Do You Love Or Hate Thaiand: The Four Stages Of Culture Shock

[Lancelot]

It is what it is- some days are great and others, arghhhh!

I like it here but I never drank the "I love Thailand" coolaide. For those that have: "You may love Thailand but does Thailand love you?"

[Jingthing]

It's just another country with pros and cons that works for some expats and doesn't work for others (and if you're "happy" with it now, don't assume you will be so two years from now). What's with this love and hate false dichotomy?

Edited November 24, 2012 by Jingthing

[payak]

spent my time here, give me Australia anytime, love thailand so much but prefer Australia a little more.

[thaibeachlovers]

I wish I could turn back time and try stage 1 again.. Just 1 week.

I wish that I could go back in a time machine, ALL THE TIME.

Those first few years were just astoundingly great.

<STAGE 2: Disillusionment

What a joke. And to think that they call this place The Land of Smiles. It's rotten. Everything is rotten. The smiles mean absolutely nothing. All they want is money. I really hate it here. I honestly wish I'd never come. I yearn to go back home. Everything is lies and deceit and corruption>

I agree with most of that, but certainly I NEVER wanted to go back "home". No matter how bad it gets here, it's sooooooo much better than "home".

<I started learning Thai. It's actually not as hard as I'd heard> Surely thou jest!

[Zatoichi]

Is there a stage 3.5?

I can't say I never think about home for the following reasons;

1) Cost of living is cheaper in most places in the US, than where I live in the heart of BKK.

2) Good schooling for our kids, MUCH better and free in the US compared to $12,000USD ++ a year for a pseudo equivalent here.

3) Housing is larger, cheaper, and easier to obtain in my area of the States.

4) See housing above, it's the same thing when it comes to credit & cars...man the cars here are BS. Seriously, I want my damm Challenger and a Escalade But no, for what I spend here for a cheesy lil watered down SUV I could have either one back in the States.

But yeah, other than those reasons I'm pretty much on stage 4.

So 3.5 anyone?

[chiangmaikelly]

Is there a stage 3.5?

I can't say I never think about home for the following reasons;

1) Cost of living is cheaper in most places in the US, than where I live in the heart of BKK.

2) Good schooling for our kids, MUCH better and free in the US compared to $12,000USD ++ a year for a pseudo equivalent here.

3) Housing is larger, cheaper, and easier to obtain in my area of the States.

4) See housing above, it's the same thing when it comes to credit & cars...man the cars here are BS. Seriously, I want my damm Challenger and a Escalade But no, for what I spend here for a cheesy lil watered down SUV I could have either one back in the States.

But yeah, other than those reasons I'm pretty much on stage 4.

So 3.5 anyone?

Is there a reason you posted only negatives? I mean stage 4 is a positive stage right?

[McMagus]

A pretty reasonable summary. I have gone through stages 1 - 3 (no way is learning Thai easy) but I guess I am making the choice of never entering stage 4. The reason is I will never call Thailand home, I do not want to live my life and die here as I have too many other things which call me back to Australia. I know I am here temporarily. I don't think I will ever be able to accept the lack of transparency in government and rule of law. In another similar post I commented that I need the cultural stimulation that comes with a western lifestyle. If I had a children here it may be a different story.

[Zatoichi]

Is there a stage 3.5?

I can't say I never think about home for the following reasons;

1) Cost of living is cheaper in most places in the US, than where I live in the heart of BKK.

2) Good schooling for our kids, MUCH better and free in the US compared to $12,000USD ++ a year for a pseudo equivalent here.

3) Housing is larger, cheaper, and easier to obtain in my area of the States.

4) See housing above, it's the same thing when it comes to credit & cars...man the cars here are BS. Seriously, I want my damm Challenger and a Escalade But no, for what I spend here for a cheesy lil watered down SUV I could have either one back in the States.

But yeah, other than those reasons I'm pretty much on stage 4.

So 3.5 anyone?

Is there a reason you posted only negatives? I mean stage 4 is a positive stage right?

True, I posted only negatives because the 4th stage otherwise has all the positives feelings I currently concur with. The negative ones I posted were the exceptions.

But ok, on the positive side;

Yeah Thai isn't that hard with effort. Despite Bangkok's relative expense to the rest of Thailand, there is still GREAT value for your money in most places, I enjoy my family life here bout as much as one could ask, Love the food, Love the City, love the view , love the social community I'm a part of locally.

But it's not any one thing I just over all love who I am here more.

[Shot]

I like cheese.

Edited November 24, 2012 by Shot