title: video rude cnn reporter asks trump why hes taking time off to open a hotel
text: ive been living in south east asia for almost a decade now and over that time ive come to have a matured perspective on living here and a fair appreciation of the pros and cons of doing so like most people who come here i set off thinking i was going to live in paradise thats far from the reality let me tell you
  living in south east asia has its pros and cons just like anywhere else while i myself have decided to return west for a while ill always have a connection to asia and im sure ill be back many times throughout my life
  so whats the real story with living in asia is it all its cracked up to be what does a man have to be aware of when coming here lets look at six common stereotypical ideas about living in south east asia and assess them in the light of reality
   asian women are kind gentle and compliant to their husbands so sweet not so fast
  this is most definitely a myth and if you come out here expecting to find some little house pet who does your bidding youll be in for a rude awakening
  its definitely true that asian women in my experience are a lot more traditional they give the man his place in the house rarely question your final decisions and do not resent housework and basic wifely duties
  however the idea that theyll just do whatever you tell them without question is nonsense theyre human beings with a will of their own and you wouldnt be the first guy to get a smack in the head from a fivefoottwo broad who weighs  pounds if you disrespect her
  the idea that asian women are some sort of angelic alternative to western women is also nonsense while its not the norm ive met several western men who have been taken to the cleaners by their asian wives and girlfriends when you move here youre completely at her mercy and you will never have any legal rights as a citizen
  asian women generally are a lot more traditional but this stereotype that theyre some sort of perfect wife material has got to go theyre individualsand there are all kinds good and bad among them
  read this guide to dating asian women for a more complete perspective on the issue its a thorny subject and theres a lot of misunderstanding surrounding it
   asia is ridiculously cheap 
  this is one id have to lean slightly towards agreeing with
  most things in asia are a lot cheaper eating out for my entire family often costs less than  meaning i can afford to do it basically every day my rent for a condo apartment costs less than  a month although thats mostly because i live in the sticks and am not in a major city
  a general rule of thumb is that outside of major cities like bangkok singapore and kl you can divide the cost of living by three and get a rough estimate
  note this does not apply to consumer goods such as cars and electrical appliances which are in and around the same price it certainly does not apply to luxury goods which are often much more expensive because of the taxes placed on them by local governments
  asia is cheaper overall but anything other than the basics costs roughly the same life in south east asia can be cheaper but it isnt necessarily soit depends on your lifestyle
   you can become a citizen of an asian country and stay forever becoming a citizen in an asian country is nigh on impossible even if you could you probably wouldnt want to
  you can get a variety of visas like permanent residency and each country aims to facilitate the spouses of their nationals and especially retirees with proven cash in the bank however youll not become a citizen with all of the various rights they enjoy
  its also worth noting while you might get permanent residence youll never be one of them even if you live here for  years you will always be a foreigner and will be viewed as such by locals this has pros and cons to it but youll never quite feel at home and accepted as one of the group
  youll get undue respect from some for being a westerner but forget about talking politics or leveling criticisms at the way things are doneyoull be met with hostility and resentment for the latter
   the weather in asia is  sunshine 
  the weather in south east asia is generally pretty awesome and you can live an outdoors life youll truly enjoy if youre that type
  the sun shines almost every day and even when its overcast its warm meaning you can go out and about and do anything from walk on the beach to shop in the city
  however when the storms come youd better be prepared to get your ass inside the rainfall and wind in many countries in south east asia is truly terrifying just switch on any news station the next time a major storm hits the philippines and youll see what its like
  thankfully after  years of living in the philippines  ive never been caught directly in a major storm although ive seen the tail end of plenty of them
  the weather is good when its good and utterly awful when its bad check this clip out to see how bad it can get
  
   asia is  years behind the west in terms of development 
  this is a stereotype thats deeply mistaken and whether or not its true depends on which country you go to
  true countries like laos and bangladesh are miles behind any western nation but head to singapore and youll be shocked by how far ahead of us they are in terms of tech and development
  asia is developing at breakneck pace and with that development comes super highways skytrains skyscrapers and everything else we usually associate with an advanced country it wont be long before many countries out here catch up and surpass the west although it is definitely true that most of them are slightly behind for now
  theres a phenomenon called leapfrogging which virtually guarantees asian countries will catch up to and surpass the west quickly leapfrogging is when they can skip all of the evolution and development and simply emulate modern day technology developed elsewherea great example is india where they have skipped the transition from dialup to mobie internet and gone straight from nothing to mobile
  if you think this cant be done and there are intellectual property laws to protect tech from being stolen wholesale i salute you but i have to laugh there are no such laws and even if there were nobody would bother to enforce them
  on the other hand you still have many scenes like this outside your window when you get out of the main cities
  
   asians are extremely family oriented again this is one i lean towards agreeing with there are exceptions to every rule but the family unit is extremely strong in asia especially countries like the philippines
  i dont want to wax lyrical or speculate as to why this is its enough to acknowledge it as a fact and accept that its the case  of the asian people i have ever met and gotten to know from indonesia to the philippines to thailand are devoted to their families to the extent that wed consider it cultlike in most western countries
  i pass no judgment on this whatsoever it can be a great thing or a bad thing depending on your own perspective i personally like it and think its something weve lost in many european countries and america too
  this is an idea about asia i agree withthe dedication to family above individuality is definitely true and so by default if you get into a relationship with an asian woman be prepared for this
  the family unit is the sun around which everything orbits in most asian countries
  living in asia summary sorry to disappoint you fellas but you wont find paradise in south east asia
  what you will find is a place with many opportunities pitfalls pros and cons but which i do not regret living in for a single second and which has come to be a large part of my lifes story
  i came out for a year and stayed for almost a decade however ive decided that time is now over and its time to go home
  id love to hear about your experiences living or traveling in asia do you find my perceptions to be accurate or do you have a different view
  read more why western men prefer foreign women over their own