sunspun

i too have noticed this a lot. at one time i started trying to do the same (you know - do as the locals do) and re-interrupt. everytime i was looked at by both people like i was incredibly rude.

my husband, too, says he thinks it's impolite when people do that when we are having a conversation, yet he never stops them, and often forgets that we were talking and just walks away when he is done.

if someone out there does know why..please share your wisdom!

what you wear will depend on where you are and how comfortable you are with attention. at the beach i wear short shorts and tube tops. i'd never be caught dead in that in the village! in the city it's somewhere in between. being that this is hua hin, i'd say they are more used to farang/bargirls showing skin, but do remember that it's thailand and they are generally more conservative. but boo is right. once you are there you'll see what is the norm, and can decide what you are comfortable with.

to answer your question though...a lot of girls (thai and farang) wear that style with the tights and shorter skirts. it should be perfectly fine (though the tights get hot!)

funny...i'm quite the opposite when it comes to deodorant (anti-perspirant really..)

i can't find a single brand in canada i like!

me and the husband use the same..nivea for men. when we come back home we stock up on as much as we can! usually on a 11 pm rush in bangkok to stock up on everything we forgot just before the flight. the 7-11 staff must find it hilarious "uh, 2 bottles of sangsom, 4 cartons of l&m, a bag of birdie 3-in-1, and 27 bottles of nivea deodorant please.."

pack that in with the 8 kgs of ma's curry, and a jumble of magic "protection" strings, amulets, kris, necklaces...etc...

yikes! you guys gotta get out of isaan!!

my husband is thai ...if he weren't muslim i'm sure he'd be eating all sorts of creepy crawly's too.

though after slaughtering some baby goats one day, he was munching on some stew. when i asked what it was

he says "mmmm....my favourite...stomach soup!"

hmmmm....I've NEVER had that problem with my husband.

am i the only one with understanding inlaws??

they still ask after 4 years of marriage, but they also understand that in my culture, it's just different. My mom would have freaked if I had a baby right after we got married (at 20)! they aren't too bad about it anymore, but they still ask from time to time. it helps that my oldest sister in law is 35 and not even married yet.

I think the real reason they want one is that we are gonna have one heck of a beauty (i'm half danish, and my husband is gorgeous) and they think it's gonna be a movie star!

now the one putting all the pressure is my hubby!

Relations between men and woman have changed dramatically in the West in recent decades. Some would say that despite some improvements, many young people now have a sense of confusion and ambivalence about the opposite sex that doesn't exist in developing countries where mens' and womens' roles (for better or worse) are more clearly defined in what might be called a traditional sense.

I'd have to say I agree with you. And I'm 24, so I think I am in the know.

I was once in a similar situation. You do have to surrender your passport, but they said it would only take 2-3 weeks (no more) to get the new one sent to you from Canada, and this was right in the middle of the backlog due to the policy change about entering America with a passport rather than only ID. They knew my situation at the Embassy and assured me it was ok. I did a border run (30 days at that time) and sent my passport away the next day. no problem. I am not sure if you go to the embassy in Bangkok if they would let you keep your old passport or not? worth looking into if you want to do it in person.

or perhaps you want to take a vacation in malaysia for a few weeks and do it through the embassy there? there is also a high commission in singapore - would they need to send your passport away or could they make it there (like what you mentioned about shanghai...i didn't know they could do that)?

good luck. I know this situation sucks!

Great! Thanks for that. Now why can't immigration make it that clear?

I've just been using tourist visas since we live close enough to malaysia that border runs can be done in a day, though it is a hassle.

We aren't looking for citizenship any time soon. Moreso for my husband in Canada as it opens more doors for him than a Thai passport would for me (aside from convienience), but it's great to know we can do it.

On that topic, anyone here (in my same situation) applied for PR or citizenship? Is it something worth considering? We don't have set plans to stay in either country, so for now this works for us, but perhaps in the future we may want to settle down somewhere.

Sorry if this is already posted somewhere on here, but my search didn't answer all my questions as most were suited to a farang with a thai wife.

I am Canadian and my husband is Thai. Can you tell me what I need to do and where to apply for this 1- year extension?

When I asked the Thai consulate in Vancouver, they gave me a 1 year multi entry non o and said "that's all you need!" not telling me I'd still have to do visa runs every 3 months, or even mentioning that this extension existed. Then the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok told me I have to do this inside Thailand, and the Thai immigration said I had to leave the country to do it, and a woman I know who does it with her farang husband told me I have to do it in Canada..or maybe I'm mixed up...but it was those 3 stories from those 3 people, perhaps in a different order? ...help?

Do I need to show his income or mine? Do I need to show that he pays income tax in Thailand? Because when I apply for this visa, we will have been living in Canada for over a year. Can we/do we need to use his Canadian income tax? I don't think he ever has paid income tax in Thailand. Do most people?

And what do I need to apply for a work permit along with this? We will be self-employed, and of course I can pretend I'm not working there, but I'd rather be legal about it, if I can.

Does anyone out there teach Visas 101? Cause I'd like to sign up for a class! If anyone wants to know about Canadian Sponsorship, ask away because I am pretty versed in that by now!

One more thing, anyone know if either of us could have duel citizenship in both countries? I'm sure I could google that one, but you guys are so smart, I bet you'll know..

Thanks

I like not getting stared at when I go to the market,

What reason would you get stared at in the market if you didn't wear one?

Because I am blonde, blue eyed and tall. I don't exactly fit in!

"Again, well said! I think it's silly to call culture brainwashing. Every society has certain things that people, sometimes just men and sometimes just women, "just do". In most cases it's the cultural norm, not a terrible mark of oppression."

About 10 years ago, in my city (in Canada), there were 2 women who decided it was unfair that men were allowed to go topless in public and women were not. So, they drove around in a open air jeep with nothing covering their breasts, then went to a public swimming pool where the police arrested them and they were charged for indecent exposure. Please tell me how that is different? It is what your society or culture deems normal. I'm sure a women deep in the jungles of africa who has never worn a shirt to cover her breasts would find it oppressing too!

And on a side note, I have never met a muslim man on the beaches of Southern Thailand who has a problem with women sunbathing topless (police included). If you did that anywhere in Canada on a public beach, you would be arrested.

I can't help but notice some of these posts are made in clear ignorance. Islam is not one religion. There are fundametalists in every corner of the Earth, and even in the more relaxed sects (of every religion) there are the extremists. I converted to Islam when I got married. It has not changed my life much. I wear a scarf when I go home to the village, not because I am forced to or because I fear for my safety, but because it's a part of the culture I've been assimilated into, beacuse I like being covered up and I feel naked when everyone else is and I am not, because my mother-in-law gets a big smile on her face when she see's me, and (I'm not going to lie) because my husband thinks its hot!

There is so much stigma about Islam, especially women in Islam, that perhaps we in the west are "brainwashed from birth".

I don't know what it is like in the Middle East, I have never been there. But with my experience in Thailand and my home country - women run the show. There is no oppression in my house, or my in-laws (except maybe the father-in-law getting told what to do by mom and the sisters!)

I like the scarf. I like not doing my hair in the morning, I like not getting stared at when I go to the market, I like matching my scarf to my shoes and sarong. Really, I like the scarf for all the same reasons I like wearing a shirt when i go out in public!

I'm seeing all my thoughts written out in front of me! I've just stumbled upon this forum and am so happy to see it!

In reply to to first post - my husband has come home to Canada with me, and we have been here 7 months. I know the guilt you are talking about. When we were leaving at the airport and his whole (immediate) family came (and I mean everyone) and his mom started crying, and the sisters, and I even saw tears in Pa's eyes..I just wanted to turn around and run back to the village - forgetting my own fathers tears when I left Canada without a return date. (and I know what you mean about the birds...we have 2 - Ong and Bin - and he loves them so much.) I've been there 4 years, lived on the beach in Krabi for half of it (and hated it a lot of the time) and the village for the other half (hating that even more). But even though I'm not happy with my life there, I still feel like I made a mistake bringing him here. He hates it here. There are moments he has fun, but for the most part, he wishes he never left Thailand. It's boring, cold, and we live in the city. I don't know where you are from JP, but we live in Saskatchewan. He has met one Thai couple who run the only real Thai restaurant here, but they aren't friends. He spends most of his time with a group of Mexicans that like to sit around playing guitar and smoke bong, but I can see in his eyes when they break out the spanish songs and joke together in espanol, how much he misses his friends. The food here is terrible (for him), he can't read English, so he works construction in -40 degrees, and to make matters worse, his grandmother is on her deathbed right now, and there is nothing he can do. We are going back in 2 weeks (but only for 6 months) and this is the happiest I have seen him since we got here. If I am not around (working) he just sleeps. I hate Saskatchewan as much as anyone - but this is my home, and where my family is. What would be the point to live in Canada if we were in another city, so far from my family? Might as well be in Thailand.

We are now thinking about having a child. But where? I want to have it in Canada (of course) where the education is better and there is more opportunity, we can both legally work, there is more money, and most important - my family. Mine will be the only grandchildren in my small family. But he, naturally, wants to have them in Thailand. Build a home across from Ma's house and raise our kids with his 9 brothers and sisters families.

I hope my experience is helping you somewhat. I want to tell you it will be great and he will love it...but really? Like what was stated before, it all depends on your relationship and your life. My pua is the best husband anyone could ask for. I know he would do anything to make me happy, and if I say we stay in Canada forever, he would do it. But I know he is not happy. One of the first words I taught him when we got married was "compromise"

Being in a relationship with a Thai will never be easy. I wish I knew that when I was fresh of the boat with a backpack and a naive view of the world. But if I knew then what I know now, I may never have given him a chance.

Good Luck!

While there is no written income requirement, we have always had to show that my husband pays (thai) income tax, it is a required document.

yes, where does this come from? What will happen if he never paid it? He doesn't make an income, really - unless you count the family farm?

ubonjoe, you made that sound so easy. now why can't the embassy speak like you? thank you so much, that is exactly what i needed to know!

Forgive me if there is already a post on this- i've searched and am a little confused/overwhelmed at the info given on here.

I am Canadian, my husband is Thai. We want to spend 6 months in Canada and 6 months in Thailand each year (give or take a little). He is already a permanent residant in Canada, so that part is fine, but I am wondering what visa should I be applying for? Last year I had the non-imm-O, and after I got into Thailand they told me I needed to apply for another paper (what is it called?) and with that I would need to apply for a re-entry permit every time i left and came back. The embassy in Canada said nothing of this when I asked them questions. If I only want to stay in Thailand for 6 months at a time, is it not more economical to apply for a 3 months non - O rather than the multi entry...and can that one be extended? For how long? Or should I even apply for 3 tourist visas? What is the most simple way of staying there for 6 months (no visa runs would be awesome). As well, we don't have a lot of $$ in our bank account. I hear if it's a Thai husband rather than wife you don't need proof of income? Is this true?

Can someone please spell this out for me because I have no idea what I am looking for, and the lovely Consulate in Vancouver somehow seems to know less than I do!

Thank you so much!

Let me know if you get it. We got told we needed the letter from the High Commission but I suspect it depends on who you talk to and what kind of mood they are in.

He got it no problem this morning. They told him it would be ready on the !7th, but they will send it to his village. I imagine one might have a problem if they have do have a record (which he does not), or perhaps doesn't give a reason as to why s/he may want it. I don't know why it would be a problem to obtain your own record check, though. It certainly isn't in Canada, but then again Canada makes a whole lot more sense to me (most of the time)!

Good luck to you. I hope that can help you some.

ss

"Further to your enquiry, there is no problem with you sending the Thai police certificate with your application. In some cases, the Thai police authorities will not issue a police certificate unless they have an authorization letter from the Canadian High Commission in Singapore and that is the reason for the instruction. However, if you can obtain a police certificate for your husband now, that will just avoid us having to ask for it later."

an answer to all our questions..

this is the reply I just received from the High Commission in Singapore.

So now we know.

Thanks for the advice. I figured as much.

I am aware of that, but the embassy told me on 3 separate occasions to get the check ahead of time and send it with the application. i am assuming this is the right thing to do if they told me 3 times.

Mind you, it is the Canadian Embassy, which at this time I have absolutely nothing good to say about!

Can someone tell me what will speed things up...

I want to send in my husbands application for a perm resident visa to Canada, but I do not have his police clearance certificate or a signed sponsorship agreement from him yet. It will be about 4 weeks by the time I get them (as I am currently in Canada). If I send the application in now, and send the other 2 documents in a month, will that delay the processing? Would it be better to wait a month and send the complete package?

Thanks for the advice,

ss

My husband (Thai citizen) is applying for a visa to Canada. He needs to obtain a Police Clearance Certificate. In the application guide we have it says you are to send your visa application first, and the high commission will give you further instructions, but twice I was told by people at the embassy in Bangkok that he should go ahead and apply anyways and send both (the application and certificate) at the same time. Can someone who has done this before please tell me what you did?

I am also wondering if he has to apply in person, or if it is possible to do so by mail?

I hope someone out there has an answer for me! Thank you!

so, ive been emailing with someone at the consulate and he made it pretty clear that there were only 2 ways for me to get this visa; i had to elther be the daughter or a thai national (or foreigner working in thailand) or be married to a thai national.

hmm...well, i still havent given up hope. if there are any canadians in the house, please let me know of your experiences.

thank you

yes, i am under 50, so i dont think i qualify for a retirement visa!

are there some canadians here that have some advice for me? is there a consulate here i would have more luck with over another?

i read in a previous post about needing your partners citizenship card...will a scanned or photocopied document work?

also, how long will this visa last? the reason i ask is that i will be on a sail boat for about 3 months around indonesia, so can i leave for that time and my visa would continue when i come back?

thanks again

elyse

i tried to search but couldnt find the info i would like. im a canadian citizen, but would like to go back to thailand to live with my boyfriend (thai citizen). i would like to stay a year or more. what is this "family and friends" visa? would i be eligible for that? what are the details. can i apply for a work permit with this visa?

thanks for any help