Expat in the Philippines – David Haldane

March 16, 2026

An Alien in My Own Hometown

By David Haldane March 16, 2026 It began as a misunderstanding. “Sweet N’ Low?” the woman in the coffee shop wanted to know. All […]

November 24, 2025

Disconnected

By David Haldane Nov. 24, 2025 It feels like I imagine it would to suddenly go deaf or blind. One minute you’re […]

September 8, 2025

Racist America?

By David Haldane September 8, 2025 The question stunned me into silence. “Have you ever been asked where you’re from?” my dinner mate […]

August 11, 2025

Robbing the Cradle

By David Haldane August 11, 2025 The findings didn’t surprise me. A study published in Psychology Today examines the question of which partner is […]

June 22, 2025

All Flights Delayed while Israel Saves the World

By David Haldane June 23, 2025 I expected to be writing this column from Israel. All the t’s were crossed and the i’s […]

April 14, 2025

A Vlogger Accused of Abuse Gets His Due

By David Haldane April 14, 2025 Maybe I’m on a deportation kick. Last week I applauded the imminent departure from America of a […]

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 […]