Just got kicked out of thai with valid visa

[Kitsune]

They say it's not my country and I should not be here.

And this is the only thing they say to you.... hmmm..... interesting..... If that was all I heard I might think of packing up and leaving....

No they want to know everything about me.

Who I sleep with,how much money I earn, what's my rent, etc

Then when they know they gossip it out

That's people I see regularly like neighbors

The rest just pretend not to understand at all

Like you repeat 10 times they still don't get it

I lost all confidence in speaking so much so that I asked my teacher to be ruthless about my thai so it's perfect and people cannot say they don't get it.

We spent hours and he concluded that my Thai was not flawless but very clear and it was "Thai people problem " if they refuse to communicate with me, which he knew about and was sorry about.

It's very frustrating because the only person that "understand me" are teachers. It's like the rest of the country does speak like teachers

For once I have to agree with you.

It happens quite often that a Thai sees a foreigner, and expects the foreigner to speak any language but Thai. So when the foreigner does speak Thai they just don't seem to understand.

So I don't think it is refusal.

I completely accept the "surprise effect" of having a farang uttering Thai word

So I repeat

And repeat

And repeat phrases that I know 90% of thai people understand and still they pretend not to get it.

Once on the bus I asked about 20times "Chulalongkorn pai mai?" to the ticket assistant,she refused to "understand" the first 7 times or so

Then people around us on the bus starting repeating after me "Chulalongkorn pai mai? First 2 or 3 people, then after 10, 11,12th times, I had 6/7 people going "CHULALONGKORN PAI MAI ?" ... that really cheered me up because all these people had understood me were showing me support against her hostility. At the end she had no other choice to admit she understood me.

[bkkcanuck8]

They say it's not my country and I should not be here.

And this is the only thing they say to you.... hmmm..... interesting..... If that was all I heard I might think of packing up and leaving....

No they want to know everything about me.

Who I sleep with,how much money I earn, what's my rent, etc

Then when they know they gossip it out

That's people I see regularly like neighbors

The rest just pretend not to understand at all

Like you repeat 10 times they still don't get it

I lost all confidence in speaking so much so that I asked my teacher to be ruthless about my thai so it's perfect and people cannot say they don't get it.

We spent hours and he concluded that my Thai was not flawless but very clear and it was "Thai people problem " if they refuse to communicate with me, which he knew about and was sorry about.

It's very frustrating because the only person that "understand me" are teachers. It's like the rest of the country does speak like teachers

For once I have to agree with you.

It happens quite often that a Thai sees a foreigner, and expects the foreigner to speak any language but Thai. So when the foreigner does speak Thai they just don't seem to understand.

So I don't think it is refusal.

Have you ever thought that it might have something to do with the Thai educational system. I have noticed that many times that Thais have a problem with abstraction (don't really know what word exactly fits it) where if things are not exact they have problems. Thai language is of course a tonal language, and if you don't get the tones right people that are not use to conversing with westerners - have problems understanding and don't easily make adjustments in respect to the context of the words to correct for tonal problems. At some times it can seem like an impedance mismatch. On top of that people (not just Thais) can be impatient and not really try to understand if it is not clear to them (when listening to someone heavily accented) and do whatever it is just to close off the conversation.

[brianp0803]

Absolutely, i'm satisfied with Walen, that's why i'm not going to ask them anything, they did their job very well. I just mentionned the name of the school because it's a very popular school, so even in the best language school of the country you can get kicked out.

How do you know ? By your own admission you never went to class, and you were abusing the Ed visa system to carry out your digital pikery activities

Or are you suggesting that the school in question is good because they assisted you by marking your full attendance in classes in order to facilitate gaining a long term visa, if so then the school in question is a visa mill

Four months ago my girlfriend was one of the token non visa students at the Bkk branch. Talking with her and other students leaving the class they all agree with OP about the attendance marking policy.

When joking about seeing a new face, it was said he for his extension papers.

Everyone is very happy with the school's handling of their visa paperwork. Same as JohnnyBKK.

My girlfriend dropped out because she felt it was a waste of her time.

Why do you think immigration is stepping into the picture unless widespread?

[Kitsune]

For once I have to agree with you.

No they want to know everything about me.

Who I sleep with,how much money I earn, what's my rent, etc

Then when they know they gossip it out

That's people I see regularly like neighbors

The rest just pretend not to understand at all

Like you repeat 10 times they still don't get it

I lost all confidence in speaking so much so that I asked my teacher to be ruthless about my thai so it's perfect and people cannot say they don't get it.

We spent hours and he concluded that my Thai was not flawless but very clear and it was "Thai people problem " if they refuse to communicate with me, which he knew about and was sorry about.

It's very frustrating because the only person that "understand me" are teachers. It's like the rest of the country does speak like teachers

It happens quite often that a Thai sees a foreigner, and expects the foreigner to speak any language but Thai. So when the foreigner does speak Thai they just don't seem to understand.

So I don't think it is refusal.

Have you ever thought that it might have something to do with the Thai educational system. I have noticed that many times that Thais have a problem with abstraction (don't really know what word exactly fits it) where if things are not exact they have problems. Thai language is of course a tonal language, and if you don't get the tones right people that are not use to conversing with westerners - have problems understanding and don't easily make adjustments in respect to the context of the words to correct for tonal problems. At some times it can seem like an impedance mismatch. On top of that people (not just Thais) can be impatient and not really try to understand if it is not clear to them (when listening to someone heavily accented) and do whatever it is just to close off the conversation.

I put that to the test on numerous occasions with my Burmese friend.

She talks to the cab driver she looks Thai, he "gets" it, my Italian friend says exactly the same thing she looks farang he "does not understand"

[brianp0803]

For once I have to agree with you.

No they want to know everything about me.

Who I sleep with,how much money I earn, what's my rent, etc

Then when they know they gossip it out

That's people I see regularly like neighbors

The rest just pretend not to understand at all

Like you repeat 10 times they still don't get it

I lost all confidence in speaking so much so that I asked my teacher to be ruthless about my thai so it's perfect and people cannot say they don't get it.

We spent hours and he concluded that my Thai was not flawless but very clear and it was "Thai people problem " if they refuse to communicate with me, which he knew about and was sorry about.

It's very frustrating because the only person that "understand me" are teachers. It's like the rest of the country does speak like teachers

It happens quite often that a Thai sees a foreigner, and expects the foreigner to speak any language but Thai. So when the foreigner does speak Thai they just don't seem to understand.

So I don't think it is refusal.

Have you ever thought that it might have something to do with the Thai educational system. I have noticed that many times that Thais have a problem with abstraction (don't really know what word exactly fits it) where if things are not exact they have problems. Thai language is of course a tonal language, and if you don't get the tones right people that are not use to conversing with westerners - have problems understanding and don't easily make adjustments in respect to the context of the words to correct for tonal problems. At some times it can seem like an impedance mismatch. On top of that people (not just Thais) can be impatient and not really try to understand if it is not clear to them (when listening to someone heavily accented) and do whatever it is just to close off the conversation.

I put that to the test on numerous occasions with my Burmese friend.

She talks to the cab driver she looks Thai, he "gets" it, my Italian friend says exactly the same thing she looks farang he "does not understand"

You may think you are saying the same thing but probably not.

I have friends that correct my pronunciation. I say a word I see on a sign and they look at me puzzled. I say again trying different tones. Then my friend looks at the sign and says the word. It sounds identical to what I said. Small changes in pitch and short and long are critical.

I learned the basic sounds of Thai letters pretty quickly but now focusing a lot on tone rules for low class and vowel length. Very important for Thai.

Speaking slowly helps them to understand your accent.

Asks Thais to speak slowly. After speaking a few good sentences they start to speak faster and longer sentences.

[bkkcanuck8]

For once I have to agree with you.

No they want to know everything about me.

Who I sleep with,how much money I earn, what's my rent, etc

Then when they know they gossip it out

That's people I see regularly like neighbors

The rest just pretend not to understand at all

Like you repeat 10 times they still don't get it

I lost all confidence in speaking so much so that I asked my teacher to be ruthless about my thai so it's perfect and people cannot say they don't get it.

We spent hours and he concluded that my Thai was not flawless but very clear and it was "Thai people problem " if they refuse to communicate with me, which he knew about and was sorry about.

It's very frustrating because the only person that "understand me" are teachers. It's like the rest of the country does speak like teachers

It happens quite often that a Thai sees a foreigner, and expects the foreigner to speak any language but Thai. So when the foreigner does speak Thai they just don't seem to understand.

So I don't think it is refusal.

Have you ever thought that it might have something to do with the Thai educational system. I have noticed that many times that Thais have a problem with abstraction (don't really know what word exactly fits it) where if things are not exact they have problems. Thai language is of course a tonal language, and if you don't get the tones right people that are not use to conversing with westerners - have problems understanding and don't easily make adjustments in respect to the context of the words to correct for tonal problems. At some times it can seem like an impedance mismatch. On top of that people (not just Thais) can be impatient and not really try to understand if it is not clear to them (when listening to someone heavily accented) and do whatever it is just to close off the conversation.

I put that to the test on numerous occasions with my Burmese friend.

She talks to the cab driver she looks Thai, he "gets" it, my Italian friend says exactly the same thing she looks farang he "does not understand"

Burmese language is a tonal language - and they are in the next country over (sometimes same country, sometimes different). A better test would be to take an asian that does not speak a tonal language.... someone who is Japanese would fit the bill.

[ColdSingha]

I am in my 4th month

And NO after 6 months you cannot read and write Thai.

0-3 leaning alphabet and syllabs

3-6months You are learning separate words

Maybe the OP couldn't read or write any of the alphabet. I don't think anyone has suggested that he should be able to read and write fluently after 6 months.

He can speak Thai after 6 months when Thai people study English for decades and cannot utter a word

Why would you say something so stupid? Almost everyone here can speak at least some English. Are you joking?

hahaha maybe in bar land, in the real world hardly anyone speaks english. case in point, on my village not 1 household has anyone who can say more than hello in english, i know we just hosted annual meeting lol

[thailiketoo]

hahaha maybe in bar land, in the real world hardly anyone speaks english. case in point, on my village not 1 household has anyone who can say more than hello in english, i know we just hosted annual meeting lol

Can they sing happy birthday?

[Kitsune]

For once I have to agree with you.

No they want to know everything about me.

Who I sleep with,how much money I earn, what's my rent, etc

Then when they know they gossip it out

That's people I see regularly like neighbors

The rest just pretend not to understand at all

Like you repeat 10 times they still don't get it

I lost all confidence in speaking so much so that I asked my teacher to be ruthless about my thai so it's perfect and people cannot say they don't get it.

We spent hours and he concluded that my Thai was not flawless but very clear and it was "Thai people problem " if they refuse to communicate with me, which he knew about and was sorry about.

It's very frustrating because the only person that "understand me" are teachers. It's like the rest of the country does speak like teachers

It happens quite often that a Thai sees a foreigner, and expects the foreigner to speak any language but Thai. So when the foreigner does speak Thai they just don't seem to understand.

So I don't think it is refusal.

Have you ever thought that it might have something to do with the Thai educational system. I have noticed that many times that Thais have a problem with abstraction (don't really know what word exactly fits it) where if things are not exact they have problems. Thai language is of course a tonal language, and if you don't get the tones right people that are not use to conversing with westerners - have problems understanding and don't easily make adjustments in respect to the context of the words to correct for tonal problems. At some times it can seem like an impedance mismatch. On top of that people (not just Thais) can be impatient and not really try to understand if it is not clear to them (when listening to someone heavily accented) and do whatever it is just to close off the conversation.

I put that to the test on numerous occasions with my Burmese friend.

She talks to the cab driver she looks Thai, he "gets" it, my Italian friend says exactly the same thing she looks farang he "does not understand"

Burmese language is a tonal language - and they are in the next country over (sometimes same country, sometimes different). A better test would be to take an asian that does not speak a tonal language.... someone who is Japanese would fit the bill.

No

She (my Burmese friend) constantly puts it to the test, because she's been here 7years and she knows the tones, so she knows when WE (farangs) say it correctly or not.We rehearsed many times the same simple phrase to be able to say it completely like her and she says it was perfect.

But mysteriously cab drivers only understand HER

[charliebadenhop]

For the person who asked...

I chose an ED visa because I was here on a tourist visa, and by the time I understood what was what, there was no way for me to have money in the bank for a long enough time, for me to get a retirement visa. But once my ED visa is up I will go to a retirement visa.

My school is very careful with all of the paperwork. For instance, everything needed when you first go out of the country to get your ED visa, and then all of the paperwork needed for my extension of stay.

I also believe that they accurately report my attendance. BTW, I take classes as an individual, and not group classes. I initial after each class, the date and time of attending.

[balo]

Without going back through the whole thread I believe the OP said he had an ED Visa for three years.

Anyone who had attended classes for three years should be at least able to write their name and read a decent amount of Thai.

Besides that he didn't have enough funds so how long could he stay in Thailand on 9k Baht without working?

Case closed stop your bitchin'.

You'rer totally wrong , he had it for only 6 months , not 3 years, Why even bother commenting when you don't read the thread?

I was not able to speak much and couldn't write a word of Thai after 6 months when I went to a school 2 times per week that focused on how to speak thai , not how to write , 2nd year they started learning us the thai alphabet !

[jacksam]

Wondering why this thread is running. Now has very little to do with OP.... just turned into ping pong games about Thai language and language schools.

[bkkcanuck8]

^ Because someone forgot to turn out the lights....

[Maestro]

I've been thinking about how I would respond to an immigration officer if I would get challenged on my next re-entry into Thailand. I will certainly take all my school books/documents with me so I can show I went to school, I will have my school's phone number with me, I will enter day time when the school is open so worst case I will ask them to call the school, I will have the school's phone number on me, the teacher's name and maybe more (i.e. I've been thinking about making a copy of the school's attendance records so I have that with me. Or I make some photos in class). And plenty of cash so they can't blame me for not having enough cash.

But I must say this is getting silly. Someone on here has commented it's up to you to prove to immigration that you don't work in Thailand, not up for immigration to prove you work. How do you do that? Seriously? I've lived in many countries but never had to worry whether an immigration officer would send me back to my country of origin when entering the country.

I will definitely stop with the ED visa with a private school/language school. Maybe I continue with a university. Maybe I will go on a tourist visa for a while until things become a bit clearer. Maybe I join the Elite visa.

It is a good idea always to keep a copy the documents one submits to immigration.

The form for the attendance record issued by Thai language school required for submission to the immigration office with an application for a study extension is still missing in my collection and I would be grateful is somebody could post a scanned copy, pixelating or otherwise obscuring personal information like name, passport number, etc.

[Kitsune]

Wondering why this thread is running. Now has very little to do with OP.... just turned into ping pong games about Thai language and language schools.

The OP was in a language school

He got kicked out because of language skills

If you want to find an excuse to close an embarrassing topic, pull another one.

[stevenl]

Wondering why this thread is running. Now has very little to do with OP.... just turned into ping pong games about Thai language and language schools.

The OP was in a language school

He got kicked out because of language skills

If you want to find an excuse to close an embarrassing topic, pull another one.

No, the excuse was lack of language skills, the reason was very likely visa abuse.

[Kitsune]

Wondering why this thread is running. Now has very little to do with OP.... just turned into ping pong games about Thai language and language schools.

The OP was in a language school

He got kicked out because of language skills

If you want to find an excuse to close an embarrassing topic, pull another one.

No, the excuse was lack of language skills, the reason was very likely visa abuse.

Any language school will tell you that a student that is proficient in the language in 6 months is a good student.

[jspill]

Sure is fun to speculate when you want the reality to be a certain way. I'll chip in my two cents that it was lack of reading and writing skills after only 6 months on Ed visa status, not speaking skills, combined with an overzealous IO, only 9k in cash to show and OP didn't have the gift of the gab to get through it. Here's a report of an Ed visa student being quizzed 2 years in, he said ok test me and had to write two sentences in romanized Thai - who's to say OP would have had to write Thai characters? He didn't even get that far, just said he couldn't read/write (he's very upfront and honest), the IO didn't even start any test. Perhaps it would've been easy / OP could have winged it.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/748898-quizzed-for-visa-extension-for-non-ed/

That and the new rule which seems to be emerging right now about 6 months being the max on an ed visa / a memo seems to have been passed around that 6 months is enough to be literate.

Decent amount of logic there, still speculation though.

[whybother]

Wondering why this thread is running. Now has very little to do with OP.... just turned into ping pong games about Thai language and language schools.

The OP was in a language school

He got kicked out because of language skills

If you want to find an excuse to close an embarrassing topic, pull another one.

No, the excuse was lack of language skills, the reason was very likely visa abuse.

Any language school will tell you that a student that is proficient in the language in 6 months is a good student.

He didn't attend any classes. That doesn't sound like a good student to me.

[jacksam]

Wondering why this thread is running. Now has very little to do with OP.... just turned into ping pong games about Thai language and language schools.

The OP was in a language school

He got kicked out because of language skills

If you want to find an excuse to close an embarrassing topic, pull another one.

No, the excuse was lack of language skills, the reason was very likely visa abuse.

Any language school will tell you that a student that is proficient in the language in 6 months is a good student.

I have resisted the kitsune nonesnese up till now. Your just troll to fill in wasted time. You joined this thread...what page. Maybe 20 on.

Simple fact is OP abused ed visa. Case closed. Then we have to listen to tripe about language skills. Get with programme .... Language skills had zip to do with it.

The level of stupity is in itself embarrassing.

[ubonjoe]

I think this topic has run it's course since it has gone mostly off topic.

If the OP wants to make a post he can PM me and I will reopen it.