What Do You See?

[soundman]

I come from a city that is proberly classified as one of the most multi culturally diverse cities on the planet - Melbourne Australia.

Whenever you set your foot out the door you would always recognise people from every single different ethnic group for who they were. If you saw a Greek person, they were the Greeks, same for Italians, same for Japanese, same for Indians & same for SE asians.

Upon first moving to Thailand - everbody was.... well Asian. To go out anywhere (apart from Pattaya) one always felt out of place.

Now six years on all I see is..... well people. I never feel out of place going anywhere. On the odd occasions I happen to venture into a tourist area I actually find it surprising to actually see farangs in numbers - just not what your eyes have been trained to see. The most surprising is seeing farang in the middle of nowhere. Can be a shock to the system.

Is this just a normal aclimitization process or what?

Comments appreciated... Thanx.

Soundman.

[uptou]

On the odd occasions I happen to venture into a tourist area I actually find it surprising to actually see farangs in numbers - just not what your eyes have been trained to see. The most surprising is seeing farang in the middle of nowhere. Can be a shock to the system.

Is this just a normal aclimitization process or what?

Comments appreciated... Thanx.

Soundman.

yes,& i find it more of a shock seing a black man walking down the street over here,just because i havent been seing that many .ive been living mostly away from any large tourist scene for the last few years.i think i may experience a fair bit of culture shock when (or hopefully if) i go back to the uk.i find it quite normal to be eating on the floor........or drinking lao cao at 6 in the morning.ok i made up the last one.i have to put up with the girlfreind sulking if i drink before it gets dark.

[spot]

We live on the outskirts of BKK, and outside of any Farang populated areas. I don't see many other Farang, it can be days sometimes.

When I do see a Farang, I stare...

[crewcut]

I went back to the UK after over 5 years of being here (Thailand) back in the 90's. I had what I think is called a reverse culture shock, I was slightly anxious with so many whites being around me. This didn't last long but I'll never forget the feeling. The women looked alot fatter as well!

[markwhite]

The most surprising is seeing farang in the middle of nowhere. Can be a shock to the system.

Is this just a normal aclimitization process or what?

Comments appreciated... Thanx.

I dunno what it is, but after 2 years in Thailand and 4 months in a non-farang area I'd pretty much go with what you say. There are things that, if I look at them, remind me that I'm in a very different place than I was for most of my life: buildings, environment, traffic....everything really!

But if those thoughts don't come to mind, it just feels like home. I don't feel weird being the only farang (most of the time) in the local Tesco. In fact, I quite like being the only farang who seems to shop at the local market - I've never seen another there. Today I had dinner with my wife at a little plaza in town with a popular restaurant and was surprised to see 3 farang sat there already! One said Hi and I returned in kind and said Bye to him when I left. I'm trying to get over the 'avoiding other farang' thing that I got myself into - if they're friendly I can either reciprocate or blank them and it won't kill me to try the former for a change ;-)

But maybe I could've stopped typing when I said I feel at home. Not just in the place, but in myself too. That sums it up for me.

Mark...

[villagefarang]

Yes, very normal part of the process. Long ago I remember going the the mainland US for a visit and was shocked by seeing so many blonds with blue eyes. After living here and in Hawaii most of my life, being surrounded by white people was not my "normal".

On one of our more recent trips we spent some time in Bolder Co. Wife and I both noticed that there were no ethnic groups visible except in restaurants and everybody was so young and fit.

All things Thai seem normal now and snow, pine trees, wild animals and granite mountains create a sense of reverse culture shock.

[ercorn]

I read that Melbourne has the biggest greek population outside of Greece,don`t know if it`s true or not.We see alot of tourists around where we live in Bangkok though I find it bit strange when there`s a whole group of westerners together.

Then again went to Melbourne around Chrissy and couldn`t believe how many asians were there felt like I was still in Thailand

[duratanium]

I often look twice when I see a Farang out here in the sticks but not in town around Big C.

Someone mentioned seeing a 'black man'. Never seen one yet here though I have seen more and more Indians Pakistani's etc.

The g/f often digs me and says... 'Look, a Farang'. As if she has hardly seen one before. LOL

[girlx]

On one of our more recent trips we spent some time in Bolder Co. Wife and I both noticed that there were no ethnic groups visible except in restaurants and everybody was so young and fit.

ha- i grew up in/went to school in boulder. then i moved to NYC! talk about culture shock! i much preferred NY though.

[November Rain]

For me the culture shock is when I go back "home", not here. Being on a bus & understanding every word of every conversation going on around me is weird. Knowing that everyone understands me, as well, is pretty strange. Not having to think how to phrase things or explain them (my Thai isn't nearly what it should be & I can come up with some weird descriptions, rather than names/words I don't know). Being here seems normal. As for what I see - this is a tourist town. I guess I see most ethnic types fairly regularly.

[draggons]

I'm the only forigner out here I do tend to sit and watch others when we go into town to eat or shop. Am quite often suprised by the attitudes of some of the ones I do see.

What I see is a pretty laid back place to live, no hassles, clean air, (had to go to BKK today, talk about choke!) and at least most, if not all smiles are genuine, f**king big and small beasties in the in the garden in the mornings.

Suits me.

[Jingthing]

I am also from a diverse culture back home.

For some reason, when I first started coming to Thailand, white people here appeared whiter and "ghostier" looking than they do back home. Maybe a combination of the sun and the contrast to the majority population. I never imagined that I look as white as the whiteys I view, but I suppose I must.

[IMA_FARANG]

I come from a city that is proberly classified as one of the most multi culturally diverse cities on the planet - Melbourne Australia.

Whenever you set your foot out the door you would always recognise people from every single different ethnic group for who they were. If you saw a Greek person, they were the Greeks, same for Italians, same for Japanese, same for Indians & same for SE asians.

Upon first moving to Thailand - everbody was.... well Asian. To go out anywhere (apart from Pattaya) one always felt out of place.

Now six years on all I see is..... well people. I never feel out of place going anywhere. On the odd occasions I happen to venture into a tourist area I actually find it surprising to actually see farangs in numbers - just not what your eyes have been trained to see. The most surprising is seeing farang in the middle of nowhere. Can be a shock to the system.

Is this just a normal aclimitization process or what?

Comments appreciated... Thanx.

Soundman.

I've found that in BKK I'm not surprised at seeing Farangs....just kind of expect them. I've also been around Southeast Asia long enough to be able to make a reasonably good guess on the nationality or at least origin of the "Asians" I see. It's quite easy to tell the Chinese/Vietnamese/Filipino/Cambodians/etc. from the Thais. It's just a part of living in Asia I guess.

[canuckamuck]

When I took my wife to Canada for the first time she was quite concerned about being a foreigner. She was surprised when she realized that because there are so many cultures there, nobody even notices or cares that she might not be from Canada. Quite a difference from moving to Thailand where your foreigness is part of everything you do. I do admit, that I don't really think about it much anymore, but I do stare at farangs. Such a strange thing to do. How do you break from this habit?

[jEFFREYk44]

Its really no bother to me, I enjoy it, interacting with the people. Rarely see a farang altho just over the Rama 9 bridge in Thonburi. My Thai is not so good yet good enough and the people accept that I try..............I hate Tesco or Big C on weekends, why do extended families go grocery shopping together, lol

[Tony Clifton]

When I ride my motorcycle or stand in front of the house, well, anywhere here for that matter, I hear or see lips saying "farang" about once a day.

When the wife or a Thai friend is with me and I spot a farang, I say "farang" as if I wasn't one.

[lazeeboy]

I went back to the UK after over 5 years of being here (Thailand) back in the 90's. I had what I think is called a reverse culture shock, I was slightly anxious with so many whites being around me. This didn't last long but I'll never forget the feeling. The women looked alot fatter as well!

i see westerners everyday and yes the women and men for that matter are almost all over weight ,makes me feel glad i left the uk and have a thai diet ,about ideal weight ,my brothers are both very big compared to me now ,10 tears ago i was the biggest....