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Returning to the Philippines as an adult offers a profound re-appreciation of its culture, people, and natural beauty, leading to a fulfilling life that balances personal passions with a deep connection to the country.
Kevin, an American who spent his childhood in the Philippines, shares his journey of returning to the country as an adult. After a period away for college and career, a mission trip in 2014 reawakened his love for the Philippines. This experience, coupled with a mid-life reflection, inspired him to seek a more fulfilling life, leading him to semi-retire and establish a home base in Dumaguete.
He chose Dumaguete for its provincial charm, manageable pace, and proximity to nature, contrasting it with the bustling Manila. Kevin highlights the diverse community in Dumaguete, a mix of locals and expats, and the city's appeal as a college town with growing opportunities. He also discusses his specific affinity for Dauin, a coastal area south of Dumaguete, known for its diving, beautiful ocean views, and developing infrastructure, which offers a sense of achievable paradise.
The conversation delves into the nuances of living as a 'third-culture kid,' adapting to Filipino culture, language (Tagalog), and everyday realities like power outages. Kevin emphasizes the Philippines as a land of adventure, rich in natural wonders and a deep appreciation for music and community. He also touches upon his career in film and television, the challenges of balancing work with life abroad, and his upcoming trip to Manila for a WWII commemoration, underscoring the accessibility and multifaceted appeal of the Philippines for both short visits and long-term living.
Moving to the Philippines as an adult can offer a profound re-appreciation of its culture, people, and natural beauty. It provides opportunities for adventure, cultural immersion, and finding a fulfilling lifestyle, especially for those seeking semi-retirement or a change of pace.
Dumaguete offers a charming provincial life with a manageable pace, appealing to expats seeking a balance between city amenities and natural beauty. It boasts a diverse community of locals and foreigners, a vibrant college town atmosphere, and proximity to natural attractions like Dauin.
Adapting to Filipino culture involves understanding local nuances, social customs, and potentially learning some of the language. Embracing the warmth of the people, their appreciation for music, and community spirit greatly enhances the experience of living in the Philippines.
The Philippines can be an attractive destination for semi-retirement, allowing individuals to enjoy life's experiences before traditional retirement age. The country offers a rich tapestry of adventure and culture, with communities like Dumaguete providing a welcoming environment for a fulfilling lifestyle abroad.
Dauin, located south of Dumaguete, is known for its stunning coastal views and diving opportunities. It offers a sense of achievable paradise and is developing its infrastructure, making it an appealing area for those seeking a peaceful life by the ocean.
Kevin returned to the Philippines after a mission trip in 2014 reignited his love for the country. This experience, combined with a mid-life reevaluation, prompted him to seek a more fulfilling lifestyle. He decided to semi-retire and establish a home base in Dumaguete.
Kevin chose Dumaguete for its provincial charm, relaxed pace, and proximity to nature, which he found preferable to Manila. The city's diverse community of locals and expats, along with its status as a college town, also contributed to his decision. He particularly favored Dauin, a coastal area known for diving and natural beauty.
Adapting to Filipino culture involves understanding nuances like language and social customs, which enhances the experience of living there. Kevin, who grew up as a 'third-culture kid,' highlights the importance of engaging with the local mentality and the concept of 'kapwa' for a deeper connection.
The Philippines offers a rich experience for expats, characterized by adventure, natural beauty, and a strong sense of community. It's a place where one can find a fulfilling lifestyle, whether through semi-retirement or by immersing oneself in the local culture and environment.
Manila is described as a great place for expats to visit, offering rich history, food, and culture. While it is very crowded with intense traffic, it's a dynamic melting pot with diverse people and endless exploration opportunities, making for a never dull moment.
0:01 I said I don't want to leave. I wish I could stay longer. Is this really what I want to be doing? Am I happy? Everyone would come up to us and pinch our cheeks. They thought we were weird looking. I look so much like a person who doesn't speak Tagalog, and that's the language that I speak.
0:13 By the way, I do travel a lot. I fly back and forth in the United States. Hey YouTube, Alex here, and in today's video, we are meeting with my good friend Kevin. Kevin is an American who is from the United States. However, Kevin actually spent a good chunk of his childhood here in the Philippines, as his family was here engaging in a mission.
0:39 Kevin has this kind of third culture. I do apologize for the background noise. If I look a bit stressed out at times, there was some construction noise in the background. Hope you'll forgive that and enjoy this interview with Kevin. So without further ado, let's get into it.
0:56 Kevin is a production sound engineer, and he wanted to put the shout out: if you are looking to hire somebody for that purpose in the United States, feel free to reach out to him. We'll have his contact information as well as his YouTube channel linked below. Thank you so much today, Kevin, for joining us.
1:12 We have Kevin with us here today. He's from the United States, but he actually has a long history here in the Philippines. So Kevin, if you could introduce yourself. Sure, please.
1:23 My name is Kevin. I was born in the United States but came over here to the Philippines when I was six years old. My parents became missionaries here and brought our whole family here in the 1980s. So it's been a long time, going back 40 years.
1:42 I lived here a total of, I think, 10 or 11 years, and then I left and went back to the US for college. Over the course of the next decades, I came back and visited several times, and it's always been a part of me. It's kind of formed who I am as a person.
2:01 Finally, in 2022, I decided that I really wanted to come over here on a more regular basis. I met my girlfriend Angie, who I love very much now, and now we have an apartment here in Dumaguete. So it's been, let's see, this will be going into the third year of being consistently here in the Philippines.
2:22 I call it being semi-retired because I'm still working. I'm trying my best to work both worlds, where I keep my job in the US and then I have my place here in the Philippines. The goal is to someday retire here full-time, whenever I can figure out how to pull that off. It might be another 10 years from now.
2:38 You're doing what I think is the Tim Ferris plan. A lot of people would say, 'Oh, Kevin, you're way too young to be retired. How dare you?' Tim Ferris talks about how you shouldn't wait until you're 67 to retire because you can't guarantee your health at 67. We like to think it's going to be perfect, but sometimes life goes in a different direction than our plans.
3:01 You're getting to enjoy time here, activities here, that may be out of reach at a different point. So I think it's really important to note that because, like I said, we hope for the best, but things aren't perfect.
3:13 What attracted you to Dumaguete? I know in previous conversations, you'd mentioned having spent time in Manila. What about Dumaguete has appealed to you?
3:23 Yeah, before I get to that answer, I just wanted to say one more thing about the timing of my travel back to the Philippines. There was a span of about eight years. It was 2014 was my last visit, and in 2014, I was lucky to be hired by a Christian charity organization called Samaritans Purse. Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda, had just come through and devastated Leyte and other places around that area.
3:51 We went in as a media team, and I was paid to be there. They paid for my airline tickets, and I came over, and we spent 10 days in the Philippines. My visit before that was 2006, so 2006 to 2014, that's eight years. It was a huge gap, and it was that visit that kind of reawakened my love of the Philippines.
4:10 It was always there, and I hadn't forgotten it. I was just reminded how much I love this country, the people, and the culture, and how much I understand the culture and literally some of the language. So in 2014, we're in Leyte, we're in Tanauan, and I was keeping a diary entry on my phone just casually.
4:30 On the last day, it was like, 'Well, we got to go back today.' And I said, 'I don't want to leave. I wish I could stay longer. I just don't want to go back to the States. I want to stay here longer.' So that seed in 2014 was planted, and it was always in the background.
4:45 Right around pandemic time, 2021, was when I really wanted to come back, but I couldn't because of the pandemic and the lockdown. Finally, in 2022, I came through.
4:58 There's one other thing that I want to add before we get to my search for where I wanted to live and what island and stuff. Something happens to you when you get in your 40s, and that is what they used to talk about called the midlife crisis. I remember hearing about this my whole life; it was almost like a cliché.
5:15 The guy in his mid-40s has an affair, runs off with the secretary, and buys a sports car. People made fun of it. Well, I feel like it's actually a real thing. There's something that happens, maybe to a man, I'm generalizing big time here, but this is just for the point of illustration: I felt it.
5:39 It was like this mid-40s thing where you're like, 'Is this really what I want to be doing? Am I happy with my current situation with work, my life, my relationships, everything? Or is there something else that I can try to seek after?'
5:51 I can verify this because I've spoken to some of my friends. I'm not going to name them, but a classmate and somebody who I grew up with said, 'Did I ever tell you about my sailboat fantasy?' I said, 'No, what are you talking about?' He goes, 'Man, I just went through this phase where all I wanted to do was just run off and go on a sailboat and sail around the world.'
6:14 I was like, 'Oh, interesting. So you had some of those same feelings that just manifested in a different way.' Mine was 'Return to the Philippines. Return to your roots. Return to where you remember being young and having adventures.'
6:30 And just the love of the Philippines and the people here. So that's what brought me back. To circle back now to Dumaguete in the summer of '22, I really did a little bit of revisiting. At first, I looked up some old friends, I traveled, and I started where I had lived.
6:46 I started in the Manila area and then in Batangas, which is in Luzon, and I went to Mindoro. I kind of sort of island-hopped a little bit, and I thought, 'You know what? I've never been to Bohol. I've never seen the Chocolate Hills or the tarsier.' So I started island hopping around.
7:04 I couldn't go everywhere, obviously, because there were only a few weeks. But I said, 'One of the places that's getting a lot of buzz is Dumaguete and Negros because there's a lot of YouTubers talking about it.' So Dumaguete was last on my list.
7:17 I came here and checked it out. I rented a motorcycle. I was staying in a couple of hotels like a lot of guys do, and I just met a lot of cool people. I went to some nice restaurants, checked out the diving, and then checked out some of the history here that happened with World War II. I found the Cuartel Museum in Valencia, and I was like, 'Man, this is so cool.'
7:43 It was sort of a nice little package for me of things that I loved and appreciated: the provincial feeling, not the skyscrapers of BGC, but the kind of streets and roads that don't have traffic lights and stop lights. You can get on your motorbike and in maybe 15, 20 minutes be at a dive resort, or in another 15, 20 minutes go up the mountain and be at a beautiful waterfall or something like that.
8:08 That really appealed to me, and it reminded me of what the Philippines was like back in the '80s. So Dumaguete was the choice for me. And then I ended up dragging Angie here. She was in Quezon City working, and I said, 'Do you want to go to Dumaguete and share a place there with me?' She said, 'Yes, of course,' and she loves it here now.
8:27 We're very happy, and it's a good base point for traveling in other places. Sometimes we do have to take a plane to Manila and then from somewhere else, but you can take a boat from here to different places like Siquijor and Cebu and things like that. So it is a good central point to branch out from.
8:50 Angie, your girlfriend, she's from Luzon, or she spent a good chunk of her life in Luzon? She was born in Manila but grew up in different places in the Philippines.
9:03 Got it. Got it. Because I think that's something that a lot of people may not think about. They think, you know, a lot of people are based in Dumaguete, but they don't understand there's a big chunk of people that come here who are from other parts of the Philippines.
9:19 You get this interesting cross-section of people. When I first landed here, my host family's parents were from Zamboanga and Mindanao, but they had lived in... so they really had seen a lot. I think sometimes there's a perception everybody in Dumaguete is from Dumaguete or from another place. A lot of people here come from like Bais, but no, you get people from all over the country because it's such a cool place to live.
9:49 It's a college town with lots of colleges and business opportunities. People from smaller cities come to the big city, and it's growing all the time, but in a good way. They're expanding the Boulevard and new businesses are opening up all the time. Wealthy Filipinos from the mainland will come and have a summer home here, which is pretty cool that they chose this area for that.
10:23 Even after only being here six months, the Philippines still maintains a sense of mystery for me. I feel like I'm in a rainforest with interesting characters, and it just feels like such an adventure. This is true even though I don't ride a motorbike and don't get out of the city much.
10:47 Having lived in the Philippines for many years, does it still hold that sense of adventure for you? Is that part of why you've branched out from where you lived in London? The country has tropical rainforests, mountains, waterfalls, and beautiful diving in the ocean. It's a paradise, and compared to places like Hawaii, you get a similar experience for much less money.
11:32 Adventure is subjective, but for me, taking my girlfriend to Palawan and visiting the underground river and caves was fantastic. There aren't many places like that in the world; it's a World Heritage site. It was a cool adventure, even though it required flying and getting a hotel.
11:59 I feel like there's an endless amount of things to do in the Philippines. Can you speak about your experience as a third-culture kid in Batangas? I wanted to add something about interacting with people. There's a standard greeting Filipinos use when they see each other outside: 'Saan galing?' which means 'Where are you coming from?'
12:34 This greeting is like saying, 'Tell us your story.' Filipinos are invested in you as a person, unlike the more superficial 'What's up?' or 'Hey, how are you?' common in the United States. Here, they are genuinely interested in what you've been doing, and it's not just a standard pleasantry.
13:02 Growing up in Batangas, I came to the Philippines when I was six years old. My sister, who was a year and a half younger, and I were in a provincial area. My parents put us in an English-speaking school, but we were the only non-Filipino kids there, like little aliens.
13:36 Everyone would come up to us, pinch our cheeks, and think we looked weird. Initially, my sister and I didn't want to learn Tagalog or Filipino; we were resisting it because we spoke English. My sister was frustrated, saying she didn't want to learn the 'dumb language' because it was too hard.
14:04 But after a few months, our minds were like sponges, and we couldn't help but learn the language. We also absorbed the culture, not just the words and how to speak it, but how Filipinos act, treat each other, and respect their elders. It was about just being Filipino, which is different from being a kid in your home country.
14:36 Fast forward to high school, there's a cultural tradition in the Philippines where if someone offers you something, it's customary to say no a few times before accepting. My funny story involves a computer lab class where I forgot my jump drive. An American classmate offered me one, and I politely declined, expecting him to offer again.
15:13 However, he just said, 'Okay, fine, if you don't want it.' I was thinking like a Filipino, expecting a second offer, but he didn't make one. This is an example of being a third-culture kid; your brain has been rewired to another culture, and it's different when you return to your home country.
15:40 Growing up in the Philippines, you just take things in stride. Things like power outages or government issues happen, and you accept them because you're a kid. Bugs in your house, different tropical diseases you might get – these are things you're exposed to here but not normally in your home country.
17:06 For someone visiting on a short-term trip, these things can be shocking. They might find ants eating their food or experience power outages or water issues. I like to think that because I grew up here, I'm more naturally suited and easygoing about that kind of stuff.
17:41 Unless you've had that experience, it can be a shock when you come here because you're just not used to that environment or temperature. While it can be hotter and more humid in Savannah, Georgia, than in Dumaguete, the overall experience is different.
18:00 There are people from different walks of life who come here for various reasons. Some, like me, came as children. Others are in their teens or early twenties on missions trips or visiting family. Then there are older guys in midlife crisis mode looking for something more.
18:27 Especially here in Dumaguete, we come across people like that. You ran into a guy the other night at a restaurant who might have been in that situation. It's interesting meeting different people and finding out their motivations for coming here.
18:59 One night, I was out with my girlfriend having dinner and listening to a live band. An older gentleman, probably in his late sixties or early seventies, was sitting behind me. When I got up to use the restroom, he...
19:15 He kind of stopped me and was like, "Hey man, can I ask you a question? You know, where are you from?" Back in the US, I guess he knew I was an American. But anyway, I talked to him a little bit and told him where I was from. I got the picture that he was in the process of deciding if he wanted to move here full-time or not. I just got this vibe that he was seeking something, seeking answers. He asked, "How do you like it here? Why did you come here?" I remember talking to him for maybe a minute or two.
19:48 At one point, he said, almost to himself, "Yeah, you know what? I got a lot of motorcycles back in the States." He was thinking about weighing his options, like, "If I come to the Philippines, I'm going to have to get rid of a lot of belongings, a lot of stuff that's special to me." He was weighing whether or not he should let go of that stuff and just come here and start his life over.
20:12 I got up to use the bathroom, and when I came back, he was gone. I remember thinking, "Wow, was that guy literally making a decision right then, in that moment, whether or not he was going to move here?" I think he came out to check it out and was trying to talk to people and get their opinions. I think he was trying to make his decision right there, whether or not he was going to do it. I actually don't know what his decision was because he was gone when I came back.
20:37 It's interesting seeing the psychological process. Maybe people who are watching this video right now are in that moment. Maybe you're trying to decide if you want to come all the way to the Philippines to experience this. Of course, I'm biased, I'm going to say, "Heck yeah, come out here, give it a try!" Alex is here, living his life, enjoying himself. While you figure out what you're going to do with your next steps, I've met a beautiful girlfriend here, and I'm very happy here.
21:08 I'm going to keep going back and forth as long as I can until I can stay here permanently. I think that's something a lot of people have told me about, like, "Alex, you could get into contract-based work." There's no rule against that. A lot of people, I think, if they had their ideal lifestyle, they would go back and forth. There are things I miss about the States, but I don't talk about it as much. When I'm in the States, there's a lot I miss about being in the Philippines, being in Southeast Asia. So you really get the best of both worlds.
21:40 Of course, I think long-term, you're thinking you want to stay here, focus on being here. But you're also making prudent decisions, trying to, yeah, yeah, yeah, when you still have a career. I've been working in film and television for 13 years; this will be my 14th year. That's really hard to stop, especially when I feel like I've been achieving moderate success. I'm happy with my growth in the business, and I don't want to just stop all that because it was a lot of effort to get it going and started.
22:11 It's a competitive industry, but it's also the kind of industry where if you stop and take a break, it's easy for you to lose your contacts. It's kind of like a business where everything is based on what you did last. So if you say, "Yeah, I haven't worked in five years," they go, "Huh, you know, who are you? You're starting over." Technology's changed, and yeah, a little bit. It's more about the contacts and the people in the industry that you know, and then they know you, and you're reliable, and whenever they call you, you're there.
22:44 If you suddenly disengage from that and unplug, then it's kind of hard to restart. That would be something I'd have to seriously consider if I stop before retirement age. Also, I do enjoy the work; most of the projects I work on are really kind of cool and kind of fun.
23:01 Your job sounds freaking cool, man. Like, probably of all the people I've talked to and interviewed, I think you probably had the coolest job. Maybe just because I'm a YouTuber, so I'm kind of a nerd about producing content. Well, depending on whatever the focus of this video is, you may or may not want to get into the movie-making business, but it's up to you. I'm happy to talk about anything because I love to blab.
23:23 But I like what you were going down a road of, like, culture and the Philippines and that stuff. Are there things that you appreciate about the Philippines as an adult that you maybe didn't notice when you were a kid here? Now, as an adult, I comprehend traveling and distance and driving. When I was in high school, my last year of being here full-time, I was a senior and finally able to drive our family's car. I got to drive around Metro Manila, which is not easy.
23:58 When I was growing up as a kid, I didn't have a sense of the scale of traveling from, like, Manila to Batangas. I just knew it was a long time in the car, but I wasn't thinking about how many kilometers or hours it was. It's interesting coming back as an adult and realizing, "Oh, to go from point A to point B, I have to do this." Using Google Maps or whatever apps on your phone to map and drive has been kind of cool and exciting. I actually like renting cars here.
24:29 I don't own a car; I have a motorcycle. But when I travel somewhere that's like on an island super far away, like we go down to Moalboal or something, I always rent a car. Then I drive around and get a sense of the scale and distance that I never had when I was a kid. That's just a practical example.
24:48 Another one: relationships. My parents always hired someone to fix something. Well, now it's me. I'm their age or older. Hiring someone to come weld bars on your windows? Why would I have ever done that as a kid? My dad would always handle that. Hiring someone to help us clean the apartment, a gardener, whatever those kinds of things. Now I'm managing things like that as a grown-up, whereas I never had to do that before as a kid; someone always took care of that.
25:25 And really, like, a lot of the traveling around when you're a kid, you're in school, you just get on a bus and go somewhere. You go to an adult driving, someone else, or they've hired drivers for the buses. We're all going on an outdoor education thing for one week, and you're going from here to Tagaytay or whatever it is. All of that now, you've got to handle it yourself, and you've got to pay for it yourself. So now there's the money piece too: how much does this cost?
25:54 Those are some of the differences of being a kid versus being an adult here. Certainly, the Philippines is more costly these days than it was when you were growing up. Everywhere is, but the difference is you notice, "Wow, okay, so instead of my folks covering this expense, or it being, or you getting a bulk rate even?" If you go on a group trip somewhere with your school, you're getting assumed a student price, where the adult doesn't get the price break, right?
26:21 Something that made me laugh: Have you ever pranked a Filipino person? Because of course, you speak Tagalog. Have you ever pranked them? Because they're thinking, "Oh, this gentleman, he's from the States, and he may not speak." Have you ever done that before? I feel like I do it often because I just look so foreign, or I look so much like a person who doesn't speak Tagalog, and that's the language that I speak. Filipino or Tagalog, I don't really speak the other dialects.
26:52 But the Tagalog one is always a shock to them, and so it's always fun to kind of surprise them, especially if I can do it in special ways. Going back to high school times, I had taken a summer job. It was a summer work program through our school, and I was working at a music store called RJ Guitars. It's still around in Metro Manila. The first day I reported for work, I was walking in the door of the store, and the manager, who was going to be my manager, happened to be on the phone.
27:23 She was saying in Tagalog, "Oh, he's coming in now. Oh wow, he's really tall and he's kind of handsome." And then I answered back in Tagalog, "Yeah, and I speak Tagalog too." She was so embarrassed. I was just trying to tease her because she didn't know, she just thought I was a high school kid from another country who didn't know the language.
27:46 The other examples, which are countless, are just interacting with people on a regular basis. I love to tease them and joke, and I often embarrass Angie because I say something corny or cheesy, but it's in Tagalog, and they always get a laugh out of it. Most of the time, it's been super helpful because there are times when, even though English is very widely spoken here, Filipinos struggle with their English and get nervous about saying something. As soon as you break the ice and let them know that you speak some Tagalog, they kind of relax.
28:20 So I just do that out of convenience sometimes, that I don't want to see them.
28:23 Sometimes that I don't want to see them struggle and worry about their English. But here in Dumaguete, sometimes it's tough because there are times when Angie will tell me like, 'They don't understand your Tagalog.' I'm like, 'Oh man, I really wish that they all understood Tagalog as fluently as I do.' But sometimes they don't. Sometimes their Tagalog is about the same or less than my level, and my level's very simple, like the kind of Tagalog that kids speak to each other. So it's not very deep. But most of the time, it works and it's been fun.
28:56 Kevin, you recently talked about Dauin, your commitment to Dauin. You know, you're a guy that could live anywhere in the Philippines, really. But you chose Dauin. What's the appeal of Dauin to you over maybe some of the other areas? Not that it's a competition, but you know, we each have our area that kind of fits our preferences. Why did you pick Dauin?
29:24 So Dauin is this area about 30 minutes south-southwest of Dumaguete. It's easy to find; you just go down the national highway and you kind of stick right to the coast. You can see the ocean to your left when you're going down there, and it's a concentration of a lot of the dive resorts. I learned to scuba dive in 2004 and got my certification back then. I've been slowly working on additional certifications, and then here in the Philippines, I got my tech diving certificate, which allows me to go a little bit deeper and use mixed gases and things like that.
30:00 So Dauin, for me, is like a diving community first and foremost. But also, at those dive resorts are some really nice restaurants. So just peppered throughout the coastline there are tons of great little restaurants for you to explore. Oddly enough, some of the best pizza I ever had was down there. There's like a resort that might have a world-class chef working in their kitchen, and you're just like, 'Wow, what are you doing here?' But they're there. So that was one of the things that just drew me down there to explore it initially.
30:34 And then I started looking at the building boom that's going on in that area. There's YouTubers that have been posting their progress of their builds. They start up on the hill and go up the mountain in elevation of hundreds of meters, and then from that vantage point, you really have this beautiful view of the ocean and Apo Island, which is a marine sanctuary and has wonderful snorkeling and scuba diving. So I kind of fell in love with the idea of, 'What if I was able to build a house someday on this mountainside overlooking the ocean?'
31:11 It's something that I feel like I could never achieve in my home country because the idea of having an ocean view lot or an overlooking lot is just so expensive. As soon as you have that view, the price just skyrockets. But here in the Philippines, right? And yeah, I mean, just the whole idea of living near the ocean and having a view of the ocean is just so prohibitively expensive, in my opinion. I just felt like I could never achieve that in my home country, but here, I think it could be achievable. So that was the other draw for Dauin.
31:45 I said, 'Wow, look at these beautiful views.' And they're also in other areas here in Dumaguete. Siulan has hills that go up, and Valencia has cool climates and also some nice views of the ocean. But there was something special about Dauin. And then recently, more and more developments have popped up in that area. They just built a new little shopping mall there. There's new restaurants and cafes and just cool attractions popping up and down all the time.
32:21 I feel like it's an area that I could grow with in the next 5 to 10 years. There's supposed to be a new international airport that's going in nearby Bacong, which is right next to Dauin. So maybe someday, I'm imagining instead of flying into Dumaguete at the old World War II runway, that you actually land in Bacong at this new international airport, and now your drive home is pretty decent, pretty short, because you're right there.
32:50 If you keep going up the mountain, you get into really nice, cool climates. There's like Mount Talinis up there where all the clean water comes from. There's coffee shops, places like Basai Coffee. They grow coffee there and make coffee. It's just a really beautiful area. So you have that mix of the ocean, the diving, and then the mountain with the views, and the waterfalls and all that stuff. Just gorgeous.
33:18 There's a specific thing I could mention. There's a place called Malasi, which is not only just a restaurant but a like an event center. They had concerts there, and Angie and I went and saw a really famous Filipino band perform there. The who's who of the area came, you know, the mayor of Dauin was there, and popular YouTubers. It was really cool. So right in that little area of Dauin, you have like a really famous, popular Filipino band.
33:51 That's pretty neat. That, to me, is something that I feel like doesn't get talked about enough: how much musical talent there is here in the Philippines. Everybody talks about the gorgeous nature, everybody talks about the friendly people, but some of the best singing I've ever heard in my life has been here in the Philippines.
34:08 What are some of the concerts or maybe performances that come to mind? Could you talk a bit about what that was like? Is that something that you maybe see or hear about in Dumaguete or surrounding areas a lot?
34:26 What is more important to Filipinos than their music and love of music? I mean, it's ingrained in them. One of the most popular activities here, as you know, is karaoke singing, which is almost like a staple at any party. If you're having drinks and food, whatever it is, a birthday, a christening of a baby, you name it, there's going to be karaoke, there's going to be singing. Because Filipinos love music and they love to sing, and it just brings them joy. You can just see how much joy it brings them.
34:58 You don't even have to be that good of a singer, although it is a little bit of a cliche that every Filipino is this amazing singer. You just sing your heart out, and it doesn't matter. Concerts, I mean, anytime you're in downtown Dumaguete during some kind of festival or an important event or holidays, inevitably you'll see a stage setup and a performer or local group, local bands, or another band or a group from another island like Cebu or Manila will come in and entertain the crowd, and it'll just be packed.
35:30 They love it. Filipinos love singing, dancing, entertainment. One of the most popular shows on television is a daytime variety show where it's all about singing and dancing and humor, being funny. So it's here as well. It's here in Dumaguete, and it's in every major bar and restaurant. Typically, on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night, you're going to hear live music being played. Sometimes, if they can't afford a whole band, it will just be one or two people singing to a track, but they're still doing it, and people love it and they sing along and they dance.
36:06 The Malasi Center had a concert stage set up, and a very famous Filipino band called Aegis came and performed. It's fronted by three female vocalists, and they came into little Dauin, and everybody loved it. So, Kevin, you've got an upcoming trip to Manila planned. Could you share a bit about what's bringing you to Manila?
36:32 Sure. There's a reason why where I am in Dumaguete is actually not that far from an airport, even though it's just a domestic airport and not an international one. And that's because I do travel a lot. I fly back and forth from the United States. I go to places like Manila, and then from there, I can get on a connecting flight to somewhere like Davao or, you know, Palawan or something. And that's one of the reasons why I'm near the airport. Even though I'm here in Dumaguete, I want to be in a provincial, rural area, but I don't want to be so far away that the airport is hours away. I've got a drive there.
37:08 So again, before I even say why I'm going to Manila, it's like I want to make sure that I do have the best of both worlds. Where I am in a provincial area where I feel I can be close to nature and a slower pace of life, but I also want to be able to hop on that plane and go into town, going to the city when I need to.
37:28 In this case, it's to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Here we are, it's 2025. 80 years ago, the Americans returned. MacArthur promised that he would come back and liberate the Philippines from the Japanese, and he did. So there's a conference that's happening in Los Baños, and it's called 'War in Memory.' It's an 80-year anniversary remembrance of events that happened during that time and how the Philippines was rescued from the Japanese.
38:01 So I get to go up there. We'll fly up, we'll spend the night, a couple nights. Go to the conference; it's a two-day conference, and we'll fly back. It's great, and the flights are pretty cheap and affordable, and we find a decent place to stay that doesn't break the bank. And I know my way around Manila from being there so many times. It's a fun trip, and it's something that's easy to do, and I love being able to just hop on.
38:29 I love being able to just hop on a flight and go. Some guys are saying they could never live in Manila, but what you're saying is that even the guy or gal who chooses to live in Dumaguete can go up there for a weekend trip. It's not out of the question for you; you're not isolated here and stuck here.
38:49 There are some places that you do want to be careful about because what if you do feel trapped? Let's say you lived on a smaller island that you would have to take a boat to go to a bigger island and then fly. You're a little bit more isolated.
39:05 And not even getting into health concerns, like let's say, God forbid, you had a health emergency, how easy is it for you to be transported to a bigger hospital, you know, Manila or something?
39:15 So, I like the convenience of being able to just get on a flight and go to Manila. Manila has its own charm. I'm a little bit more history-oriented, like I love the historical aspect of a city that goes back hundreds of years, back when the Spanish were here. It's just got so much culture, and the food.
39:37 And I mean, the history, the city itself, it's just a wonderful place to visit. Again, I wouldn't live there by choice, but it's a great place to visit.
39:52 So I wanted to bring things home and give you a chance. Could you plug your social media if somebody wants to get in touch with you? And then I'll also give you the final word.
40:01 Sure, thank you, Alex. I'm not that big on content creation; I do it for fun. I do have a YouTube channel that's called Kevin Sound Mixer if you wanted to check it out. You're welcome too.
40:13 I'm on Facebook, Instagram. I work in film and television, so I love to talk to people about that as well. And I do have people who contact me and ask me specifically about sound for film and TV because that's what I do.
40:28 And yeah, if you're interested in things like that, World War II history, living in the Philippines, feel free to hit me up. I generally will get back to people and say hello, and I'm always down to talk to someone.
40:39 So thank you for the opportunity to be on your channel, and I wish you all the best as you go on your journey.
40:44 You're so generous with your time with us today and with the audience, and I know everybody will really appreciate your perspective. You have such a nuanced experience in the Philippines, and yeah, thank you so much. Everybody, we'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
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