Updated: Farang spotted doing community work in Udon identified

[Thaivisa News]

Udon Thani: Khaosod Online has located and identified a farang man who has received a lot of praises from Facebook users after he has been seen cleaning public telephone booths, collecting garbage and pulling weeds along roadsides in Udon Thani’s Muang district.

Khaosod dispatched a reporter to interview the man and found out that he is a German tourist from Berlin, named Peter Rudi Festetling and he has been doing this kind of community services in Udon Thani downtown for six years already during his annual vacation here.

On Wednesday, the Khaosod reporter met Festetling wearing white t-shirt, gloves and blue workshop jumpsuit. He was carrying a pair of tree scissors, a rake and garbage bag to cut weeds and collect garbage along roadside ditch of the Phosri Raod in front of the Charoen Hotel.

Festetling told the reporter that he is 55 years old and has been staying at the hotel.

The man said he makes his living as a cleaner in Berlin and he earns 100 euros a day or about Bt4,000. He said when he has free time, he will fly to Udon Thani and this year was his sixth year that he visited the northeasten province. This time he has been staying for five weeks now.

He said he loves Thailand and Thai people so he helped cleaning the area which he spotted that it was dirty and full with litter. He bought all the tools himself and has been doing it for five weeks.

He said Thai people were kind to him and always gave him cool drinking water and energetic drinks.

He was scheduled to leave Thursday and he would come back to clean Thailand every year, Khaosod reported. [See khaosod report here]

[Artisi]

Hope he has a work permit, especially now the news is out.

[jcisco]

OH <deleted> the first post is about a work permit, seriously have most of the posters, more or less just left their own country and come here. And that is the extent of their life..... ....... working life... retirement stupid thailand tv...... captain obvious suit.

Yeah good on the guy, good to see a guy of action, giving back the comunnity. Such a change from the oxygen and electrons thats gets wasted on the on work permit argument, those that have come before and the one about to come now..... Thanks Artisi ....

[DKUNPUTAF713]

I commend the German national for the good deed he does each year while on vacation in Udon Thani!!

The Thai populace in Udon Thani should feel ashamed that some one from another country comes to clean up their litter/backyard so to speak!!!

Danke Schön Festetling!!!!

[webfact]

Tourist cleans Thailand streets out of love
By CNN Staff

(CNN)There are many reasons to visit Thailand.

Some want to swim at Ko Phi Phi, where Leonardo DiCaprio found beauty (though not quite bliss) in "The Beach."

Some want to see if the pad thai in the Chang Mai night market tastes better than it does at their favorite Thai restaurant back home. (It does.)

According to Thai public broadcasting service MCOT (Thai only), however, a German tourist has been coming to the country annually for the last six years for an entirely different reason.

To clean up the mess.

Peter Rudi Festerling, a 55-year-old professional janitor from Berlin, spends most of his vacation time in Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand doing what he does at home. Spiffing up the joint.

Full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/26/travel/german-tourist-cleans-thailand/


-- CNN 2015-02-27

[Duvidl]

"Some want to see if the pad thai in the Chang Mai night market tastes better than it does at their favorite Thai restaurant back home. (It does.)"

Actually, it doesn't.

[tubby johnson]

And the first brownshirt of the Thai Visa work permit Gestapo has emerged to spew his bitterness.

[recycled]

OH <deleted> the first post is about a work permit, seriously have most of the posters, more or less just left their own country and come here. And that is the extent of their life..... ....... working life... retirement stupid thailand tv...... captain obvious suit.

Yeah good on the guy, good to see a guy of action, giving back the comunnity. Such a change from the oxygen and electrons thats gets wasted on the on work permit argument, those that have come before and the one about to come now..... Thanks Artisi ....

Are you for real or just stoned 24/7?

[samsensam]

good on him. no mention of any thais offering to give him a hand!

[Pimay1]

good on him. no mention of any thais offering to give him a hand!

You beat me to it.

[Star Dust]

I'm just waiting for the first Issan Macho accusing poor Mr.Propper here

of making Thai people lose face for trying to make Udon as spottless and characterless as Germany has become

[DM07]

May be I am a cynic, but...that guy has absolutely lost it!

Giving back to the community?

What is there to give back? And to what community?

That dude is here on holiday!

The only community he has, are tourists!

And he doesn't need to give back anything!

He is paying good money for a hotel and probably for food in local restaurants.

Seriously something wrong with that dude!

He must be kind of very very lonely!

[Star Dust]

May be I am a cynic, but...that guy has absolutely lost it!

Giving back to the community?

What is there to give back? And to what community?

That dude is here on holiday!

The only community he has, are tourists!

And he doesn't need to give back anything!

He is paying good money for a hotel and probably for food in local restaurants.

Seriously something wrong with that dude!

He must be kind of very very lonely!

I agree with you. Not the first nut case I would have encountered in good old Udonland.

Maybe he ran out of his "happy pills" and is all depressed waiting to be loved..... even by a "all shiny" phone booth.

Maybe he just passes the time and waits for it to ring.

Can we call a public phone in Thailand. Be fun I guess?!?

Wait for him until he gets ready for the "phone wash" and giving him a ring asking him: "Are you John Wayne? Or is that me?"

...muahahahahah.

I bet, that some Thais actually had the enlightment that such phone boxes are actually washable, AND maintainable

German fellow down in Namsom talks to the ghosts living in his wife's buddha shrine above the TV. The wife has long gone.

He actually told me that he converses with spirits living in his head. And he told me that he just pretends that he talks to the shrine, because otherwise they might think he's gone nuts.

I talk to myself as well, when lonley. As long as I won't disagree with myself I'm still on the save side

[Saradoc1972]

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

[Soutpeel]

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

its seems it was, based on what you have written I wouldn't want you writing the brief for any case I was involved with

maybe being a cleaner is more your vocation

[Headgame]

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

You are so right.

You would never have graduated.

[Saradoc1972]

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

its seems it was, based on what you have written I wouldn't want you writing the brief for any case I was involved with

maybe being a cleaner is more your vocation

Would very much depend on the case you might have presented me... I wasn't a half-bad lawyer, if I say so myself, and if your case had not been in my field of expertise (revenue, social law, and the ubiquitous general civil law), I would have you referred to a colleague.

Thing is, unless you get work in a big law firm, the average income of a freelance German lawyer is around 1,600 Euro a month after all expenses, taxes, and social insurance.

There are just too many of us, and you have to take too many cases on legal aid and there are lots of nice clients not paying your bills.

[Saradoc1972]

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

You are so right.

You would never have graduated.

I did.

[Pimay1]

A number of us here on TVF help the local communities in different ways. Some outfit poor children for school, some buy wheelchairs so cripple children can go to school, some buy desks for local kindergartens so the children don't have to sit on the floor all day, some feed poor elderly widows that their children have abandoned and some volunteer to sit in English classes at the local school to assist the teacher, just to name a few things we do.

Evidently this guy does not have the funds to spend like some of us do. He is doing this from the kindness of his heart and I commend him. There are quite a few negative comments about him on this thread and that is our privilege to comment negatively if we so choose. But to those who do and live here I respectfully say take a look in the mirror and ask yourself what are you doing in your local community to make it a better place to live. To quote Winston Churchill, "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give". To quote George Eliot, " One must be poor to know the luxury of giving."

[Saradoc1972]

A number of us here on TVF help the local communities in different ways. Some outfit poor children for school, some buy wheelchairs so cripple children can go to school, some buy desks for local kindergartens so the children don't have to sit on the floor all day, some feed poor elderly widows that their children have abandoned and some volunteer to sit in English classes at the local school to assist the teacher, just to name a few things we do.

Evidently this guy does not have the funds to spend like some of us do. He is doing this from the kindness of his heart and I commend him. There are quite a few negative comments about him on this thread and that is our privilege to comment negatively if we so choose. But to those who do and live here I respectfully say take a look in the mirror and ask yourself what are you doing in your local community to make it a better place to live. To quote Winston Churchill, "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give". To quote George Eliot, " One must be poor to know the luxury of giving."

I for one am giving voluntary English lessons to groups of college students or employees of some hotels or businesses like Starbucks, usually teamed up with some native speaker and trying to contribute some insights from my "didactically learned" English.

Those companies in turn donate to the Pattaya orphanage (Father Ray Foundation) in exchange for our services.

This is under the auspices of the Pattaya City Centre Expat's Club http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com with the kind support of the Banglamung Immigration and the Lord Mayor of Pattaya, with an exemption from work permits.

If anyone here would like to contribute being either a native speaker or having a more than fair command of English, please do visit that website and our weekly meetings at the Tavern by the Seaside at the northern end of Beach Road in Pattaya.

And I certainly never meant any disrespect to that countryman of mine, I was just commenting on that income in a jocular way. I do in fact commend him.

[Naam]

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

nobody works 30 days per month in Germany and €100/day can be easily earned, e.g. by a good housekeeper who gets between €12 and €15 per hour.

edited for addendum: minimum wage in Germany is €8.50/hour (no need for a law or any other degree).

Edited February 27, 2015 by Naam

[Saradoc1972]

Earning... 100 Euro ... a day? 3.000 Euro a month? Net? Being a cleaner of some sort in Germany?

I assume he is not cleaning toxic waste and that somehow got lost in the translation?

I somehow always felt law school was a waste of time.

nobody works 30 days per month in Germany and €100/day can be easily earned, e.g. by a good housekeeper who gets between €12 and €15 per hour.

That's quite enough now, I was being jocular about practising law and the prospects of earnings here.

And I suppose you mean "working under the table" (legalese: "unreported employment"). Not necessarily in some rich areas, but let's just say I've had some cases regarding that.

And insight knowledge regarding what an employed building cleaner is earning per hour. Well OK, the proprietor of that company is a millionair since a good couple of years and the largest employer in my home town with 2,300 employees)

We now have minimum wages in Germany since start of this very year, and those are higher. 8.50 Euro gross.

I've done tax returns for a German-Turkish bus-driver making 3,5 k Euro gross a month.

There are obvioulsy considerations as to what passes as intellectually stimulating work and as to not having to report for work 6 am in the morning somewhere and for late shifts on top of that.

[jcisco]

Wow this thread stayed amazingly devoid of the usual BS, such a change to read some constructive discussion not requiring a flame suit.

[joesanunu]

Showing the Thais how it's done, eh? They don't appreciate it.

Nice to be nice but this guy is rubbing their nose in it.

One thing for sure. This guy will have a lifetime supply of trash to pick up in front of his hotel.

[Sunderland]

Stuff the work permit nonsense.

If it makes him feel good about himself, and he's not depriving anybody of work, then good on him. Thumbs up for his efforts.

[jacky54]

Far better example of what to do here than chasing bar girls and getting drunk, well done the German.

[LuckyLew]

With all the news on Thai and in English you would hope / think the people of Udon would clean up themselves a little

but I would bet my last dollar this will not happen. too east for pigs to just toss crap out the window or dump their load where they see fit

[Tomtomtom69]

I'm just waiting for the first Issan Macho accusing poor Mr.Propper here

of making Thai people lose face for trying to make Udon as spottless and characterless as Germany has become

Germany has a lot of character.

Actually, messy or not, Udon Thani, like every other Thai city of similar size look the same as each other and are completely lacking character. If you want character and are in Udon Thani, the nearest place which actually exhibits some character is Vientiane, the Lao capital located some 70km north of Udon.

[bannork]

I'm just waiting for the first Issan Macho accusing poor Mr.Propper here

of making Thai people lose face for trying to make Udon as spottless and characterless as Germany has become

Germany has a lot of character.

Actually, messy or not, Udon Thani, like every other Thai city of similar size look the same as each other and are completely lacking character. If you want character and are in Udon Thani, the nearest place which actually exhibits some character is Vientiane, the Lao capital located some 70km north of Udon.

Have to disagree, Nong Khai has character, the pier,Tha Sadet market, the promenade along the Mekhong, the restaurants and the friendly atmosphere of a small town on a river all make it a pleasant place to be in my view. Plus there's the bizarre temple 4 kilometres outside town with statues of dogs wearing sunglasses, sexually aroused and riding Vespa scooters.

[jiipii]

It was in Thai tv some years ago.

In schoolyard was lot of carbage. After 8 o'clock one man came to school with monkey and he show these lovely thai pupils how the monkey can pick up carbage.

It was about 2000 pupils watching the monkey, with open mouth, monkey learn thaipeople.

Monkey can do, thai can not.