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Relocating to a more central location in Dumaguete significantly enhances an expat's social life and productivity by improving accessibility to social groups, amenities, and content creation opportunities.
The host is planning to move to a new apartment located more centrally within Dumaguete, which he believes will greatly improve his productivity and social life. This move is motivated by the inconvenience of his current location, which requires a significant commute to the city center. The new apartment's proximity to downtown is expected to make it easier to meet people, collaborate on content, and access various locations more efficiently.
The stream also touches upon the expat experience in Dumaguete, comparing it favorably to Chiang Mai in terms of social integration and English proficiency. Dumaguete is described as having a more concentrated foreign population and a greater ease in finding social groups, which are often centered around shared interests. The Boulevard is highlighted as a vibrant public space and a common meeting point for locals and expats, including many vloggers.
The discussion extends to travels in Malaysia, with positive remarks about Kuala Lumpur's modernity, public transit, and food, and a desire to explore other regions like Malacca and Penang. The host also briefly discusses the practicalities of expat life, such as obtaining an ACR card and renewing visas, noting that the process in Dumaguete is relatively straightforward for Americans. The stream concludes with reflections on the importance of choosing social circles and the benefits of incorporating fasting for well-being, alongside observations about daily activity levels and the potential for increased productivity in the new apartment.
Improving your social life in Dumaguete often involves frequenting popular spots like the Boulevard, where expats and locals connect. Engaging with existing social groups, making introductions through friends, and participating in community activities can also foster connections.
Yes, moving to a more central location in Dumaguete can significantly enhance expat productivity. Increased proximity to amenities, social groups, and content creation opportunities reduces commute times, allowing for more focused work and engagement.
Dumaguete offers a vibrant social scene for expats, often considered more accessible than places like Chiang Mai. The city has a higher concentration of English speakers and readily available social groups, making integration smoother.
Dumaguete is a good location for digital nomads seeking a balance of social life and productivity. Its central areas offer convenience, and the expat community is active, providing networking and social opportunities.
Finding social groups as an expat often happens organically by visiting popular public spaces like Dumaguete's Boulevard or through introductions from existing friends. Engaging with local communities and shared interest groups is also key.
Achieving a fulfilling expat life in Dumaguete involves balancing social engagement and productivity. A central location enhances both by providing easier access to social activities and a conducive environment for work.
Dumaguete is considered more social for expats compared to Chiang Mai. It has a higher concentration of English speakers and makes it easier to find social groups. These groups often form around shared interests, making integration smoother.
The Boulevard in Dumaguete serves as a popular public space where locals and expats often gather. It's a vibrant hub for recreation and a common meeting point for various vloggers and foreigners.
Finding social groups as an expat can happen organically through frequenting popular spots like The Boulevard. Introductions from friends and engaging with local communities are also effective ways to connect.
The process for Americans to obtain an ACR card and renew visas in Dumaguete is noted as being relatively straightforward. This practical aspect contributes to the ease of expat life in the area.
0:03 Karaoke is not so loud here on the boulevard, we'll see if that lasts. But anyway, yeah, I'm actually moving locations here in Dumaguete and checking out, well, I checked out an apartment today and it's looking really good. So I think I'm going to take it, and I'll actually be in the city as opposed to being on the outskirts of the city.
0:33 And that should be really convenient for trying to get around and trying to do stuff. That's going to be a lot more convenient to meeting up with people and hanging out with people, collabing with people. Should be able to put out a lot more content being there, and I'll just have more access to a lot of the places that I want to go and some quiet spots that I can film and record.
1:02 Looks like we got a viewer, hey, what's up? So yeah, I'm looking forward to that. I think it's just going to be all around a better fit for my purposes compared to where I'm at. Also, let me know if you can hear me. I don't see a mic gauge that kind of lets me know if I'm audible, but feel free to chime in with any comments or thoughts that you have.
1:30 So yeah, I'll be moving this weekend to the city as opposed to being on more of like the edge of the city. And I think that'll be a good fit, should be interesting. Hey, good to see you, Gen Xpat, welcome to the stream. Yeah, it's, so I'm gonna be moving there probably on Friday is when I'll actually make the move from where I'm living currently, south of the city, to the new spot, which is more like not too far from the city center.
2:05 Let's say it's just going to be a lot more conducive to hanging out with people, being more social. I'll be able to easily get rides home, so if I want to go out late night, I can do that. If I want to get up early and go meet people downtown, it's a lot easier to do that.
2:21 I'm actually working on a video, it's almost done. I just need to edit like a section of it where I talk about the social element of being an expat and some of the tips or suggestions I have for how to maximize your time. And one of those things that I suggest in the video, you heard it here first, Gen Xpat, is the benefits of living downtown or close to downtown.
2:48 Sometimes in some places we want to like be on the outskirts of the city, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I think there is a social benefit to being more in the city and being closer to the action, close to the places that we want to be or the places that our friends are at, you know, that kind of thing.
3:10 So yeah, by the way guys, please give us a thumbs up, it helps with the algorithm. But yeah, that's what I'm looking forward to is being downtown where I can more easily get to different things and meet up with different people. There's some places that I like to frequent that are harder for me to get to where I'm at, they're just more time-consuming.
3:30 Hey Chris, good to see you, welcome. Yeah, so I found a spot that I think is going to be a lot more conducive to my needs. I'm just sharing with the audience that was lightning by the way in the background, guys. I'm here on the Boulevard in Dumaguete, and yeah, so being closer to downtown, I should be a lot more productive. We'll see how it goes, but I think it's just going to be better for that.
3:53 I should be able to put out videos faster, more frequently, better quality than where I'm at now. Because one of the challenges of living where I am, hey Nicholas, good to see you from Bangkok. One of the challenges of where I'm at now is that it's a solid, I'd say 40-minute ride to the city, and then at the end of the day, a 40-minute ride home.
4:16 So that chews up like an hour and a half of my time. But yeah, that should be reduced by being closer to the city. Hey Dina, good to see you, welcome. How's everybody doing tonight?
4:39 It was raining and it really put a damper on the festivities down here at the Boulevard. And I'm doing well, I just went and had some chicken wings at this place I like to go called Scoville. They do like unlimited wings, and so I really like going there sometimes when I'm in the area.
4:58 And so tonight, I happen to be in that area, so I stopped by there. Really great wings, like if you're a fan of wings like I am, the Philippines, it seems like every city of substantial size here in the Philippines has a great wing spot, not the chain wing spot, but a place you can have chicken wings. And yeah, they're really, really good.
5:30 So, but yeah, the Philippines is going well. I need to go get my ACR card, I keep forgetting to do that. I tried to get it done Thursday, but they happened to be closed for a holiday. So I'm going to go back tomorrow and get that ACR card. Foreigners, we got to have the ACR card, I think it's called Alien Certificate of Residence or residence, something like that.
5:50 I'm going to go get that tomorrow, and then I'll have probably a couple weeks before I need to go renew or extend my visa. So I've got to go do a visa extension here in a few weeks, and yeah, that'll be normal. You know, I've done that several times now, so I'm kind of accustomed to the process.
6:17 You fill out a form and you explain to immigration what your purpose is for extending your stay, and it's really routine stuff. Not something I'm worried about. So, blood king, I'm actually on the Boulevard in Dumaguete, and this is if you've ever seen vlogs in Dumaguete, like Mike's done, Mike's Philippine Retirement, he's done videos down here. Sizzy Kelly does her interviews down here.
6:52 There's, yeah, there's a lot of vloggers that come down here to make content. Sorry, I got some people. And yeah, so there's a lot of people that come down here to vlog and make content. It's kind of windy right now, I don't know if you can see my hair being a little bit blown by the wind, but it's a nice public space here. A lot of people like to come down here and go running.
7:31 A lot of people also like to walk the loop and get some exercise. There's some great restaurants both on the Boulevard and then kind of on the street lining the boulevard. There's like a Starbucks, and there's several good places. I like Cafe Filomina, you can't really see it behind the pirate ship, but behind that pirate ship, there's this hotel called the Bethel Guest House, and over there they've got a cafe on the first level.
8:05 They serve nice food and they're really popular for desserts. People go there and they have Halo-Halo, they have cake, and that kind of thing. Also, it's popular for coffee, but that's just one of the places that they have here that's really nice.
8:25 And it's a really good place to be a blogger if you're interested in getting into vlogging. It's a great place to level up. There's so many vloggers here that I've learned from, that really helped me learn a lot and have been really good to me as well. So Dumaguete definitely has a special place in my heart, and I'm happy to be here. I think I'm gonna be even happier being in the city.
8:49 You're a student blogger, what do you blog about? Yeah, I mean, if you're trying to learn how to vlog or blog, there's a lot of people here. I found the majority of them to be friendly and kind, and encouraging. They've taught me a lot. Most of them don't see other vloggers as competition, and most people here are nice.
9:19 Is everybody nice? Maybe not, but hi, you won, good to see you. Where are you joining us from? But yeah, there's a lot of great folks here. Nicholas, how does Dumaguete compare to Chiang Mai?
9:38 That's a great question. Advantages of Dumaguete over Chiang Mai: more English. I think there are more foreigners here, they're more concentrated here. I think just with the prevalence of English, more people are like, hey, if I'm concerned about English, I can come here to Dumaguete. Where in Chiang Mai, the English is improving, but I don't think it's on the same level.
10:07 I think that over there, you've got it's just like, I don't know how to explain it. You've got it's not so, it's, I get a, I think that the foreigners in Chiang Mai are a little bit more isolated compared to here, where everybody seems, well, not everybody, but most people seem to have a crew that they hang out with. Most people find a group centered on a certain topic or shared beliefs.
10:41 So I think here there's more groups and more people getting together in groups. I've got a group on Wednesday that I meet with now every Wednesday, and I've got two groups on Thursday that I could meet with every Tuesday. There's more than that out there that I kind of sprinkle in and get together with, but it's just very easy to find.
11:04 I'm going to move down here a little bit, guys, one second. There's, there's just more, sorry guys, sometimes you got to be willing to move. But there's more, yeah, there's just more groups. I think in Dumaguete, Chiang Mai, I think, you know, it's a bigger city, so you have certain big city conveniences that you're not going to have as much of here.
11:38 There's, I think Chiang Mai airport has more international flights. I don't think Dumaguete airport has international flights. They are building an airport that can do international flights. But yeah, I really like the social.
11:57 What else about Dumaguete versus Chiang Mai? I think it's, you know, I think the ocean, the proximity to ocean destinations is a big one. Chiang Mai is not close to any beaches. So if you're a beach person or you like aquatic activities, I think they're...
12:18 Aquatic activities, I think they're just harder for you to have access to in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai, I think, is a little bit more expensive, not significantly so, but a bit more expensive as far as rents go. In my personal opinion, I think Western food is a little bit more expensive there too.
12:37 I think the big thing is the visa is more straightforward here in Dumaguete, at least for Americans, where the visa in Chiang Mai, you've got to sort some things out, and your timeframe, I don't think, is quite so long. As things stand today, things may change. I'm not sure how they may change, but as it stands, it's easier for a foreigner to maintain a visa, for an American to maintain a visa here in Dumaguete.
13:06 I'll check your blog out. I'm from Malaysia. Wow, go back to Malaysia at some point. It's so beautiful and like developed. I like Kuala Lumpur a lot. I go back there at some point. I've only spent time in Kuala Lumpur in the suburbs, but KL's awesome, super modern city, convenient public transit. I love the food there.
13:38 I like that it was more low-key and more laid-back. It didn't really have the party atmosphere that you find in some other countries in Southeast Asia. To me, it was a super productive city. I felt like, wow, I can just get a lot done there. So I like Malaysia. I'd like to see Malacca next time. I'd like to see Penang, Langkawi, and a couple of other places.
14:02 Is it Eo? So yeah, there's like four other places I want to see in Malaysia that seem really interesting to me. That'll be next time I go there. I think Americans get like 90 days on arrival, so that's plenty of time to see, you know, see a variety in Malaysia.
14:24 Good to see you, Rosario. Yeah, it's nice. It's really cool and breezy here. It's not like hot and muggy. Now that the rain has come down, it's really cooled off a lot. It's definitely my favorite weather that we get here in Dumaguete. It's cool, the sun's down, it's breezy, but it's not raining anymore. The rain was short, didn't last long tonight, so that was really nice.
14:51 Nicholas says, how did you find these groups? Yeah, so for me, Nicholas, it was kind of organic. I have certain places I like to go hang out, coffee shops like in town. Ground Zero is really popular for a lot of bloggers, so I'll go there. I end up running into people. I've also had friends introduce me to other friends of theirs, and it sort of happens organically that I get introduced to people, and then they invite me to the group.
15:18 The other day, I was filming it at one of my favorite hotels here in town, and then a group showed up there. I just ended up recognizing one of the group members because one of the group members is my friend. I ended up sitting down with them and hanging out with them for a while. We really got along with them. They ended up inviting me to a group the following day.
15:37 So these kind of social networks seem to form organically here. You have to follow up, you know, you have to ask about details. But going to certain places here in Dumaguete, I can't speak for other cities, but certain places seem to attract crowds. Western people, we like certain Western foods, and we like certain, you know, Western-style coffee shops.
16:03 I go to the mall too. I don't know why I'm pointing there's not, it's you can't see it from here, but Robinsons Mall, where I'll meet some guy, and they'll tell me, hey, some of this is tempered by the fact that I don't not a judgment against people to drink. Some of my good friends here like to have a few now and then, but I'm not going to like, exact bars, right?
16:28 Which could possibly be a little bit disappointing because, um, you know, some of them show like UFC, which I'm into, by the way, guys. I may have to cut the stream soon because I'm hearing some amplified music. I thought it might be done for tonight, but if they play it too loud, I could actually get a copyright violation for that. So I have to be very cautious about the amplified music that I'm around.
16:57 But, um, yeah, great city to meet groups. I'm not sure, you know, I'm not sure how it is in the bigger cities, but definitely, definitely a lot of opportunities for socializing here. I think more so than in Chiang Mai. I'm not gonna say Chiang Mai doesn't have those groups, but I didn't really see them as much.
17:28 Groups are centered around like digital nomad life, where Dumaguete doesn't seem to have as much of a presence. The crowd here skews a little bit older, older retired guys that have the free time to get. But yeah, feel free, guys, to chime in any questions or thoughts you have. I'm just going to keep staying here in Dumaguete. It's a good fit for a lot of different reasons for the time being.
17:47 And, uh, yeah, I've got, I hope to have something out tonight. We'll see how it goes. I've been editing it for several days and adding, trying to go for more long-form video because some of my friends have suggested that as long as I have value to add, then, you know, the longer form videos are worth a shot.
18:25 But, uh, yeah, feel free, guys, to chime in. I saw the numbers drop, so it's fluctuating between 10 watchers and one watcher. So I'm not sure how many folks are watching right now. But if you are watching, give us a thumbs up. It helps with the algorithm to distribute the video to more people.
18:48 Yeah, more folks are definitely coming out. I guess the rain was pretty short-lived, so I don't think it'll be as busy. If you come here to Dumaguete and you like to come to the boulevard, the rain tends to really dissipate the crowds. I think a lot of the crowds here, they don't want to get their hair wet, they don't want to get their clothes wet. So when that comes down, a lot of folks end up going home, calling it a night early.
19:15 So that's something to be aware of. Now we've got 13 people watching. That's interesting. Where's everybody watching from? I noticed somebody said they're in Malaysia. We got somebody in Thailand. We have some folks back in the States. I think one of my friends, he's in another Southeast Asian country.
19:33 It'd be interesting one day to get somebody from each country in Southeast Asia on a live stream. That would be really cool.
19:57 Yeah, man, those wings really hit the spot. I did some just walking around town, kind of exploring. I found a new, it's kind of like a department store with, it's like four stories here in town called Comms. And I like it a lot. It's, you know, it's very convenient. It seems like it's going to be a good place for me to go to work sometimes, like just work on editing.
20:28 I didn't see charger ports readily accessible, but I could go with a charged-up laptop and work for a couple of hours editing until my battery is low, and then maybe roll over to another location.
20:49 But, yeah, feel free to, you know, chime in with any questions or thoughts that you have. I don't, oh no, I'm scrolling down, I'm not seeing him. But yeah, guys, it's a nice evening here. The weather is really nice, and I'm enjoying it.
21:20 But yeah, as far as finding groups, my next video should cover that. It should cover that topic. I think it does cover some of the basics. Maybe I could do a deeper dive or like a part two or a follow-up video because I think a lot of guys, you know, I talk about this where guys, and I say guys because my audience is heavily male, but there's some gals out there watching, I'm sure.
21:47 But, you know, they're used to back home where they've got work and they've got their family, they might not be close to their family, and their co-workers are not their friends. So they're not really used to having people that they hang out with just for the sake of hanging out with.
22:03 Like I often say this, my co-workers are people that I make my money with. Doesn't really matter if I get along with them or not. I don't have a choice in who I work with if I'm employed by a business. The business owner makes that determination, or they've got an HR department that makes that determination. But for me, as an expat, I choose who I hang out with.
22:23 And that choice, I think, can cause some stress for a lot of people. Like, who do I want to hang out with? Do I want to hang out with people who have a similar diet that I have? Do I want to hang out with people of a certain faith? Do I want to hang out with people who, you know, who do I want to hang out with?
22:40 Because I have so much choice over here as to how I spend my time, that it's, I think it could be really overwhelming for some people to have so much choice. And also to know, hey, who do I not want to hang out with? Because once again, you know, when you're working, you've got limited choice of that unless you're an entrepreneur.
22:56 You can, you know, if you're an entrepreneur, you can certainly fire customers. But if you are not, not an entrepreneur, then, um, guys, I'm gonna have to pop in.
23:26 But, um, yeah, let me know if my audio went out. I'm not sure. Haven't done the vertical live stream too much, but it's, yeah, there's a lot of choice that goes into that, and it takes a lot of thought.
23:38 We'll go down here a bit, maybe it'll be quieter. You know, there's a lot of choice that goes into that and a lot of thinking about who do I want to hang out with, right? Like, who do you know I want to...
24:19 do. But yeah, what do you guys up to? I'm a little bit sleepy. It's been a long day. I recorded for a couple hours earlier, and then I went to check this apartment out. And yeah, I think I'll go home soon.
24:34 So I think after the stream, I'm going to head down and catch a trike back home. I had a pretty big dinner. I did some fasting today. I don't know how many of you are into fasting, but I did some fasting today, and that was kind of unintentional, but just the way scheduling worked out, that's what I did.
24:53 I feel less achy. I noticed when I fast, it seems to reduce the inflammation for me. And something I need to consciously incorporate more in my week.
25:14 We. And, uh, yeah, so what do you guys, what are you guys doing this week? Any plans for this week?
25:45 It's charging a little bit slow. I was hoping my AirPods charged a little bit.
25:47 I was hoping my AirPods charged a little bit faster, but whatever. I can't with them all, so maybe we'll go for a few more minutes. I'm not seeing any new comments, so this might be the most exciting. And yeah, with more folks coming out, it may not be the ideal. Anyway, I just wanted to do an update stream and hope everybody's having a good week, a good start to their week. It's nice weather. I'd like to do some more walking before I go home, get some more exercise, get my steps in.
26:25 I try to be pretty good about that, try to get a decent amount of steps in. I'm kind of curious, let's see if I can. I've gotten almost 20,000 steps in today, that's way more than I thought. So maybe I don't need too many more steps actually. That's fine, that's not a big deal, but that is kind of surprising. That's more than what I thought. I thought I maybe gotten like 10,000 in because my legs don't feel that sore, but yeah, almost 20,000 steps, that's really a lot of steps.
26:57 It's so easy to do here in Daggetti. I know so many guys who have come here and lost weight because they're getting so much more activity than they were back home. But yeah, I may go ahead and wind down as I think there's only one watcher now. And you know, it may not be a great time for you guys as the audience. Oh, we got four more. Well, maybe a couple more minutes if anybody's got any questions or thoughts to add. Happy to talk about, happy to answer those.
27:54 Yeah, I'm looking forward to being in this new spot by the weekend. It should be a lot more productive space for me. There's a desk in there I can work at. It's not going to be in a provincial area that just takes me longer to get out there. There's less likely to be friction to being productive. And hopefully, I could do more streams there too. I'm not sure how the noise will be.
28:41 Well, this new building, it's definitely like close to some of the universities, so there's more of a student population. And hopefully, these people are aspiring to something better. It's going to be more conducive to getting things done.
29:15 Well, guys, I think it's probably a good time to wrap up. It seems like this may not be the most opportune time to stream. Thank you all so much for watching. If you're watching this on replay and you're not yet subscribed, subscribe to the channel down below. Give us a thumbs up if you enjoyed this stream and comment if there's certain topics you want me to cover in future streams. Happy to cover some of those topics. And we'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
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