BlackArtemis

If your GF is upset about you learning Thai, my first thought would be that she doesn't want you to understand what she says when she speaks, and that would be extremely worrisome for me.

My thoughts exactly. Thai women LIKE it where they can hold a conversation amongst a bunch of farangs, and without the farangs understanding what they are saying. I understand FAR more Thai than I can speak. I just don't get the tones correct when I try to speak Thai. It sometimes surprises Thais when I laugh at the appropriate time when they tell a funny story about some farang.

Or when she is calling her Thai BF to tell him how much money she will be getting of her Farang boyfriend this week.

I also love the "Oh Shit" looks when you start laughing at something in Thai.

The day farang can own land is the day that Thais become servants in their own country.

Either that or 100,000B/Wa even in the boonies will be the new price!

I would agree, learning Thai is the fastest way to get results. If I go ahead of time to reserve a table at a club and sit down, maybe only a few might even bother to look at me on the way in. The second I start ordering everything in Thai, which then leads to small talk in Thai with the server, I have tons of girls looking at me. This leads to tons of conversations etc.

My only folly is that my command of the Thai language grew by leaps and bounds AFTER I got married

I don't want to hijack the thread but was your wife (or anybody's for that matter) ever apprehensive about you learning Thai?

I ask because I've received a fair amount of hostility from my girlfriend regarding it.

Not at all, Before I met her I had a basic command of Thai. I had done a semester abroad with CMU and then moved back a year later. My wife is fluent in English and was a K2 English teacher, so she can easily translate and teach me new phrases. She has encouraged me in my studies and scolds me because I have not kept up my reading and writing. We speak both Thai and English daily, but since moving to the US we speak more Thai so I don't get rusty, plus most of our friends are Thai.

If your GF is upset about you learning Thai, my first thought would be that she doesn't want you to understand what she says when she speaks, and that would be extremely worrisome for me.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread!

I would agree, learning Thai is the fastest way to get results. If I go ahead of time to reserve a table at a club and sit down, maybe only a few might even bother to look at me on the way in. The second I start ordering everything in Thai, which then leads to small talk in Thai with the server, I have tons of girls looking at me. This leads to tons of conversations etc.

My only folly is that my command of the Thai language grew by leaps and bounds AFTER I got married

Ahh so trash are people who make less money than you, or hold menial jobs. Or is it also the degree you hold that makes you think others are trash.

And that was such a snarky comment about meeting other peoples girlfriend at soi cowboy, but it tells us something about you that we already assumed. For people to be willing to be around you, they need to be paid!

I wouldn't be surprised at the number of truly affluent and intelligent people you have blown off because they didn't fit into your little schema.

But you thrive on the attention don't you? So why not take your little flying spaghetti monster and go back to trolling fark.com or 4chan?

Yes and no. She doesn't like the current party, or what we would call yellow shirts and wants them out. But is appalled at the way the red shirts are acting. Citing that they are doing exactly what happened to their side a few years ago and it's a bad cycle for Thailand to follow.

Also, you never know what area is going to be hit.

I decided to live in CM, 2 years went by and the there was a massive outbreak of Dengue.

Are there actually Village Headmen? This is a genuine question.

I was going to say it the bigger something else would be the concern....

Like I said, the only time I have ever seen or met a headman was in hill tribe villages.

OK, I have a very serious question

Over the past few years I hear some posters talking about villages, village weddings, headmen etc.

My own experience with what I would call a village is when I stayed with Akha and Karen when taking a study abroad course and had to write a paper on my time with them.

Muubaan seems to very loose term, ranging from an area with a few sois to the nicest Land and House development.

Buddha Bless - These guys are pretty hilarious

Big Ass, honestly I think they put out some of the best rock in the last decade.

LeonIronheart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzsRGh7q_MY

translate please i love this song

http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18494

Buddha Bless

Big Ass

Body Slam

Hang Man

Silly Fools

Retrospect

Groove Riders

Joey Boy

Gancore Club

Da Endorphine

Clash

Loso

Ebola

I've seen a lot of them live. I would also say that Buddha Bless is my favorite group.

Sadly now that I am state side, I don't get to see many concerts, but Potato is doing a tour, I think I will surprise my wife since she really likes them.

When deciding to work in SE Asia, you are deciding to work in a environment with diseases and viruses that you have never encountered.

I never took a malaria pill in my life, but I did get Dengue fever.

The flues are nothing to worry about for the typical aged person who does ESL, just be smart and if you feel sick, do something about it.

So, it seems all I can find are cheesy expensive background checks and information claiming that the FBI is the only one who can do a national check. http://www.virtualchase.com/articles/crimi...s_national.html

But the FBI does have something called the NICS, National Instant Criminal background check System http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/nics.htm

The other thread also has great info.

First off, I'm going to chastise you for not using the search function or for reading. Only a few posts down you can find http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Background-C...it-t343380.html

But you're new and it's your first post, so now worries. Just remember this for future questions, it's good forum etiquette

I'll have to look into where to find a national check. It's easy and costs $10 to get an instant state check.

40K in Chiang Mai would give you much more than a 4000B apartment...

10,000 alone would get you a house or a multi-bedroom condo.

Even if you spent 400-500/day on food you would have over 15,000 baht left.

YanTree, what's with the English teacher hate?

Well this happened fast.

BTW, when was the whole shutting down the airport and causing billions of lost Baht paid for again?

Both sides need to be removed in my eyes.

It's funny, people LOVE to shit of people via grammar Nazism, yet I taught twice as many science and math classes than English.

Not saying you should ignore grammar in those classes, but rather realize not everyone hired is going to teach English specifically.

And as Scott said, it's the internet. Often when I type I forget to capitalize my I's and hold my shift a bit too long and end up with the first two letters capitalized, eg THailand.

A cheap computer with a $30 finger print reader solves the problem, but most schools lack the foresight.

I have a very strong grudge against Payap, not a single cent will ever go towards them again.

Never say never! or ever...haha

With Payap? I have no problem stating this.

But many of the female students are absolutely WOW which makes up for a lot of things BA.

Not really when the person who they fuc_ked over was your wife.

I have a very strong grudge against Payap, not a single cent will ever go towards them again.

Never say never! or ever...haha

With Payap? I have no problem stating this.

Oh, I have no input about your daughter, if you say she is a good student I have no reason to not believe you.

Since she is fluent in Thai, she will have no trouble passing the entrance exams. If everyone is happy, do it. But if she starts to say how easy the classes are, and there seems to be less of a push, I would worry.

The only problem I can foresee is that if she wants to enter a Thai University in the Thai programs, on paper a change from a private school to a Government school may raise a few eyebrows.

However this wouldn't matter if she plans on studying abroad or in the English programs at a Thai university.

Furthermore I have a question, which stems from our differing vocabularies.

For me, being American, a college means a 4 year school that offers undergraduate degrees and usually very few to no. (Universities offer undergraduate & graduate)

Are you referring to a matayom, a vocational school, or something else entirely?

I hope you and your daughter all the luck. I am sure she will do fine no matter what she chooses.

Your timing is going to hurt you a lot.

Schools like it when couples teach, because they are less likely to leave.

I don't know accomidation prices in Phuket, but they will range greatly in price depending on where you want to live.

Phuket, expect everything to be more expensive, despite the fact you are not a tourist, everyone will treat you like one and you will get charged like one. 30-40k/month is probably the norm down there. So 60-80k/month for the two of you could fund you well. Don't expect to pay off school loans or anything though.

Even if you end up paying 10,000-15,000/month in rent you are going to be doing well. You can get scooters for 10-30k baht depending on if they are automatic etc.

I believe that despite Phuket's steep prices, you could easily save 20,000B/month. Food will probably be the biggest cost beside rent, that is until you find the real local shops and/or cook for yourselves.

Goodluck

I have a very strong grudge against Payap, not a single cent will ever go towards them again.

I stand corrected about the cruze (stateside), will have a 1.8l NA making 138hp, and a 140hp 1.4l Turbo. Kinda a sad downgrade from the 260hp 2.2t Cobalt SS.

But with a 1.4t and 140hp, I wonder if they would be willing to market it in Thailand, FI cars are easy to mod and might be a good bang for the baht car.

There is also a TD version, Holden, in Australia. Wonder if we might see that.