Defining success as an expat

[weegee]

To me success means to be happy in your new environment.

Thailand is beautiful, that's for sure, but as I already wrote in some other thread, I am not quite happy here, because Thailand is more for old, retired expat community, not for young expats.

Unlucky. If you can't enjoy the Kingdom as a young expat, especially if you have financial connections to the West, then you are most likely mediocre. Not you, per say, just the vast majority.

What do you mean by financial connections to the west ? You mean they are digital pikeys ?

Happy New Year "soutpeel"...hope you are onshore for it.

[Smurkster]

I think there is something to be said about Thailand being a place for older expats, I am on the much younger end of things I think, 29. I have lived here for 3 years now and made ok money as an English teacher, but if I had to do it again, Id wait to come back here as an old man and not have to work. At this point though, I don't think I really want to come back when Im older to retire here..

[Tonto21]

Defining success as an expat is like defining wealth of an individual.

IMO, we all have deferent requirements out of our lives. Success as an expat and each persons 'bar height' will not be the same. If people are not careful they end up judging their own existence with others around them and lose all perspective of their own lifestyle and what make them happy.

As far as I’m concerned to comment about how I feel regarding my life as a success or not………Well it’s not over yet, all I can say is I’m happy.

[azaazo9]

A number of posts in this discussion seem to revolve around a definition of success based on the fact that older guys are able to sleep with young, beautiful Thai women, including a comment that they are living the life many other men can only dream about.

I guess I am getting old because that is not my definition of success. Of course there are places in Thailand where one can go and buy any young lady that they desire. To me that seems more of a purchase/sale agreement than success.

In my old age I admire beautiful women as much as the next guy, but now tend to look at them from a grandfather or older uncle perspective. I want to be able to engage in intelligent conversations with my mate. Speaking in broken English is no longer enough for me.

I met my wife at Korat back in 1972. I like the fact that after 40 plus years together my wife and I have a bond and a trust that goes deep and each of us is the one person in the world that the other can absolutely count on no matter what.

I am getting bald and old and my skin is beginning to sag and the pounds seem to be sticking a bit more, and much of the same applies to my wife. I like the idea of growing old together. It is a good life and not one that I would wish to change.

We spend half of each year here in Thailand and the other in our home back in the US. We are both retired and happy to be finished with the rat race of work.

We enjoy life and many of the things that seemed so important a few decades back are not now. We are more accepting and appreciative and look forward to each day, even if it is boring to others. We see no need to worry about impressing others and are comfortable in our own skins. We are best friends, and love our Thai family and our son back in the states dearly.

That is success to me.

Hats off to you!

Your post made my day.

In this cruel world, there's a space for love, a real love.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Success,could surely only be defined by the particular person,if they consider themselves a success,surely then they are.

Success is not having your wife refuse sex with you when she reaches 40 years old.

[Anthony5]

My GF gave me 1000 baht last night and said, "Sometimes i pay the electricity bill and sometimes you pay".

TOP THAT!

Mine gives me B1000 every time we have sex.

To hurry up ?

My dad always said, if you know yourself you know the world.

Seems he was right on the ball, isn't it Soutpeel..

Edited December 31, 2014 by Anthony5

[azaazo9]

To me success means to be happy in your new environment.

Thailand is beautiful, that's for sure, but as I already wrote in some other thread, I am not quite happy here, because Thailand is more for old, retired expat community, not for young expats.

Unlucky. If you can't enjoy the Kingdom as a young expat, especially if you have financial connections to the West, then you are most likely mediocre. Not you, per say, just the vast majority.

What do you mean by financial connections to the west ? You mean they are digital pikeys ?

No, I mean the mediocre and gormless who continue to recycle "jokes" that became old very quickly after never being humorous in the first place, and therefore spend the vast majority of their time on an insipid discussion forum to reassure the uncaring public that they are "so happy". When, in actual fact, they barely spend time away from their tech devices because it would require a process of introspection that terrifies them for what it would reveal: they are in fact completely miserable with the vapid urges that they are chained to, as well as the people who they are either married, attracted or related to who can't stand them, and merely tolerate them for material gain.

Why do you think that I have financial connections to the West? What do you know about me? You don't know why I am here.

I have never said that I don't enjoy Thailand at all. But in many threads I just said that I am not happy here because I can't find friends within my age bracket, since the majority of farangs here are older men. I am not happy because of expat surrounding, especially in Pataya where I live, that's t, like it or not. Again, living in Thailand is a nice experience, but still I can't see anything so special about LOS.

As for beaches, and weather...there are much more beautiful beaches in my country, and the weather is much more pleasant.

[Anthony5]

To me success means to be happy in your new environment.

Thailand is beautiful, that's for sure, but as I already wrote in some other thread, I am not quite happy here, because Thailand is more for old, retired expat community, not for young expats.

And I always read on this forum that the young ones never have to pay for sex.

[Donnie Brasco]

Find a good airline.

Commute whenever you feel like it.

Any fraternization with of befriending of desperados in either jurisdiction should be for entertainment and amusement.

[azaazo9]

To me success means to be happy in your new environment.

Thailand is beautiful, that's for sure, but as I already wrote in some other thread, I am not quite happy here, because Thailand is more for old, retired expat community, not for young expats.

And I always read on this forum that the young ones never have to pay for sex.

I am not a sexpat, but happily married, young expat woman.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

No, I mean the mediocre and gormless who continue to recycle "jokes" that became old very quickly after never being humorous in the first place, and therefore spend the vast majority of their time on an insipid discussion forum to reassure the uncaring public that they are "so happy". When, in actual fact, they barely spend time away from their tech devices because it would require a process of introspection that terrifies them for what it would reveal: they are in fact completely miserable with the vapid urges that they are chained to, as well as the people who they are either married, attracted or related to who can't stand them, and merely tolerate them for material gain.

Why do you think that I have financial connections to the West? What do you know about me? You don't know why I am here.

I have never said that I don't enjoy Thailand at all. But in many threads I just said that I am not happy here because I can't find friends within my age bracket, since the majority of farangs here are older men. I am not happy because of expat surrounding, especially in Pataya where I live, that's t, like it or not. Again, living in Thailand is a nice experience, but still I can't see anything so special about LOS.

As for beaches, and weather...there are much more beautiful beaches in my country, and the weather is much more pleasant.

@TW

What do you think old people do in the west?

I think, mostly watch Tv and fool around on the internet.

@AZ

You're right, Pattaya is a total toilet, part of your problem is where you live.

I only managed 2 nights in Pattaya.

Edited December 31, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Naam]

No, I mean the mediocre and gormless who continue to recycle "jokes" that became old very quickly after never being humorous in the first place, and therefore spend the vast majority of their time on an insipid discussion forum to reassure the uncaring public that they are "so happy". When, in actual fact, they barely spend time away from their tech devices because it would require a process of introspection that terrifies them for what it would reveal: they are in fact completely miserable with the vapid urges that they are chained to, as well as the people who they are either married, attracted or related to who can't stand them, and merely tolerate them for material gain.

Why do you think that I have financial connections to the West? What do you know about me? You don't know why I am here.

I have never said that I don't enjoy Thailand at all. But in many threads I just said that I am not happy here because I can't find friends within my age bracket, since the majority of farangs here are older men. I am not happy because of expat surrounding, especially in Pataya where I live, that's t, like it or not. Again, living in Thailand is a nice experience, but still I can't see anything so special about LOS.

As for beaches, and weather...there are much more beautiful beaches in my country, and the weather is much more pleasant.

@TW

What do you think old people do in the west?

I think, mostly watch Tv and fool around on the internet.

@AZ

You're right, Pattaya is a total toilet, part of your problem is where you live.

I only managed 2 nights in Pattaya.

Pattaya is indeed a problem if you can only afford a toilet to live in.

[Ace of Pop]

When You dont post on Thai Visa,or own a Fortuna.

[givenall]

Ignore everything that is Thai including dealing with Thai. Enjoy life as you would back hom

[HooHaa]

i look at my daughter and think "the job's a good 'un".

Edited December 31, 2014 by HooHaa

[Datebayo]

Success,could surely only be defined by the particular person,if they consider themselves a success,surely then they are.

Success is not having your wife refuse sex with you when she reaches 40 years old.

Success is not having to have sex with your 40 year old wife but instead with a half the wife's age one.

[redandyellow]

be finically secure. healthy being single with no kids at 50 or 60 years of age and having as little to do with thai people as possible

that can be a double edged sword.

I lost my truck key last year at a market , so my wife made a phone call to a relative, they immediately went to her sisters to pick up a spare key, drove to the market, along with 2 other motorbikes, my nieces, who came along for the ride, overkill but typically Thai..

Thai relatives can be handy at times, as long as you take good care the wife..

[redandyellow]

Success,could surely only be defined by the particular person,if they consider themselves a success,surely then they are.

Success is not having your wife refuse sex with you when she reaches 40 years old.

or 50

[Neeranam]

If one can sleep at night in less than 5 minutes with no drugs or alcohol, one is a success.

Is a retiree an expat?

[Neeranam]

Ignore everything that is Thai including dealing with Thai. Enjoy life as you would back hom

Pathetic. Why are you here then?

[AYJAYDEE]

Ignore everything that is Thai including dealing with Thai. Enjoy life as you would back hom

Pathetic. Why are you here then?

many people come here because they can't feel superior to anyone where they came from and their bigotry allows them that pleasure here

[geronimo]

Success as an expat is living in the country of your choice.

[Berkshire]

be finically secure. healthy being single with no kids at 50 or 60 years of age and having as little to do with thai people as possible

If you wanted as little to do with Thai people as possible, wouldn't it be much easier to do that anywhere else in the world besides Thailand? Lots of Thais in Thailand, no? Do you also require assistance when urinating?

is the assistance of Thai people required to urinate?

Didn't mean to sound so encrypted. I was merely suggesting that if the catman doesn't possess the intelligence to do the obvious, perhaps he may have also lost the mental faculties to perform certain bodily functions.

[kannot]

If one can sleep at night in less than 5 minutes with no drugs or alcohol, one is a success.

Is a retiree an expat?

I can do that in the day....worse still anytime of day

[kannot]

Ignore everything that is Thai including dealing with Thai. Enjoy life as you would back hom

Pathetic. Why are you here then?

Some people like the country not the people, is that so terrible?

[Berkshire]

Ignore everything that is Thai including dealing with Thai. Enjoy life as you would back hom

Pathetic. Why are you here then?

Some people like the country not the people, is that so terrible?

The country IS the people. What on Earth are you talking about?

[kannot]

Ignore everything that is Thai including dealing with Thai. Enjoy life as you would back hom

Pathetic. Why are you here then?

Some people like the country not the people, is that so terrible?

The country IS the people. What on Earth are you talking about?

Ok "countryside" better?

[givenall]

Relative may be handy some times but keep distance if you like your peace.

[givenall]

My wife always says, Thailand would be perfect without thais

[aboctok]

Success,could surely only be defined by the particular person,if they consider themselves a success,surely then they are.

The only reasonable reply so far

every one else is trying to apply objective terms to a subjective proposition

That's nice, the only reasonable answer is no answer. You've abstracted away the question, when all it asked was to consider what any particular person defined as success. Yes, we know that will be highly subjective—that's the point. I expect that ATF's answer will resonate with many people, not just one. Pointless to claim that our perceptions cannot be compared because they are as unique as fingerprints. We have quite a good system for fingerprints.