When Farangs Go Native

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 7:46 AM, isaanbanhou said:

trying to show or expressing that you are superior to the locals appears to be the only reason some posters live in

 

Thailand. In their home countries these men are nothings, here they are pathetic nothings

I agree with that, but not, I suspect, for what you think you meant. 

[isaanbanhou]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I agree with that, but not, I suspect, for what you think you meant. 

thank you for the support you think i may have thought you expressed but likely didn t

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:11 AM, MrPatrickThai said:

It is rather a selfish attitude, perhaps even lazy, refusing to learn the language of you're adopted country. At the weekend a neighbour came running to my house asking for help as there was a cobra in her kitchen. This is in a large city. I explained that I was scared of them but had the number of the local guy who sees to this kinda thing, called him and he came quickly to remove the snake. After living here for more than 25 years, I could give hundreds of similar stories about the benefits of learning Thai when living in Thailand but it would fall upon deaf ears. Some have made up their mind that it's too difficult as soon as they get off the plane. I love dogs too, and my beloved 10 year old German shepherd died recently. I was going crazy trying to dig a grave and bury him before my kids got back from school. I paid 2 labourers working nearby 300 baht to do it. We had a long conversation about how dogs give unconditional love, a very moving experience. 

 

 

Sooooo, to take you literally, I need to learn Thai so I can help neighbours with snakes in their houses, and have long conversations with some labourers I don't know.

I lived in an area where snakes, scorpions and myriad other nasties live, but I'm pretty certain that had one of the neighbours had an emergency they'd have rung the police on the phone they all have surgically implanted into their hands, rather than run down to my house to come and deal with it.

They certainly didn't have any problems communicating when I went to help with flooding and trees through roofs after storms.

 

BTW, you couldn't dig a grave for a dog by yourself, and it took TWO labourers so long to do so that you could have a "long" conversation. Was your dog as large as a person?

Perhaps you could have given your kids a very good life lesson by letting them see the dead dog and having a long conversation with them about loss of a loved companion. Then they could have shared the experience of burying it to say goodbye. Death is, after all, a part of life on Earth.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 minutes ago, isaanbanhou said:

thank you for the support you think i may have thought you expressed but likely didn t

I always happy to support you when you support my viewpoint, even if you didn't think you were supporting me when you wrote it.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:31 AM, MrPatrickThai said:

They do if you apply for permanent Residency and Citizenship.

Yes, you are 100% correct, for those that are applying for permanent Residency and Citizenship.

I agree with you on that, which should make you happy.

Have a nice day.

[isaanbanhou]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I always happy to support you when you support my viewpoint, even if you didn't think you were supporting me when you wrote it.

 

I am happy that you always support me when you feel I am supporting your viewpont, even if I don t know if that support was meant to be supporting what I wrote .

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:38 AM, Naam said:

you are a dog lover and therefore excused for bringing up the necessity of speaking Thai in connection with a cobra in your neighbour's kitchen. however, discussing a man's best friend with two Thai chaps justifies your demand for speaking Thai.

 

but please don't forget that some of us are agewise advanced, our hearing is impaired and if you can't hear the frequencies above 9 kiloHertz any attempt to learn a tonal language is futile.

please don't forget that some of us are agewise advanced, our hearing is impaired and if you can't hear the frequencies above 9 kiloHertz any attempt to learn a tonal language is futile.

 

Hurrah. A sensible post on a thread going deep into the weeds.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:39 AM, JLCrab said:

... and as a  lot of that 30% don't speak English, it all depends on which part of that 30% is of interest to you.

Braille always worked well for me on the 30% that didn't speak English, with which I was interested.

 

PS. For those that know about such things, a visit to MBK is always a treat.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:44 AM, MrPatrickThai said:

Just one of many examples. Talking about the philosophy of karma at the local temple. Talking about cryptocurrencies at the Rotary Club dinner on Friday night, talking about paying my mortgage off at the bank last week, searching on Panthip.com about the best univerities in bangkok etc etc

 

Many deaf people can speak Thai. What's your excuse for not writing it?

My interest in talking philosophy at the local temple- nil

Talking about cryptocurrencies at the Rotary Club- I'd rather be marooned on Mars and have to survive on potatoes grown in my own doodoo.

talking about paying my mortgage off at the bank last week-my philosophy of life is in not being in debt to banks, and definitely in NOT owning property in LOS. I've never had to speak to a bank manager in LOS and will hopefully never, ever have to.

searching on Panthip.com about the best univerities in Bangkok- given I do not, and never will have children, I have no idea as why I would consider that important in my life, let alone as a reason to spend half my free time learning a language I've never had to use. I do use it, but never HAD to.

etc etc- I doubt you will ever come up with a reason sufficient to convince me to learn conversational Thai, especially when I am able to have conversations with Thais in English.

 

What's your excuse for not writing it?

I don't need an excuse not to write it- I just don't need to do so.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[thaiguzzi]

14 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

My interest in talking philosophy at the local temple- nil

Talking about cryptocurrencies at the Rotary Club- I'd rather be marooned on Mars and have to survive on potatoes grown in my own doodoo.

talking about paying my mortgage off at the bank last week-my philosophy of life is in not being in debt to banks, and definitely in NOT owning property in LOS. I've never had to speak to a bank manager in LOS and will hopefully never, ever have to.

searching on Panthip.com about the best univerities in Bangkok- given I do not, and never will have children, I have no idea as why I would consider that important in my life, let alone as a reason to spend half my free time learning a language I've never had to use. I do use it, but never HAD to.

etc etc- I doubt you will ever come up with a reason sufficient to convince me to learn conversational Thai, especially when I am able to have conversations with Thais in English.

 

What's your excuse for not writing it?

I don't need an excuse not to write it- I just don't need to do so.

 

 

TBL has a professional interpreter in tow for everything he does here in LOS. It's called his wife. Without her he'd be buggered.

Immigration, renew car insurance, pay the water and electric bills etc etc, talk to the neighbors, nada, yada et al. All impossible without The Interpreter.

Hell I reckon he's the type that has to find a restaurant with pictures in the menu if he's on his own. Point at the pics of a glass of Coke and a plate of food. "I'll have that one and that one"....

[MaeJoMTB]

19 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

searching on Panthip.com about the best univerities in Bangkok- given I do not, and never will have children, I have no idea as why I would consider that important in my life, let alone as a reason to spend half my free time learning a language I've never had to use. I do use it, but never HAD to.

I do have children, my local Rajabhat (fees around 22kBht/year) is entirely sufficient for their needs.

(Why pay a fortune for a worthless Thai degree?) 

Edited February 8, 2018 by MaeJoMTB

[thaibeachlovers]

Snipped because too long to quote in full.

 

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:47 AM, Gecko123 said:

But Thai could help you defuse a confrontation, as has been shown on numerous videos of altercations.

The only place I have in a confrontation, as a farang, is far far away from any Thai involved situation that may involve violence.

Avoidance beats getting maimed/ killed every time.

 

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:47 AM, Gecko123 said:

there's a cobra in the grass, that insect is poisonous, that dog has rabies, he can't be trusted, there are jelly fish in the water today, these trees are infested with beetles and their limbs sometimes unexpectedly break off and injure people. etc.

Certainly no people posted outside my house to warn me about the scorpions, snakes, centipedes, red ants, hornets, beetles in trees, etc that infested the area around the residence when I lived there, and yet I survived. 

I don't swim in the sea because of the jellyfish anyway.

 

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:47 AM, Gecko123 said:

Language proficiency isn't just another "interest" akin to having a dog or cooking. It affects how you interact with the people in your environment.

The people in the vicinity I choose to live in interact in English. If I want to live somewhere without any English speakers, which is difficult to find now, I'd adjust to the situation.

 

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:47 AM, Gecko123 said:

assuming your wife is Thai, and your son is part-Thai and you plan to live in Thailand for some length of time, how do you communicate with non-English members of your wife's family and social circle, and your son's non-English speaking school and play mates, teachers, etc.?

Had I had a child with my ex wife, she would have been responsible for making sure s/he spoke/ wrote Thai properly. She would be equally responsible for the child's education in a Thai school. My part would be to ensure s/he spoke and wrote English.

It would have been her job to communicate with non-English members of HER family and social circle, and OUR son's non-English speaking school and play mates, teachers, etc.

You seem to believe that WE HAVE to make our wife's family ( and social circle ) our own, but I had no interest in doing so as ( quite rightly as it turned out ) they were not nice people. The only "interaction" I'd have liked with them was nil. Unfortunately it didn't work out like that.

[MaeJoMTB]

2 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

TBL has a professional interpreter in tow for everything he does here in LOS. It's called his wife. Without her he'd be buggered.

Immigration, renew car insurance, pay the water and electric bills etc etc, talk to the neighbors, nada, yada et al. All impossible without The Interpreter.

Hell I reckon he's the type that has to find a restaurant with pictures in the menu if he's on his own. Point at the pics of a glass of Coke and a plate of food. "I'll have that one and that one"....

 

1. CM Immigration I avoid,

2. Car test/insurance/tax, no language required, you just walk in and hand them your Blue  car book. They point their calculator at you and you  pay the number on the screen.

3. Water/electric/internet bills you just pay at any 7-11, just hand them the bill and the money (plus 10bht)

 

Best not to hand my personal interpreter my money as she has the tendency to steal the money and bin the bill.

(which becomes annoying when the utility gets cut off)

 

As  for evenings out, there are plenty of other interpreters  for hire (short time) at almost every venue in Thailand, should the need arise.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

9 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

TBL has a professional interpreter in tow for everything he does here in LOS. It's called his wife. Without her he'd be buggered.

Immigration, renew car insurance, pay the water and electric bills etc etc, talk to the neighbors, nada, yada et al. All impossible without The Interpreter.

Hell I reckon he's the type that has to find a restaurant with pictures in the menu if he's on his own. Point at the pics of a glass of Coke and a plate of food. "I'll have that one and that one"....

LOL. Haven't had the wife/ interpreter for over a year now, but still doing OK. How does that support your case?

PS haven't acquired another "interpreter" either. 

[JLCrab]

46 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Braille always worked well for me on the 30% that didn't speak English, with which I was interested.

 

PS. For those that know about such things, a visit to MBK is always a treat.

Nobody speaks in Braille and Thai Braille is very difficult because of the vowel structure and you would have to learn Thai first before you could speak or read Thai Braille.

[MaeJoMTB]

On 2/5/2018 at 9:15 AM, MrPatrickThai said:

Have you no inclination to go to his school and discuss teaching methodologies with his teachers?

I try to avoid fights with ignorant locals.

(Having a postgraduate in education, and 10 years teaching experience in assorted UK high schools)

Edited February 8, 2018 by MaeJoMTB

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 8:54 AM, greatwhitenorth said:

 that's the only way this guy has got laid in the last 20 years.  only those are bills and he uses coins

Had I used hookers instead of trying the "wife" option I'd be very well off now, as still owning a house which I'd be renting out to finance my Thai lifestyle.

In the end, the "free sex" option ended up costing far, far more than paying as I went.

More fool me for believing the lies.

[MaeJoMTB]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Had I used hookers instead of trying the "wife" option I'd be very well off now, as still owning a house which I'd be renting out to finance my Thai lifestyle.

In the end, the "free sex" option ended up costing far, far more than paying as I went.

More fool me for believing the lies.

#MeeToo

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 9:24 AM, jak2002003 said:

Hmmmm.... do you get the impression people generally don't want to talk or be around you?

 

 

Do you get the impression I'm not really interested? People caused all the problems in my life and more I trusted them the bigger the betrayal.

Either I was incredibly unlucky in my life to meet a lot of scumbags, or most people are scumbags. I don't know, but life is much less stressful not having evil backstabbers around.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

12 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Nobody speaks in Braille and Thai Braille is very difficult because of the vowel structure and you would have to learn Thai first before you could speak or read Thai Braille.

Think about what I wrote and the context of the photo.

[smutcakes]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Do you get the impression I'm not really interested? People caused all the problems in my life and more I trusted them the bigger the betrayal.

Either I was incredibly unlucky in my life to meet a lot of scumbags, or most people are scumbags. I don't know, but life is much less stressful not having evil backstabbers around.

 

Or the problem is you not everyone else?

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 9:04 AM, MrPatrickThai said:

Extremely dangerous psychologically if the son is half-Thai. Basically saying that half of his being is inferior. I've sadly seen negative consequences of this in my friends' grown up kids.

I've sadly seen negative consequences in my divorced friends' grown up kids and both of them spoke English.

I've sadly seen negative consequences in my SIL's grown up son, who is a gold star ratbag, because he was brought up by his grandmother on her own.

 

I don't think it matters whether one is not Thai at all, or full/ half Thai as to how someone becomes when they grow up. The most important thing is the quality of love given to the child as they grow up.

 

[JLCrab]

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Think about what I wrote and the context of the photo.

Yeah I know what you meant but that still isn't speaking -- BTW I guess you meant in English Braille the letter 'c'

 

[thaibeachlovers]

7 minutes ago, smutcakes said:

Or the problem is you not everyone else?

and?

You can make this thread about me if you wish, or you can discuss the topic. OTY.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 9:42 AM, greatwhitenorth said:

bet you don t have to buy hair gel 555

Good one. I haven't used anything since Brylcreme was the in thing, and Obama was just copying us guys.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 10:24 AM, JLCrab said:

Being in Thailand and being able to have a reasonable conversation with a Thai person male or especially female who does not speak English is fun .. and if only can be considered fun then that is enough for me.

Hmmm. The only conversations I considered "fun" with a Thai person did not usually involve much actual spoken language of any sort on either side.

If I want a philosophical conversation, there are forums for that.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 11:42 AM, MrPatrickThai said:

Wow. You think the teachers at a village school should speak English with you? I wonder what they think of you, and as for your MIL, I wonder what your kid thinks about you being unable to converse with his grandmother. Sorry, but I find this very sad, especially for your kids. Imagine if you were at school and your friends found out one of your parents was illiterate.

 

Btw, what 'source' are you on about that you want in Thai? 

Not sure, but are you saying the English teacher at village schools don't need to speak English?

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 11:52 AM, MrPatrickThai said:

I understand you not going to temple if you can't talk to anyone, without your translator.

Same as not being the member of a club. If you want to be a hermit, fine, bit most foreigners in Thailand are not retirees with no life. Do you have any hobbies?

Not the person to whom you addressed that, but it's a public forum, ergo you are speaking to all.

I don't go to the temple, other than to take photos, because I'm not a Buddhist. The times I went with my wife, the monks spoke English to me.

Not being in a club is not the same as being a hermit. I meet lots of people when I go out, but I have no desire to take most of them home.

I have a lot of hobbies; debating on TVF, photography, watching movies, travel/ exploring, looking at scenery/ people, reading and others. The great thing about being retired is having the time to do the things I was too tired to do after work.

 

[billd766]

1 hour ago, thaiguzzi said:

TBL has a professional interpreter in tow for everything he does here in LOS. It's called his wife. Without her he'd be buggered.

Immigration, renew car insurance, pay the water and electric bills etc etc, talk to the neighbors, nada, yada et al. All impossible without The Interpreter.

Hell I reckon he's the type that has to find a restaurant with pictures in the menu if he's on his own. Point at the pics of a glass of Coke and a plate of food. "I'll have that one and that one"....

 

I don't think so at all.

I cannot speak Thai either, however I do manage to go to Immigration to do my 90 day report and retirement extension, renew my car and 2 motorbikes insurance at the DLT, pay the water and electricity bills, do the bulk shopping and local market shopping, drive where I need to go all over Thailand with my GPS for company, I can get the car fixed as well etc etc all on my own. 

 

I can shop at the hardware store and get most things I want or need. If I need something that I don't have the words for I usually type it in English, do a Google translate and get a picture then print it off, all without speaking very much Thai.

 

I know enough Thai to ask for what food I want in a restaurant.

 

Strangely enough I can do this all on my own with only the odd phone call to my wife, and I am 73, partly deaf and more tone deaf.

[billd766]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Not the person to whom you addressed that, but it's a public forum, ergo you are speaking to all.

I don't go to the temple, other than to take photos, because I'm not a Buddhist. The times I went with my wife, the monks spoke English to me.

Not being in a club is not the same as being a hermit. I meet lots of people when I go out, but I have no desire to take most of them home.

I have a lot of hobbies; debating on TVF, photography, watching movies, travel/ exploring, looking at scenery/ people, reading and others. The great thing about being retired is having the time to do the things I was too tired to do after work.

 

 

Me too.