trying to be upbeat

[Crashed~N2~Me 970]

Darren's back and he's OK!

[Crashed~N2~Me 970]

well, learning a lot nd just watching a lot right now.

Good plan good attitude. Are you also being polite? Humble? Respectful? or....aloof?

Not going into things as I know how people tend to jump all over things when I use the wring phrases.

What the...? Oh no you don't. You got alot of people emotionally invested in your story. You can't withdraw and get all secret secret now. You gotta pony up the latest info big guy. How can we help you if you don't tell us what's going on? annnnnd...your wrong phrases make things more funner.

Soooo....type it...post it and ...stop making every1 wait (too long). Dan was starting a "save the Darren" rescue foundation.

Let's just say I am having very very long talks over things I see in private with Gretchen to understand before reacting. Plus knowing "America" is still not understood. I am bothered over things but I will be careful on the situation right now.

Much improved over prior explosive reactions. Good thinking and good job.

They are actually letting me walk around the village on my own now. (of course I do have lots of kids following me everywhere.)

I have several responses to this but I can't pick which 1 I like best so I'm gonna pass this one.

We have her visa.

Kudos Darren! (You may have set a new speed record.)

I see many issues. I am just going to have to work through them a little at a time.

Looking forward to reading about the issues and the progress of your marriage.

(Darren, Seriously...sharing your story is beneficial to other VJ's. People can learn from your experiences. Please keep that in mind. and...don't take the jibs and jabs the wrong way...I think you have a group of people here that have developed a care and interest in you and your fiancee. Sometimes the best way to show someone you care is with a spanking)

[Crashed~N2~Me 970]

They are actually letting me walk around the village on my own now. (of course I do have lots of kids following me everywhere.)

(OK, OK, OK...I picked.)

Like King Kong?

(Maybe to you, they look like "kids" but, they are actually soldiers trying to kill the beast before it destroys the entire village. )

[gretchen_darren 67]

(OK, OK, OK...I picked.)

Like King Kong?

(Maybe to you, they look like "kids" but, they are actually soldiers trying to kill the beast before it destroys the entire village. )

Gretchen just burst out laughing on this one. :rofl:

[B_J 2,752]

Gretchen just burst out laughing on this one. :rofl:

By the way, why doesn't she ever post on here? We've all discussed you two so much; she should at least say hi to us all.

[gretchen_darren 67]

WE are heading back to the village today. Spending two nights at the home. Gretchen's fafmily is coming in from all over on Friday. (I have no idea who, what, when, and where.) I know some of the family is from all over Mindanao and Leyte. HUGE family. Her aunt has been helping out this week in cleaning the floors, doing dishes, and cooking. I talked to Gretchen about it to make sure her aunt is not being a "maid" to the fmaily. Also, her grandmother stays with the family a lot and her great grandmother lives right next door. (Gretchen does not know how old her great-grandmother is== gretchen calls her 2nd grandmother.) The furniture they had built was a3,000 php. (I am sooo sooo jealous. Wish we could buy furniture this well made for the American price.) And yes the furniture is bamboo. And I like sleeping on the couch. hehe.

The kitchen cabinets will cost 3,000 php. I am not sure about hte rest of finishing in the kitchen. But they now have a concrete floor which was not there in May. The hard part is explaining a chimney to them. The cooking fire is in the back part of the kitchen. However the roof is not designed to get rid of all of the smoke. The house fills with smoke as they cook. Not bad since it is a small cooking fire. But a good chimney would help to keep the smoke out. post more later.

[sunandmoon 450]

(Maybe to you, they look like "kids" but, they are actually soldiers trying to kill the beast before it destroys the entire village. )

[moonandsun 16]

I'll give you credit Darren for spending the night at the house. I tried that once and never again. hahaha (spoiled American). From your video, it looks like you stayed at the Almont Inland in Butuan. Love that place. Cant wait to get back. Good Luck to you and your wife! Take care and have a nice flight.

[gretchen_darren 67]

I spent four nights this time there. Sunday night, tuesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night. It was very humid and very sticky. Even when it rained. I am a desert person and the humidity is worse then Washington DC area (or the deep south). I used to live inthe deep south, but the conditioning to the desert has changed me. Also, mosquitos feasted on me at night even with the fan blowing. And salt water in wounds is just like putting alcohol on a cut. I had fun. I enjoyed it. I did it for my gwapa. I wanted to make her happy. I wished we could have stayed the last night there before leaving, but I had a hotel room and have to check out in the morning. Besides I would like just one night of peaceful sleep before leaving. It is a long long long flight. PLus we have to call CFO at NAIA to make sure they meet us at terminal 2.

We have everything ready to go now. Packed, checked, and verified. But like they say until you are at home nothing is given as already done. We are hoping everything goes smoothky tomorrow. So far the last couple of weeks have been the smoothest we have had.

[gretchen_darren 67]

I'll give you credit Darren for spending the night at the house. I tried that once and never again. hahaha (spoiled American). From your video, it looks like you stayed at the Almont Inland in Butuan. Love that place. Cant wait to get back. Good Luck to you and your wife! Take care and have a nice flight.

Yes, We absolutely love the Almont. Nice place. They are also remodeling the place right now. The room I stayed in over memorial day 2011 is now a suite. For a place to stay, just even for a getaway from it all. I recommend the almont. It is a great resort. All I know is I love my fiancee;s village. I can't wait to build a house there. It will be a "winter" home or a vacation home. I get along well with most people in the village.

[gretchen_darren 67]

By the way, why doesn't she ever post on here? We've all discussed you two so much; she should at least say hi to us all.

I have been trying to get her to post on here. Had her rad several threads on here bout the interview, medical, etc. I do not know why she doesn't post on here, but I am sure that will change over time. She may start using my account. I don't know. But I do share things with her that I post on here. Just give her time. This place helped her a lot in preparing for the embassy.

[rlogan 2,036]

I'll give you credit Darren for spending the night at the house. I tried that once and never again. hahaha (spoiled American). From your video, it looks like you stayed at the Almont Inland in Butuan. Love that place. Cant wait to get back. Good Luck to you and your wife! Take care and have a nice flight.

Swank. Sixty bucks a night for the Superior room and $112 for the suite. Here's what we did not far away in Iligan City: Their family consisted of seven people in a 7 ft. by 11 ft shack. The wife and I slept next to them with a tarp over us under the stars. We immediately brought in extended family plus her, and me, to build a house.

Sixty dollars is 15 bags of premium concrete cement. $112 is 28 bags. I know because I am looking at the receipts. The bulk of the pvc for their interior plumbing was 5397 pesos so that is a couple nights in the economy room and with the suite it was enough to buy the electrical wiring too including breakers, wire, switches and outlets totaling 5038 pesos. We had seven people at the peak of our construction operation, only two of those paid. The most I paid was for an electrical contractor, just over seven dollars a day. Day-labor was about $6.

Good God the $112 room is almost enough money for TWENTY MEN for a whole day. Someone please turn me loose with twenty Filipino men! Throw in the unnecessary air travel, bringing the family to Manila, inflated Manila costs - this is beyond house building. I can build ports with this kind of cash flow.

Edited September 18, 2011 by rlogan

[BJZags 17]

I can build ports with this kind of cash flow.

If materials and labor are so cheap, then how come a new house in even the province usually starts at $2 Million Peso? More commonly at $4.5 Mil.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

If materials and labor are so cheap, then how come a new house in even the province usually starts at $2 Million Peso? More commonly at $4.5 Mil.

IDK... just passed on a deal to buy a house in a province in Pampanga, 3 bdrm/1 bath, plus studio apartment, 3700 sq m, plus a small calamansi orchard. All for PHP1.5 million.

[Tahoma 2,292]

If materials and labor are so cheap, then how come a new house in even the province usually starts at $2 Million Peso? More commonly at $4.5 Mil.

IDK... just passed on a deal to buy a house in a province in Pampanga, 3 bdrm/1 bath, plus studio apartment, 3700 sq m, plus a small calamansi orchard. All for PHP1.5 million.

P2,000,000 ?!?... P4,500,000 ?!?... 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom ?!?... 3700 square meters ?!?... P1,500,000 ?!?... Spoken like 'true Kanos!!!

Boys, Gretchen doesn't live in a mansion with aircon in a gated residential subdivision. Neither did rlogan's wife.

In a poor village, you can build a simple 10 square meter house for next to nothing.

Darren would've done it, but he forgot his glasses.

Edited September 18, 2011 by Tahoma