CHRONICLES OF OUR PRE-RETIREMENT - Epi. 7

PLAN WELL WHEN YOU PLAN TO RETIRE TO THE PHILIPPINES

 Hi y'all!!  Things are getting hectic in the Smith's household with JJ involved in Upward Soccer this season.  On top of that my camera quit on me so I need to procure a new one and of course with that comes the "learning" the new gadget period.  I don't like the learning process - it's a hit and miss - but it is what it is.   Yet today I still haven't figured out some of the new features of the camera so I decided to film using my phone this time.

So I have been keeping abreast of what's going on in the immigration aspect in the Philippines as that is what everyone should do if one plans to travel anywhere abroad.  The Philippine government has lifted the Covid 19 travel restrictions in July of this year.  Meaning, no more Covid testing required, no more registering to OneHealthPass, no more vaccination cards required, no more 7 or 10 days quarantine not even travel insurance.

What is new though is the eTravel registration and here's the link to that: https://etravel.gov.ph/ the Philippine One-Stop Electronic Travel Declaration System.  You are required to register within 72 hours of your departure.  I imagine you can print out something to bring with you just like the OneHealthPass once you finish registering.  If you are like me I will print that out and have it handy along with my tickets and passport.  Immigration might or might not ask you for it but better to have it just in case.

Another thing that's new for travelers whose plane lands on terminal 1 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is the online registration of Declaration Form before your flight.  Again just do it for a smooth immigration exit.  Here's the link: https://customs.gov.ph/customs-declaration-form/

Travel insurance is not required anymore but if you are a foreigner who will travel to the Philippines for a short visit, I would recommend getting one for peace of mind but of course that is totally up to you.  When JJ and I travelled back to the Philippines JJ was required to have travel insurance coverage so I got him one from Safety Wing which was not expensive.  Here's the link if you want to get a coverage; https://safetywing.com/

So far, that's all I know regarding what Philippine immigration requires of every traveler planning to enter the Philippines but of course I will keep monitoring changes and new laws as our travel date gets closer.  

I appreciate you following us along on this new journey.  May God bless and keep us in our comings and goings for in Him alone do we live and breath.  Until next time....SHALOM!!!

 

Because of who you are // LIVE // Josue Avila // Calvary Orlando

I learned the other day that my cousin in the Philippines had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.  Today she messaged me that the cancer has metastasized to the ribs.  She's on her 5th round of chemo therapy and in October will have surgery then radiation treatment after.  My heart aches for her and her husband and their two young kiddos.  And as always I turn to God, Jehovah Rapha!!

Then I found this song "Because of Who You Are" where the message speaks volume to me personally.  I pray that today, whoever you are, whatever you're going through, you turn to the One who loves you.

Be blessed today and be a blessing to everyone you meet.  SHALOM!!!

CHRONICLES OF OUR PRE-RETIREMENT - Episode 6

 OUR OLDEST SON WANTS TO BECOME A DUAL CITIZEN (US/PHILIPPINES)

Good morning dear people.  I pray you all had a great August and survived the heat wave that swept across America.  Today we turn another page of our calendar - can you believe it's September already?  I tell myself that this month will go fast just by looking at our calendar which is already full.  And we like it that way because it will speed up the days as we check off whatever it is we have for September.  Today also I tell Michael, "Four months to go and we will begin another season of our lives under God's amazing plan for us in our retirement years.  Hang in there darling, before you know it it will be here."

Now the reason I tell him that is because he tells me almost everyday that the closer he is to retirement, the more he realize that he really didn't care much for people at work who don't have the initiative to get things done nor have the critical thinking to perform their jobs.  I think a person tends to feel that way once you hit a certain age - you lost your patience along the way, and you just have to teach yourself to "let it go."  And it must be getting worse every day because when I ask him how his day been when he gets home, he will just tell me "I don't want to talk about it."  Ohhh...so okay then :)

On a different note, our oldest son expressed interest in applying for a dual citizenship.  He has plans to do some mission work in the Philippines in the near future.   So he thinks having a dual citizenship will allow him to come and go anytime.  And being a dual citizen allows him the opportunity to buy a property in the Philippines as well.  He needs a home base while there, preferably close to the airports to allow him to travel to different places/islands.  He loves the urban vibes that's why he's looking at living in Tagig City in Manila.  He had been looking at condos in McKinley Park West in #BGC Taguig.  

So here I am gathering all the paper works needed for him to become a dual citizen.  He was born before I became a naturalized citizen of the USA so technically he is automatically a dual citizen.  Except for one thing: I didn't report his birth with the Philippine Embassy (I didn't know I had to until recently).  So I need to file a Delayed Report of Birth with the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago.  Well since he is now of age, he will file it for himself but I have to get all the documentations for him.  I made a video about this and published it in our You Tube channel.  You can watch it below if you want and while you're at it, would you hit the subscribe and like button?  Please?

We are four months away from retirement and these last four months will go fast because we will be busy with all kinds of JJ's school activities, sports and church events, not to mention the holidays just around the corner.  JJ is doing well with his Rosetta Stone lessons in Pilipino and Michael is doing well with his practice in speaking the Visayan language.  He found two books on Visayan language and he said that it helps a lot to be able to read the words instead of just listening and repeating them.

Me?  I'm still working on getting rid of my eBay "stuff" in the basement.  I'm making progress though.  We're just doing what we can slowly but consistently and then I will be painting the basement once I clear things out.  I did found out we need to replace 2 panels in the basement because of water damage from 2 years ago.  Mike was able to fix the problem and we didn't have any leakage since then but the walls on the far corner of the basement has some water damage.  That's the only issue I've found so far.

So...off to more clearing I go.  I thank you all for watching and following our journey.  May the Lord Almighty bless you and keep you in all your comings and goings...for in Him alone do we live and breath.  SHALOM!!