CM Dad

18 hours ago, RyanWalker said:

Mostly yes

I am a long-term American - I have been here for more than thirty years - and I have had friends leave during this past year.  Only one of them is an American, all of the others, more than a dozen, who have gone are either British, Australian, or European, with one Canadian.  The American and Canadian left because of the insurance issues - they are both over seventy - and they took their Thai wives with them.  The others left mainly due, as several said, to "...the constant hassles of living here", and the exchange rate.  Why do I stay?  I chose Thailand as the place I wanted to live.  I have worked and paid taxes here for many years although I am now retired.  I have a Thai family.  I speak Thai and want my children to share my love for Thailand.  That said, if it were just my wife and I, or if my children were all grown and on their own - my youngest is in secondary school - I too would seriously be looking elsewhere, though probably not America, perhaps a neighboring country.

To the original poster -  Problem number one is that you have chosen to live in a gated housing estate where all of the houses look alike and are crammed together with no privacy or yards.  I have lived in Thailand for more than thirty years.  I would never live in that kind of crowded place.  I live near a large provincial capital about twenty minutes from the downtown area in a country village.  I have a bit more than a rai of land with no walls or fences.  I cannot see my neighbors houses and they cannot see mine due to trees and other vegetation.  I have always had both dogs and cats.  All of them were dumped in our area by town people as soon as they began to get past the cute puppy/kitten stage.  They have always been mostly female and none have ever had their shots, nor are they neutered.  Some have been injured by traffic - both automobiles and scooters.  Injured ones are usually either picked up by my wife or myself, or they are brought to us by Thais in the village who know we will take them to a clinic.  We care for them and take them to the vet for shots and to be neutered.  Many we find homes for and many we keep.  No dogs in our village are really strays since there is always a kind person who will feed and care for them.  Our village also has a part-time vet who is willing to give pro bono treatment when needed, and the monks at our village temple will also care for abandoned dogs and find homes for them.  The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at one of the universities holds regular free care clinics throughout our area offering vaccinations and care.  To all the complaining posters, I suggest you need to move away from areas like Bangkok and Pattaya.  I find the Thais to be very caring people who have a genuine fondness for animals,  One of our three cats is sitting on my lap as I write this and one of our dogs is lying right outside my door.  One of the keys to happiness in life is kindness towards all creatures.

Yesterday, Christmas Day, I washed the windows, cleaned the fans, and watered the garden.  In the evening I had a glass of red wine along with our traditional Christmas pizza.  To further commemorate the holiday, I did not shave.  Today, I will observe what those from British Commonwealth countries call Boxing Day by cleaning the microwave...after warming up a leftover slice of Holidaze pizza, of course!  Oh, and I will think about shaving.

This past week I had dinner with two friends, both of whom are long-term retirees.  They are both from Norway and have more than enough financially to be able to stay and live here comfortably without worrying about financial issues.  They both informed me that they are putting their houses on the market, not condos, houses, and leaving by March, even if their respective homes do not sell by then.  They gave three reasons:  Poor air quality, the baht to kroner exchange rate (They feel the baht is tremendously overvalued making them feel cheated), and the feeling they have that they are no longer welcomed by the present Thai government.  They each own two cars and provide support to an extended group of Thais both directly and indirectly although neither is married.  I would guess that they each spend at least 1.5 to 2 million baht a year here.  They said they would likely visit Thailand occasionally, but plan to base themselves elsewhere.  Although I can certainly concur with their reasons for leaving, my situation is much different as I have a Thai wife and two Thai children.  If my children were both grown and on their own (the youngest is still in secondary school and the eldest at university), I would try and convince my wife to relocate and then just visit as well.  I came here more than 30 years ago.  I worked legally and paid Thai taxes for most of those years.  Having a Thai spouse and family should mean something here, but, unfortunately, it does not.  My wife would be given residency in my country simply because she is my wife, yet here I am, and always will be, an alien.  I love Thailand and still have hope that someday the government might be more accepting of men like myself.  Until that time, I will continue to jump through the hoops and do what is needed to stay in my chosen country with my family.

Can't he be located using TM30 reports?

It is a good idea but avoid both Thai government and Catholic schools.  Both have a tendency to hire non-native speakers from ASEAN countries because they are cheaper to employ.

As long as Thai schools and educators insist on using a grammar-focused approach to teaching English, they will never succeed.  Languages are learned by listening and speaking followed by reading and writing.  Only basic grammar is needed for the development of the first two skills.  The latter two skills are where grammar should be refined.

A foreigner in America can buy land, get credit, work in almost any area without being restricted from many types of employment.  If they are married to an American they can qualify for a green card and residency easily which eventually leads to citizenship.  Even tourist visas are granted for much longer periods of time and there are no hurdles like 90-day reports and TM30 travel reports and restrictions.  In short, America is a country of immigrants unlike Thailand where only a few nationalities like the Chinese have been allowed in in large numbers.  Automobiles like BMW and Mercedes Benz are much, much cheaper and can be financed.  In short, Americans come in every color, race, and ethnicity.