bgrassboy

It would be on the brothers dime for travel IF he were to ever go, but accommodation would be provided!

The situation is more about his lack of awareness when dealing with non-Thais and any drive to try and understand another culture. When wife and I had the conversation we talked about each time he has gone to another country how he has said he didn't like it and Thailand is so much better. That I think was the deciding point at which she started to look at him from a different vantage point. The wife is very adventurous and is always on the up for a new experience. She even likes Indian and Lebanese food since going to the Middle East. This is a great contrast to the younger brother, who has shown none of her traits.

Our ability to talk about our problems in life and work together is what keeps us together,

If you enter a room where everyone is blinking, learn to blink too!

When in Rome.....

I too crave the volunteer experience, but alas it is not readily available in Thailand, nor legal. I have done 10 day stints in Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. They are grateful for your help and skills.

For about a decade we (myself, brother, and our parents) made annual month long trips, as our Christmas gift to each other, to new places around the world due to neither myself or brother married with offspring and mom and dad both retired. We had done all of Central America and parts of Mexico, Spain, UK, Jordan, UAE, Oman, before the grand adventure to SE Asia.

I flew with the parents to Thailand a week earlier than my brother as he only had 3 weeks that year. Prior to going my brother had asked how we were going to deal with all the prostitution and drugs (as we had bought into the hype). Well when my brother finally met up with us his comment to me the next day was "I don't know what you've been doing this last week with mom and dad but they are loving Thailand." We went on to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam on subsequent trips always doing half the time in Thailand. When I moved to Thailand the whole family was supportive and have been over for visits. Only complaints I've ever heard are about the heat. (They came during Songkran first year I lived here).

I too share some of the complaints others have with living here, but as to being a pretty decent place for a vacation, Thailand is for sure a must see in ones life. When I return to the states many of my friends and family members are envious of the life I am leading. I try to be minimal in my criticisms of Thailand for I know everyone has complaints about where they live.

Friends and family have heard the stereotypical things about Thailand. I always throw it back to them, that all their fears or negative associations about Thailand, exist in the US too.

She found me ? At first I disregarded her, but she was persistent and that was about 6 years ago. Our 4 years difference in age makes us more compatible in our life goals and plans I think.

Krabi is awesome! Always recommend it and everyone in my family has enjoyed the province.

Craigslist thailand is a good place to buy/trade/sell things!

The user name is short for bluegrass boy. What I wished I could have been, had I been older, and could have played with Bill Monroe.

The avatar is a nod to my Italian heritage due to my last name.

The wife is a creature of habit. First time I took her to the states, she ate pork green chile I'd made to smother burritos. She then requested green chile with rice for breakfast the next day and the day after that.... Not really a bastardization of the chile, but my folks got a kick out of it, that, and her habit of putting ketchup on pizza and Tabasco sauce on EVERYTHING. Now when we return stateside first thing on her wish list is for me to always make a big batch of pork green chile. ?

Had a guard for about a year working the day shift at our condo, who although wasn't drunk on the job, did annoy me quite often with his daily questions. Why are you home so early today? What's in your bag? Where are you going? You like som tam? Etcetera....

I learned to smile and give short answers that were always the same. Finished work! Beer! The market! No!

I realize he was just curious as to the life of a westerner and my Thai at that time wasn't very good. (Still isn't LOL) If I said too much he would hit me with a barrage of Thai that I just couldn't understand. Now he is gone and I kinda miss him as the other two security guards along with his replacement never say anything, just sit in their booth smoking.

??? I feel very proud I didn't use a translator. Been leaning Thai through an intensive method since the beginning of the year and I could actually make out the gist of it! A proud moment for me ????

you doing really well

in thai there are many words that are used to link words and sentances together and also to complete sentances, when the word ไป is used this way in sentances it does not hold on to its true translation as "go" it does not really translate into english in anyway.

the word ไป means to go but when you use it in sentances like "ไม่รู้จะตอบไปทำไม" i dont know why i should answer

or จะทำแบบนี้ต่อไป i will do it this way from now on

or คุณจะรู้ไปทำไม why do you want to know?

Yeah I understand and have learned about how ไป is used that is why I typed it in Thai as it has many nuances as you mentioned such as an "indictor" to carry forward or continue in relation to non animate and animate things.

I like the other idea too "why have I been driven to this" that seems like a much more typical Thai response than the challenging "why should I respond" the former being more rhetorical in feeling and passive in nature. Thanks again ?

??? I feel very proud I didn't use a translator. Been leaning Thai through an intensive method since the beginning of the year and I could actually make out the gist of it! A proud moment for me ????

คนที่เขามีความรู้เขาไม่พูดกับผู้หญิงแบบนี้หรอกค่ะไม่รู้ว่าจะตอบไปทำไม

I believe she said " there are people that know you don't speak to girls like this. I don't know why you answer like that"

Sorry if I got it wrong ?

close enough, it actually sais "people who know, dont talk to women like that, i dont know why i should respond"

basically they are saying, a man should no better than to talk to a lady like that and because i spoke to "her" that way, she doenst see why she should respond

but i dont believe this person is a thai lady, read their previous posts, you can just tell.

OK thanks! Just learned that turn of phrase ไม่รู้ว่าจะตอบไปทำไม "I don't know why I should respond" makes sense now. I was confused by the answer ไป why part. ?

คนที่เขามีความรู้เขาไม่พูดกับผู้หญิงแบบนี้หรอกค่ะไม่รู้ว่าจะตอบไปทำไม

I believe she said " there are people that know you don't speak to girls like this. I don't know why you answer like that"

Sorry if I got it wrong ?

OK I'll weigh in on this one. I've been with the woman for more than five years. We've known each other for more than six. I have never supported her (by giving her a monthly allowance) but would be willing to if the circumstances necessitated. She has a good job of 21+ years and can take care of her self. Believe it or not, she actually turns over her pay check to me as we decided TOGETHER one pot of money for the both of us was the best long term plan. We both have part time jobs outside of our main salarys that we both see as our mad money, and to do with as we please. Now it took a lot of talking and conversation in the beginning of our relationship in regards to how to best deal with money both separately and jointly. I started out by showing her "coffee can" saving for various future needs, both fixed and variable, as she had never learned these things before and had lived in the " typical" Thai way of being in the moment. We were able to make a joint plan that was in BOTH our interests. During the first couple of years, we were able to pay off debt on land she had bought prior to meeting me, with her OWN money. It took a restructuring of her savings and investment strategy vs debt obligation to render this possible. As she often has said, conservatism isn't sexy, and it's slow. However, in the past two years she has started to see the true rewards of financial disipline and understand concepts of compound interest and reinvestment of dividends as our joint portfolio is increasing to a modest level that gives us assurance we will one day be able to retire in a lifestyle that is without worry. Mind you, WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT BEING RICH, just being able to go on together as a team to a ripe old age. My lady is my love and best friend. It's not always a bed of roses, but having talked upfront about money and our goals in life I believe has saved us (or at least me 555) a lot of aggravation.

In closing, would you give your wife an allowance in the country you come from??

I won that contest once! Fella on the right of me standing on a bridge takes a piss and it took 30 seconds. Guy on the right of me pisses for 45 seconds. When I finished I told them both the water was damn cold!

Good luck!

A man without his axe is a someone to be pitied.

Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Wow! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao! Gao Lao!

Is it time for breakfast already??? ?

I have found that being able to speak a language as the mother language does not necessarily correlate to being able to teach it. Rather, it is the exception, without proper training more often than not that a "long haired" dictionary, as it pertains to the Thai language, that can facilitate learning to an adequate level. Meaning, being able to explain why, or transcend to the learner the language adequately through examples so as to impart real understanding of the nuances of a language. IMHO this is for ALL languages!

To answer the OP question, I would recommend Piammitr Language School or any other former Union based school for excellent instruction. There is a good deal of commitment that one must make to the learning of ANY language, but it can be done, and facilitated in a more rapid manner with quality instruction.

Almost all schools will cater to the customer if willing to pay for a customized program. Please do due diligence prior to enrolling in any school or program to ensure it will suit your needs.

Best wishes

I brought a guitar and a mandolin both in Calton cases to Thailand from the states and nobody said anything. I have another friend here in BKK with several guitars that he brought them over from Japan when he moved here and didn't have any problems. I suspect if they were to stop you and ask questions, you could take one out of the case and play it to show you have a reason for bringing guitars into Thailand. But I really don't think you should have a problem since they are for personal use.

The locals call the bird nok Gao Wow. On Sundays I tell the wife the bird is telling us what to eat for breakfast, Gao Lao. เกาเหาว

Sounds similar to the sound this bird makes and the wife enjoys the play on words. Better than letting it get under our skin.

OH NO ?the bird has just started up it's singing ??

These are some clever birds. They lay one of their eggs in a nest of a crow and then let the crow raise it for a while before it begins to change how it looks. A truly parasitic bird. I too wish to know about remedies to get rid of the three that inhabit trees around my condo. There is a room on the 7th floor corner of the condo building that always seems to be for rent. Nobody seems to stay very long as the height of the tree canopy is right at the balcony's level. I've had two different friends live in the room as it is a cheap rate and great location, but both left due to the crazy birds. Now I won't recommend the place anymore.

The first fellow who lived there tried to make sport out of it using his leftover water cannon from Songkran to try and chase it away then went on to bottle rockets to try and scare it. After those two failed, he bought an air horn to try and out do it, all this to no avail as well. Two of the security guards shot one one day with a BB gun but another soon moved in. Finally the friend left, thank goodness he didn't hold it against me. My other friend was forewarned before moving in and at first was content but then the dang bird started it's song about 2:30 in the morning until about 5. It drove him off as well. I wish I could offer an effective means to do away with this noisy bird but alas I can only comeserate in your agony. Hopefully someone else with have a good remedy.

I think second only to "no have" would have to be "up to you" especially when it really isn't.

LOL that's the same stuff we were talking about in the days when George W. Bush was president. Guess this could be applied to more than one country like Thailand as well.