Living In A Village - Was It Tolerable For You?

[KarenBravo]

Living in the village? After two days of unmitigated boredom I start losing the will to live.

Kudos to those that can, but, to me, it's a living death.

[losworld]

Yes this is very interesting. I can't imagine someone burning trash and allowing it to waft through a neighbour's windows in the early morning hours or any time of day for that matter. I don't think I could handle it. Plus I can only imagine the constant dogs barking as I have heard enough of it in populated areas. I stayed at a nice new hotel in Chiang Mai once and a house less than 30 yards away had pens with dogs in them (not sure why) and I have never heard anything like it in my life. It was like a pack of wolves as they would bark and howl through the night and it sounded like they were outside my door. Like I said lovely hotel in the afternoon but during the night it was unbearable. I can sleep through almost anything but not like that.

I still do not undertand how and why Thais put up with the dogs like they do.

[MJP]

Living in the village? After two days of unmitigated boredom I start losing the will to live.

Kudos to those that can, but, to me, it's a living death.

If you're just going there to see the parents, yes it is a dire experience. Build your own lot here and it's great. Affordable housing for one thing.

[skipvice]

It's funny, looking back on my concerns about village living before we came here.

I was worried mostly about the snakes . I had read so many posts about snakes getting into houses and the thought petrified me. You guess it - haven't seen a snake in 2 months! Lots of frogs in the house and things that look like leaches and other creepy crawlies, but at least no snakes.....yet!

But centipedes - huge mothers . Half a meter long and as thick as a snake. Outside, not in the house fortunately. Even the wife gets freaked at them. I've had to send about a dozen back to meet their Maker since being here. I think they like the potatoes growing near the house. I don't know.

And ants. Tiny ants by the millions. Finally after spraying all around the house and in the rooms I can make it though the night without awakening with another few itchy bites.

Never thought the noise would be a problem. And I think I am so smart... Speaking of bites, I happened to notice another farang's legs while waiting in line at 7-Eleven yesterday. Covered with red spots and scratch marks. Seems he has an ants problem too .

The land of smiles will soon become the Land of the DAD (deaf and dumb) one of the side affects of noise pollution is learning disorders

[TaoNow]

OP (and others with village llife): have you read Andrew Hicks' book "My Thai Girl and I"? That might answer some questions and add a different perspective. Not sure how things have worked out for him though.

Totally agree with all who suggest the importance of a hobby or set of hobbies to pass the time and expand the social network.

Best of luck.

TN

[Travel2003]

Im not sure how it is done, all I can do is to read and write, post and reply here.

But maybe one member could make a poll were we could see some numbers about who lived where?

Who is here permanently, semi, vacationer, own their home, rent their home, what kind of place they live in (tiny, small, medium village, town, city).

How long they lived here.

Live alone, with gf, fiance, married, divorced in Thailand, etc.

Anyone?

Who are the expats and who are the experts.

[steelepulse]

I often wonder why foreigners move to the village just to be close to the wife's family 24/7.  Any reason why most foreigners can't have the in-laws come and visit once in a while in a different province, but not have to be 24/7 with the family? 

If you did not move to whatever particular village to be with the in-laws, why did you choose this particular village?

To each their own, but I have often wondered why you were forced to move when you really didn't want to. Is it simply because the other siblings of your partner don't want to be there to take care of the family, or do they see you as having the biggest income, so you get stuck there?

[ballpoint]

This topic seems to come around regularly, the differences between city and village life. Each time I wonder why people are so adamant they'd be bored in the country. Unless you enjoy hanging around shopping centres every day, and bars and nightclubs every night, what's the difference? I lived in Bangkok for a number of years an even greater number of years ago. I could wander around the condo, read a book, watch a video (no DVD's in those days, no internet either), walk down the shops or go to the pictures. Now I live in a village of around 1500 people in Buri Ram, and have done for nearly 20 years. I can wander about my large house, read a book, watch a DVD, surf the net, walk down the local shop, work in the garden, potter about in the tractor shed, walk around the farm, jump on the motor bike and get straight onto an empty road or jump on my pushbike and pedal along deserted country tracks. I also have 2 Tesco's, 2 Big C's, 2 Makro's, 2 Pizza Company's, 4 KFC's, a Chester's Grill, countless Mr- and Dunkin' Donuts' a bowling alley, a number of bookshops with a reasonable selection of english books and a number of expat bars / restaurants (that I rarely visit, because despite the "driven to drink" posts, I don't drink at all), all within a half hour drive away. Live in a boring expat ghetto? No way.

[Mosha]

To answer the question how many live in the village? The Mu Ban centres on a 5 km dead end I rexkon there are about 500 Thais and an uncountable number of Burmese in the area. It's a rubber/palm area. So the houses are well spaced out. I can see 4 houses from my front door. 1 is a house we rent out, so that is on Sopha's land. Then next door is my sister in law. Her property has another house on which my step daughter lives in. Next door to them is another family, who we are friendly with. We don't get the morning Moo-ban radio. I think everyone finds it more of an annoyance. The system is only used as a PA system. We go to the wakes and weddings in the area, I go to the Wat when there is something special on. You don't need to isolate yourself, even if your Thai is supplemented with hand signals. I also have a scanner, so I have people coming for photo copies at 3 Baht a sheet, so I get quite a few visitors.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Mosha

[losworld]

I think all villages should have an ATM machine.

[Travel2003]

I often wonder why foreigners move to the village just to be close to the wife's family 24/7.  Any reason why most foreigners can't have the in-laws come and visit once in a while in a different province, but not have to be 24/7 with the family? 

If you did not move to whatever particular village to be with the in-laws, why did you choose this particular village?

To each their own, but I have often wondered why you were forced to move when you really didn't want to. Is it simply because the other siblings of your partner don't want to be there to take care of the family, or do they see you as having the biggest income, so you get stuck there?

My thoughts exactly too.

Especially your first point.

Not anti social in any way, but Im the kind of person that values my personal space.

[Lopburi99]

Im not sure how it is done, all I can do is to read and write, post and reply here.

But maybe one member could make a poll were we could see some numbers about who lived where?

Who is here permanently, semi, vacationer, own their home, rent their home, what kind of place they live in (tiny, small, medium village, town, city).

How long they lived here.

Live alone, with gf, fiance, married, divorced in Thailand, etc.

Anyone?

Who are the expats and who are the experts.

And while they are at it, how about another poll: How many days before having sex on your first visit to the Land of Seduction? Now THAT would be an interesting poll!

[Travel2003]

Im not sure how it is done, all I can do is to read and write, post and reply here.

But maybe one member could make a poll were we could see some numbers about who lived where?

Who is here permanently, semi, vacationer, own their home, rent their home, what kind of place they live in (tiny, small, medium village, town, city).

How long they lived here.

Live alone, with gf, fiance, married, divorced in Thailand, etc.

Anyone?

Who are the expats and who are the experts.

And while they are at it, how about another poll: How many days before having sex on your first visit to the Land of Seduction? Now THAT would be an interesting poll!

I think that is almost a given.

Have to admit I was a naughty boy the very first times I came here.

But I grew up.

[Lopburi99]

I often wonder why foreigners move to the village just to be close to the wife's family 24/7. Any reason why most foreigners can't have the in-laws come and visit once in a while in a different province, but not have to be 24/7 with the family?

If you did not move to whatever particular village to be with the in-laws, why did you choose this particular village?

To each their own, but I have often wondered why you were forced to move when you really didn't want to. Is it simply because the other siblings of your partner don't want to be there to take care of the family, or do they see you as having the biggest income, so you get stuck there?

We looked for land in Jomtien and Chao Lao Beach (near Chanthaburi) and found some great properties but they was too expensive for my budget. Although I really wanted to live near the sea it was become evident I couldn't afford it. My wife succeeded in getting me to consider this particular village because it was not too far from the seashore so we could visit often and land here is very inexpensive. Plus, I knew how much she would love being near her sister and mother and I didn't want to rule that out without trying. Also, there was a guy from Switzerland who owned land next to the piece we bought and we are good friends, something important. Plus, I didn't want to keep dumping money into resorts and rentals indefinitely, and I thought I would enjoy my own home and garden, etc, as I always have before in the states. I thought after two years of living in LOS in various locales I needed to finally make a decision where to settle. I knew if worse came to worse I could change my mind and never actually build if things didn't work out, but as I mentioned earlier to one poster, moving to a village where the family is may be made with the best of intentions but it can be far more difficult to reverse than expected. That is why I cautioned that poster to learn from my experiences and be careful. The good news: it is not expensive to buy land and build a house in a village....the bad news: You may quite possibly not be suited for this type of a living environment.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Lopburi99

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

I for one prefer living in a village over living in Bangkok. Like the small village outside Chiang Mai where my boyfriend's mum has her house and where we spend our x-mas and songkhran holidays. Perfect!

No traffic jams. No buses. No Diesel soot. Clean air. Rice fields and trees. Chickens and cows and ducks. The next 7-Eleven is a 10-minute motorbike ride away, as is the ATM. Children playing. It is actually fun to ride a bicycle there!

We would move there tomorrow if not mine and my boyfriend's jobs would demand us to stay in Bangkok.

Best regards....

Thanh

[madmitch]

It must help if you can speak Thai, which sadly I don't.

I'm just back from three weeks in the GF's village. It is great for my 4 year old daughter as she has several cousins of similar ages. Of course the GF is close to her family so she's happy. That leaves me.

I use it as time for watching DVDs, using the (very erratic) internet, reading and relaxing but after a few days I am bored out of my mind.

We have our own home on her father's land but even this has been infiltrated by other family members and when we go, I don't feel that it is our home for much of the time. If they bothered to keep it clean it would help.

The GF keeps pointing out land for sale. I tell her that as a farang I cannot buy land and under probable law changes, cannot give any money to buy land either. There is no way I could live there full-time. It's only 15 minutes from shopping centres, proper shops, KFC etc. but it is not for me.

[Lopburi99]

Hi.

I for one prefer living in a village over living in Bangkok. Like the small village outside Chiang Mai where my boyfriend's mum has her house and where we spend our x-mas and songkhran holidays. Perfect!

No traffic jams. No buses. No Diesel soot. Clean air. Rice fields and trees. Chickens and cows and ducks. The next 7-Eleven is a 10-minute motorbike ride away, as is the ATM. Children playing. It is actually fun to ride a bicycle there!

We would move there tomorrow if not mine and my boyfriend's jobs would demand us to stay in Bangkok.

Best regards....

Thanh

Yes, I agree those are some nice things about village living which I was looking forward to before moving there.

Isn't there a lot of early morning noise in that village? That's been my major complaint.

[Lopburi99]

My wife was raised here in this village and even she can't adjust to it. So we are leaving and will return every year for only 3 Months.

This really surprises me Skip. Your wife was raised in that village and even she can't adjust? What are her complaints? Please elaborate if you will as this is very interesting.

[Lopburi99]

It must help if you can speak Thai, which sadly I don't.

I'm just back from three weeks in the GF's village. It is great for my 4 year old daughter as she has several cousins of similar ages. Of course the GF is close to her family so she's happy. That leaves me.

No, I don't speak Thai. I just know a few of the basic words like eat, sleep, shower, etc. I remember reading a poster long ago on TV complaining that when his wife was around another Thai, he ceased to exist. Like the invisible man. I can relate, as many of us probably can. I say, not completely joking, that I am a "deaf mute" when I am around the family. No idea what is being said, just sitting there like old deaf grandpa. Not pleasant. To be honest, I understand it but I harbor a little resentment the wife doesn't try more to keep me clued in on what is being discussed. I think I'll talk to her about it. She is a good partner, she'll try to comply. But it works both ways, I should be making more effort to regularly learn more Thai words. Many are not that difficult I am told.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Lopburi99

[IanForbes]

I guess if I had my own home it wouldn't be so bad, but just living out of a suitcase is a bit restricting. It REALLY helps if you have a creative talent. I paint, draw, sculpt and write. I also have other interests like fishing and photography. When visit the family I take care of in Luk Kae I bring along my computer for writing and a sketch pad for drawing. I teach the kids how to draw and paint, and seeing them progress and have fun is rewarding.

[villagefarang]

My wife was raised here in this village and even she can't adjust to it. So we are leaving and will return every year for only 3 Months.

This really surprises me Skip. Your wife was raised in that village and even she can't adjust? What are her complaints? Please elaborate if you will as this is very interesting.

This is not uncommon, for girls who make the adjustment to the bigger outside world. It can be hard to go back to the constraints of village culture after greater freedom in the West or a big city and to find friends who have any concept of the life you may have lived with your farang husband. Foreign lands, foreign friends, foreign culture are completely foreign concepts for village people who have never been anywhere. That is why we have to import some of our more sophisticated friends from elsewhere.

[Lancelot]

I'm beginning to think the handwriting is on the wall. We've been in a rural village near Sao Kaeo for about two months and I'm not sure I can adapt.

The most difficult is the early morning noise starting at 6am or earlier (like blasting one hour public announcements, music, ceremonial flute music/chanting, food vendors, you name it) which prevents me from getting a decent sleep and puts me right off in a lousy mood each day.

I live in east Pattaya and I had the loudspeaker thing too, begining at 8 am, broadcasting the local school and neighbor hood news. Went on for about two months and then mysteriously stopped (Somchai and wire cutters maybe?) Ha!

Rural Thailand is scenic and the Thais living there are more pleasant but I've come to realize that I still need to be around my own kind. Hats off to the folks that have adapted

[oevna]

I live in east Pattaya and I had the loudspeaker thing too, begining at 8 am, broadcasting the local school and neighbor hood news. Went on for about two months and then mysteriously stopped (Somchai and wire cutters maybe?) Ha!

Could just be that the truck that the loudspeakers are mounted on broke down, and nobody could agree on whose responsibility it was to pay for the repairs. Or maybe everyone secretly wished all along that the thing would break down, so nobody wants to fix it. I don't understand why villagers put up with it at all.

[villagefarang]

From our house in the field, on a still day outside, it is possible to hear the announcements from four different village headmen. Inside the house, I don't hear a thing.

[Lopburi99]

From our house in the field, on a still day outside, it is possible to hear the announcements from four different village headmen. Inside the house, I don't hear a thing.

Don't I wish. If I should ever end up building a house, wherever it may be, you can be sure it will be soundproofed to the max.

[skipvice]

My wife was raised here in this village and even she can't adjust to it. So we are leaving and will return every year for only 3 Months.

This really surprises me Skip. Your wife was raised in that village and even she can't adjust? What are her complaints? Please elaborate if you will as this is very interesting.

She has lived in the States with me for the last 38 years, she is now considered a outsider in her oun village. She just can't adjust to the noise,pollution,Family and so on. Same as me, we gave it a year at least. Its a nice place to visit but we don't want to live here. At least her family now has a nice house to live in.

[Mosha]

Lopburi, I think our Thai level is about the same. However Sopha does clue me in in conversations.

[PeaceBlondie]

We moved here to the edge of this Thai-Chinese 200=year old village, 8 months ago. The Thai boyfriend fits in. PA system is close, not loud. I go to town (~20 km) almost daily. Farang help w/somebody to talk to.

[Lopburi99]

My wife was raised here in this village and even she can't adjust to it. So we are leaving and will return every year for only 3 Months.

This really surprises me Skip. Your wife was raised in that village and even she can't adjust? What are her complaints? Please elaborate if you will as this is very interesting.

She has lived in the States with me for the last 38 years, she is now considered a outsider in her oun village. She just can't adjust to the noise,pollution,Family and so on. Same as me, we gave it a year at least. Its a nice place to visit but we don't want to live here. At least her family now has a nice house to live in.

Ok, I understand now. Didn't realize your wife had left the village for so long.

BTW, congratulations on the 38 year marriage !!!

[robblok]

I live in a village a lil bit outside of Bangkok but close enough to it that im there in half an hour. I like the village and we had sound problems too.. at a point i even thought about sabotaging the speakers.. but it just stopped.

I could not live in the center of BKK its too crazy for me.. But i love the village here and all the big shops and BKK is close enough.

My advice get an hobby and stick with it or maybe do some sport. Maybe you should get a pet.. my wife is gone a lot and i got 2 dogs.