Where are all you Cebu expats?

[savarity 604]

The malls seem jam packed with customers to me, Filipino customers.

 

I see westerners at the coffee shops in Ayala, but probably more tourist than expat.

 

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[PeteHK 579]

Let me offer a slightly different take on things - the expats are still around and are much more diverse than say 5-10 years ago, especially age-wise.  There are plenty around at SM City, SM Seaside and even at Robinsons Galleria, where I was today.  Nodded a greeting to a couple of guys out with their wife or gf.  Had lunch with my wife at TGIF. So, the expats are more spread out than before.  Ayala is "old Cebu" and the original part of the Mall is showing its age and badly needs freshening up with a repaint.

As a former smoker I really sympathize with the view that most of the options at Ayala have been closed off now.  I have also noticed the dramatic drop in the number of expats outside TGIF and other places at Ayala where the smokers gathered, but the general level of visitors seems to have dropped anyway, specially since the Metro fire. 

No shortage of expat-focused bars that still allow smokers in.  There are a few I go to for the live music or to watch the football.

 

[Headshot 29,349]

6 hours ago, easy44 said:

Too many malls, not enough customers.

I was in Ayala this afternoon. I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Much drama about nothing. Ayala was just as crowded this afternoon as it has ever been (with the exception of just before Christmas). They still have made very little progress rebuilding the Metro store (destroyed by fire), so all of that shopping space isn't available, but still there are loads of shoppers in the mall. In fact, there was no place to sit at Bo's today. All the seats were occupied.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Headshot

[jtmwatchbiz 31,414]

i also haven't noticed any big shift in where expats or foreigners go or hang out.   ayala, SM, Robinsons? the same amount as always.  fuente? same.  mango? same.  coffee shops? same. 

[RogerDat 3,478]

We now got sh__ loads of foreigner devils on Mactan in the malls. I guess it too much hassle to get to Cebu now, and we got most things they have here now.

[Flakes 869]

I know foreigners going to Asia with decent amounts of money then some years later they had to return to their home country completely broke..

That’s the majority of the  Expats  that i have encountered in Asia.

Seems Rep1 is the only real expat from our Linc forum.

[Sealover 177]

18 minutes ago, Flakes said:

I know foreigners going to Asia with decent amounts of money then some years later they had to return to their home country completely broke..

That’s the majority of the  Expats  that i have encountered in Asia.

Seems Rep1 is the only real expat from our Linc forum.

You live in your own world, lol

[rep1 2,150]

I think he means working expat, the kind sent here, since working visa is otherwise impossible and they don't have an industry or in need of any talent anyway.

But I'm worse than broke as my net value is negative!

[Flakes 869]

1 minute ago, rep1 said:

I think he means working expat, the kind sent here, since working visa is otherwise impossible and they don't have an industry or in need of any talent anyway.

But I'm worse than broke as my net value is negative!

Exactly Yes an expat is usually someone who got hired from abroad to do a job in another country just like how u got hired. I dare to say that is not how most of us got ended up here..

[savarity 604]

Is that how? I just bought a plane ticket. Illegal for me to work here.

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[Headshot 29,349]

8 hours ago, Flakes said:

Exactly. Yes, an expat is usually someone who got hired from abroad to do a job in another country just like how u got hired. I dare to say that is not how most of us got ended up here..

You are correct that most of us were not sent to the Philippines due to job assignments. Most of us visited the Philippines at some point in our past, and decided to settle here at some later point (and that is true pretty much around the world with the exception of war zones). However, we are still expats. An expat is anybody who is living in a foreign land, for whatever reason. Working expats is simply a subset of that.

[Flakes 869]

51 minutes ago, Headshot said:

You are correct that most of us were not sent to the Philippines due to job assignments. Most of us visited the Philippines at some point in our past, and decided to settle here at some later point (and that is true pretty much around the world with the exception of war zones). However, we are still expats. An expat is anybody who is living in a foreign land, for whatever reason. Working expats is simply a subset of that.

Thanks for clearing that up..

[Cgu 797]

1 hour ago, Headshot said:

You are correct that most of us were not sent to the Philippines due to job assignments. Most of us visited the Philippines at some point in our past, and decided to settle here at some later point (and that is true pretty much around the world with the exception of war zones). However, we are still expats. An expat is anybody who is living in a foreign land, for whatever reason. Working expats is simply a subset of that.

Well then I am in the subset??.

Anyway, I also notice the drop of say compared to 3-4 years ago. Additionally this year I notice a huge influx of Chinese tourist  ( I assume due to the new visa rule for the Cinese) dwindling the Korean tourist, who might not even be able to book accommodation as it is taken up by all the Chinese. Hotels are running extremely high occupancy rates because of that. Sometimes I feel Cebu is becoming a big China town..and getting worse.

So that might affect as well the whole dynamics. 

But the whole social drinking and gathering of "westerners" scene is definitely dwindling. I  enjoyed sometimes and miss it.

On the other side there is however a growing mixed Filipino -Expat, I might called it "party/dinner-out" scene, which is interesting  (but different ), where people meet up from different "clans". There might openings, product prensentation or any other excuse (or sometimes none??). to meet up in a bar and get the night going (of course smoking will be allowed??)

[Davaoeno 37,482]

1 hour ago, Headshot said:

An expat is anybody who is living in a foreign land,

Filipinos do not call people from foreign lands who live here  expats.

 

They call them foreigners . 

[HTM 5,419]

2 hours ago, Headshot said:

An expat is anybody who is living in a foreign land, for whatever reason

 

Then better we calling the refugees expat, "expat camp" is better than refugee camp!