Hi All,

I feel that it will be a good idea to open a topic where people can describe their Best and Worst experience when integrating the Thai & Western cultures...

Yes there are many posts circulating about how somebody is settling into their new surroundings. But, if you can think of a situation that may be surprising to other readers or may be of help to people at the beginning of the journey... then please share.

I'll start one off.

Worst: I grew up in a very 'White' town just outside of London. We used to get rubbish thrown at the house (eggs on the walls and bricks through the window) My Dad's English, my Mum's Thai. The neighbours children would shout racist comments at us and I was regularly asked if my Dad had bought my Mum!

Best: I like surprising local Thai people with my Bangkok accent. I look 100% Falang. They are confused when I start talking because the voice doesn't match the person It's great when bartering for goods and telling naughty Tuk Tuk drivers off.

Best .... the way Thai people treat me as opposed to the way Americans treat me.

Worst ? hummmm don't really know , maybe just the massive amount of congestion and density of people but that could be in any city around the world.

Pizza.

That is all I'm saying.

Worst: I grew up in a very 'White' town just outside of London. We used to get rubbish thrown at the house (eggs on the walls and bricks through the window) My Dad's English, my Mum's Thai. The neighbours children would shout racist comments at us and I was regularly asked if my Dad had bought my Mum!

And where ? may I ask was this very "White" town just outside of London???

Edited January 3, 201313 yr by MAJIC

Worst: I grew up in a very 'White' town just outside of London. We used to get rubbish thrown at the house (eggs on the walls and bricks through the window) My Dad's English, my Mum's Thai. The neighbours children would shout racist comments at us and I was regularly asked if my Dad had bought my Mum!

And where ? may I ask was this very "White" town just outside of London???

I don't understand why that information is important to you or what significance it has to the topic?

And where ? may I ask was this very "White" town just outside of London???

Not much privacy in a small town, so it's understandable why some might not want to be too specific. Please just answer the OP or read something else. No need to derail a topic nitpicking about semantics.

Worst: Getting involved in a relation with the wrong girl.

Best: While integrating i discovered about myself that i was being stupid and too naive to be ready to get involved with a Thai woman.

Edited January 3, 201313 yr by Dancealot

Worst?.... Getting my fingers burnt.

Best?.... Realising that it was better to pick up a warm lady rather than a hot tart

And where ? may I ask was this very "White" town just outside of London???

Not much privacy in a small town, so it's understandable why some might not want to be too specific. Please just answer the OP or read something else. No need to derail a topic nitpicking about semantics.

Protect the privacy of people who threw garbage at your house, bricks threw the window, and children shouting racial abuse!!

Best: telling fellow farangs that I got the missis from brides online and watching their faces change

Worst: shopkeepers taking advice from others instead of listening to me, I really did want my jok to be without eggs and without intestines and take away, the fact that the woman next to me thinks I wanted it with everything and to eat in is not my problem and has probably cost you money.

wrt to small towns near London, I know em, and they've changed a lot over the years, along with generations, the 60+ and 70+ will be remaining in a post war state of mind wondering why people are taking jobs, 40 - 60 a bit more calm but a bit of not wanting something different attitude will remanin 30 - 40 a little rage occasionally I guess but younger than that more accepting, of course you always get the ignorant, the bigots

Hmm, good question..

Worst, learning new cultures. Sometimes its hard, especially out in the sticks.

Best, learning new cultures. Suddenly it starts to get easy and you say ooooohhh, thats what it means! Finally I understand!

Best: meeting my wife and slipping into village life. Building stuff without waiting 6 months foe a work permit. A lot of best things really.

Worse: my disappointment at street food, we now take our rice cooker with us along with our own rice and chicken as do many Thais. Especially since I found out that they buy their oil from restaurants that have finished with it and the stuff is full of pesticides and other gunk.

It took me two months to find decent coffee.

Oh, and the 'Mai mi' thing where they just turn around and walk away instead of helping further.

Best: the freedom, the weather, nice people (you have those anywhere)

Worst: never knowing if you are not being cheated when buying something, the visa rules that make it hard to really settle here as you never know what they are going to change, the lack of quality in goods and labor (even if you pay more),

And where ? may I ask was this very "White" town just outside of London???

Not much privacy in a small town, so it's understandable why some might not want to be too specific. Please just answer the OP or read something else. No need to derail a topic nitpicking about semantics.

Protect the privacy of people who threw garbage at your house, bricks threw the window, and children shouting racial abuse!!

No, protecting the OP's privacy

Best: Retiring here and getting a good nights sleep every night, and being accepted by my neighbour who has done many things for us and helped us in many situations without question.

Worst: Not learning the language as quickly as I should...and to borrow from Robblok....the lack of quality in products and labour.

I can't reply to worst because I've been treated pretty well everywhere I've been in Thailand. I take everything in life as a lesson, and even the bad stuff is okay. I just figures it saves me from a worse fate later. For example; if I have a little fender bender accident where all I get is a few scrapes I take it as a lesson to be more careful in the future and maybe I'll survive a far worse situation.

As far as the best goes it's hard to decide between many. I think it's random acts of kindness on my part that I get rewarded from by a child's grin or a old woman's smile.

Best: Cheap prices

Worst: You get what you pay for.

I grew up in a very 'White' town just outside of London.

You must be old. Even I cannot remember back that far.

Best --- walking out of Suvarnabhumi

Worst --- walking into Suvarnabhumi

Worse - Up 2 You answer

Best - Up 2 You answer when it benefits me.

Worse - Up 2 You answer

Best - Up 2 You answer when it benefits me.

Oh so true. My friend who has a Thai wife always dreads that statement... "Up to you"

Best: Realising just how fortunate I was to be born and educated in Great Britain

Worst: Realising that many of the scummiest, most poorly-behaved foreigners here are from Great Britain

The best would be the great Thai people who have helped me along the way and there have been quite a few good ones.

The worst would be the scammers, liars and dodgy shopkeepers / market stall holders who love to scam and / or rip you off every chance they get.

The worst would be the scammers, liars and dodgy shopkeepers / market stall holders who love to scam and / or rip you off every chance they get.

That's easily remedied. Just shop at places that have fixed, clearly displayed prices.

I don't think the market stalls have anything that major retailers don't have these days, surely?

OP is a good example of integrating Thai and Farang ;-)

Worst

Farang who can't be bothered to appreciate and learn from there host country.

Best

Those Farang that can be bothered and reap great benefits from the experience.

[partially removed - by MiG16]

And to the OP, you go girl! Thank you for being so straight up with your experiences.

If you find a post to be offensive/against forum rules, you can report it. Which you rightly did Sub.

Post in question has been dealt with but this does not constitute a free ticket for other poster to slag off or flame the poster who made the offensive post.

Responding to an offensive comment with another offensive one is equally breaking forum rules.

Please keep that in mind, and play nice.

Happy new year

Happy new year, Mig! But just to clarify I didn't report the post, and am thankful that someone else did.

I grew up in a very 'White' town just outside of London.

You must be old. Even I cannot remember back that far.

Wow there are a lot of Haters on this site!

Longmead Estate in Epsom. During the nineties when I was growing up, my family and an Indian family where the only asian people in the area and they used to get their fence kicked in. It's changed now, completely, like many similar areas around London. People have learned how to integegrate! I'm sure many Asian families live there quite happily now which is why the location wasn't worth mentioning.

And what does "even I cannot remember back that far" mean? Thank God that not every family experiences racist attacks but that doesn't mean that racism doesn't exist in people's lives. My family never once retaliated, we let the police handle the situation. London and the Boroughs are a wonderful place for seeing a big mix of cultures... But I didn't start seeing that until I was 14... which was also when it flipped the other way and I had started seeing white kids getting robbed on the trains by black kids. (FYI, trainline Selhurst to London Bridge) info ok now guys!

Keep your OWN experiences coming... It's good reading them