dao16

It's ok to walk around the streets bare chested in Europe, really??? Maybe in your mind

Sounds like you need to get out more. Lots of places in the Americas, from North to South, plenty of places in Europe, Africa. Asians tend to like to cover up men's chests. They have a thing about it. Sorry. Not going to list countries for you. Do some travelling or google it.

My first line was a question not a statement.

So answer the question... where in the world is it acceptable to walk around with no shirt on? (other than on a beach)

You know that Europe is not a country, right? I said "plenty of places in Europe." Doesn't necessarily mean the country you are from where people get their panties in a wad when someone goes shirtless. Again....take a look around the world. It can be an interesting place, especially for those of us who don't spend all of our time concerned with other men's torsos.

Ok you carry on doing it if you think it's acceptable. In fact, I think you and khh should get together and walk down the promenade with your shirts off. Sounds like you'd make a lovely couple

Derp. Now you are really speaking nonsense. No, I don't do the shirtless thing, especially not in Thailand. That doesn't mean that it is unacceptable all around the world, as you are implying.

Off now....enjoy spewing your gar-bage.

It's ok to walk around the streets bare chested in Europe, really??? Maybe in your mind

Sounds like you need to get out more. Lots of places in the Americas, from North to South, plenty of places in Europe, Africa. Asians tend to like to cover up men's chests. They have a thing about it. Sorry. Not going to list countries for you. Do some travelling or google it.

My first line was a question not a statement.

So answer the question... where in the world is it acceptable to walk around with no shirt on? (other than on a beach)

You know that Europe is not a country, right? I said "plenty of places in Europe." Doesn't necessarily mean the country you are from where people get their panties in a wad when someone goes shirtless. Again....take a look around the world. It can be an interesting place, especially for those of us who don't spend all of our time concerned with other men's torsos.

where in the world is it acceptable to walk around with no shirt on? (other than on a beach)

if you are going to visit Thailand at least have the decency to respect their culture

it is most certainly culturally UNACCEPTABLE to walk around here with no shirt on

incidentally, I only disrobe on the beach, I am 46 wear factor 30 sun cream, and have just been diagnosed with skin cancer!

THINK ABOUT IT

in the whole world? seriously?

first of all in any country that's less inhibited about the male body (and/or the female body...)

and in western countries even cold ones in the summer, of course you might find bylaws saying shirts required in this or that place but outdoors if people are uninhibited and feel hot, they take their shirts off. why not?

urban thailand is similar to developed countries in many ways and it's going to keep changing. the overall worldwide trend is towards less inhibition about the human body (and sexuality, which is what covering the body is mostly about when it's not about protecting the body from the elements). you can fight modernization -- which in this case is actually a return to tradition -- and you can try to deny human biology but it's a losing battle...

of course if male toplessness really bothers you that much you can always move to a country where it's illegal

My first line was a question not a statement.

So answer the question... where in the world is it acceptable to walk around with no shirt on? (other than on a beach)

Sounds like you need to get out more. Lots of places in the Americas, from North to South, plenty of places in Europe, Africa. Asians tend to like to cover up men's chests. They have a thing about it. Sorry. Not going to list countries for you. Do some travelling or google it.

"And they get away with it, time after time, without getting killed or maimed. I know there are lots of accidents here, but I've never actually seen one."

hahah....until they actually do get maimed and killed. You haven't seen it, but many of us have. I don't mean like wrecked cars. I am talking about bodies.

Good luck with your psychic stuff.

No, not illegal.

Ok when=@beach/@pool/in countryside because you are a rice farmer who just finished work and wants to cool down (sure it would be fine for a foreigner, too, although, naturally, you would get a lot of attention, something I like to minimize).

Not ok in Thai eyes=all other times.

Of course, they aren't going to say anything directly--smiling here can mean many things. Remember that.

ํYou say "building" bikes....or do you mean customizing? I don't think it would be a big deal to customize a bike at home, drive it for a while and then sell it with the papers and all. I know lots of people who do that.

However, from what I understand, it is illegal to "build" a bike due to taxes. Dunno. This is what I was told when my BIL was building one in his garage.

OTOH, Thai universities do like to build a lot of buildings. It's just that there is nothing in them. Potemkin Universities, you might call them.

Yeah, that seems to be true. All of the universities I have visited here have had massive campuses but not the bustling student life you would associate with them. At the one I work at now, I am often the only person teaching on an entire floor. Contrast that with where I went to school. I would say the buildings were at 70-90% capacity.

I agree that there is a lot more open cheating here (among women, too), but the size thing is ridiculous. Just not backed up by anything at all. Dumb.

Haha, in the new neighborhood we live in, the garbage men sometimes decide to skip a day, which is kind of bad since they only come 3 times a week. Fun, fun, trash on the street for everyone. Then they still come to collect their monthly fee. Woopee!

Yeah, it is NOT illegal, but they don't like it and have the right to stop you as it is private property. Card counting isn't easy, though.

As he says in the movie: "My boy's wicked smaaat."

Honestly, women would freak out about it in the US in most places (there are some exceptions). After living in places in Europe and Latin America for several years, I remember going back to the states and greeting a woman I knew fro way back and out of reflex I made the cheek kissing motion I would greet my Southern European friends (ladies) with. Let's just say it was taken as a "move" on her and NOT as a greeting.

Here, it is even less common. Recently, a friend of mine had a similar situation and the Thais just thought it was crazy. I explained to my wife and she duly explained to the other Thais. She has been abroad quite a lot, but never to places where cheek kissing is common, but once I told her she got it.

Anyway....it's prudish here on all accounts.

I would say...if you have 6k USD, get the cheapest flight you can and get over here. Yeah, the term starts soon, but there is work all the time...now is just the most concentrated time as they are freaking out (got to love the planning! Happens every year/term). Done correctly, your remaining 5 k or so should last you 4-5 months (if you can't live on that, you won't be happy with salaries here for teachers).

As a side note, since you have a degree in special education, you might have some interesting opportunities in that field in larger cities. Those positions would probably pay better, as well (think international or specialized schools). Anyway, just a thought.

If you had a stable job in the states I might have different advice. But since you are there festering, you might as well get over here. Unless you are a nutcase, people will have jobs (not necessarily hitting the jackpot in terms of money, but hey) for you. I regularly reject jobs from the most random people all the time and so do friends I know. It just takes the local connections a while to pick you up on their radar.

Anyway....no fear. PM me if you have some more detailed questions, but I don't think there is more to think about in this situation.

At the university, we are starting up again in the autumn. It seems like all universities are making the change this year. My daughter (high school) starts school on the 12th, I think it is. Apparently, they are making the change next year.

I know my stepdaughter doesn't even want to go to school when she is late (almost never). There does seem to be a significant amount of pressure around being there for the ---- ceremony. But, as others have noted, the brainwashing lasts all day. It is just something you have to battle all the time as things pop up. And not by just saying stuff...use the Internet and all its resources to actually show your kids how things are. Not that Thailand is bad, but that the world is a big place with lots of things in it that the school is not presenting.

The Wild Wild West ! Still no gun laws ?

Nope.

I am from there. People are into their guns.

I'm lovin' this thread. Normally, a thread like this is like a red cape to a bull and the anti-Islam crowd would be out in droves, but there's less than usual of that here. I suspect it's because the "get-off-my-lawn" crowd are conflicted between their anti German feelings and their anti-Muslim feelings and may be having a deer in the headlights moment and are confused about what to post.

T

haha, could be. But I think there are also a lot of smart people on TV who have experience in Muslim countries (or just a well-functioning brain) who actually do understand that you shouldn't go on holiday to a country to fight its fundamental values and practices. You go there, check it out, form an opinion and learn. I do agree that this thread could have turned in a very different direction, though.

I know a few Thais who pay it yearly (yes, for entire 2-floor houses, complete with room for a business on the ground floor). Personally, I wouldn't do it because I don't trust landlords to do anything once they have been paid. Good to have them reliant on me for money when I need something done (rare, but you never know).

I always found the prayer calls interesting and a fun part of my stay in Muslim countries. I don't mind the chant-style announcements and also found it interesting to watch what people did--who went, what percentage, where. All those factors and more change depending on the country. I didn't mind the morning one because I would wake up at 5AM or whatever and have a warm feeling as I knew I could sleep another few hours.

Sounds like this couple should just discover the wonders of Germany for all of their subsequent holidays.

I wonder if any of them got tired around the 4th final battle or the 5th. Maybe they will get their second wind after a few more final battles. Guess it depends on how long the deadline for each final battle is....or something.

 

tekNique, I advised you to run.

 

I now see that your OP was your first, and that rings bells for me, and those bells are ringing out 'troll', but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and post again.

 

You've been advised by people with a LOT more experience that I have, that you're being played, the husband may not exist, her gf's arein on the scam, divorce is cheap, that if her friends are visiting her, they could alert authorities if she's being 'held', so take the advice, and dump this woman.  How much opinion and evidence do you need from guys who've been through the mill??

 

If you go further, you won't get the benefit of any doubt from me, and I'll know you're a troll.

 

 

 

  I appreciate your post but the fact that you and many others have suggested im trolling re affirms my belief that there are way to many cynics on the internet.   Some people are true natured this was my first post as I googled thai divorce and this forum came up heaps.             

 

 Breaking news she just skyped me right now from work but it is hard as her mom is around.  So im trying to get an explanation

 

Well, ok...time to unfollow this thread as the OP is balls over heels with this girl in a bad way. Don't be angry if people say "I told you so" later on, because, well, we told you so. 

     Before I depart, though, let's do a little thought experiment. Let's say you met a lovely Aussie woman in the same situation. Just as pretty (they do exist), just as nice, blah blah.....then she asks you for 5 times her monthly salary (let's give this woman and her husband a nice 15,000 baht a month salary, which is not bad here for gov't workers, etc.). 

       Would you still have your saviour mode on then? Come on. Bye bye and good luck.

Assuming this is true....scam scam scam scam scam...run away, change your emails, phone numbers and just leave Thailand alone for a few years. I know it is harsh, but this can lead to no good at all.

     EDIT/NOTE--I have been married to a Thai woman for the better part of a decade and so have many friends of mine, so I am not just saying this as a knee-jerk reaction. Plenty of wonderful women and situations to involve yourself in here, but this is not one of them. I don't want to speculate or anything, but let's just say I have seen some twisted stuff here (among other very great stuff) and this story smells of the twisted variety.

Honestly, in a lot of ways, it isn't much different from how most people the world over. If you are from somewhere isolated (usual rural, but maybe not) you will mostly think of your own group for mates. If your area has different types of people around, it may not matter so much. I know guys in other countries who just think of Asian women (just as an example...could be Latin American or African or whatever) as exotic and just not really anything that is a real possibility in their lives. I know other guys who live in major cities who marry Asian women and nobody bats an eye. And the Asian family doesn't mind as they are also deeply involved in the society.

Here, most people grow up and their social reality is almost 100% Thai and foreigners are seen as something strange and even a little (or a lot) scary. They grow up and go to school with Thais and live among Thais and enter the workforce with Thais. It just won't occur to those people that marrying a foreigner is even a thing, except for stories they hear or things they see on television.

Other people here might go to international school, have parents with international jobs (or jobs with internationals) or end up living in areas where foreigners live and then get to know about them and come to see it as a possibility. This goes for bar girls but also for other people working more "regular" jobs.

It's all about a person's experiences and thoughts about their experiences.

The best way is to meet some travelers who are on their way back to the UK to spend those pounds. You can both check the rates on xe or whatever site and actually trade at market rate--better for everyone in the end. Usually, in countries that don't use a particular currency only want PERFECT bills even though back in your home country people would accept them without batting an eye.

Go get your eyes checked at a good hospital. My father had (still has) a bacteria in his eyes that comes from chickens. According to the doctors, many people have it, especially if they have grown up or lived near poultry, as mine had. For most people, nothing happens. But in like 5% or less of the population, it causes eye problems,, including double vision. I probably have it, but it isn't affecting me (yet??).

Anyway, not saying that is what is happening to you, but it is worth finding out, as you never know what kind of random thing could be causing this. In my father's case, the doctors were able to take measures to slow it down and he can still drive, etc.

I think it's pretty common for the ones who go abroad not to want to come back, although some definitely rush back home ASAP. Most of the time, though, it is Thais I know abroad who ask me why the heck I would want to live in Thailand. Sure, they make more money abroad, but it is other things that they like as well. Food--they can get everything, including genuine Thai food. Entertainment--concerts, movies, shows, etc., are all new and frequent and silly things like amusement parks are like nothing they have in Thailand. So much more, too.

I really do find it is the little things like that which keep them abroad. And, to top it off, they have extra money to invest with/send home and if they visit here, they have enough $ to do what they want. Win-win for them.