So how did your family take it...

[chrisinth]

They said 'Why do you want to go to Taiwan?"....................

'Nuff said................... width=20 alt=rolleyes.gif>

"Are you going to learn Tawainese?"

kám-siā (thank you) BlackArtemis, I may do..................

chi̍t-chéng gí-giân éng-óan bô-kàu (One language is never enough)......................

Mods, I know its not English, and its not really a sensible post either. I promise to stick to English in the future; I tried to order a beer earlier this year and just found out what I said so it will be Thai & English from now on:

góa ê khì-tiām-chûn chhiong-móa liáu sian-hî (My hovercraft is full of eels)....................

[mrtoad]

I had talked about it for a while. I made the decision, made the arrangements and took a sabatical from work. Everybody thought I was mad, but I wasn't going to let people talke me out of it. The first few years were tough, but was able to bumble along. Thohgt a few times of going back, but didn't really appeal. Changed job 4 years ago this week, and from that point onwards I have a proper career and goals. Never would say never about going back, but I am grateful for the opportunities that have come about, and probably would never have had the life changing experiences if I hadn't got on that plane, or listened to others.

Edited November 10, 2013 by mrtoad

[i claudius]

Up to you , my daughter had lived with my Thai wife and her young brother up to getting married , as for the rest of my familly ,i was old enough and ugly enough to make my own mind up , they have all visited at one time or another ,of course there is skype ,so its not like in the old days when i first visited and telephone calls were about 1.70 pounds a minute(sorry no pound sign on my keyboard)

[GinBoy2]

My two daughters weren't exactly too happy when I moved here, so we just don't talk about it, or my Thai wife. Seems to work

[dao16]

I have been living in weird places all over the world for well over a decade now--they get worried about me when I am not somewhere like Thailand (people often worry that I will be bored at home, and they are generally right). Just another stop on the international ferris wheel.

[Crossy]

Am I the exception?

My family from my parents (dad referred to her a 'a keeper') to my grand-daughters (who can't wait to come back to Thailand after 3 visits already) love my wife.

Something to do with free holiday accommodation I suspect (others have that experience).

[transam]

my family was so happy for me as they knew they had free holidays and they treat my g/f good

Orrrrrr, at last they got rid of you eh.................

I jest.....

[notmyself]

They all knew because I would end up here because I spoke of the county with such fondness. The timing came as a bit of a shock or rather the speed from deciding to up sticks to being on the plane. 5 days. Even though they had seen me coming and going for 20 years, this time I was not coming back except for the odd holiday. None of them had been to Thailand never mind SE Asia before but they knew that that was were my heart was. Most have come over to visit at least once and also fell in love with the place.

One exception has been my older brother who I didn't get to see for a number of years. Managed to catch up with him late August and met is partner and her 2 girls (12 & 14). The 2 girls are absolute darlings, well spoken and very polite. I chucked him a wedge of cash the other day and told him to come over (first time) to Samui with the missus and kids for Songkran 2014. He's been around Europe and to the US, she has been to Europe a couple of times I understand but long long ago. The kids have only been to France I understand. What a blast the 4 of them are going to have come next April.

[Khun Jean]

My then girlfriend came to my country to meet my family. Especially my grandmother who could detect a bad hart from a mile.

She was right with my first Thai girlfriend (who was adopted as a baby, so hardly Thai). Thumbs down. I ignored that advice. Silly me.

This time it was thumbs up and a big smile. Now twelve years married i can say her detector worked very well.

Grandmother died 2 years ago at the age of 94. She always said if i was a few years younger i would go too.

Others in the family are ignored because they only know Thailand from television. So for them i was a sex tourist.

There loss, not mine. Friends also, wink wink. For them i had a special treatment.

My wife has six sisters, and making a picture with them was not hard to arrange. Not anything nude (you people in the gutter ), just six big hugs.

I still remember their faces.

[Water Buffalo]

Very well. They enjoy coming to visit and are looking forward to retirement in a better place.

My father especially likes it here. Apparently he has a new lease-of-life. I am not old enough to understand what that means.

[Shayne123]

They were glad that I was finding new adventures