Dakhar

I assume you went to the hospital because you care about your son, but if you really care, do you honestly think that to see his parents getting into this sort of stuff will benefit him? there are other ways around to do your part and still keep in mind that whatever she does, your son will still see her as his mom, be carefull there, better restart a new life, good for you and good for them, good luck.

No I do not, and yes I am bowing out, as she walks away with 4 million baht all dedicated handed over in the name of "child support." Well they ever see a stang of it? Good question....

You are right, "be careful, restart a new life & good luck."

I have a little hope when they get old enough they would like to stay with me. The trouble is, how do I keep contact with them in order to do so, short of have a tatoo of my e-mail placed on my son's arm, I don't think there is a way.

Beyond this story, my in-laws provide my visa, all though it is clear she cheated on me.... on step out of line, and I am gone! So I did not file charges, get the police involevd etc. I just keep the recordings as a saftey net if I ever need to use them to keep me out of jail.... and maybe one day allow my sons to hear their mother... with the hope that the understand, that dad tried his best

Good luck to us all

Folks, I didn't marry a bar girl, I think I married something much worse. Honestly, I think she has an issue called "Borderline Personality Disorder." I have gone through 10 years with her, and finally her last straw was when she told me I was no longer "her husband" and she was the wife of another man. So I am guessing by that, they have "known" each other under the biblical since.

Regardless, we have been seperated for about 8 months now.

Well, things are so bad with her mental state, that I have to have my audi recorder "on" every time I am near here.

So the story is, I went to go visit my son at the hospital, she was there, and her father along with his gir friend was also there. Any how, as I was visiting my son, she exploded and attacked me, with really no provication on my part. She was hitting, and scratching like a banshee... & she literally jumped on my back and began to rake my neck with her finger nails. It was a total fiasco, fortunatley her father pulled her off of me, and pinned her to the couch.

Like I said, I recorded the whole event. I wish I could get custody of the kids, but I rather doubt I could, even with her explosive personality & the evidence of it. This is the second time she has assaulted me like this.... I don't think any one would care, because really I out weigh her almost 3 fold. But what I fear is, she has learned she can not physically harm me with her fists.... I fear in the future, she will use a weapon of some sort. If I retaliate and harm her out of protection... I could easily get in to BIG trouble.

So, for now, I have resolved to stay away from her, which aslo means I do not get to see my children. I think ultimatley, if I insisted on seeing my boys I could end up in jail etc.

I'm am really in a fix for the time being.

I like the pizza at "Que Passa" they have a very wide menu. http://www.quepasa-th.com/Que_Pasa/Que_Pasa.html

another place i frequent is near Broomsgrove private school on Ramkamhaeng Road... but it is kind of a "fancy" type set up.

Que Pasa, is more of a relaxed enviroment, a good place to just go and hang out and eat with friends... good food, good times, with good friends and they even have root beer!

Regardless, what I stated still applies, learning is an individualized process. What suits you, may not suit others. I also do not agree that Mandarin Chinese has phonemes that are the same in spoken English. For example the word for fish.... match that phonetic structure to English and I would be very surprised, then the word, for "to change or to become" = BYAN again another phonetic structure or "blend" that for the life of me would not match any English phonetic blend. I "picked up" Chinese too, but I certainly do not read Chinese. (and yes I learned Chinese in my adult years)

Sorry if I seem crass, I have a low tolerance for self proclaimed experts. It is great that you "picked up" several languages. Even so, you are not Noam Chompsky or B.F. Skinner.

I never once said I was an expert on this, I was just posting what I have experienced. It was you who felt the need to post all of your qualifications and are TELLING people what is right and wrong on this subject but I still do not agree with you. If what you are are saying is true then why are there such a low number of Thais speaking fluent or even proficient English, or expats speaking Thai? Of course everyone learns languages differently and education and effort play a bit part, but there is a level of difficulty of a language based on the languages you already know. Some languages are much easier to learn based on your native tongue which is why anyone speaking fluent English could learn French much easier than learning a non-latin based language.

My point is that Thai and English do not transfer very easily. The biggest reason for me is because the Thai alphabet contains a lot of sounds and tones we do not use in English. For example you cannot reproduce a lot of the Thai 32 vowels with our alphabet. This is why when Thai is transliterated into English it can be spelt a number of different ways because there are no letters or sounds in English that completely represents the Thai letter/sound.

It's a fact that children learn languages far easier than adults, and I guess this is because they are not translating from their native tongue into another system, they are learning it in the same way you and I learned English so your examples still do not apply here.

And you may not read Chinese but I bet you read pinyin and used it to learn with. This is not possible in Thai which is why most learners try to learn Thai script to make it much easier.

Also, tell me why Indonesians, Malays and Filipinas can speak English much more proficiently than Thais or Chinese? Do you think it's because they have a different language base and also that they use a roman alphabet which makes learning English much easier for them?

I can't say I can really read Chinese romanization.... it really depends on what version, and honestly, I kind of developed my own as I was learning the language. One could develop their own for Thai too... if one wanted too. I don't think I have told people what is right or wrong, I have told people learning is not a "one size fits all" situation. There are multiple reasons why children learn languages faster than adults. One is due to the myelination process of the brain.

and regads to Indo/Maylay/Filip I think that has already been answered.

but will agree, reading would be helpful in picking up a second language... at least for me it would be. I mean honestly, I would think Vietnamese would be easier for me to pick up etc.. (but that is just pure conjecture and it applies to me only)

What people got to realise is, English language does not for any longer belong to English speaking countries such as UK or US, people learn it to speak to other people who they assume can not speak their native tongue. So for all the comments that "I have never met a thai who is fluent in English" well, it does not matter, if they could communicate and people could understand, thats what matters.

Yes and No

It really depends on what level of communication do you require. Imagine if you were opening a pharmacy company and planned on making drugs controlled by the FDA. Now I think you would want your staff to be able to read and write English to the highest of standards. One "screw up" could be potenitially fatal & the whole facility could be shut down in a matter of hours due to that one screw up.

But if you are just stamping out T-shirts, well yea, then perfect English fluency is not that big of a deal.

Regardless, what I stated still applies, learning is an individualized process. What suits you, may not suit others. I also do not agree that Mandarin Chinese has phonemes that are the same in spoken English. For example the word for fish.... match that phonetic structure to English and I would be very surprised, then the word, for "to change or to become" = BYAN again another phonetic structure or "blend" that for the life of me would not match any English phonetic blend. I "picked up" Chinese too, but I certainly do not read Chinese. (and yes I learned Chinese in my adult years)

Sorry if I seem crass, I have a low tolerance for self proclaimed experts. It is great that you "picked up" several languages. Even so, you are not Noam Chompsky or B.F. Skinner.

I've never met any Thai's in Thailand who are fluent in English. Look at all the Thai women who have been married to a farang for 30 years and how bad their level still is. Even most Thai English teachers here have a shocking grasp on the pronounciation.

If you've ever tried to learn Thai yourself you will understand that it's because there is no 100% transliteraion between Thai and English, so while there are many vowel and consonants that sound similar there is no direct way to translate a lot of the sounds between the two languages properly. This is why anyone trying to learn Thai has to learn how to read and write the Thai alphabet first as we have nothing to equate to the 32 Thai vowels and 44 consonants in our own language. I think for an English person learning Thai and vice verser this very difficult as there is very little language transfer between the two. I'm really struggling to learn Thai in the 18 months I've been here and I picked up Russian and Mandarin without putting much effort in.

In Philippines Tagalog is something like 40% Spanish which means they already have an understanding of a Latin based language so it's much easier for Filipinas to learn and speak English fluently. Not only that but it but they seem to truely understand where you are coming from, it doen't feel like you are hanging out with Asian's when you talk to Filipinas, it's like talking to Europeans.

Many will flame me saying that they know 1 Thai who is fluent in English but that is not the norm for every internation company representative/singer/whoever that I have spoken to.

What you stated regarding needing to learn to read etc etc.... is bull corn....

Take some lang. science courses before you spout off dribble. For example, my son can not read English or Thai, but he sure can speak either lang. with ease. I have a friend that can speak Thai fluently, he was raised here, but he can not read Thai or write Thai. He was raised in an English speaking environment, oddly enough, in a Thai family, living in Thailand. (Hi So) His mother was educated in France, and felt her children needed to have strong English skills.

Every one learns differently, you may need to learn to read etc etc, some folks just need a good pair of ears, and a sharp mind. Some folks need flash cards, hearing etc.. what ever floats your boat. But learning is not a "one size fits all" process.

BA Comm. Disorders

MS Audiology

Dr Audiology

Thailand, a place were "wings take dream." (classic Bushism)

140K hits on U-tube, does not reach a "mega-hit" status. I think a gnat passing gas would draw more hits...

i'd try the buffing route, rather than the chemical route.... you really can't control the chemical route as well

For what its worth - I met my girlfriend when I was only wearing a bathing suit on an island. Shes a more down dresser than I am!

All the smokin' hot young ladies in pretty dresses here and I get the one who can wears jeans and a t-shirt to work and only wears shorts and a t at home.

Can't ride her too hard - I like me shorts.

People that don't wear shorts in this heat defend themselves by saying it looks poor. It doesn't have to. They have pasty white legs and that is their defense. To be sure, BKK is the realm of long pants weekdays - but everyone wears shorts on the weekends or near the home. I come from California and everyone dresses casual and in shorts - why in more heat and humidity would I wear long pants? ACK!

Pasty white hairy legs.... makes me want to up chuck

If you need to attract attention, go for it , if you need to dress to avoid hassles and scams, up to you, if you would make these sweeping generalizations about clothing......glad I am not in your world. A lower life form? Very happy to not know you.

Rofl they arent MY generalisations. You dont want to believe that the entire country makes these generalisations? Fine, up to you to be blind. But you ARE in my world, you just dont know it.

As for me, I'd rather be mistaken for a tourist, or even (gasp) a sex tourist than and English teacher. So I dress down when I can.....

I always assumed you flipflop wearing guys were english teachers.

Well this flip flop wearing ex-pat is referred to as "Doc" or Doctor.... but ya' see, I don't need a tie to "up myself" and I really don't even care to be called "doctor." My x likes to call me that because she knows it anoys me.

yea really 6 months, for what prize....

If you need to attract attention, go for it , if you need to dress to avoid hassles and scams, up to you, if you would make these sweeping generalizations about clothing......glad I am not in your world. A lower life form? Very happy to not know you.

Rofl they arent MY generalisations. You dont want to believe that the entire country makes these generalisations? Fine, up to you to be blind. But you ARE in my world, you just dont know it.

As for me, I'd rather be mistaken for a tourist, or even (gasp) a sex tourist than and English teacher. So I dress down when I can.....

mark45y

I sat down on a stool and looked up at the stage. A dancer reached down and grabbed me by the neck and planted a minute long French kiss on my mouth.

SO....you allowed a naked prostitute to French kiss you in public for a minute....how special.

I'm not very shy.

If she is naked and dang good looking, thoughts about occupation etc.... seem to be rather distant, in fact critical thinking skills seem to dwindle rapidly

"majority of straight girls"

So if I see a girl holding a guys hand.... that means she "swings both ways?"

Thanks

Correction:

My legal group is called GAM Legal Alliance

You best consult with a lawyer. I am using a co by the name of GAM international. To be honest, I went to about 3-4 different lawyer companies and none of them were eager to work with me.

You will need to come to Thailand.

Any how, u r correct, it does sound like u can file for divorce based on the fact u have not seen her for a year. If it has to go to court, it will take a lot of time... that said, I think once u hit "pre-trial" phase, and she does not show up the pre-trial, I think "they" will just call it quits from that point and grant the divorce. (purely an opinion on that)

If u wanted a "simple" divorce at the amphur, she would have to go to the amphur and sign a divorce agreement. Kind of difficult for her to do, if u don't know where she is...

I wish u the best... and I apologize if I was incorrect in any of the info I gave u. Your situation is different from mine

"Do u work for the CIA" Nahh.... the US does waste a lot of money, but at this point in time has yet to go that far

I have not met a Thai girl with an aversion to "French Kissing." All though my "sample pool" is probably more limited than most....

Whith out regret, I can not comment about Thai men

Thanks for the reply, but I see I should have provided more detail (based on the answer you gave me)...my fault...sorry.

While I'm an American citizen, I live/work in Afghansitan (private contractor for the U.S. government). While I'll retire in Thailand in approximately 7 years, I am thinking of gettting married prior to living there full time.

I make over $100k per year, but the first $94,500 (or about that) is tax free under Foreign Earned Income. Since I am not earning the money in Thailand (nor living there), I'm not paying Thai taxes.

I realize a village marrage is not law binding, but it would be (in Thailand) if we register it with the proper agency. Where we to do that, can I claim my wife as a dependant when I file my U.S. taxes? If so, I believe it would be worth it because although a large portion of what I make is tax free, I am taxed in a higher tax bracket on the rest of the money I earn.

I suppose I could contact a CPA to look into it, but thought it would be easier to ask here on the forum (in case someone has already experienced this or someone else is wondering the same thing).

Thanks!

If you register the marriage, it is then a legal marriage in thialand, and I imagine if you submit the marriage license to the embassies u would then be married in the US as well.

Now, tax issues.... again, consult with a CPA, but I do know this, she does not have a green card, SHE is not subject to US tax and does not even need to report it, and u do not even have to report her income.... (again consult with a cpa on this)

Secondly, my advice is to keep the bulk of your money out of Thailand. This will protect you from a future divorce issue. It saved me @ss some, but she still got 170K equity in property.... long storry.

That said, don't buy property, keep your money out of Thailand, and u should be preety safe....

and NO my wife was not a bar girl. I met her in the states while she was working on her MA degree. Swindlers come from all walks of life.

Wish I had your job!

If you make over 90K USD this may be a concern. But if u do not, then it does not matter, because you would be paying thai tax. All u do is show the US govt what u have paid in taxes in Thailand, and frome that point u are pretty much done.

Trying to claim deductions when u dont owe anything would seem wierd to me.

Secondly, u should consult with a CPA.... but my gut says a village marriage doesnt amount to anything in the eyes of the US, and the reality is, in thailand it doesnt mean anything legally either

in my case, a never ending bank account, and a different address from where the wife lives with her mother. That was the Thai bride immage of a good marriage for her, my view is different from hers, so moving on with the divorce. Al though, life woud have been better with out the mother in law.

Yea, but a comp designed for the "mentally challenged" is far more expensive

God made you buy that house Dakhar?

not that i am aware of, why?