Expat in the Philippines – David Haldane

December 9, 2024

Coming Home

By David Haldane Dec. 9, 2024 The welcome was underwhelming. Walking into the tiny terminal of Surigao Airport, I imagined a chorus of greetings […]

November 10, 2024

Dangerous Mindanao

By David Haldane Nov. 11, 2024 The headline sparked a Déjà vu. “American kidnapped in Zamboanga,” it read, and suddenly I was back in a […]

August 5, 2024

Diving in the Philippines, One of the World’s Top Spots

By David Haldane Aug. 5, 2024 I used to live underwater. Well, ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration; let’s just say I used to spend my […]

July 7, 2024

Speaking English in the Philippines

By David Haldane July 8, 2024 It’s both a blessing and a curse. A double-edged-sword, as they say, a blade that cuts both ways. What […]

March 18, 2024

Digital Nomads

By David Haldane March 18, 2024 I should have been there. Billed as the Philippine’s first Digital Nomad Summit scheduled on Siargao Island last […]

January 29, 2024

White Privilege

By David Haldane Jan. 29, 2024 It was an easy experiment with predictable results. First my Filipino sister-in-law entered the mall. As always, the […]

December 25, 2023

A Jewish Christmas in the Philippines

By David Haldane Dec. 25, 2023 For me it’s always the same. Gangs of Christmas carolers gather on the patio to sing until we […]

September 7, 2023

Reverse Diaspora

By David Haldane Sept. 7, 2023 The videos made my stomach churn. They depicted water literally gushing down the streets, almost overturning cars. “Oh […]

August 31, 2023

Renewal

By David Haldane Aug. 31, 2023 We’d been stalled in traffic for more than three hours when we finally called it quits. “Hey,” I gingerly […]

June 24, 2023

Hey, Joe!

By David Haldane June 15, 2023 It happened again the other day. I was riding my motorcycle along the coast towards downtown Surigao, minding my […]