tonititan

I completely agree that there is too much noise around town! But, I think it's important to remember one big difference - they provide sustained noise exposure. Some kids listen to music for hours at a time, every day, for years and years. It is this continuous exposure that can damage the kids' ears. Hearing loud music for 20 hours a week is different than going to a one-time concert that lasts a few hours.

Oops, when I said "they," I meant earphones. For some reason I can't edit my posts when I'm on this comptuer...

I completely agree that there is too much noise around town! But, I think it's important to remember one big difference - they provide sustained noise exposure. Some kids listen to music for hours at a time, every day, for years and years. It is this continuous exposure that can damage the kids' ears. Hearing loud music for 20 hours a week is different than going to a one-time concert that lasts a few hours.

I don't think we can assume that a young child who can read in one language can necessarily read in another language, especially when they are using two completely different alphabets (as in this case). He has probably had a lot more instruction in reading in Thai, which is why he is better at it. Those skills won't automatically transfer to English.

I don't think it's really possible to give a certain age in which children should read, since all children are different and the definition of "read" varies (you may define "reading" differently than I do). But, if the boy is 6 and can read and write in Thai quite well for his age, then I wouldn't worry about an underlying learning difficulty. It sounds as if he simply needs more instruction and time in English. If he was having difficulty with knowing letters and reading words in English AND Thai, that might be more of a concern, but luckily it sounds like that is not the problem.

I think that there is more support available (at least in Bangkok) than there used to be. Like someone said, The Reed Institute works with a lot of children with disabilities. Another place is Acorn to Oaks Center (ATOC). There are several kindergartens/elementary schools in Bangkok that support children with special needs. There are several English-speaking Occupational Therapists and Speech-Language Therapists. I think that there is some support out there, but it's just hard to find.

If I'm reading correctly, he's only had 1 year of English exposure/education, right? I don't think it should be a huge concern that he isn't reading English yet. Some Thai children can learn to read basic English is one year, but many others cannot.

Do you know if he can attempt to sound out simple words? Does he know all of the letters in the English alphabet? More importantly, does he have the sound-letter correspondence yet? For example, if he sees a letter "t," can he tell you that it makes the sound "ttt," and not just give you the letter name "tee?" I would take a look at that, as he may need to strengthen that area before he can progress very far in reading.

Like Scott said, I would also check out he school. It's an English program, but how much instruction in English is the boy really receiving? Are the books and posters around the classroom in English or Thai? Is he seeing much English print during the day? Have his English classes even started working on writing in English yet? How does the teacher view the boy's skills as compared to other children of his age/language background? Those are things I would want to know. It's possible that his teachers have focused more on speaking and have not formally addressed writing.

Does anyone understand the reason for such a discrepancy? It is not only totally unfair to those who are already here and have local experience, but also makes hardly any sense to me.

I'm just curious, are there really that many certified teachers who are working here who would be looking for a job at one of these international schools?

Unusually for the US (but seemingly normal for Thailand) they've asked me to state the salary I would like.

It's interesting that you find it unusual for the US, because in nearly every job I have applied for in the US, I was asked what salary I require/expect. I thought that was "normal." I feel your pain, though, I really hate answering that question, b/c you can screw yourself if you answer too high or too low. I can't really help you out, as I am a teacher and no nothing about salaries in other kinds of companies. Good luck!

Is amazing how now in some places they just don't allow some Indian people.

Where in Thailand do they not allow Indians?

Many thais are racist to Indians and dont hide it too.

I believe that, as there seems to be racist people in just about any country. But my question was in response to the OP saying that people from India are actually not allowed in some places. I wanted to know what "places" he's talking about.

Is amazing how now in some places they just don't allow some Indian people.

Where in Thailand do they not allow Indians?

o sorry bout the confusion ;P i hope that u get what u need =)

No problem! Sorry I wasn't clear in the first place...it made perfect sense in my head, though. That's what I get for being in a hurry.

Oh, ok, no worries then. Just don't tell your date that the only bars you know are the go-go/bar girl bars, haha!

Is this by any chance a first date? If so, I honestly would not take her to a pub unless she was the one who suggested that. I know that there are girls who would enjoy that, but as a woman, I can speak for myself and many of my female friends and say that a bar is not our ideal first date! Of course, if she really likes to drink and you're just looking for a casual relationship it might be ok, or if you you two have been dating a little while already. I'm sure others will disagree with me, but I'm just giving you my honest opinion.

Oh, sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. I said I took "a daily medication," but I guess I never explained what it was. The medicine I took for my headaches was NOT Ambien. I fully understand that Ambien is a sleeping pill, which is why I am looking for it. And I have had a prescription for Ambien from a doctor in the past, so I know that it does not cause me to have the side effects you experienced. I just don't have the prescription with me in Thailand, and I was just hoping to avoid a hospital visit.

Oh, and I also was not surprised that I'd need to see a doctor. I completely expected that, and was happy to see one. I was just surprised to see a psychiatrist for a headache medicine I had been prescribed by a general practice doctor, and that the doctor did not want to talk about my medical history, only the emotional/psychological aspects. The story about the headache medicine was just to illustrate why I was dreading going to the hospital to ask for Ambien. If they considered the other one a sleeping pill and were so suspicious of me asking for it, I was thinking that it might happen again.

Thanks for the helpful information. I'm really not looking forward to having to go to the hospital for it, but I guess I'll have to suck it up and just go. Maybe I'm just dreading it so much because of a past experience. It's actually kind of funny looking back ....

I used to take a daily medication as a preventative tool for chronic headaches. This was prescribed by my general doctor in the States after a great deal of blood work, case history, physical examination, consultation with a neurologist, and MRIs. When I moved to Thailand and needed a refill I found out that I had to get it at a hospital. I was clueless about how things work, so I just walked into the hospital (Samitivej) and asked for the pharmacy! Silly me. They sent me up to General Medicine, where I explained my situation to the nurses. They told me to sit down and wait, then proceeded to whisper back and forth while looking at me strangely. Then they were on the phone, still whispering (which is funny since I spoke zero Thai!), and still eyeing me. A doctor walked up, and they whispered to him and kind of gestured at me. I waited some more, and then some lady with a clipboard walked out and sat down by me. It turns out that she was a social worker of sorts. She started asking me all kinds of personal questions and treating me like I was mentally unstable or something, and then told me that the nurses informed her that I was trying to get a sleeping pill. Umm...no, it's for headaches. She said that it's a sleeping pill in Thailand. Funny, since it never affected my sleep. She said I'd have to see a doctor, and I said great, can I do it today? When I went into the doctors office, he started asking a lot of questions that seemed strange, like if I'm happy in Thailand, if I am able to function at work, if I cry a lot when I get headaches, if I cry at work, how I feel right now (emotionally), if I've ever thought about hurting myself, etc. I was thinking that it was a little strange, then I started looking around at the plaques and posters on his wall. He was a psychiatrist! I couldn't believe that they sent me to a psych for a headache medicine refill. He wanted to give me a 10 day prescription, so I explained that I took it daily and would have to come back in 10 days. After a little negotiation, he gave me 2 months work. On my way out the door, he nervously said, "Now, don't take it all at once, ok?"

The ones that I know of along Ramkhamhaeng are:

Ramkhamhaeng Adventist International School

Ascot International School

Bromsgrove International School

Ruamrudee International School

a Thai-English-Chinese trilingual school (not sure of the exact name)

There's probably others, especially smaller ones and non-international schools, but those are the ones that come to mind from driving along Ramkhamhaeng Road a lot. I'm not vouching for any of them, just throwing out some names of schools in that area.

I don't know, I kind of don't think it's just a foreigner thing. I bet there are a lot more "sinister" deaths of the locals than we hear about. The death of foreigners always makes the English news.

June is rainy/low season, I don't think you'll have any problems finding a place. Also, many of the small bungalow places actually don't take reservations.

As for a location, maybe you can be a little more specific? Do you need something that can be reached by bus/boat from Bangkok, or are you willing to fly further south?

Hi,

I have searched all the old posts, and now I'm even more confused about my question. I am wondering if it is possible to get Ambien, or the equivalent, over the counter in a pharmacy like Boots. Some people have said you need a prescription, and other posters have said it's OTC. Does anyone have any recent experience or knowledge on this matter? Thanks!

Well, I don't smoke, so I'm definitely no expert. BUT, I do know that my best friend smokes Marlboros (or Camels?), and they cost her about 60-80 baht/pack...or £1.13-1.50. Just FYI...

The only real way to curb the massive amounts of pollution spewed into the environment is for each person to cut their consumption of goods, which includes petrol, petrol-bassed products (plastic), electricity, etc. and to focus their purchases on products made locally, including agricultural commodities.

I have an honest question, and maybe someone can give me a serious answer. I have never understood why office building skyscrapers keep all their lights on overnight. It drives me crazy to be driving past at 3 a.m. and see every little office and cubicle lit up. I can understand that they may need to turn the lights on for cleaning overnight, but why keep ALL the lights on all night? It seems like such a waste of electricity. Is there a legitimate reason that I'm just not aware of?

Am I correct in reading that you want to bring your limit of cigarettes over TO Thailand? If so, did you realize that cigarettes are very, very cheap here compared to most western countries. Couldn't you just buy them when you get here?

My thought on Climate Change is that for those out there so concerned about it should be the first to give up their cars as a show of leadership.

Done!

I'm sure this is going to turn into a huge debate about whether global warming/extreme climate change is real or not. My question is, WHO CARES?!?

What I mean by that is, do we really need proof of global warming in order to start taking better care of our environment and being more energy efficient? I sure don't think so! Whether global warming is real or not, what harm is it going to do if we take steps to protect the Earth now? Why take the risk of waiting until it's too late, just because we're so stubborn that we have to prove/disprove the global warming theory?

I don't know for sure what I think personally, so I'm not trying to attack anyone's position on global warming. I just don't understand. People who believe in global warming think that we need to change our ways immediately to be nicer to our planet. For those of you who don't believe in it, what do you think we should do? Trash the Earth even more just because there's no proof of global warming?!?! Whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not, I don't know how anyone can argue against steps to limit pollution, create cleaner energy, control emissions, etc. But, obviously some people do, and I'm sure some people on this forum will as well.

Laos!

I can't remember the exact schedule for the ferry, but I think it would be very difficult to do a day trip by ferry. It really wouldn't leave you a lot of time at Phi Phi. If you just want to walk around and shop, eat, and explore the village at Phi Phi Don (the big island), it might be ok. But if you'd want to take a longtail to Phi Phi Ley (Maya Bay, etc.), you'll be pushing for time. I have done the speedboat tours a few times. Yes, you don't have as much freedom or flexibility, but they make sure that you get to see all of the main sights.