My name is Randy and I am an American Expat… Retired in Samar, Philippines. I was raised in Illinois until I joined the Navy toward the end of the Vietnam war. I spent over 20 years with the Navy’s Meteorology and Oceanography Command and have worked and lived in Guam, Texas, Philippines, Chicago, and California, before retiring and going to work for the National Weather Service in Mississippi. After 5 years there, (and various smaller in-between gigs), I decided a career change was needed and was drawn to working in Real Estate. I went to school, got my licence and after selling real estated for two years, I became a Broker. I purchased a national real estate franchise and was out on my own, and never looked back… until the real estate market collapsed in 2008. Working for a living was easy, until then… but working harder and harder each day to survive was way more than I bargained for at this later stage in life. So, after almost 13 years in real estate (and 18 years in Mississippi), we found ourselves looking for a way out of the work-to-live syndrome. I was grabbing at an early retirement. I had to eliminate the stresses that way too many working people are all to familiar with.
I had met my wife about 28 years earlier when I was living and working in the Philippines. When we both considered the early retirement thing, moving to the Philippines became a more attractive option, with each and every passing day. So, once we made the decision to move to the Philippines, we sold our two businesses, the house, cars, and liquidated everything we did not want to take with us. We then shipped all of our household goods and our two cats to the Philippines.
Four years later, after we finished building our retirement home on the island of Samar, we decided to split our paradise into two parts. So we then moved to Guam (Where America’s Day Begins) to re-establish our U.S. presence. Now we travel back and forth between First and Third worlds, enjoying the best that these two distinct tropical worlds have to offer.
For several years now, I have been providing readers with a straight-forward and sometimes humorous perspective of living everyday life in the Philippines, and the Western Pacific, through my blog titled "Retired in Samar."
I also document my "One Day at a Time" adventures on my YouTube channel, also aptly titled "Retired in Samar." As a blogger/vlogger, I document the unspoiled natural beauty of Samar, the Philippine islands and it's peoples, along with beaches, waterfalls, and more. I invite you to join me in my adventures through the retired life - from the jungles to the beaches to mountain tops. Ahhh, life in the tropics! It doesn’t get much better than this (but you better have AC!).
If you are curious as to what it would be like living in a developing country, or how far your retirement dollars can go living in the realm of a Western Pacific paradise, follow along with me. There is much to learn. If you would like to know or see something of particular interest, let me know by dropping me a message on my site.
Thanks for visiting me as I remain, "Retired in Samar - One Day at a Time!"
You can also follow me at -
Blog: http://retiredinsamar.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retiredinsamar
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAR9haHVSBERtEx2dPSci5A
Patience is a virtue learned the world over, but one that can certainly be perfected while living in the Philippines! ~ RL