luisparis

Some update, actually we've been through a couple of nannies since the OP, all found through other burmese maids working in the compound, and at the moment have one who only comes after 5pm and sometimes on week end, she mostly shops for our groceries, cooks , iron , does some extra cleaning the staff from the serviced apartment don't take good enough care of and only spends little time with our daughter . An arrangement I would have been scared of a few months ago but this life without nanny taking care full time of the baby did the family a lot of good, mother who saw her professionnal and social life losing much of its intensity when we moved to Thailand is happily busy spending more time with our daughter and this can be only good for the said daughter, plus we send her to a nursery, where her time is probably better spent than with her illiterate nannies.

All good than.

Thanks again for the info and good luck for your own lumbar issues, I've started swimming crawl and backstroke and will try and visit Dr Nanthadej next week .

Thanks for your replies ! Had to google Vejthani Hospital because I'd never heard of it, the website looks atractive as well as Lopburi's report but it's very very far from my place.

Made a mistake on the OP, I went to BNH on friday morning not saturday but since this afternoon I feel no longer any pain using the medecines and wearing a supportive belt when standing or sitting, which is already good news. Still thinking of checking another specialist for some extra info, Burumgrad sounds like the most obvious choice, anyone has other suggestions not to far from Sathorn ?

Trogers, your info is well in line with what I read on the internet, and I'm planning to start swinning this week, at least make some use of the residence's pool. As of the thai ointment it might be worth a try, probably less side effects than Lyrica or Neurotin

Cheers

Hi

On saturday morning after my back started hurting badly I went to BNH and met the only doctor available at the spine section. It's been a very thai experience . Basically "Hello, xray" than check the results " here maybe problem, MRI" than looking at the results "here, two hernias (slipped disks), take medecines, rest a lot, next week come back, maybe we start daily physiotherapie" when I enquire what happens if it doesn't heal " Surgery easy one , very common, bye bye now " and as usual you don't even get an explicative notice with the medecines they give you...

Hence at home quite a bit of work, starting with reading "Protusion" instead of "Hernia" in the MRI results, than check what kind of medecines he gave me (over 2200for a single week, at least I hope they are the right ones, 13000tbh for the entire consultation, MRI, XRAY and medecines).

Checking the internet, it seems that doctors are supposed to ask patiens to do a few movements to check how bad is the situation, the surgery is NOT that easy and riskfree, and I hope I will be kind of OK until meeting a doctor in the develloped world...this one has graduated from Chiang Mai university and apparently spent a few weeks in Seoul for a practical of some sort, I guess Songran wasn't the right time to go to the hospital as well...

Yet is there a decent specialist slipped disk in BKK ? Bumrungrad maybe ? where else ?

Thanks

Luis

Julie,

Thanks for your input. Do not infer from my former post I have any doubts about the children well beeing in Les Acacias, we are also very satisfied in that respect.

The two Thai women come from another nursery and have an important experience. They speak French and English.

Have you tried speaking french with both of them before asserting they do speak french ?? The school looks fairly nice but I still suspect such an education is a bit confusing for the kids - especially that from my little experience there the assistant I talked to is very very far to speak fluent french, and it seemed far to speak even broken french. I don't know about her english level but that's one aspect i find a little disturbing about that place.

Besides although she claimed she did speak good thai it appeared the new burmese nanny/maid we hired speaks as little thai as she knows english and this linguistic mess is losing more charm everyday. Think I will send kiddo to the Goethe Institute...

Agencies are quoting 8 to 15000 per month, we used to pay 10K and some thai friends reckoned we were insane.

Paid the nanny I've just fired 8k for live in work and the new one 8k, live out abt 52hours per week.

8 to 10k seems to be considered a good salary for burmese nannies, hence if you offer that kind of money ask another burmese working with some family around and she will find a few volonteers willing to leave their current position.

Agencies are quoting 8 to 15000 per month, we used to pay 10K and some thai friends reckoned we were insane.

Paid the nanny I've just fired 8k for live in work and the new one 8k, live out abt 52hours per week.

Lol! Perhaps a good thing I was rushed by the plane leaving soon when typing... anyway do you know of less dodgy agencies ? Thai kids home is apparently out of nannies and I definetely wouldn't trust Bangkok Nursing home , and whatever the name of the agency who sent us 2 girls already . Burmese supply looks more challenging than expected as well. Might not have been such a good idea to fire our nanny a few days ago...

Hi

Sorry if the following is a little messed up but your servant is thoroughly wasted after an unsavvy mix of Royal Saluts ( hmmm.. ) and Champagne in TG first Class Lounge... the first good news of the evening, in those very dire times a surprised upgrade upon check in in J was most welcome... than ordered the first drink and turned on the laptop and learned from my lawyer that the expertise for which I'm flying tonight to Paris is put off... fark... I'll make sure to putt it off until June than...more Champagne and whiskey...

Back to the topic... what's up with those nanny agencies?? Fired our burmese nanny upon coming back to Thailand a few days ago than saturday started looking for a new one.. sexy new secretary called a bunch of agencies and gave my mobile numbe than the mamasans or whatever they should be called started phoning me... accepted the first one, a fat but decent looking young girl who didn't show up on her first day work... agency sent in some replacement...argh!! Some character from hel_l obviously brought to this earth via Planet Lao wearing a ton of ugly make up and arboring a skin so bad and a style so rude even an old and aids ridden sukkhumvit transexual would be ashamed... I understood later they thought the farang daddy would bite in... fark them !?! I call the pimp and said no made up ho' for my baby! No way!

In the meantime found another burmese maid but on monday morning she seemed to have troubles when she went to her previous boss to collect her belongings.. couldn't make it on time either... I know Babe.. it sucks to be a refugee in a third world shithole... I favour burmese over thais though and keep on looking this way...

Anyway, the first mama called me a couple of times today... then it becomes hilarious, she says she has " deck may, narak, ayou yipsii, piu khao" (a new girl, 24y o, cute, white skin) . LMAO! I see she finally got my taste right but is she offering a nanny or a bit of fun for hungry daddy ? I know it's standard back home to have the dad srew the baby sitter but if it's really an escort service for men with Missus at home they deserve all our encouragment but could at least maintain a proper website with pics of the birds... what gives ??

Than the Mama sounded totally disoriented when I told her I was leaving tonight to Europe and the nanny should meet my wife tomorrow... really expected her to tell me she didn't do lesbian, but she just paused... than paused longer...lol!

Anyway it's getting late plane is about to go and obviously I went for a burmese again. Burma rocks! Just watch out for western democratic influences !

Luis, pished

Thanks for your input, we'll definetely be looking for those tissues and talcum.

may be he wanted to go massage place or beach,but ended up at immigration,it was just a mistake

A pity he wasn't on his way to the next Blow Job bar...

Reading about "The Wrestler" higher on this thread, great movie indeed !

Did it find a large public in Thailand though?

[When some dumb waiter tries and tells me what to eat when I'm reading the menu... like the fuc_ker has a clue of what I like and even of what the food looks like if it's western... today had yet another problem in my condo's restaurant, ( Very pleasant, but the restaurant opened recently and is desert and needs to invest more on the service if they want to justify prices similar to The Oriental), the waiter who looks more like a motorbike taxi than a waiter in a posh restaurant which is already upsetting, stood over my shoulder and tried to push the club sandwich while I was readin the selection, later he couldn't even understand the new set menu offered only two dishes (it used to be 3 until a couple of days ago, and that was too much of a challenge for him to understand the new menu and he just went on reading it wrongly sure of his three dishes selection... he had to call the manager in to get confirmation the menu had been indeed changed .. than I have no idea why but it reckoned I wanted to eat somtam ( "spicy papaya salad" was for some reason translating he manager) which isn't even on offer... at which point I went mental and screamed something in the tune of " Do you think I'm a negroid flat nosed braindead simian dwarfish lao like you to feel the urge to eat somtam ?" and other sweet love words than cancelled orders for everybody on the table than we bought some ready made chinese raviolis in 7/11) . I'm generally short tempered and thai clueless service people tend to get on my nerves rather easily. Not fun when it's the only restaurant in my compound along a Starbucks.

I suspect that many of the more vocal critics probably are experiencing dissatisfaction with their own lives: maybe you'd like someone to help watch your little tyke in the middle of the night because he/she doesn't understand that you need to get up and work to feed them/pay the bills/the rent at 7am; or you just got back from the supermarket and are annoyed that your baby takes up half the shopping cart and you couldn't buy everything you wanted because they took up half of the cart's space (when a nanny pushing them along in another cart would have been OH so helpful; or maybe you inhaled to much of your child's urine or feces in his/her 20th diaper change this week (a Lao and/or Issan nanny is more biologically/socio-economically adept at digesting these things), etc. ...and just feel a need to vent.

So much food for thought in this thread... had a smile when first read this post thinking " oh how useful a nanny indeed is when we go out" ... than the economic crisis abruptly turned into a family tragedy upon our return from Hong Kong earlier this week when I saw our nepali nanny who is about to marry a young fellow working in a Silom tailor shop...a glory by itself...

Faced with her face heavily made up (painted would be more accurate), fake eyelashes who looked like thich hair torn off from a broom, forearms covered in tribal paintings, and ...and ...thick gold necklace and earrings Had almost a heart attack and decided to sleep it over... morning wasn't better... fired ! far too colourful for our house... but talk about unconvenient way of life despite sending the kid to the nursery (much more formative there than with the nanny I reckon). After a few days without diner in restaurants, and looking at my wife panicking in Paragon, running from office to school via the supermarket carrying the 12kgs very happy monster... shopping, preparing the soup, doing paperwork, sleeping late, waking up early...I thought this really can't go on and had the secretary we just hired and who should stop for my own sake coming to office wearing tight miniskirts call a few agencies offering thai speaking nannies this morning ...

Missus is actually quite satisfied to spend more time with her daughter and doesn't want anymore live in nanny and I sure trust her more than a stranger to take care of the young lady but I don't think a man or a woman should give up their way of life (and work) just to take care of a child , and even if you intend to spend a lot of time with your kids, outside help is probably a good idea.

Besides as this thread was about a Isaan nannies, I must admit that I have developped similar aversions to rough lao looks as to gold chains and I was quite worried of who would bring us the agency, but was pleasantly surprised to see a fat but arboring more peaceful central thai looks lady coming to our place... life is so challenging... and definetely more so with children...

Hi

Our daughter is getting way more mosquito bites than she wished for, and I don't know how to prevent those when she is outside. Any repellent on the market suitable for an 18month old lady?

cheers

Luis

You are right, I should have looked better. Thxs

Anymore feedback on that school ? Went to check and although it looked nice it appeared they have 1 teacher only for 15 to 20 children a day in the nursery, and 2 local assistants, who are the same on french and english speaking days, and are supposed to switch between the two languages. Hence aren't the children likely to confuse french with english as the same adults use those two languages ? And are those 2 adults even speaking those 2 languages fluently ?

I have the OP same problem in Koh Samui,

they keep tell me that I do not need a visa for my baby born here in Samui from us (2 farangs).

I do not like the idea to travel without a proper doc. for my baby,

me and my wife have annual extension (I have B with Work P. my wife has O as dependent)

I could travel with my baby and hers Thai birth certificate but this will not help when you fly out other countries,

so I'm thinking to go back to EU in about 7 months, registered my baby in my own country and get

her name on my and my wife passport, so she will be under our visas extension.

Any additional comments is welcome,

tks

Geppis

You didn't register the baby in your home country embassy yet ?? Why ?? they should be able to give you the proper documents without the need to fly to EU. Besides some countries will require the baby to have his own passport (France is one of them) but no particular issue, Thailand will give him a O visa .

Grtaylor,

Mind sharing the name of your school ? Any feedback about Shrewsbury ?

Thinktoomut,

Good luck arguing with JacknDummy, at least he's a fine illustration of how someone's brain could deal with more critical thinking and a tad less blind propaganda swallowing.

I fail to see how any parent would object to their child standing to the National Anthem. As a parent myself, I speak to many other parents who think likewise.It is just normal for anyone wanting to integrate into Thai society. As I am intending being here for many years with my family, I am more than happy for this simple sign of respect, which takes place at every school that I know.

Maybe this objection is a French thing? Or somebody just trolling

One can be more than happy to be a stooge. It's actually government promoted. You integrated well. Congratulatons!

History has obviously taught you nothing

And I thought it was us Brits that were supposed to be pompous.

Just a couple of one liners for you........

"I would rather have a German division in front of me, than a French one behind me"......Gen George. S. Patton

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordian"........... Norman Schwarzkopf.

Allez La republic, bon appetit

Uh yeah?? and Madonna is coming up with a new single .

Which has to do with the topic ??

Best of luck to you. Corporal punishment is alive and well in Thailand--even in schools, where it is illegal. Schools, now, however, are careful not to use 'excessive' force or bruises, but the ruler is still out and used.

Most people here are not quick to hit or spank, but when worse gets to worse, they will.

If your partner believes in it, she will undoubtedly use it, but that if you don't, then it's best not to.

Dizzy reading this thread... what kind of freaky foreigners send their kids to thai schools ? is corporal punishment happening at all in International Schools ?? Which one ?

I fail to see how any parent would object to their child standing to the National Anthem. As a parent myself, I speak to many other parents who think likewise.It is just normal for anyone wanting to integrate into Thai society. As I am intending being here for many years with my family, I am more than happy for this simple sign of respect, which takes place at every school that I know.

Maybe this objection is a French thing? Or somebody just trolling

One can be more than happy to be a stooge. It's actually government promoted. You integrated well. Congratulatons!

In our western eyes its rather strange, unbelievable and incomprehensible, but its also not all that black and white, its just an attitude.

Henry,

I really appreciate your efforts to explain the goings of thai chinese families, it's very sweet in the maze of farangs lao relationships that litter the internet...the only thing I find strange here is you trying to illustrate chinese peculiarities with the doings of a non chinese Isaan girl... a bit like talking of poisonnous plaraa when trying to teach us the cooking of birdnest soup...

What passport are you holding?

Its also a fact that the bride first loyalty is her husbands family. Its even happens that when divorce she is persuaded to leave her children with her husband family(happend in my Chinese family also, they paid her off)

It's a fact that the bride first loyalty is her husbands family ??

You're sure about that one ? anyone care to elaborate ?

In your instance you think that if the wife's family was wealthy enough they would sell one of the kids ?? How much did they pay ?

F1fanatic

Its in Thailand not in China.

luisparis

I can guarantee it, because its the custom in my very extended Chinese family. And the girl was a Thai girl from Northern Issan and not married with that family member. But she was always welcomed to visit her 2 sons.

I married already more than 30 years with an Chinese lady, who's family still keep traditional Chinese family values very high, so I do know what I'm talking about.

OK... let me try and understand ... you know Tiecheow culture so well, you claim the girl's loyalty for her husband's family is so strong that in case of divorce she would let the children go with husband, especially if he could buy them off... and you cite for example a non chinese non thai chinese girl from Isaan ... you lost me there, as much with your deep knowledge of the proud Shantou people as with your logic... although if I believed my tiecheow wife would let me go with the kids I would have probably divorced her...