Gsxrnz

JT - I can't help wondering what your day consists of and how you've managed to seemingly let the so-called Russian invasion affect you. On a personal note, I find the Russians to be quite diverse in their looks, attitudes, and demeanour. I wonder what you think about the Scandinavians?

Back to my point - what do you do all day? Do you have a varied and diverse group of friends? Do you make it a mission to meet and talk to somebody new every day? Do you play a sport or belong to a social group? Do you have a watering hole where when you walk in, "everybody knows your name"? Do you go to your mate/s place and play cards, have a beer, whinge about the Russians, play chess or poker?

If Jomtien is depressing you as much as you claim then I assure you that it's doubtful a relocation to Pattaya will solve your problems. maybe you need to look a little more internally for the root cause of the issue.

Because quite frankly, I was on Jomtien beach yesterday afternoon and early evening with my wife, and I didn't see or feel what you did. I had a bloody good time just doing next to nothing and watching the sun go down.

Sat on the chairs amongst dozens of Thai families enjoying their New Years festival, yeah there were lots of Russians and other nationalities too.

Watched the kids swimming, read a few pages of a novel, watched the world go by with a Singha in my hand. Ordered food that took a lifetime to come but hey.....like I had somewhere else to be? The food was fairly average but I'm not a foodie as such - if my wife has som-tum she's happy anyway.

We strolled along the road and looked at people - most seemed to be having a reasonable time. I didn't see anybody with a gun to their head. Perhaps the worst thing about it was the stench from the accumulated garbage in several spots.

Then went to a bar for a few drinks and shoot some pool with friends - arranged a game of poker for tonight and golf on Friday.

Today I'm at home doing a bit of catchup work but still had time to get into Patts for breakfast at Len Kee with the missus, go to my favourite golf shop and buy a new cap and pair of gloves ( as well as ogle the new Taylormade driver, but the good devil on my right shoulder overcame the bad devil on the other shoulder), and I didn't buy it.....maybe next week. Learned a few bits of Thai from her and taught her a few bits of complex English grammar, picked up the daughter from school, and I would have washed the truck but the tank is near dry due to the crap water supply.

So JT. Get your own form of transport, bike, scooter, 3-wheeler, mobility scooter, pushbike, whatever. FILL your life with things to do, places to go, people to see, laughs to have, fun to have, lots of smiles.....get the picture.

Hey, why don't you learn Russian and then you'll have a whole new continent of people you can talk to.

And during the same time frame the politicians, heads of government departments and related underlings probably defrauded the Thai people of ten times that value.

It would have been 20 times that value but half their offices were shut down.

Mine resolved to actually get out and drive. She's got her 5 year car license (cornflakes version) but couldn't drive a nail into a piece of wood.

Five minutes ago she took off in the truck to "practice" with the parting words "see you in one hour darling". I refuse to go with her as the last 15 minute stint aged me by 5 years and I used to be blond, but now a sort of executive grey.

If you intend travelling in the Boonkanjana/Jomtien 2nd Road/Chayapruik/Sukhumvit block in the next hour, be careful out there.

I will post future warnings as necessary - don't say I didn't warn everybody!

"We need to give our elected representatives an incentive to favour the public interest over their own"

That statement sums it up really.

In Thai politics (and some would say in Thai society as a whole), there is no accountability whatsoever. Blatant thieving from the public purse is not only sanctioned, it's actively encouraged - primarily because everybody is feeding from the trough and here is literally nobody who wants any form of clean up.

Politicians and public servants are given carte blanche to line their pockets. After all, that's why they seek a position of power - and writing a new Charter, a new Constitution, new laws, blah blah blah will do absolutely nothing to stop it continuing. The only ones that have the power and authority to stop it all happening are the ones that are lining their pockets. The chances of this happening are about as high as me winning the PGA Tour.

I've said it many times on TVisa, the man or woman that will eventually lead Thailand out of the political mire has not yet been born. Thailand will have to suffer through a further generation (or two) before any real progress can be made.

I would never harm women like that, because they are the gender of my mother".

Not so sure about that.

What - are you doubting his mother was a female or that he would hit a woman?

I know an old bloke (72 in body, 22 in heart and spirit) that recently decked a young bloke of about 30 for giving him some unwarranted lip. We had to drag him off to stop him booting the boot in with his winkle-pickers.

Would the OP like to buy him a beer and hear his views on life, the universe, and everything?

Neeranam - you have to accept that we English speakers enjoy the luxury of having the international language. We find it normal for foreigners of all races to speak English. You and I would not be in the least surprised to hear an Eskimo (I know that's now a politically incorrect term now, but I'm old school), speak English.

But I'd suggest to you that we would both be a little surprised to hear an Eskimo speak Thai. A Thai would be no more shocked at hearing an Eskimo speak Thai as hearing you speak Thai. Probably less so, because an Eskimo does look slightly Asian.

Note: Absolutely no racial slurs are implied in the above.

Yes, I agree with your observations. I do understand WHY this happens. The main question is what do we do when it happens. Smile and say nothing?

Smile and talk to them so they actually "get" that you know more than the standard 10 phrases that most Europeans know. Tell them your name is Kuhn John. If you hear yourself being referred to in the 3rd person farang, politely remind them of your title and name. Obviously accept the Pi, Loong, or whatever. Be careful that you understand how they use farang - I don't find it offensive in itself, unless I'm referred to as farang when my name or title should be used instead. If they said something like "more farang are visiting Thailand these days", no problem.

Play some games - if they ask your wife to ask you something, answer in English and let her translate. Then, in Thai, ask your wife three questions about the guest, and watch them cringe. The clever ones catch on and talk to you directly. The stupid ones answer your wife....funny as a fight!!

Neeranam - you have to accept that we English speakers enjoy the luxury of having the international language. We find it normal for foreigners of all races to speak English. You and I would not be in the least surprised to hear an Eskimo (I know that's now a politically incorrect term now, but I'm old school), speak English.

But I'd suggest to you that we would both be a little surprised to hear an Eskimo speak Thai. A Thai would be no more shocked at hearing an Eskimo speak Thai as hearing you speak Thai. Probably less so, because an Eskimo does look slightly Asian.

And compare the reaction that the French give to the English if an Englishman speaks French? I think we as native English speakers have a very unique conception of others speaking our language and find it difficult to comprehend surprise in other nationalities when their (obscure/unique/single country) language is spoken by a European.

Note: Absolutely no racial slurs are implied in the above.

Thai is a language only spoken in one country (Laos being a minor exception). Thailand has had minimal exposure to foreign languages outside the tourist areas. Thais never see foreigners on TV speaking Thai. They never see programmes, news articles, or sports events from foreign sources spoken or narrated in Thai by foreigners.

There are very few (if any) 2nd generation foreigners in Thailand that were born here and speak Thai as a first language (and I don't mean Leuk Kruengs). I say this to compare to most western countries that have dozens of nationalities that are 2nd or 10th generation and English is their first language.

Thailand is therefore a very non-cosmopolitan (read: essentially closed to the West until the Vietnam war) type country and its people are naïve in the ways of the outside world with regard to interracial communications and customs.

I believe that the vast majority of Thais (the educated class excepted) would find it relatively inconceivable that a foreigner would therefore want to learn Thai, or even be capable of learning Thai.

Back home in NZ I find nothing unusual in seeing Chinese, Africans, Dutch, Thais speaking pure Kiwi English - they're Kiwis after all, and were born in New Zealand. But how many children are born and live in Thailand that are pure Dutch, African, New Zealand (or whatever race) descent? I suspect my right hand would have sufficient fingers to count them.

Now.....if I was being served by a Thai in Central Festival or the local Thai market, and he/she addressed me in 100% pure unadulterated Kiwi English, complete with slang and inflection, well, it would blow my socks off.

EG, If they said "Sorry sport, yus'll have to hang around here for a few secs till the boss shows up 'cos the sodding computers thrown a wobbly and I can't open the till. Anyway, see them Aussies get creamed at the Cakebox last night....?"

So in the case of the OP, it's probably largely understandable that his neighbours (who presumably are unworldly to a large extent) get a shock/surprise when a white foreigner speaks Thai. To them, it's almost like an African meeting Livingstone in the jungle and Livingstone spoke perfect Swahili or whatever - the African would be as shocked as hell.

I've come across it and my Thai is very limited. I'm guilty of telling some of them (the ones that are a little rude with it, not just surprised) that Thai is now being taught in all the European schools and in 10 years Thailand will be flooded with Europeans that speak Thai.......and they believe me, bless them.

I tend to think we like things we are good at, responding to the benefits we receive from our positive experiences. I have always been good at doing Thailand, even during some of the early phases.

Now it is almost like I have come out the other end of a long tunnel, obviously changed by the experience, but no longer engulfed by or constantly aware of its presence. I am standing in a field, looking up at the sky, free and unencumbered by the expectations of others or the need to coerce others into doing things my way.

Thailand is merely the canvas upon which I place the colors of my choosing, and I choose a bright and colorful pallet, not a dark and dingy one.

An excellent piece of prose VF.

I'm nowhere near as eloquent as you. I just sum it up by saying to all those who declare the glass of life is half empty, "who cares, plenty of room to add more Jack Daniel's".