Have You Burnt Your Bridges..

[garro]

I was just wondering how other members feel about this. I have no wish to live back in my home country as I have spent the majority of my life outside of it. Still it is reassuring to know that the option is still there.

I would probably have no problem work wise as I am a qualified nurse and they are always in demand. Housing and bringing my wife and son there would probably be a major hassle though. What about you lot? Could you easily move back if needs demanded it.

[jumnien]

Certainly we could move back and many things would be better there than here in Thailand for me and my family. We choose to remain here for the things that are better here in Thailand that are more important to us now. All things change and we may move back to California or Kathmandu or Paris one day in the future.

[Wolfie]

Could I? Yes...

Would i want to? No!

Not burnt my bridges, just got bored of blighty and fancied a move... was headed to Oz but didn't quite make it that far! Interestingly though, is the western perception of Thailand from a career perspective, some say that it damages your prospects when returning to the west. Not something i wish to prove or disprove though

[Etrigan]

Right now the state of the housing market in the UK is really scarey. I would rather never return, but if it was necessary, the steep house prices would be a huge turn-off, so would probably consider another country instead where house prices are realistic.

[lazeeboy]

Could I? Yes...

Would i want to? No!

Not burnt my bridges, just got bored of blighty and fancied a move... was headed to Oz but didn't quite make it that far! Interestingly though, is the western perception of Thailand from a career perspective, some say that it damages your prospects when returning to the west. Not something i wish to prove or disprove though

could move back ,left no debts or warrants in england ,it would take the thai government to throw me out to get me back in england ,not lived there since 91 ,if i had to leave would go to boston usa lived there late 80s had a great time ,family problems made me come home ....

[cdnvic]

I can remember tossing a traffic ticket in the garbage before leaving Canada in '99. It was bloody expensive when I returned and had to pay it in '04, but other than that no bridges burnt.

[Pomthai]

No reason why I couldn't I just choose not to. As a previous poster mentioned extreme house pricing and there are numerous other prospects on my list much higher up than blighty if for some reason I couldn't remain here.

[mikethevigoman]

I was just wondering how other members feel about this. I have no wish to live back in my home country as I have spent the majority of my life outside of it. Still it is reassuring to know that the option is still there.

I would probably have no problem work wise as I am a qualified nurse and they are always in demand. Housing and bringing my wife and son there would probably be a major hassle though. What about you lot? Could you easily move back if needs demanded it.

I didnt burn my bridges, i blew them up ! .i suppose like a lot of expats i dont intend to return ,however im under no illusions here and if i get bored or the visa situation changes we will move on ,but the uk will be at the bottom of the list,.i have lived in 10 different countries and wherever you are you will become complacent,.i liken returning to england like returning to an old girlfriend, she will have deteriorated and wont be as you remembered her !

[tingtong]

I could always go back, it wont be that huge change neither, as we dont have so much, have a modest life anyway.

What i find abseting that someone else burning up my bridges...like the changing visa rules.

unfortunately neither here nor home i see positive changes in the last few years...

[mikethevigoman]

No reason why I couldn't I just choose not to. As a previous poster mentioned extreme house pricing and there are numerous other prospects on my list much higher up than blighty if for some reason I couldn't remain here.

We went back for 2.5 years between 04-06, all i seemed to do was work flat out to pay the mortgage, and thats how i remember the uk just working to survive and pay the bills,hardly any disposable income,no wonder the uk people are uptight and in debt to the hilt,and when we sold after that time and took into account the mortgage payments etc we made nothing ,.i wish we had rented !

[kmart]

I never burnt my bridges and still maintain some savings, and most importantly a property in the UK. The best piece of advice I have had as an expat was "never sell your house", and it has proved to be true, as I probably couldn't afford to buy another home in the UK, with the prices being as ridiculously high as they are now.

As for actually wanting to go back.... Not really, although enjoy breaks back there to see old friends and family.

[sonicdragon]

I have also kept propetty in the UK, with the vague expectation of living their again someday. Although I consider Hong Kong to be more of a home than the UK and I certainly prefer life in asia, I hope my children decide to pursue further education in the UK and in that case I expect we will all move back there at some point, probably a few years before university age.

[Sanpatong]

I never had a bridge to begin with.

So therefore nothing to burn, which was nice for my carbon footprint.

[samran]

Have just gotten a property in Australia, and in a similar way to Sonic Dragon, still vaugely think that I'll go back there one day, especially for schooling. Getting on the property ladder there first, and then wife and I will play around in buying a holiday house here. Just need to get her Thai citizenship sorted first so we can by land here equally in both our names rather than just mine.

Jobwise, I'm working here so I can build myself up to a point where an Australian company say will turn around and say "Samran, here is lots and lots of money for you to be our man on the ground in Asia". Actually, am buildinging a bridge on that front between both places, so that I can truely come and go as I please in a few years.

Also have residency in the UK, but that is going to lapse in August 2008 unless we go back before. But, have kept my bank accounts open there. They were a pain to open so I'm not in a hurry to close them.

[Boo]

we moved back to UK 3+ years ago specifically to get on the preoprty ladder & to get my husbnad Uk citizenship. Both have now been achieved & although it is true that we work mainly to pay bills, I personally feel it was a sacrifice worth making for ours & our sons future.

We aim to be back in LOS in the next 2 years & like Samran, my husband wants (as do I) to get my thai citizenship so that me , hubby & our son are all dual nationals & me & fella can equally own land in both countries.

[ColPyat]

I haven't burned my bridges, but i feel that the bridges have burnt me, since my country has changed laws so that foreign spouses of citizens of my country have now take a language proficiency test before being able to live there with a cohabitation visa.

Which, basically, makes it almost impossible for me to live there again if i don't want to leave my wife, because there is very little hope that she could pass such a language test.

[Scott]

D*amned, cdnivic, I forgot about traffic tickets. Up to now, I thought I hadn't burned any bridges!

Isn't there a song about burning bridges?...Oh, that's building bridges!

Someday I will return. It's my home.

[abdulrahman]

I was just wondering how other members feel about this. I have no wish to live back in my home country as I have spent the majority of my life outside of it. Still it is reassuring to know that the option is still there.

Could go back if life in Thailand were too difficult.But I've lived so many years outside my home country,that I don't really feel at home anymore,like to go back as a tourist!Of course i would have to think about my Thai wife,too,probably better think about another Asian country;Lao would be my faorite.

[soundman]

I didn't burn my bridges so to speak. It took me about five years to get the bulk of my money out of Australia & into Thailand - still have some funds locked away in a JB Were account.

However, Thailand is home now, & on a trip back to OZ about two years ago I just felt like I didn't belong there any more.

Notwithstanding that we will buy another house in Australia in the future as I fully intend for my children to do a few years of secondary schooling there.

Neither of my children were born in Australia, however, they both hold dual citizenship & passports.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[Jingthing]

Well, I sold a home in a high priced market in California some years back. I could never afford to move back there, so that bridge is burnt. I could move back to the USA but only to a more backwater place in the US that I wouldn't like to live in. I also left the high tech industry and being out of it for some years, am now totally unemployable. So, yes, bridges burnt, unless you count a valid passport as a bridge. If Thailand doesn't work out, my second choice will be another country. The idea of moving back to the US is a very grim thought.

Edited September 26, 2007 by Jingthing

[Tootah]

I learnt never to burn my bridges, the only thing I did loose was my drivers license, but thats another stupid mistake of a story lol. Going back to UK soon, actually thinking about it gives me the shivers, but then again you have to take the good with the bad! Never burnt my bridges, can get a job back home within a few weeks, and have good friends and family to support me, also my gf of 3 yrs is coming with me, and I love her so much. So all in all, will miss Thailand, but will come back for sure for hols, the UK will be a culture shock to return to, but I wont have to worry about visas and all that, in fact I miss my steak and chips, cold pints of stella, fish and chips and <deleted> weather all too much, what did I say, ah ######, going home sucks, I miss Thailand already, oh well such is life.........

[Aussietraveller]

I never burn bridges.

I can go back anytime, and probably will be going back with the family before Christmas.

Am i looking forward to it? No.

How long will we stay? Not sure.

Part of my heart is now in Thailand, and in many ways this is home also.

In the future i do want our daughter to grow up in both countries, and certainly i want a good portion of her education to be in Australia.

[adjan jb]

I've burnt all my bridges.

But I'm sure that somewhere a ferryman (maybe Charon himself) is waiting to carry me back to Hades.

[Nomad97]

My bridges were well and truly burnt a long, long time ago. Since graduating from the RAF College at the tender age of 21 in 1969 (95 Entry for those that know) I have only spent 6 years living in the UK. I joined the RAF to see the world and I was not disappointed. Do I yearn to return to the UK, no way! Life is what you make it, where you make it. Enjoy what and who you find in your travels. I always wanted to live in the Far East, a strange fascination with the people, their customs and the climate if you like, and I am now doing what I always wanted to do. I will never return to live in the land of my birth. "Per ardua ad astra".

[svenivan]

I don´t even want to think about it. Been back to Sweden 2 times in 6 years, 3-4 weeks ech time. Terrible.

OK to see my family and some friends but the rest!

I could never survive there.

I have my home and my wonderful wife here in Thailand. If I have to leave Thailand I will never go back to West.

[toptuan]

I can remember tossing a traffic ticket in the garbage before leaving Canada in '99. It was bloody expensive when I returned and had to pay it in '04, but other than that no bridges burnt.

Former fugitive, eh?

[intumult]

With a 10% + increase on my UK hopuse year on year I am happy not to burn my bridges.

House up 300% in 6 years. Would seem a crying shame to sell.

Besides, if things go pear shaped in Thailand or anywhere else I might end up it is always nice to know there is a place I can call my own to lay my head.

[GuestHouse]

It is a mistake to believe that we might have a choice to stay where we are or go home.

Health (phisical/mental/emotional), family problems or a change in political climate - any one of these and a host of other reasons might force a return home.

And then there is the assumption that the bridge is actually back home - many are burning their bridges with each tick of the clock - not earning enough to save for a future in Thailand (those retirement visas are getting more and more expensive) and not saving enough to go home.

Thailand for the vast majority is a great place to spend money and a lousey place to earn it.

My own bridges - no I've not burned them, nor would I.

[keemapoot]

It is a mistake to believe that we might have a choice to stay where we are or go home.

Health (phisical/mental/emotional), family problems or a change in political climate - any one of these and a host of other reasons might force a return home.

And then there is the assumption that the bridge is actually back home - many are burning their bridges with each tick of the clock - not earning enough to save for a future in Thailand (those retirement visas are getting more and more expensive) and not saving enough to go home.

Thailand for the vast majority is a great place to spend money and a lousey place to earn it.

My own bridges - no I've not burned them, nor would I.

Your analysis is very accurate. In many years of living in Thailand, I've known very few expat professionals or entrepreneurs who've made real money or advanced their career in Thailand. Conversely, I know a number of millionaire entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai and other "happening" places.

Thailand is a wonderful place to live and SPEND your money. A terrible place to make any money. These are words of wisdom.

Edited September 26, 2007 by keemapoot

[ColPyat]

It is a mistake to believe that we might have a choice to stay where we are or go home.

Health (phisical/mental/emotional), family problems or a change in political climate - any one of these and a host of other reasons might force a return home.

And then there is the assumption that the bridge is actually back home - many are burning their bridges with each tick of the clock - not earning enough to save for a future in Thailand (those retirement visas are getting more and more expensive) and not saving enough to go home.

Thailand for the vast majority is a great place to spend money and a lousey place to earn it.

My own bridges - no I've not burned them, nor would I.

The only problem is that political climate and financial situation back home can rapidly change as well.

I have taken care not to burn my bridges, having seen what happens when people are so stupid to burn theirs. Didn't help me though much - over the last 5/6 years my bridges have been burned for me one after the other, like watching a train wreck while being on it, and there are not many bridges left.

Don't take anything for granted, especially not any financial security - that can be blown away in a second, even if you didn't make any mistake.