''Family Mart'' Girl- Advice Please...

[davidst01]

Hi there,

Im getting to know a 20 yr old girl that I met who works at 'Family Mart'. We have been to dinner and drinks and get along well. She is from Issan and speaks very good English and she lives in Pattaya. I don't think she is from a wealthy family at all. Her father is a truck driver and not sure that the mother works as she keeps ringing her daughter asking for money via Western Union.

Im relatively new to thailand and the cynical side to me asks how does she speak such good English. What Im trying to say is that I don't want to have a relationship with a (retired) bar girl. I know that a lot of the bar girls learn their good english from their clients.

Maybe she is exceptionally bright and learnt English at school in Issan?? Do non bar girls living in Issan speak English with a high level of proficiency? Thus far in Bangkok I have found the level of English speaking with normal thai girls to be a low standard to be honest and thus I do question Miss Family mart...

Any comments from long term farang residents in thailand is appreciated!

[stoneyboy]

Christ 20 seems a bit young to be a retired bar girl.

[beano2274]

Maybe she was one of the girls who got punters to go into the bars, thus not a bar girl but good in English.

Have you seen her at work in Family Mart?

[bangkockney]

Here's an idea: talk to her about it.

Isn't it a natural talking point anyway?

[Semper]

Marry her.

[cdnmatt]

If she's from Issan, and not from a wealthy family, then 99.98% chance she didn't learn English in school. She learned it somewhere else.

[Trembly]

She might just be bright. I have some teenage students Isaan students who are poor and are quite talented with languages.

[MaxwellsDemon]

In my experience there is little reason for Thais in general to learn English unless they work in the tourism industry (which includes the sex trade), or if they come from a decent background and are interested/capable of mid-to-high level business management or come from a wealthy background and will study abroad.

None of which seem to fit your girl, except, like you said, the possibility of a past bar girl career.

[Bangkokhatter]

Yeah 20 is a bit young to be retired. You don't say how long she has been in Pattaya, maybe she went to school there ? My friend is married to a girl from Buriram ( Isaan ) he met her in a photo-copying shop in Pattaya in the 90's. Her English was very good back then, she was 20 , never worked in a bar. They are now happily married living in the UK for the past 8 yrs.

Not all the girls who speak English in Pattaya work the bars.......just most of them !

[meand]

Sleep with her as quickly as possible. It would not take Sherlock Holmes to figure out what is going on after that.

[thaifkrlim]

english is not a difficult language to learn

[Jingthing]

I've run into plenty of 7-11/Family Mart "boys" and "girls" who speak English decently where it's obvious they were never sex workers. It may be a matter of experience to pick up what to me are obvious clues. I say if you like her, love her ...

[cdnmatt]

Ohhh, another possibility is maybe her mom is married to a farang, so she has a farang dad or step-dad.

[inthepink]

Western Union? Run for the hills.

[maxme]

In my experience there is little reason for Thais in general to learn English unless they work in the tourism industry (which includes the sex trade), or if they come from a decent background and are interested/capable of mid-to-high level business management or come from a wealthy background and will study abroad.

None of which seem to fit your girl, except, like you said, the possibility of a past bar girl career.

Obviously you don't have enough experience in this matter. Khon Kaen is a perfect example of that not everything is the same in Isaan.

[phuturatica]

english is not a difficult language to learn

That's a ridiculous comment to make. English isn't exactly simple and easy to learn, especially the grammar. For Thai people who speak a tonal language and have very simple grammar in their language it is quite different and difficult to learn.

As for the girl... Ask her where she learnt English. Get to know her more and see if you trust/believe what she says.

[Jingthing]

It wouldn't hurt to go in for HIV tests ... together. So romantic.

[antonb]

If she's 20 I hope to god your not an old man.

If your over 40 then go find an older girl.

If your younger then go for it mate!

[Fookhaht]

You'd be shocked at the number of English Major university graduates who work as noodle vendors, convenience store cashiers, taxi drivers, and the like.

The other, luckier ones work for 23-baht an hour at Boots Pharmacy 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It's a pretty sad job market for normal college graduates in Thailand, especially from Isaan. Only the "connected ones" (usually Bangkok elite) get the sweet jobs.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Fookhaht

[MaxwellsDemon]

In my experience there is little reason for Thais in general to learn English unless they work in the tourism industry (which includes the sex trade), or if they come from a decent background and are interested/capable of mid-to-high level business management or come from a wealthy background and will study abroad.

None of which seem to fit your girl, except, like you said, the possibility of a past bar girl career.

Obviously you don't have enough experience in this matter. Khon Kaen is a perfect example of that not everything is the same in Isaan.

I was talking about all of Thailand, actually, not just Isaan, and I'm interested to hear how Khon Kaen is different when it comes to English speakers...

[LucidLucifer]

Like other posters have said, she is a little young to be retired from the bar. At 20 years old she is probably in her money making prime. I doubt she would give that up to earn minimum wage in a Family Mart.

The mother and the Western Union thing would be a greater concern to me. If the old dear is constantly asking for money now, what will she be like when she hears her little girl has an ATM machine for a boyfriend?

Edited July 19, 2012 by LucidLucifer

[bino]

Can she read and write in English? Been my experience / rule of thumb that a Thai who can read and write learned English in a classroom, whereas one who can only speak learned in a barroom or a bedroom.

[TommoPhysicist]

Have you seen her at work in Family Mart?

What he says????

[Scully]

I thought you had to be 20 to work in a bar ?. She must have been a very good bar girl, a very short career indeed.

[Semper]

She is from Issan and speaks very good English and she lives in Pattaya

I think this is a give away.

And this:

she keeps ringing her daughter asking for money via Western Union.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Semper

[SJN]

This is quite intersting thread. Learning english isn't that difficult but not too easy, i must say. If one is really interested in the laguague, they would put much effort in learning so. And living in Pattaya, i do believe that there're lots of foreigners who stop by to buy things out there and if family mart girls want to impress the client with that, they would try to learn more words and sentences in order to communicate with clients more than ever. That's my assumption.

Anyway, for the girl from Isaarn and she's 20yrs who could speak decent english, i think you'd better take it slow and see the progress. You never know. And it's quite..strange...about asking money via Western Union?? I don't think we send money to one another via Western Union while we are living in Thailand...

[Bender]

To sum up:

20 yr old girl

works at 'Family Mart'

Issan

speaks very good English

lives in Pattaya.

father is a truck driver

the mother keeps ringing her daughter asking for money

Western Union.

new to thailand

she is exceptionally bright and learnt English at school in Issan (note: she is different!!!)

How many time i did hear this kind of story-line and and so many time these story have always the same ending...

If each time i got one baht i would be super-super rich......

Living in thailand for years, i do know a lot of thai, and hell a lot of student at university. Most dont speak english...

Edited July 19, 2012 by Bender

[DP25]

Why would someone from Isaan move to Pattaya to work at a Family Mart?

[thaifkrlim]

english is not a difficult language to learn

That's a ridiculous comment to make. English isn't exactly simple and easy to learn, especially the grammar. For Thai people who speak a tonal language and have very simple grammar in their language it is quite different and difficult to learn.

As for the girl... Ask her where she learnt English. Get to know her more and see if you trust/believe what she says.

people who are not so bright think everything else is difficult and assume everyone is the same

[MrsMills]

How many time i did hear this kind of story-line and and so many time these story have always the same ending...

In real life you probably would never come across situations like this, but on an Internet forum, it's a common situation, it's called Trolling.