The "I've been here longer than you" people.

[weegee]

My source? Miss Teen South Carolina:

....Boy she sounds very educated !!!!!

[thailiketoo]

My source? Miss Teen South Carolina

The Video says just because some don't know the answer to some questions does not make a whole nation stupid.

Edited May 6, 2014 by thailiketoo

[weegee]

Well, if you don't know where Australia is, just ask! Nobody will laugh at you.

Why would I want to know where Australia is?

Because it has......

The Best Unemployment Benefits in the world ....University Degree, why work as well.

A complete State's economy in Australia is controlled by Bikie gangs, and drug money?

Pensioners sacrifice their entitlements to support the refugees, failed projects, and 3rd generation dole bludgers?

BUT....

Still a bloody good country....(hint, it's below the equator) start there

[xen]

Sometimes talking about how long you have been either living in or spending time/coming to Thailand and your experiences over the years is nothing more than making conversation.

[smotherb]

Take it easy on us old farts. Our long-term existence in Thailand may be all we have to brag about. If you come to stay, you too, some day, may play that one-up-manship game. I have a friend who has lived in many years and in Hatyai for over 20 years. He likes to gloat that he has spent more time in Thailand than I. In response to that game, I like to remind him I got to Thailand before he did--'67 as opposed to his '68. He says he means in Hatyai; whereupon I remind him we came here together in '90 and I got off the plane first. Na na na na nana! Only a game, don't take it so personally.

[smotherb]

Take it easy on us old farts. Our long-term existence in Thailand may be all we have to brag about. If you come to stay, you too, some day, may play that one-up-manship game. I have a friend who has lived in Thailand for many years and in Hatyai for over 20 years. He likes to gloat that he has spent more time in Thailand than I. In response to that game, I like to remind him I got to Thailand before he did--'67 as opposed to his '68. He says he means in Hatyai; whereupon I remind him we came here together in '90 and I got off the plane first. Na na na na nana! Only a game, don't take it so personally.

[laislica]

Wise up OP, Life IS a pissing contest!

Sorry OP, I cannot be bothered to read all the posts but you must realise that the whole life thing is a contest to survive,

always has been, always will be, get over it!

Remember that what you resist will persist and it takes two to have an argument.

If you don´t push back - no problem.

(Now for one of those - I´m wiser than you stories LOL)

In the sixties I had a Chinese gf and I was (probably still am LOL) clueless!
Our relationship was very er, volatile (to say the least).

When my job finished and we parted, she said that we loved each other and I was astounded, we fought all the time.

She said that was how she knew it was love.

Had we not cared enough to push back, she would have realised that there was nothing between us and she would not have stayed with me.

Give yourself permission to ignore the fools that irritate you.

Be honest and tell them that you are not interested in having a conversation with them at this time.

Let this monkey off your back!

(Even pretend that it´s the wife talking - stop listening LOL)

Good luck with moving on from this BS.

[Moatbouy]

Nice diverse replies. Time place & circumstance governs my response.

[perdido]

Not everyone is like that, but agree that a lot are. If their opening statement does not contain an indication as to how long they have been here then their next question asks (demands) it direct.

If asked by someone I have just met I usually reply 'a while' or something similar. If they then loudly declare 'I've been here xx years' I often just mutter 'bloody newbies' and move on.

(note.. I've been here 'a while')

like your style....I have been to Pattaya, for a LITTLE while, and cannot forget how much I liked the general ( and varied) ambience;of course people moan about anything and anywhere, but am contemplating returning for a longer period, even though am hitting 70 very soon. I really felt comfortable in Pattaya(much more so than in Glasgow, Scotland, where have a very modest flat)....in spite of having no mobile phone for the whole xx days, and not getting much sleep due to noise from SpiderGirl Bar on Soi 6. opposite my 2nd floor room in Ruby Club....I explored widely mostly on foot, went to yoga classes and took part in a Buddhist puja ceremony in the grounds of a big hotel on soi Buakao......I don't drink, smoke or take drugs, though did have a good experience with nice young lady working indoors on Soi Honey....and got to know a few folks;suppose am just reminiscing at your expense, though would welcome any observations.....

[Old Stud]

Not everyone is like that, but agree that a lot are. If their opening statement does not contain an indication as to how long they have been here then their next question asks (demands) it direct.

If asked by someone I have just met I usually reply 'a while' or something similar. If they then loudly declare 'I've been here xx years' I often just mutter 'bloody newbies' and move on.

(note.. I've been here 'a while')

like your style....I have been to Pattaya, for a LITTLE while, and cannot forget how much I liked the general ( and varied) ambience;of course people moan about anything and anywhere, but am contemplating returning for a longer period, even though am hitting 70 very soon. I really felt comfortable in Pattaya(much more so than in Glasgow, Scotland, where have a very modest flat)....in spite of having no mobile phone for the whole xx days, and not getting much sleep due to noise from SpiderGirl Bar on Soi 6. opposite my 2nd floor room in Ruby Club....I explored widely mostly on foot, went to yoga classes and took part in a Buddhist puja ceremony in the grounds of a big hotel on soi Buakao......I don't drink, smoke or take drugs, though did have a good experience with nice young lady working indoors on Soi Honey....and got to know a few folks;suppose am just reminiscing at your expense, though would welcome any observations.....

Sounds like you want to take this forum in a whole other direction. You should find plenty of same age company in Pattaya, especially on Soi 6, and many unique experiences there, ladyboys and all. You'll get to hear as much of the mindless "I've been here this long" (my d ic is longer than yours) stories as you can handle. I live in Chiang Mai, am close to your age and I have to admit there is something special about Pattaya, once you get around all the Russians and the western drunks, and enjoy what it has to offer. I really think the point is not to get hung up on what other westerners think or do - but to enjoy your life in Thailand to the fullest - whatever floats your boat - have fun!

[Dap]

"But go share that fact with someone who cares, because I surely don't."

Which then begs the question, ... Why did you post?

[HardenedSoul]

Means nothing!

I know a few folk who have been here more than 20 years and are still clueless about the place and whose language skills don't extend beyond "Sawatdee Krap"

Me..................

Don't put yourself down Trans, with the amount of posts you have made, and the amount of posters who will have read them, how can you say you are still clueless?

Does one's post count bear some kind of correlation to the real-world value of one's experience or knowledge?

[HooHaa]

i must admit i have a laugh at people who proudly tell me that they have been here 5 or 10 years as if it is a massive accomplishment. If they are total <deleted> i don't mind telling them how long ive been here then. however generally i dont volunteer the information because it really is not their business and has little to do with much of anything

[Old Stud]

i must admit i have a laugh at people who proudly tell me that they have been here 5 or 10 years as if it is a massive accomplishment. If they are total <deleted> i don't mind telling them how long ive been here then. however generally i dont volunteer the information because it really is not their business and has little to do with much of anything

Nor does wasting time on a TV forum. But we do it anyway. Go figure.

[featography]

Not everyone is like that, but agree that a lot are. If their opening statement does not contain an indication as to how long they have been here then their next question asks (demands) it direct.

If asked by someone I have just met I usually reply 'a while' or something similar. If they then loudly declare 'I've been here xx years' I often just mutter 'bloody newbies' and move on.

(note.. I've been here 'a while')

Good answer thaiDown. I smile and ask them either, ''whats your score now?'' or ''Oh that long? You must speak fluent thai. Which dialect?''

[NoshowJones]

Means nothing!

I know a few folk who have been here more than 20 years and are still clueless about the place and whose language skills don't extend beyond "Sawatdee Krap"

Me..................

Don't put yourself down Trans, with the amount of posts you have made, and the amount of posters who will have read them, how can you say you are still clueless?

Does one's post count bear some kind of correlation to the real-world value of one's experience or knowledge?

It does if you know him personally, but there is the odd poster with a very high postal count that I would not want to know about his past experience.

[rayongchelsea]

The minute someone tells me he's lived in Thailand for 20 years, I get suspicious. I can think of a dozen reasons why he may have done that, and ten of them are bad. I didn't say that I think ten out of twelve guys are bad, just that the reason could be.

When someone tells me he maintains a home in his home country and visits Thailand once or twice a year, I have fewer reasons to be suspicious. At least he didn't burn all of his bridges in his home country with the law or creditors or something. He also isn't dead broke.

I'm particularly suspicious if a guy tells me he's been in Thailand for 20 years and never gone back to his native country.

The worst critics of farangs being users of other farangs on this site are the members here. Often it's the long time expat who's the user.

I know there are many fine guys here who are long time expats so please don't misquote me. I just don't presume they're upstanding at first.

Isn't that abit stupid.

If you came here more than 20 years ago, you made the effort, you must have been a traveller, seen the world and liked the place.

It's not like Thailand was universally known 20+ years ago.

In fact I have more time for those who have come here way back because ironically they came here discovered the place and actually liked it and had the personality and the tools to manage a life here..

Not the masses since 2000. Cheap holidays, cheap women..and very little interest in Thailand..and I hate the uk brigade etc..runaways a plenty..

Your comments just don't make practical sense.

20 plus years ago people didn't come here to get away from creditors, the law, or because they were dead broke..most foreigners I met were a younger crowd, educated etc.,because they were the only travelers in those days...just out of uni..or characters who were seeking adventure.

You couldn't be more wrong..

I think Spain is where they went..Thailand didn't have the home comforts it has now...wouldn't have appealed back then..

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[bkkjames]

Means nothing!

I know a few folk who have been here more than 20 years and are still clueless about the place and whose language skills don't extend beyond "Sawatdee Krap"

Me..................

Don't put yourself down Trans, with the amount of posts you have made, and the amount of posters who will have read them, how can you say you are still clueless?

Does one's post count bear some kind of correlation to the real-world value of one's experience or knowledge?

It does if you know him personally, but there is the odd poster with a very high postal count that I would not want to know about his past experience.

Who me? You must mean JT...lol

Sent from my LG-P970

[je777je]

"But go share that fact with someone who cares, because I surely don't."

Liar

So why this long post?

[connda]

I was in a store the other day and an farang was talking to the sales person. Loud, fast-talking, and boisterous. He sounded like a used car salesman. The guy starts peppering me with questions about this and that and then where I'm from in the US (I never told him I from the US) so I said, "I from here." I wanted to buy what I had in my hand a leave. More questions, blah blah blah. I paid the cashier and left with the guy making comments about how unfriendly I was. That was his perception. My perception was I felt like the guy was trying to sell me a Hoover vacuum cleaner.
I just don't like pushy people, and to be honest, I'm under no sort of farang code of honor or obligation to pick one end of a conversation that I don't want to have.

But other than that, I've been here longer than some, shorter than other. It really doesn't matter. Maybe people who are not very secure or self-assured use stuff like that as an ego boast. Harmless enough, but that doesn't mean we have to participate.

[thailiketoo]

I was in Big C looking for pasta. A guy came up to me using "they" for Thai and told me all about shopping in Thailand. I listened. I almost told him I didn't speak English but resisted the temptation. Maybe he was alone and dying and I would be the last person he ever talked to. That happened to me once. An old guy stopped me and wanted to talk. I listened and he ran out of steam in about 1/2 an hour. The next day I heard he died.

First here I listened to the old sergeants and ignored the young lieutenants and I got a lot of good advice and nothing shot off.

Edited May 6, 2014 by thailiketoo

[Old Stud]

I came to Thailand because quite honestly I couldn't afford to live off my social security/limited savings in the US, and I had heard for years that Thailand was a wonderful place to retire. Maybe that's the truth of many of the older expats who live here. I couldn't find a wife in the US and was lonely, and at first I thought I could find one here. But in the first year I learned how expensive they can be, that you also marry their family, and many are just after your money. So I learned that if I want to be with a woman I could go to Pattaya on vacation. That's expensive, but good for my soul, for my reminder that I'm still a vital man. I studied the language and in the second year realized that I had more Thai friends in Chiang Mai than I imagined. I would walk into cafes and they would be so happy to see me and serve my coffee or breakfast without my saying a word. The Thai people here are overall way kinder and sweeter than the ordinary too rushed people where I came from. This is a wonderful place for me to be, mostly because I can have whatever I want within my means, a great home for 9000 baht, aroi food, and wonderful fulfilling sex whenever I choose to pay for it. What I don't like is all the complaining about this country from falangs. Most of those falangs have been here long enough to have compiled a long list of things to complain about. I've heard all the what could happen stories, and simply choose to avoid being stupid, to the best of my ability. I'll admit that I've come too close to falling in love with an amazingly beautiful, sweet and fun 22 year old bar girl or two, but held back. These are wonderful life experiences that I was a million miles away from in the US. Great fun. Amazing opportunities here. I still dream of #137 and can't believe that this old stud could pick her, and actually make love to one of the most beautiful women on earth. Wow! Thailand is an incredible place to live. I love it here. i say - either love it or leave it.

[DGIE]

Means nothing!

I know a few folk who have been here more than 20 years and are still clueless about the place and whose language skills don't extend beyond "Sawatdee Krap"

Me..................

20 years

I would like to consider myself as among the folks you are referring to but I still do not have 20 years here.

[DGIE]

"But go share that fact with someone who cares, because I surely don't."

Liar

So why this long post?

are you sure you don't care?

[benalibina]

Most people come to /live in Thailand for the same reason. I truly wonder about all the prejudices on this forum. Newby, old, grumpy, fat, tattoeed, gullible, 1st time visitor, longterm expat, yank, aussie, etc etc etc. All judgemental.

Just follow this, be openminded and you will be much happier.

Screenshot_2014-03-24-00-00-22-1.png

So! You are giving advice that people don't need advised.

Always someone who cant read comprehensively. If someone wants advice that person will ask. Most just want to have somebody to listen to them.

[connda]

I came to Thailand because quite honestly I couldn't afford to live off my social security/limited savings in the US, and I had heard for years that Thailand was a wonderful place to retire. Maybe that's the truth of many of the older expats who live here. I couldn't find a wife in the US and was lonely, and at first I thought I could find one here. But in the first year I learned how expensive they can be, that you also marry their family, and many are just after your money. So I learned that if I want to be with a woman I could go to Pattaya on vacation. That's expensive, but good for my soul, for my reminder that I'm still a vital man. I studied the language and in the second year realized that I had more Thai friends in Chiang Mai than I imagined. I would walk into cafes and they would be so happy to see me and serve my coffee or breakfast without my saying a word. The Thai people here are overall way kinder and sweeter than the ordinary too rushed people where I came from. This is a wonderful place for me to be, mostly because I can have whatever I want within my means, a great home for 9000 baht, aroi food, and wonderful fulfilling sex whenever I choose to pay for it. What I don't like is all the complaining about this country from falangs. Most of those falangs have been here long enough to have compiled a long list of things to complain about. I've heard all the what could happen stories, and simply choose to avoid being stupid, to the best of my ability. I'll admit that I've come too close to falling in love with an amazingly beautiful, sweet and fun 22 year old bar girl or two, but held back. These are wonderful life experiences that I was a million miles away from in the US. Great fun. Amazing opportunities here. I still dream of #137 and can't believe that this old stud could pick her, and actually make love to one of the most beautiful women on earth. Wow! Thailand is an incredible place to live. I love it here. i say - either love it or leave it.

Kudos for the honesty. You're not the only one.

[YeahSiam]

I came to Thailand because quite honestly I couldn't afford to live off my social security/limited savings in the US, and I had heard for years that Thailand was a wonderful place to retire. Maybe that's the truth of many of the older expats who live here. I couldn't find a wife in the US and was lonely, and at first I thought I could find one here. But in the first year I learned how expensive they can be, that you also marry their family, and many are just after your money. So I learned that if I want to be with a woman I could go to Pattaya on vacation. That's expensive, but good for my soul, for my reminder that I'm still a vital man. I studied the language and in the second year realized that I had more Thai friends in Chiang Mai than I imagined. I would walk into cafes and they would be so happy to see me and serve my coffee or breakfast without my saying a word. The Thai people here are overall way kinder and sweeter than the ordinary too rushed people where I came from. This is a wonderful place for me to be, mostly because I can have whatever I want within my means, a great home for 9000 baht, aroi food, and wonderful fulfilling sex whenever I choose to pay for it. What I don't like is all the complaining about this country from falangs. Most of those falangs have been here long enough to have compiled a long list of things to complain about. I've heard all the what could happen stories, and simply choose to avoid being stupid, to the best of my ability. I'll admit that I've come too close to falling in love with an amazingly beautiful, sweet and fun 22 year old bar girl or two, but held back. These are wonderful life experiences that I was a million miles away from in the US. Great fun. Amazing opportunities here. I still dream of #137 and can't believe that this old stud could pick her, and actually make love to one of the most beautiful women on earth. Wow! Thailand is an incredible place to live. I love it here. i say - either love it or leave it.

Can I ask why you couldn't find a wife in the US?

[thailiketoo]

Can I ask why you couldn't find a wife in the US?

A perfect example.

[YeahSiam]

Can I ask why you couldn't find a wife in the US?

A perfect example.

Of what?

Edited May 6, 2014 by YeahSiam

[thailiketoo]

Can I ask why you couldn't find a wife in the US?

A perfect example.

Of what?

The "I've been here longer than you" people.

Which in this case I imagine includes almost everyone. No offense.