried fish and rice it is cheap and nourishing. If that titillates your taste buds, good you can live much more inexpensively. However if your taste requires American products and other imported goods then your food will be a much larger percentage of your monthly cost of living. A Filipina, whether hired or otherwise entangled, can shop more cheaply than you. She will be your friend and watch your back, and she will be your best advisor in all things Filipino. O yes most can speak English pretty well.

 

I will be available for advice and assistance once I am in the Philippines. You can check out my website at www.singlemenover50.com or email me at jerryscafeservices@yahoo.com