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Cracked Me Up, The First Time She Came To My Country...

krisb

By krisb
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farangme Silver Member

farangme

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Biggest surprise for wife was when she saw a homeless person begging. She freaked upon seeing the person. I explained. Wife couldn't believe there were homeless and beggers in America.

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For clarity: didn't crack me up. This was just the one that stands out most. She was also amazed you couldn't bribe your way out of a problem with the police. Too many others to mention here.

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jaiyenyen Gold Member

jaiyenyen

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One that still gets mentioned, is my wifes first encounter with heated car seats.

We went out for a drive, It was winter, and I turned on the heated seats without telling her. Her face was a picture.

She turned to me and asked "Why I have hot tuut?"

There's no answer to that.

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WilliaminBKK Gold Member

WilliaminBKK

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What about the first time they got a static shock in the winter and you try to explain we need a humidifier - door knobs were considered an electrocution device for the longest time.

Another one that was hard to explain was you don't eat the orange at the Chris Tingle Christmas Service

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farangme Silver Member

farangme

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What many Thai (and other, I presume) newbies to our western countries fail to comprehend is that having a three bedroom house, a newish car and the latest model flatscreen tv doesn't make you rich: it makes you middle class. The concept of this won't sink in until the bills and cost of living hit them with the realisation that it's all relative and that middle class people usually don't have anything left in their pocket at the end of the week to live anything resembling a lavish lifestyle.

The other thing that dawned on my own wife after some time here was that factory workers and garbage collectors are those very middle class types and that they, in most cases, live a better lifestyle than a well-dressed office worker.

It's a very difficult concept for them to grasp that the guy who comes to clean out your sewage drain lives in a house twice the size of your own and drives a BMW.

I think the wife's epiphany came when she took a part-time job and realized how much, or little, she could make relative to the cost of things. What may seem a decent amount for a simple life in TL will get you next to nothing in the U.S.

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Songhua Platinum Member

Songhua

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The size of the Queensland Road Law book absolutely floored her. 'I have to learn all this?'

Passed her test first time though, without the use of a translator - which she'd have been entitled to.

Problem was, getting her to stick to those rules after she'd obtained her licence. Lol

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farangme Silver Member

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The size of the Queensland Road Law book absolutely floored her. 'I have to learn all this?'

Passed her test first time though, without the use of a translator - which she'd have been entitled to.

Problem was, getting her to stick to those rules after she'd obtained her licence. Lol

The concept that pedestrians have the right of way was a new one for her.

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krisb Ruby Member

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What many Thai (and other, I presume) newbies to our western countries fail to comprehend is that having a three bedroom house, a newish car and the latest model flatscreen tv doesn't make you rich: it makes you middle class. The concept of this won't sink in until the bills and cost of living hit them with the realisation that it's all relative and that middle class people usually don't have anything left in their pocket at the end of the week to live anything resembling a lavish lifestyle.

The other thing that dawned on my own wife after some time here was that factory workers and garbage collectors are those very middle class types and that they, in most cases, live a better lifestyle than a well-dressed office worker.

It's a very difficult concept for them to grasp that the guy who comes to clean out your sewage drain lives in a house twice the size of your own and drives a BMW.

I think the wife's epiphany came when she took a part-time job and realized how much, or little, she could make relative to the cost of things. What may seem a decent amount for a simple life in TL will get you next to nothing in the U.S.

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Yes!......same with mine, she gave up doing the "$15 here in Australia ooooow thats 500baht" conversion.

It did her head in for 6 months, now she just excepts things....cheesy.gif

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BigJohnnyBKK Platinum Member

BigJohnnyBKK

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Most of the stuff listed in this thread is more about not being very smart than it is about cultural differences.

Depends how you define "smart".

Innate intelligence doesn't give one exposure to other cultures or other results of a decent education and travel experience.

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krisb Ruby Member

krisb

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Most of the stuff listed in this thread is more about not being very smart than it is about cultural differences.

Theres always 1 isnt there.

Must be tough being so culturally aware as your good self is.

I know first time I was in Thailand I didnt know everytihng perhaps its because Im not very smart?

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farangme Silver Member

farangme

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Most of the stuff listed in this thread is more about not being very smart than it is about cultural differences.

Huh? Don't think so bro. If you grew up in a sheltered culture and not exposed to the world, your only point of reference would be what you've experienced, learned and been told. Not to generalize, but Thai education tends to be ethno-centric with TL at the center of the world. Nothing to do with IQ. Because one may be shocked at the extent of prostitution in TL upon their initial visit doesn't make them 'not smart'. Same same.

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loeuftok Apprentice Member

loeuftok

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Most of the stuff listed in this thread is more about not being very smart than it is about cultural differences.

are you meaning that most of TV posters are not very smart.

when reading the different threads and the reaction about thai culture/ life style and comparing to your post one could come to this conclusion

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BigJohnnyBKK Platinum Member

BigJohnnyBKK

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She also refused to believe that in the UK we have organised dog races, which hundreds of people go to a stadium to watch and bet money on.

You do? What sorts of dogs? Are the stadiums dedicated to that one sport, or do they just convert a horse track or something?

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payak Silver Member

payak

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coming to Australia my wife finally learned the earth is not flat when we went swimming and she realised the water was not running over the edge of the planet.

she also learned the planets revolve around the sun and not around thailand, she realised this when she collapsed under my hills hoist clothes line and noticed the stars returned to there original spot over a 24 hour period.

some are talking here like they walked out of the stone age.

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BigJohnnyBKK Platinum Member

BigJohnnyBKK

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some are talking here like they walked out of the stone age.

Not quite, in most of my girls' villages they've been using bronze for ages. . .

In all serousness, you probably think I'm joking, but before arriving at my house, most haven't ever seen an elevator (lift) nor used a sit-down toilet before, the new ones always leave footprints on the seat.

.

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farangme Silver Member

farangme

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some are talking here like they walked out of the stone age.

Not quite, in most of my girls' villages they've been using bronze for ages. . .

In all serousness, you probably think I'm joking, but before arriving at my house, most haven't ever seen an elevator (lift) nor used a sit-down toilet before, the new ones always leave footprints on the seat.

.

On my recent flight back to the US, went to use the toilet and saw two shoeprints on it. Cracked my up.

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