Going Native.......

[jubby]

I'm in Tokyo at the moment, ask me if I would wanna live here the rest of my life.....no way, I couldn't imagine it.

In what capacity? What do you know about Tokyo and what do you represent there? If it were you in some other thread who was buying iPod, you have no clue how that place runs.

When I came like you to Bangkok for 10 days, I hated it so much that I refused to come 2 months later for 14 days.

Instead, I managed to get someone else sent. That person is now a big boss in Australia and when I tried to get a position there he blocked me. He has never forgotten who boxed him with 14 days in Bangkok.

Ask me then and him now and then, would we live in Bangkok.

try as i might, i cannot make any sense of this

I'm sure Maigo6 can shed some light on it.... But..... I suspect .... He won't

[polecat]

I went to that Chiang Mai once. Didn't think much of the Four Seasons there

Edited March 3, 2009 by polecat

[bassmaster50]

I went to that Chiang Mai once. Didn't think much of the Four Seasons there

[bassmaster50]

If someone wants to live like the Thai rural people and work on a farm or whatever, isn't that their own business? Why does this mean they don't have any pride? A large percentage of farangs living here don't seem to have much pride. They look like they haven't bathed or changed clothes in months, and smell the same. Does someone who sits all day on their fat butt in Pattaya all day getting drunk, buying sex and haggling with poor people over ten baht have more pride than some guy who lives a quiet life in the country and maybe even does something useful once in a while? I don't blame someone for wanting luxuries, but don't look down on others who don't need them. Many expats here not only do not want to live like a farmer, but they would starve to death if they did. And if the current economic conditions get worse, alot more farangs may be living like Thais whether they want to or not.

[polecat]

Many expats here not only do not want to live like a farmer, but they would starve to death if they did.

I thought insects and field mice were nutritious?

Edited March 3, 2009 by polecat

[Dont Panic]

If someone wants to live like the Thai rural people and work on a farm or whatever, isn't that their own business? Why does this mean they don't have any pride? A large percentage of farangs living here don't seem to have much pride. They look like they haven't bathed or changed clothes in months, and smell the same. Does someone who sits all day on their fat butt in Pattaya all day getting drunk, buying sex and haggling with poor people over ten baht have more pride than some guy who lives a quiet life in the country and maybe even does something useful once in a while? I don't blame someone for wanting luxuries, but don't look down on others who don't need them. Many expats here not only do not want to live like a farmer, but they would starve to death if they did. And if the current economic conditions get worse, alot more farangs may be living like Thais whether they want to or not.

Apart from the lack of good schooling and after school activities the main reason I would not to choose to live in the village with my family is that I would forever be ‘the farrang’ I know that I am cynical at times but having visited the village countless times I know that I would never be accepted there.

[bkkjames]

If someone wants to live like the Thai rural people and work on a farm or whatever, isn't that their own business? Why does this mean they don't have any pride? A large percentage of farangs living here don't seem to have much pride. They look like they haven't bathed or changed clothes in months, and smell the same. Does someone who sits all day on their fat butt in Pattaya all day getting drunk, buying sex and haggling with poor people over ten baht have more pride than some guy who lives a quiet life in the country and maybe even does something useful once in a while? I don't blame someone for wanting luxuries, but don't look down on others who don't need them. Many expats here not only do not want to live like a farmer, but they would starve to death if they did. And if the current economic conditions get worse, alot more farangs may be living like Thais whether they want to or not.

Apart from the lack of good schooling and after school activities the main reason I would not to choose to live in the village with my family is that I would forever be ‘the farrang’ I know that I am cynical at times but having visited the village countless times I know that I would never be accepted there.

You are still just 'the farang' in Bangkok as well mate, and as far as being accepted....

[najman]

Just what they can possibly enjoy about this is beyond me.

Then why do you ask?

Because I am interested to know and understand people's views on this....

Do you have a opinion on the matter?

"Going Native" ? What does that mean exactly? Living in or near a village? I think everyone here so far that lives in a village still has plenty of modern comforts. Living in Udon Thani I would hardly call going native. It's a city of only 100,000 or so people with all the various services available in Bkk, all the stores, movies etc on a smaller scale. I wouldn't mind living in a village as long as it had internet for work and obviously things like running water and electricity and hot water in the 3 months of colder season.

But there is something else to look at. What if you were forced to live in harsher conditions? Could you handle it or commit suicide if the world went to he_ll?. I think being willing and capable to live in different conditions is more about adventure. Thailand is a bit like the Wild West in a way. There is a lot more freedom and a lot more work to be done but the benfits outway the discomforts.

I enjoy the new experince and adventure of it and definately prefer the smaller cities of thailand to Bkk. I was born a city boy but it's nice to get a change in life. There are more important things in life than material possessions. But most materialistic people would never agree. They believe material wealth is everything. That is their Religion "Materialism".

Why are village people more friendly and look happier than city people? There's something there and you would have to discover it for yourself. No amount of explaining would give you the full understanding.

[najman]

If someone wants to live like the Thai rural people and work on a farm or whatever, isn't that their own business? Why does this mean they don't have any pride? A large percentage of farangs living here don't seem to have much pride. They look like they haven't bathed or changed clothes in months, and smell the same. Does someone who sits all day on their fat butt in Pattaya all day getting drunk, buying sex and haggling with poor people over ten baht have more pride than some guy who lives a quiet life in the country and maybe even does something useful once in a while? I don't blame someone for wanting luxuries, but don't look down on others who don't need them. Many expats here not only do not want to live like a farmer, but they would starve to death if they did. And if the current economic conditions get worse, alot more farangs may be living like Thais whether they want to or not.

Exactly. Right on. You got it

[kiakaha]

living in Bangkok, you really dont need to know any thai language to get by if you so choose.

i've always thought, based on my drives to various corners of the country over the years, that having a strong command(excellent reading and speaking) of the language/regional dialect of the rural area where you live would be absolutely vital for settlement and integration.....any of the rural folks care to elaborate on personal experience ?

[Marksamui]

Just what they can possibly enjoy about this is beyond me.

Then why do you ask?

Because I am interested to know and understand people's views on this....

Do you have a opinion on the matter?

"Going Native" ? What does that mean exactly? Living in or near a village? I think everyone here so far that lives in a village still has plenty of modern comforts. Living in Udon Thani I would hardly call going native. It's a city of only 100,000 or so people with all the various services available in Bkk, all the stores, movies etc on a smaller scale. I wouldn't mind living in a village as long as it had internet for work and obviously things like running water and electricity and hot water in the 3 months of colder season.

But there is something else to look at. What if you were forced to live in harsher conditions? Could you handle it or commit suicide if the world went to he_ll?. I think being willing and capable to live in different conditions is more about adventure. Thailand is a bit like the Wild West in a way. There is a lot more freedom and a lot more work to be done but the benfits outway the discomforts.

I enjoy the new experince and adventure of it and definately prefer the smaller cities of thailand to Bkk. I was born a city boy but it's nice to get a change in life. There are more important things in life than material possessions. But most materialistic people would never agree. They believe material wealth is everything. That is their Religion "Materialism".

Why are village people more friendly and look happier than city people? There's something there and you would have to discover it for yourself. No amount of explaining would give you the full understanding.

I am just interested and surprised by the amount of farang who now try to live and act 100% Thai.

i.e. Live Thai style without all the western creature comforts (although they have some because they are on the internet!).

It's just sometimes I read posts where people jump and scream about commercial thailand and how they live in the real Thailand, and I wonder if they really deep down are 100% happy with the way things turned out for them...

For me I would never go that far, that rural, that native. Why, not becuase I am very materialistic but because it is not my culture and I would not fit in and/or ever be happy and comfortable living that life. So I try to maintain a balance with my life for what I am, a Brit living in Thailand. I try and fnd a happy medium with it, not go for either extreme.

[bkkjames]

living in Bangkok, you really dont need to know any thai language to get by if you so choose.

i've always thought, based on my drives to various corners of the country over the years, that having a strong command(excellent reading and speaking) of the language/regional dialect of the rural area where you live would be absolutely vital for settlement and integration.....any of the rural folks care to elaborate on personal experience ?

No need to travel to all corners to pick up the dialect, a simple night out in Soi Cowboy or Nana can give you brief intro into various forms of language.

[tartempion]

Just what they can possibly enjoy about this is beyond me.

Then why do you ask?

Because I am interested to know and understand people's views on this....

Do you have a opinion on the matter?

I happen to live in the boon docks 50kms from Udon Thani.

In some earlier live I lived and worked in Montreal, New York, Atlanta, Paris, Munich, Dusseldorf, Brussels, Chateauroux, Lisboa and a few other less visible places.

I got fed up with cities, towns, the rat race and people.

I now live amidst trees, rice field and poor farmers, not to mention the perfect weather: no more 3m snow, -30C and 9 months of rain.

And no, the weather is not good in Bangkok and Surat Thani.

In Udon I can buy all the western amenities thus giving me the best of both worlds.

Hope this helps you understanding something

[Maizefarmer]

After reading these forums for the past couple of months I am surprised not by the amount of Expats with Thai wifes, but with the amount of Expats who with said wife live in a native/rural Thailand.

Really something like this is not for me and as much as possible I add a western influence onto things. My wife is really happy this way around.

I just thought that some posters seem to revel in the fact that they live a rural life in a Thai village. Just what they can possibly enjoy about this is beyond me.

I am sure plently will come and knock this, but really its each to their own, but it certainly is not for me...

No no - nothing to knock you about - you are as entitled to express your opinion as anyone else is: sadly, you are correct - some folk will take it as an oppurtunity to turn it into a flogging horse, and if anything, its this type of response from members that the Mod's have been pretty darn useless at bringing under control.

I don't "revel" in the fact that I live in rural Thailand - by virtue of my occupation its unavoidable, but lfe is all about making choices, and then what you can of situations, and whats ideal for some folks, is not for others. Its horses for courses.

The truth is, that for most ex-pats who come out to Thailand, find themselves a partner and retreat back to the rural North, it's not a permanent thing - the majority of those relationships don't last, and within about 4-6years a lot of them find themselves back home in the West. It becomes just one of many of lifes experiances, and most folk, immaterial of whether or not the live in urban or rural areas, life is made up of different experiances, living in different places, moving about to some extent - wheather it be in jobs or in relationships. Thats life - don't see anyone who lives in rural Thailand in terms of just that experiance - like most folk, they'll have had a dozen other equally relivant experiances, of which living in rural Thailand is just one of those experiances.

In short: don;t read to much into it.

Edited March 3, 2009 by Maizefarmer

[sbk]

Well, the report button is there for a reason maize. You are well aware of that fact, I believe.

We are all entitled to enjoy or not (as is obvious with some posters) the places where we choose to live and why that fact should be a point of flaming or abuse is beyond me.

[teletiger]

I potter around the garden, maybe clean the wifes car for her......

Keeps me busy.

How many bags of kee moo can you get in the back of that thing Maigo? 40 in the back of mine and room for the staff!

Some people talk about not integrating locally. Thats a personal choice. First year I was here I was fairly solitary. Why should I read or write Thai when non of my neighbours can? Their kids can though, with a not bad smattering of English to boot. At first everybody stares at you. The Thai way....with no shame Now I go to everything. Weddings, funerals, Making Monk.....everything. Chonabot. The best ones are the disputes at the Pu Yai's house. 50 people turn up to sort out a dispute between two people. After 30 minutes of serious (sic) stuff, someone opens a bottle of Hongthong and a party breaks out. After the last one, 2 very pissed BIBs wobbled their way home on their bike.

Nobody's mentioned how cheap it is to live in the boonies. We grow a lot of our own stuff, and the rest we got from the neighbours. Rush hour is the school bus and a few motor bikes. Now the wife wants to go to NZ to be with the kids :D

Aukland. I hear it's full of bloody Asians!

Regards.

[TexasRanger]

living in Bangkok, you really dont need to know any thai language to get by if you so choose.

i've always thought, based on my drives to various corners of the country over the years, that having a strong command(excellent reading and speaking) of the language/regional dialect of the rural area where you live would be absolutely vital for settlement and integration.....any of the rural folks care to elaborate on personal experience ?

I agree, I have just had a house built here in issan and I can't imagine what a cluster it would have been if i couldn't speak the language, in fact I don't think I would ever stay here for more than a week if i couldn't converse with the locals it would feel to isolated. I like the fact that I can drive into town alone and buy what I need at the hardware store or chemist without having to drag the wife around as a translator. For me it is a matter of survival, what if circumstances put me alone in an emergency, would I be able to tell a doctor what my symptoms were, could I explain a crime to the police?

I would feel like a child who needs his mum all the time if I needed my wife to communicate for me. Language is freedom, and I think it helps you integrate into village life so much more easily. Here I am Na Jack to the neighbours, not the farang.

[adjan jb]

Only the ones with no pride would go native.

Please elaborate

[jubby]

Just what they can possibly enjoy about this is beyond me.

Then why do you ask?

Because I am interested to know and understand people's views on this....

Do you have a opinion on the matter?

"Going Native" ? What does that mean exactly? Living in or near a village? I think everyone here so far that lives in a village still has plenty of modern comforts. Living in Udon Thani I would hardly call going native. It's a city of only 100,000 or so people with all the various services available in Bkk, all the stores, movies etc on a smaller scale. I wouldn't mind living in a village as long as it had internet for work and obviously things like running water and electricity and hot water in the 3 months of colder season.

But there is something else to look at. What if you were forced to live in harsher conditions? Could you handle it or commit suicide if the world went to he_ll?. I think being willing and capable to live in different conditions is more about adventure. Thailand is a bit like the Wild West in a way. There is a lot more freedom and a lot more work to be done but the benfits outway the discomforts.

I enjoy the new experince and adventure of it and definately prefer the smaller cities of thailand to Bkk. I was born a city boy but it's nice to get a change in life. There are more important things in life than material possessions. But most materialistic people would never agree. They believe material wealth is everything. That is their Religion "Materialism".

Why are village people more friendly and look happier than city people? There's something there and you would have to discover it for yourself. No amount of explaining would give you the full understanding.

I am just interested and surprised by the amount of farang who now try to live and act 100% Thai.

i.e. Live Thai style without all the western creature comforts (although they have some because they are on the internet!).

It's just sometimes I read posts where people jump and scream about commercial thailand and how they live in the real Thailand, and I wonder if they really deep down are 100% happy with the way things turned out for them...

For me I would never go that far, that rural, that native. Why, not becuase I am very materialistic but because it is not my culture and I would not fit in and/or ever be happy and comfortable living that life. So I try to maintain a balance with my life for what I am, a Brit living in Thailand. I try and fnd a happy medium with it, not go for either extreme.

pretty much sums me up too. I haven't come across many Farangs who try to live and act 100% Thai. I Still like to live in the Village though.

Your more likely to come across a newbie still suffering from "Culture Shock" or just in from an "India experience" trying to be native

[Gary A]

I don't want to burst anybody's bubble but out here in the boonies, I have satellite TV, a decent Internet connection, electricity and air conditioning. I even have a farang toilet.

If the truth be known, I moved up here because I was bored with the farang ghetto. Tourists do get on your nerves if you have to be around them every day. Like my neighbor Maigo6 I still have a condo in the farang ghetto. I manage to make it down there maybe once every three months. About three days of it and I'm ready to go back "NATIVE".

It's different strokes for different folks and the last thing I need in my little piece of paradise is whinging farangs. I worked all my life for a little peace and quiet and I intend to enjoy it until my wife has to barbecue me.

[ballpoint]

Shoes? What kind of shoes tho Tots?

My little island was pretty darn rural when I first came (dirt roads, no banks, no phones, no hospital, electricity on 6 pm to 6 am) , it was a tough adjustment but given that it is my husband's home and we have these kinds of views outside our front door, I prefer it over Bangkok any day

Yeah, we can get some bad floods in Buri Ram too. Don't worry though, the water will go down eventually.

As for those who say they could never live upcountry because there's nothing to do, what do you do in town every day? Are your days and nights filled with scintillating social events? Do you flit from party to party in the big smoke? Or do you do what I'd say most of those of us who live upcountry do, spend some time with friends, some time with family, surf the net, watch a little tele, do a bit of reading, listen to a bit of music, do a bit of shopping, go out for meals every so often? How about pottering about in the tractor shed, riding your dirt bike around your fields, going for a walk or a bike ride without having to worry about traffic, bringing the buffalo back from the fields, working in your large garden? Advantage country bumpkins I'd say.

[Chaimai]

Or do you do what I'd say most of those of us who live upcountry do, spend some time with friends, some time with family, surf the net, watch a little tele, do a bit of reading, listen to a bit of music, do a bit of shopping, go out for meals every so often? How about pottering about in the tractor shed, riding your dirt bike around your fields, going for a walk or a bike ride without having to worry about traffic, bringing the buffalo back from the fields, working in your large garden? Advantage country bumpkins I'd say.

ballpoint, it's not a competition

Different people choose different lifestyles. Your day sounds similar to mine (no tractor, though). Do I get bored with it ? Yes, sometimes. That is why, like Gary A, I will go and have a few days in Bangkok/Chiang Mai/Pattaya/Ayuttyah/Rayong/Langkawi/Bali etc - it is always a great feeling 'coming home'

[kiakaha]

living in Bangkok, you really dont need to know any thai language to get by if you so choose.

i've always thought, based on my drives to various corners of the country over the years, that having a strong command(excellent reading and speaking) of the language/regional dialect of the rural area where you live would be absolutely vital for settlement and integration.....any of the rural folks care to elaborate on personal experience ?

No need to travel to all corners to pick up the dialect, a simple night out in Soi Cowboy or Nana can give you brief intro into various forms of language.

you missed the point.

i certainly can't speak local dialects, I can only read/speak "Bangkok Thai"...but when i have driven to corners of the country, i have realised via observation that lack of thai language skills would certainly be an issue in the sticks, unlike in a big city like Bangkok where you can get by with English if you had to.

therefore I think it would be vital for someone who does live rurally to master the local lingo.

[Chaimai]

i certainly can't speak local dialects, I can only read/speak "Bangkok Thai"...but when i have driven to corners of the country, i have realised via observation that lack of thai language skills would certainly be an issue in the sticks, unlike in a big city like Bangkok where you can get by with English if you had to.

therefore I think it would be vital for someone who does live rurally to master the local lingo.

I can do the following:-

Order food and drink, buy a newspaper (English version), buy food from the market (I invariably point), pay my bills, use an ATM, drive a bike/car, order a taxi, travel on a bus, shop at 7/11.

All this in the boonies with a VERY limited Thai vocabulary.

[kiakaha]

i certainly can't speak local dialects, I can only read/speak "Bangkok Thai"...but when i have driven to corners of the country, i have realised via observation that lack of thai language skills would certainly be an issue in the sticks, unlike in a big city like Bangkok where you can get by with English if you had to.

therefore I think it would be vital for someone who does live rurally to master the local lingo.

I can do the following:-

Order food and drink, buy a newspaper (English version), buy food from the market (I invariably point), pay my bills, use an ATM, drive a bike/car, order a taxi, travel on a bus, shop at 7/11.

All this in the boonies with a VERY limited Thai vocabulary.

and if you could read and speak the language/dialect where you live to a much better level, just imagine how much more of your local community would be opened up to you.Surely a good thing right ?

[Chaimai]

and if you could read and speak the language/dialect where you live to a much better level, just imagine how much more of your local community would be opened up to you.Surely a good thing right ?

I agree 100% kiakaha, I was just suggesting that can still get by in the sticks. My mind is open so I do enjoy many interactions in the community.

It is my intention to develop my knowledge of the language. I do pick up more and more each time I come to Thailand (usually 4 trips = 7 months) and I just need to find time, when back in the UK, to pick up the books and CDs.

[desertrat]

"I am just interested and surprised by the amount of farang who now try to live and act 100% Thai."

Are these the ones with Thai tattoos and bits of cord around their wrists ?

[tartempion]

The truth is, that for most ex-pats who come out to Thailand, find themselves a partner and retreat back to the rural North, it's not a permanent thing - the majority of those relationships don't last, and within about 4-6years a lot of them find themselves back home in the West.

How do you really know the truth you talk about?

8 years I live with my Thai partner in 3 different regions and most ex-pats I met were in relationships before I met them and still are.

I could make a list of say 100 couples still together and not that much (hardly 10) who f*ed up and returned Westwards.

There go your statistics

[kiakaha]

"I am just interested and surprised by the amount of farang who now try to live and act 100% Thai."

Are these the ones with Thai tattoos and bits of cord around their wrists ?

why would it be any different to an Asian integrating into the west and acting 100% western <insert millions of examples here>

[bkkjames]

living in Bangkok, you really dont need to know any thai language to get by if you so choose.

i've always thought, based on my drives to various corners of the country over the years, that having a strong command(excellent reading and speaking) of the language/regional dialect of the rural area where you live would be absolutely vital for settlement and integration.....any of the rural folks care to elaborate on personal experience ?

No need to travel to all corners to pick up the dialect, a simple night out in Soi Cowboy or Nana can give you brief intro into various forms of language.

you missed the point.

i certainly can't speak local dialects, I can only read/speak "Bangkok Thai"...but when i have driven to corners of the country, i have realised via observation that lack of thai language skills would certainly be an issue in the sticks, unlike in a big city like Bangkok where you can get by with English if you had to.

therefore I think it would be vital for someone who does live rurally to master the local lingo.

I didn't miss the point, I was just being a smart ass .,,.. as usual. (at least I am honest about it)