Your Home Country, Reasons Why You Left

[Bananaman]

I took a trip home to "sunny" England for Christmas and was rapidly reminded of why I stay in LOS. The following list sums up the experience:

1. Rain, rain, rain

2. Sunrise 8am, sunset 3.45pm....where did the day go?!!! (applies to winter only, granted)

3. There wasn't a single spot in the city I could park for free, I even had to use a temporary permit to park outside of a friend's house in the suburbs.

4. Speed and traffic light cameras, bl**dy everywhere!

5. I paid £1.50 for a single mango (105 THB)

6. "You'll need to take the hat off to come into this bar sir"....for Christ's sake it's a scuzzy local boozer, it's five degrees and I'm bald as the day I was born!

7. £3.50 for a beer! (245 THB)

8. I couldn't (legally) go collect my friend's 10-year old kid from school cos I don't have a special 'child' seat in the back of the car....what???!!!...he's 10 YEARS OLD!!!

9. Trying to open a new bank account, I use my parent's home as my permanent address. "What date did you move there Sir?"...."Er I dunno, I was 1-year old at the time, so I can give you the year only". "Sorry sir we need to know the EXACT date"....Oh cmon please!

10. Scanning the propery section of the local paper...."You want HOW MUCH for a house?". Hang on while I go plan my Bank of England heist.

Anybody care to share their own gripes?

[kmart]

I quite enjoyed my recent jaunt back to the UK. And so did my TGF. The weather was very mild during the Christmas / New Year period and was not a problem at all.

I agree about the house prices. Its looking a bit like a bubble market to me. I'm glad thought that I never sold my house there.

The cctv's everywhere are ridiculous, makes me wonder how UK voters let the government get away with this. Probably all too busy watching Big Brother to realise that the real Big Brother of 1984 is looking over their shoulders already.

I enjoyed driving around there though. Very civilised and not having to dodge round drunk motorcyclists and people who should never be let near an internal combustion engine on general principle alone.

All in all, I'm looking forward to relocating back there after my contract finishes here.

I can put up with the rain.

[ashacat]

Gotto agree Kmart, I went back with my GF last summer and we loved it. Driving was a pleasure, I had forgotten how a safe road should look!! Eating out in restaurants was also an eye opener, i.e. good service, relaxing atmosphere (without music blaring out) and getting what you actually ordered!!

Even so, it was nice to get back to Thailand!!

Edited January 23, 2007 by ashacat

[TAWP]

I was the second gunman on the grassy knoll.

[Dupont]

Political Correctness.

Gangs of foul mouthed kids vandalising and scaring people off the streets after dark.

Cynicsm.

Scum, scrounging, workshy people demanding housing, benefits and respect.

Compensation Culture.

I travelled and lived mostly out of the country since 1985 before discovering Thailand. I came here for a few winter breaks before I believed it was for real.

Anyway, that was a long time ago and things there are worse now according to most of my customers here.

Life here is fantastic in every respect. Its really is a new life, new family and children and its like the first time round was some long barely remembered story that happened to somebody else.

[N47HAN]

40 % TAX good enough reason for anyone I reckon !

[sceadugenga]

Having to look at John Howard driveling on about how great things were going on the six o'clock news every day.

[GuestHouse]

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

[ashacat]

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

Exactly.

[Robski]

The weather today from uk.weather.com. ok it's not raining but look at that wind chill. brrrrrrrrr!

Mostly Cloudy

1°C

Feels Like

-4°C

UV Index: 0 Low

Wind: From the North at 14 mph

Dew Point: 0°C

Humidity: 93%

Visibility: 6 miles

Barometer: 1023.0 mb

[DragonQuest]

#1 too much competition back home, if your looking for a job.

#2 you get more bang for you buck here in the LOS.

#3 You get much more respect here in the LOS, then back home your just another blue-collared worker lol

#4 more fish in the sea, back home its a sausage party lol

#5 Peolpe are more friendlier here then back home it seems.

[sceadugenga]

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

Not really, there are other low rent, high pussy areas in the world. I lived in the PPI for three years and would prolly go back there.

I made my own prospects in life and paid my taxes, I was given nothing. My father and grandfathers fought for the country to make it safe for their families while most politicians found reasons not to go. They're the ones on the free ride.

[terry57]

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

here you go again guesthouse,

seriously mate,

why dont you just stop home in the good old blighty as we all know how much you love it and how much you dislike the los.

forever warning the punters off the place and never a good word.

bye bye mate.

[Bananaman]

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

You are absolutely right but the majority of us are here because we feel our relationships with our home countries are no longer entirely amicable. Nowhere is perfect and whilst there are many reasons why I can say I'm proud to stand up and be counted as British/English, there are plenty of others for which I'm not. I'm sure there are TV'ers out there from every country who feel the same about their respective motherlands.

[terry57]

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

Not really, there are other low rent, high pussy areas in the world. I lived in the PPI for three years and would prolly go back there.

I made my own prospects in life and paid my taxes, I was given nothing. My father and grandfathers fought for the country to make it safe for their families while most politicians found reasons not to go. They're the ones on the free ride.

very nice comment mate and i dont think to many pommy blighters are living in the los because they were giving everything.

rediculous comment that one.

[terry57]

Having to look at John Howard driveling on about how great things were going on the six o'clock news every day.

australia has just gone down the gurgler mate if your a young person.

median house price's have just hit $445k and if you aint got a house by now like most young people, you will be renting all your life.

on our way to the 4th interest rise in 12 months and big troubles ahead for many people.

you dont have to be a brain surgeon to figure out why the los is such an attractive proposition.

cant wait to get there full time.

much better here than the poor old blighty thou, as aussie is a cracking place and rates #2 after the los.

she's a shocker the old blighty, thats unless you got a squillion quid and 10 houses.

[Jet Gorgon]

I went home after 22 years to sort out stuff and try to get contacts for telecommute work. Nobody would hire me because I had no local references (um, email works for me). My global CV brought looks of shock (you worked all over for them and got paid that much? Fake CV. haha) and then got queries about drugs because I lived in Thailand.

Illegal immigrants get more bennies here than I ever would. And I don't do welfare. Also got fined $173 for walking through a skytrain station that was between me and my family home. Lovey Canucks don't want to question people's honesty, but won't put up turnstiles to indicate pay zones. First time home. Ah! I felt as alien and unwelcome as a stray dog at a pedigree show. Guess if I was anything but white I'd have been more welcome.

[GuestHouse]

I made my own prospects in life and paid my taxes, I was given nothing.

My guess is you at least got free health care, a free education and benefitted from a society run and managed under laws that enabled you to not only make something of your life, but to hang on to what you made.

QUOTE(GuestHouse @ 2007-01-23 12:26:38)

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

here you go again guesthouse,

seriously mate,

why dont you just stop home in the good old blighty as we all know how much you love it and how much you dislike the los.

forever warning the punters off the place and never a good word.

bye bye mate.

I'd take that more seriously if a) Terry had ever been to the UK. Terry could produce any evidence that I 'dislike the los' and c) If Terry could come up with proof he has spent as much time in the los has he claims.

Like everyone, I'm often in need of advice on lifes little problems, but please let me choose to ignore advice from the 'Reallity Challenged' among us.

[GuestHouse]

Oh and let's trot out the "I don't want to live in my own country because of all the foreigners living there"

Falls of chair laughing.

Irony lives.

[Jet Gorgon]

Guesthouse, you could run and probably win the bleeding liberal hearts campaign for prime minister in Canada. I think UK citizens get easy access. Go for it!

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

I came back from a 2 week stint back home over Xmas - not all bad, but after 2weeks, I was looking forward to coming home to LOS. The reasons why i left London 3 years ago were pretty much the same (minus one scary ex GF in Primrose Hill).

Main differences this time seemed to me :

Roads are safer, but for me, boring (depends on your priorities I guess)

Food is nice (though very fattening), but I found a lot of it deep fried and pretty bland (again, it's up to preference)

Prices for everything were stupidly silly (though a pub off Regents Street sold bitter at 1.72 BGP per pint! fab!)

However, a guy who worked for me 4 years ago now earns 100k GBP per year! That's not possible in LOs for a 31 year old. But then, he has a shed load of stress that I don't...

People are in debt, but always have more things shoved down their throats (waiting in line at a post office with faceless, grey masses staring longingly out at Paris Hilton and 'ways on how to lose those pounds you put on over the holidays', 'oh and by the way, apply here for another 10k loan with only your new HD plasma TV as collateral'.... madness. (not knowing the language too well in LOS has benefits - you don't pay attention to adverts half as much as back home and hence you're twice as better off for it)

People who have never lived outside of a sunny climate can't appreciate what big a difference the sun can make on your day to day attitude... once you've experienced the sun, it's hard to go without it for two weeks. people in the UK are friendly and smiley in the summer... in summer in the Uk, there isn't many nicer places in the world.

The main thing that I really found annoying was our inability or desire to ACT on things that we disapprove of. moan, grumbe, whine - world champions. action? never. (what would my mother think?) Immigration was the big issue now as East Europeans have come in droves getting lots of good stuff or free. People really bitch about it, but won't do anything about it.

Same goes for the CCTV situation "Oh, I know it's bad, but what can you do?" - do like french and stick two fingers up at it - no one in France paid the speeding fines. Merde!

Due to the incremental increase of an Orwellian-type state, people won't realise what a shitty situation they're in until it's too late - but even then, we Brits will prefer to grin and bare it.

The UK (and Europe) does seem streets ahead in attitudes towards their environment (recycling is available over there... but in LOS...?) Companies seems to getting more switched on to consumers desire to 'go green'.

At least is LOS, there is a certain freedom that I appreciate. Things are not rosy here by any means, but I prefer the simpler way of life.

My theory is simple and applies to most things: increase choice = decrease in happiness... life seems so serious and complicated back home, I prefer the relative simplicity of LOS.

Cheers

James

[dgoz]

Due to the incremental increase of an Orwellian-type state, people won't realise what a shitty situation they're in until it's too late - but even then, we Brits will prefer to grin and bare it.

Australian politicians must follow the Brits lead. Cameras everywhere and plenty of voyeristic people obsesed with putting in more.

I was bored after an hour back in Oz. We were stopped at traffic lights every 30 metres for side streets with no traffic, and of course, you couldn't put your foot down to beat the lights because of the cameras. This may have contributed to the ugly road-rage incident we encountered moments later. When we got onto the toll way the speed limit was a ridiculous 100km/h on the best roads in the world in a $50,000 car.(again cameras everywhere)

I went to the pub and it was wall to wall weiner. Not a girl in sight. Just chip-on-shoulder type pissed up lonely guys throwing their weeks pay into Poker Machines. I joined in the lonely-pissed-no-pussy-in-sight brigade until the 19 year old bar tender told me it was his opinion that I'd had enough and wouldn't serve me any more beer under the "responsible service of alcohol law".

After an hours wait I finally got a $60 Taxi ride to a night club that had girls. I lined up outside for 45 minutes until the uneducated moron who was guarding the door thought it was OK for me to enter. After I paid the $20 entry fee I grabbed an $8 beer and noticed that the girls in Oz seemed to have all gotten a little chubbier. Not to worry, beggars can't be choosers but as I made light-hearted, polite conversation with the girls all I got back was sarcastic, condescending remarks with foul language I'd thought only reserved for the armed forces.

I made my way out of the club and grabbed another $300 out of the ATM and noticed a girl waiting for one of the rare cabs. I asked her where she was going as it might be cheaper and quicker if we split the fair. She looked at me in horror like I was a serial killer and ran away. Was I really that scary looking?

30 minutes of walking later I found a taxi rank. There were 20 people waiting for cabs that came every 10 minutes. 2 guys started fighting about who was next in line. It was an ugly incident, especially when their grungy girlfriends got involved.

I made it home at sun-up and paid the non-english speaking cab driver the $100 fair and went inside to jerk-off.

For the next week I stayed home and watched TV by myself.

Was Thailand just some dream I'd had, or was this just a nightmare that I was in and in an hour I'll wake up next my 25 year old pretty girlfriend who will give me a smile and a hug?.

[fruittbatt]

The whole concept of a "home" country is extremely begs the question:

What is "home"?

Is it some place where through an accident of birth or migration your family happens to live? Then why feel obliged to explain why one chooses NOT to live there any longer?

Is "home", some place to which you feel attached through ties of affection, kinship, or nostalgia? Then this is most likely where you are living if you are lucky enough to have the means to do so.

But why leave Australia? OK, how about

* the xenophobia of an extreme, actively racist, right wing gov't that refuses to sign the Kyoto agreement, or recognize the land rights of the aboriginal owners of the country

* the costs of goods and services

* the gloomy environmental prospects of a country with insufficient water, frequent bushfires, an encroaching desert, massive land-clearing, water salinity issues, etc...the place is environmentally doomed IMO ...and largely because it is a mine and a farm and has never developed its huge potential to harness alternative energy sources, despite its huge amount of freely available sunshine....What a stupid country!

* add to the above gripes the farang food, the need to work until one is at least 70 unless one is mega-rich ....and all to pay for expensive facilities, mortgages, taxes.

The greatest things about Australia would be the weather in Queensland and the beaches away from cities. Very similar to Thailand really, only ten times the price.

I think the OP's question might have read "reasons why you STAYED", since the reasons for leaving seem so obvious.

[Scott]

Why did I leave my home country? That's an extremely personal question and asking it is not politically correct. It's between me, the police and that nasty bail bondsman who keeps looking for me!

[Halydys]

GH,

Amen.

[terry57]

I made my own prospects in life and paid my taxes, I was given nothing.

My guess is you at least got free health care, a free education and benefitted from a society run and managed under laws that enabled you to not only make something of your life, but to hang on to what you made.

QUOTE(GuestHouse @ 2007-01-23 12:26:38)

Don't be so quick to knock the place, it is afterall where you'll go running to if life in the Land of Smiles goes to rat <deleted>.

It is also the place that gave you sufficient prospects in life to be able to make the choices you are making now.

here you go again guesthouse,

seriously mate,

why dont you just stop home in the good old blighty as we all know how much you love it and how much you dislike the los.

forever warning the punters off the place and never a good word.

bye bye mate.

I'd take that more seriously if a) Terry had ever been to the UK. Terry could produce any evidence that I 'dislike the los' and c) If Terry could come up with proof he has spent as much time in the los has he claims.

Like everyone, I'm often in need of advice on lifes little problems, but please let me choose to ignore advice from the 'Reallity Challenged' among us.

told you before guesthouse,

#1. i would not go to the old blighty if you payed for me and im serious about that one.

i've been to many places in this world but i will never go there.

#2. its no good me proving anything to you as you never believe me.

# 3. in all the time ive been reading your posts im yet to see a good word about los or the thai people.

ok, i'll give you a little test.

i dare you to say something good about the mighty los.

[PhilHarries]

Due to the incremental increase of an Orwellian-type state, people won't realise what a shitty situation they're in until it's too late - but even then, we Brits will prefer to grin and bare it.

Australian politicians must follow the Brits lead. Cameras everywhere and plenty of voyeristic people obsesed with putting in more.

I was bored after an hour back in Oz. We were stopped at traffic lights every 30 metres for side streets with no traffic, and of course, you couldn't put your foot down to beat the lights because of the cameras. This may have contributed to the ugly road-rage incident we encountered moments later. When we got onto the toll way the speed limit was a ridiculous 100km/h on the best roads in the world in a $50,000 car.(again cameras everywhere)

I went to the pub and it was wall to wall weiner. Not a girl in sight. Just chip-on-shoulder type pissed up lonely guys throwing their weeks pay into Poker Machines. I joined in the lonely-pissed-no-pussy-in-sight brigade until the 19 year old bar tender told me it was his opinion that I'd had enough and wouldn't serve me any more beer under the "responsible service of alcohol law".

After an hours wait I finally got a $60 Taxi ride to a night club that had girls. I lined up outside for 45 minutes until the uneducated moron who was guarding the door thought it was OK for me to enter. After I paid the $20 entry fee I grabbed an $8 beer and noticed that the girls in Oz seemed to have all gotten a little chubbier. Not to worry, beggars can't be choosers but as I made light-hearted, polite conversation with the girls all I got back was sarcastic, condescending remarks with foul language I'd thought only reserved for the armed forces.

I made my way out of the club and grabbed another $300 out of the ATM and noticed a girl waiting for one of the rare cabs. I asked her where she was going as it might be cheaper and quicker if we split the fair. She looked at me in horror like I was a serial killer and ran away. Was I really that scary looking?

30 minutes of walking later I found a taxi rank. There were 20 people waiting for cabs that came every 10 minutes. 2 guys started fighting about who was next in line. It was an ugly incident, especially when their grungy girlfriends got involved.

I made it home at sun-up and paid the non-english speaking cab driver the $100 fair and went inside to jerk-off.

For the next week I stayed home and watched TV by myself.

Was Thailand just some dream I'd had, or was this just a nightmare that I was in and in an hour I'll wake up next my 25 year old pretty girlfriend who will give me a smile and a hug?.

Bluddy hel_l, you make Oz sound just like the UK. Careful mate, terry57 won't like it.

I last went to the UK over new year, not by choice, and it was cold wet and miserable. Out of ten days only one approached a point where the weather could be described as reasonable. First night went to the local pub where there was at most six people in. New year's night had to pay a fiver just to get in the same pub (and that was considered cheap) just to see a couple of local mingers singing along karaoke style to backing tracks. This is on the premier night of the year for the pub trade.

I'll not go on 'cos I don't want to depress myself any further.

[BAKABAS]

I haven't left yet. 2 weeks and i will be there. I'm looking for a wife and their family to be loved and respected. Only a thai lady can do that for me. : ) See you soon ladies

[sceadugenga]

George Barrington. (1755–c. 1804)

4723

True patriots all; for be it understood

We left our country for our country’s good. 2

Prologue written for the Opening of the Play-house at New South Wales, Jan. 16, 1796.

[GuestHouse]

i dare you to say something good about the mighty los.

The fact that you are not in Thailand (not now and I doubt even when you claim you are) is something very good about Thailand.

PS thanks for calling by at my profile page again.... and again.. and again..