I couldn't wait to leave, but now I miss the Philippines

I left the Philippines to find a new home elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

I got fed up with everyday things like rent that's overpriced for the quality, poor food options, and feeling like a walking ATM.

I got an emergency passport because I didn't want to wait for a real one, which could take a few months.

The plan was Singapore, then Malaysia, maybe Indonesia, and then Thailand.

The end goal is to get the DTV and move to Thailand, at least for the short term.

Singapore is great, I like it a lot, but it's more expensive than America. Staying there cost me over $1,000 a week.

Malaysia just seems too boring for me. I know I should probably give it some time, but I'm just not feeling it, and I don't like wasting time when I already know I probably won't want to live somewhere long.

Don't get me wrong, Malaysia is nice, with better infrastructure than the Philippines and less poverty. Nothing's wrong with Malaysia, but I miss the people in the Philippines. They're hard to beat, at least for an American.

In Malaysia I even thought about going to Filipino restaurants just to meet people from the Philippines.

I always heard dating in Malaysia was tough, but I don't think that tells the whole story. I don't mean to be mean or rude, but I haven't seen this level of obesity outside America.

The plan was to stay in Malaysia and go through the DTV process. But I don't know if I can stay here that long. It's not that bad, I just really hate wasting time or being bored when I don't have to be. I mean, I can afford to go anywhere I want, so there's no reason to sit around being unhappy.

I also heard Malaysia is really strict about the DTV requirements for Thailand. So that took some of the wind out of my sails.

I'm still trying to give Malaysia a bit more time. But I still find myself missing the people in the Philippines.

I love Thailand, it's a great country. We just have to jump through some hoops to get the DTV so I can stay long. And I'm not 100% sure I won't be coming back to the Philippines often once I move to Thailand.