How Long Have You Been Living Abroad?

[baby_ni_mj]

^sis, mega-snow pa rin ba dyan?

im so not a winter person. that's why im thankful that i live in arizona. san state ka pa makakapag-winter na naka-shorts at flipflops?

[SeXy StRiDeR]

^sis, mega-snow pa rin ba dyan?

im so not a winter person. that's why im thankful that i live in arizona. san state ka pa makakapag-winter na naka-shorts at flipflops?

Hi there! Actually mild nga raw yung naging first winter ko rito. Pinakamalamig ng na-experience ko 2 deg F while lakad ako papunta hospital. Mga 3 mins walk from apartment ko to work, but it was like the longest walk of my life kapag nasa 10 deg ang temp. Hehe  Di masyado nagsnow this winter unlike before raw. Kainggit ka naman, miss ko na yung makapag-shorts at sandals lang. Kailan ka pa dyan sa Arizona?Nong work mo dyan?

[baby_ni_mj]

hi sis! been here since late '03. works as a loan processor in a financial institution. i thought i wouldn't like it here in AZ. hassle lang pag summer, sobrang init. but overall, i think it's a great state to live in.

[junetwentythree]

Sis baby_ni_mj and annielise...My parents were in Phoenix last week and they adored it! They're thinking about buying an investment/retirement property there. They said the housing market is so reasonable there. They're wondering if a Filipino community exists thereabouts?

[baby_ni_mj]

hi sis! glad your parents loved AZ, too. and yes, houses here are REALLY, REALLY cheap compared to, let's say, NY or California. Median price for new-built, 3-bedroom houses, 1500 sq f is somewhere around $300K+. Resale houses (for year built 1990+) can go as low as $220-300K. Although it still depends what part of Phoenix you're actually looking to buy, it is still more affordable here than anywhere else.

demographics-wise, the number of filipinos here is not that big. sabi nila, most of them are in the phoenix/glendale area. but here in chandler, where annielise and i live, it's starting to pick up pa lang. most people moving in are california and new jersey.

[annielise]

Correct sis Carmela (can I call you Carmela?  junetwentythree is a bit too long eh  ).  Baby_ni_mj and I are in Chandler where not a lot of Pinoys are, but I just LOVE this place.  It's not ghetto and beautiful communities (subdivisions) are sprouting everywhere, and most of all, we're gonna have our own Sephora in our neighborhood mall (hahahha, kikay forever, right sis IC ).   Although the prices of the houses are slowly catching up, our house almost doubled its value already.  Most of the Filipinos here are from CA coz they hate the exorbitant prices there and of course the crowded cities.  Some of the houses here are being rented out to snowbirds, or, those old people from the east coast who come to AZ to escape the brutal winter there.  Of course, tell your parents if they can brave the intense heat here in the summer.  Personally, it took me a year to get used to it, but now, I miss it.  My hubby also personally likes the summer here than let's say Texas or Florida coz it's dry heat here, not humid, meaning you won't really sweat a lot even though it's hot (but only during summer).  Right now the weather's just perfect.  And oh, Chandler btw is the 4th fastest growing city in the US, first is Gilbert, the neighboring city.  So you see, AZ is really booming! 

[junetwentythree]

Thanks for the insights sis baby_ni_mj and annielise (yes please do call me Carmela ! My parents have hooked up with a realtor from there and I guess he'll keep them posted about the properties that they looked at and were interested in. I just hope it doesn't become like a Nevada! Where there was a surge of people moving to Nevada and it eventually jacked up the housing market! But now it's slowed down again I think...because people are taking more interest in Arizona (seriously seems a lot more appealing to me than Nevada actually) Thanks again mga sis! Medyo nag-OT na ako 

[baby_ni_mj]

^and one thing about Nevada (Vegas in particular), houses don't have backyards! for some who do, 1/4 lang ata nang sa'min. hehe.

seriously, i hope your parents end up buying a property here (and try to have them look here in chandler-gilbert area). like what annielise said, prices are going up.

[SeXy StRiDeR]

hi sis! glad your parents loved AZ, too. and yes, houses here are REALLY, REALLY cheap compared to, let's say, NY or California. Median price for new-built, 3-bedroom houses, 1500 sq f is somewhere around $300K+. Resale houses (for year built 1990+) can go as low as $220-300K. Although it still depends what part of Phoenix you're actually looking to buy, it is still more affordable here than anywhere else.

demographics-wise, the number of filipinos here is not that big. sabi nila, most of them are in the phoenix/glendale area. but here in chandler, where annielise and i live, it's starting to pick up pa lang. most people moving in are california and new jersey.

Hi sis! How hot can it get dyan sa AZ? May need din ba dyan for nurses? I'm thinking kasi of moving to another state after my contract here in NY. I'm looking for more options... 

[annielise]

hi sis! glad your parents loved AZ, too. and yes, houses here are REALLY, REALLY cheap compared to, let's say, NY or California. Median price for new-built, 3-bedroom houses, 1500 sq f is somewhere around $300K+. Resale houses (for year built 1990+) can go as low as $220-300K. Although it still depends what part of Phoenix you're actually looking to buy, it is still more affordable here than anywhere else.

demographics-wise, the number of filipinos here is not that big. sabi nila, most of them are in the phoenix/glendale area. but here in chandler, where annielise and i live, it's starting to pick up pa lang. most people moving in are california and new jersey.

Hi sis! How hot can it get dyan sa AZ? May need din ba dyan for nurses? I'm thinking kasi of moving to another state after my contract here in NY. I'm looking for more options... 

Can I answer for baby_ni_mj?  During summer, 90s to 110 ang temperature.  But most of the people are always indoors, just like most people in other states are indoors during winter, and most of the houses/apartments here have pools.  Saka puro a/c naman.  I have a friend who came from NJ and she's a nurse here, she's so shocked that they gave her a very high rate here.  She was really very surprised coz she wasn't expecting it.  As baby_ni_mj said, a lot of people from NJ are migrating here.  My cousin naman is in Tucson and she's enjoying her job as an RN here.  And yes, there is a dearth of nurses here in AZ, that's why my cousin (she's from the Philippines) was transferred here by her agency.

[baby_ni_mj]

^Exactly. Even nurses from Texas are moving here. It gets really hot during summer time but since we work indoors almost the entire day, we don't get to feel that it's that bad. Wawa lang siyempre those people who has field work.
Ay, Carol Banawa nga rin pala lives here. She's studying to be a nurse.

[rezzy]

4yrs

[SeXy StRiDeR]

That's nice to hear...Thanks sa mga info! 

[CoolChick]

Going on 1 year and a half in a few days.

4 months in Toronto and 1 year and 2 months here in Chicago.



You ladies talking about warm weather makes me want to fly to a tropical island right now! hehe. Temperature suddenly dropped (5 below) yesterday after having "warm(er)" winter for the past few weeks.

[SheDevil!]

 
    Hi Joni (long time no post)!

    You can always come down here in sunny south FL!
 

[CoolChick]

 Hi Joni (long time no post)!

 You can always come down here in sunny south FL!
 

Hi Rona! Yeah, I miss posting here in GT! Been so busy with work. I'm starting to post again, now that I am able to get some "me" time. hehe.

I've been wanting to go to Florida! I've never been there, and some of my girlfriends are planning on going to Miami (for some serious Girls' night out). I hope that pushes through.

[SheDevil!]

 Hi Joni (long time no post)!

 You can always come down here in sunny south FL!
 

Hi Rona! Yeah, I miss posting here in GT! Been so busy with work. I'm starting to post again, now that I am able to get some "me" time. hehe.

I've been wanting to go to Florida! I've never been there, and some of my girlfriends are planning on going to Miami (for some serious Girls' night out). I hope that pushes through.

 
    Hi gal! I hope your Gal's Night pushes through... You'll love it here!
    Fabulous weather, hot people, & wild nightlife...only in Miami!!!
 

[CoolChick]

OT: Yeah, from the things I've heard from other people too, Miami does sound like a fun place. I hope to bump into you when I do get the chance to visit Florida.

[yearning]

3 months here in Jiangyin City, China. Working as a manager in a Packaging Manufacturing Company. China's economy is growing really fast..and quoted as "superpower of the future by Fortune" kaya Im considering buying a property here..or put up my own biz..

 

[**My Sweet November**]

Been in Qatar for almost ten (10) months pa lang pero I already went home na sa Pinas last December...I have been to Kingdom of Bahrain thrice and planning to go to Dubai within this year.

Nevertheless, lagi pa rin ako homesick (wala kasi sa piling ko asawa ko ).