I'm Still Just The Falang

[retell]

hy Henly,,, the family ( thats 3/4 of the whole village) does call me sort of by my name "maatin" instead of maarten "

no problems with me there

can speak a few words thai (isaan dialect mostly) but nothing to wonderfull with a few words ,hands and feet the occasional drawing we can communicate

[h90]

Change your name to Frank.

Then it won't require any change on their part.

I think that would be Flank

or Flan....but not important call him Falang...

[Kananga]

Did you say that you've been living here for 5 years and also do not speak Thai? It might be time to start learning (more) Thai. Imagine living in, say, America for 5 years and not being able to speak english. Imagine all the flack you would get from Americans. Just saying.

Yeah, those Mexicans have it tough.

[aboctok]

I just get grunted at....

Grunted at? I just get grunted about.

[abhaya]

Give youself a Thai name. My name is David but I just tell people my name is Wit (otherwise they'd pronounce my name as Daywit) so that is what people call me. Change your name to Lee as in Henlee- no ploblem!

[hellstens]

Just tell them and your girlfriend, that the falang don't have any money....But Henry have,

I promise, they lear your name very quick.

[Kangaroo29]

You can always change your name to "ATM" ..im sure they won't forget that one although Farang means the same thing in their eyes. At the moment its sounds like your coming about 6th on the list of importance and acceptance right after the pet dog = reality.

[julemanden]

Maybe the only time they bring up "farang" is when they're saying "Why can't that idiot farang learn to speak even some modicum of Thai after being in Thailand for 5+ freakin years??"

Ur so right!

[Xmas]

I have always been reffered to as Luang Farang - Uncle Farang.

That seems quite acceptable to me.

[Baerboxer]

Henry, mate. I've been married for over 10 years and engaged prior to that. My mother in law still calls me 'farang", and I call her Yai in return. My father in law has always called me by my correct first name, as I do him. My wife calls me by my "nickname".

I noticed that even when we lived in other countries Thais still call everyone else farang. I pointed out they were farang there, but they either laughed or thought me crazy.

Good luck with getting them to change - but don't get hung up on it.

[Monkeyrobot]

They call me ATM your lucky man Henly

[aboctok]

My name is also Henry.

I have tried to get them to pronouce it correctly many times....and they finally got my name. Sort of.

They all call me Hairy.

Well, I can live with that though I am anything but Hairy.

In a neat reflection of your situation, I used to get "Hairry Potter" (with hysterical laughter), even though my name's not Harry. I'm also not hairy, at least I wasn't until I came here.

[SteeleJoe]

BTW, there really is no doubt, they really ARE dissing you big time by calling you f-rang after all these years.

But jing, the resident TV experts keep telling us the use of the word "farang" is not degrogatory..

As I'm certain you know quite well, it is almost invariably the position of such people - like myself - that it's about context. Just as using "foriegn person" would be.

In this context, the girlfriend and her family are being blatantly and inexcusably rude as far as I'm concerned.

Edited April 23, 2013 by SteeleJoe

[travelman]

Nothing disrespectful. But these Thai's cannot pronounce word "R" properly. Always use as "L" instead. I tried that with my wife many a times. But she still is resilient in using word R properly in her conversation.

[cobra1]

ask them to call you Mr farang more personal

[oilreg]

Thats a easy task

1) you say Farrang Mai Supap,

to make it clear to them its not polite to say that and usually no thai person wants to be unpolite

then you need to explain a bit in detail, like you would explain a 5 year old kid so that they can understand

2) the Khun is missing, without the Khun for People, just the Farrang its not really related to a person

3) unless you are french its a insult anyways cause the word Farrang comes from Farrangse, which supposed to mean french

Due the luck that most thai people sort of hate all their neighbors around, espacially the people from Burma, you just explain, calling you Khun Farrang would be the same as calling them, Khun Burma,

since they certainly hate that, they will clearly understand thats its easier to call you either by your name, or by Khun (whatever country you are from)

i tried this method several times, and it works like a charm, i only get called Farrang by Thai i never met before, but i quick at teaching it to them

[sangfroid]

G/f's mother and sister call me by name.

G/f does not call me by name at all. She always calls or refers to me as dahling.

Sorry mate, but she is probably saying Daak Ling (Monkey's Arse)

[raybal5]

Excuse me Mistaahh Henlee. Maybe after 5 years you should be able to speak a few sentences in Thai. You not too lazy to learn are you darkling?

[laobali]

It's taken a while to wade through all this. All I can say is that if being still referred to as 'the falang' is the OP's biggest issue living with or near a Thai (or Lao) family, he's doing pretty well!

[EveryDayTheSame]

Tell GF to get them to learn your name and use it, and show some respect before any more money is forthcoming for the Family/Farm/ Buffalo/ Etc. .....See how fast they learn it then!........ Otherwise get a Falang girfriend/wife. I can recommend it.

[Kilgore Trout]

Henry, mate. I've been married for over 10 years and engaged prior to that. My mother in law still calls me 'farang", and I call her Yai in return. My father in law has always called me by my correct first name, as I do him. My wife calls me by my "nickname".

I noticed that even when we lived in other countries Thais still call everyone else farang. I pointed out they were farang there, but they either laughed or thought me crazy.

Good luck with getting them to change - but don't get hung up on it.

Makes no sense; it means white person not foreigner so of course they use it abroad

[SteveMav]

Change your name to Frank.

Then it won't require any change on their part.

Effin cracked me up!

But it does seem 2 fold. You been living here 5 years and speak no thai? In America if u dont speak english, most Americans dont want to bother with you. On the other hand your girlfriend should be dismissed. If it's your fault for not speaking Thai or her fault for not encouraging you or never really loving you is hard to tell, but after 5 years it seems like it is too late.

[Kilgore Trout]

I have always been reffered to as Luang Farang - Uncle Farang.

That seems quite acceptable to me.

About as acceptable as a black person being called uncle tom

Grow a pair why don't you

[Stan Makho]

"Once farang always a farang". This is what you are. Do not try to change it. Do not try to psychoanalyze them or yourself. Learing Thai will not help either. And here comes the most important advice: do not try to be a non-farang.

[HeavyDrinker]

"Once farang always a farang". This is what you are. Do not try to change it. Do not try to psychoanalyze them or yourself. Learing Thai will not help either. And here comes the most important advice: do not try to be a non-farang.

Cracking first post!!! Please stick around....

[Joe Mamma]

Hey dude, join the gang here. Now, after 5 years,its time to take a 180 and start getting to know these people,errr family. If you haven't got the old man drunk,whats wrong with you? If you don't ask questions or interact with them and the kids, then you are a foreigner. Enjoy them and play harmless tricks and pranks on them. Work them in the farang way of ingenuity. Be creative with taking them places and showing them things you used to do before, what are you doing all day anyway? Learning Thai is a bitch,but if you understand more than you speak and don't let on, you can have even more fun.

[candypants]

They will find it very disrespectful that you haven't learned their language. If you can't speak Thai you don't know what they'rw talking about. Maybe they are talking about guavas. Maybe they're talking about farang food.

ONce you adopt to their cultures and language, they will start calling you by your real name.

you dont even need to adopt, you could just adapt a little.

i would be hard pressed to expend any effort on someone who after 5 years I still can have even a simple direct exchange with

[Stan Makho]

"Once farang always a farang". This is what you are. Do not try to change it. Do not try to psychoanalyze them or yourself. Learing Thai will not help either. And here comes the most important advice: do not try to be a non-farang.

Cracking first post!!! Please stick around....

Thanks. I will...

[laislica]

Change your name to Frank.

Then it won't require any change on their part.

I think that would be Flank

Nah, it's gotta be Flan

Thai's don't pronounce the ends of words?

If you're a big man try Yai or Lek if you're small.

Nah, better yet: Change your name to Falang

[transam]

It is disrespectful, and you should say something to your g/f.

After 5 years you dont speak any Thai? I have been here about the same amount of time and can at least hold a basic conversation. Try learning the language, if for nothing else but personal growth. If I was back in the USA and had a daughter with a foreign boyfriend who didnt even attempt to speak English I may lose some respect for him as well.

Hmmmmmmmm, so you don't like me, I am ''dyslexic'' regarding languages. I am English and failed in English . BUT, l speak perfect English. .