What we could all learn from expats

[BigRed]

When I moved to my village in the UK, I quickly learned that all the friendly people who struck up a conversation were boring twats that no-one else would speak to.

[tonyroma]

This groundwater guy does waffle on with some bullshit...

i have given up reading professional travel writers ...the worst was that idiot on lonely planet ..would waffle on about stuff that costs thousands ...only the really wealthy could afford ......

[Storekeeper]

Being an expat changed me in ways I still don't recognize but others do. I have no immediate plans to return to Thailand but in less than a year stateside I've been told I told I don't belong; or don't seem like I fit in anymore; or that I sound like I lean left recently ... and my own mother is betting it won't be long before I go back.

I have friends who have spent decades in Japan and consider themselves expats who get upset when I tell them to try living overseas outside the protective environment of a military base or embassy installation primarily associating with Americans and their spouses.

[cdnski12]

I'm continually amazed in LOS, just how many older ferangs blow their entire life savings on a Thai GF, house, car & a few rice paddies. As "Sunny in Thailand" says... Most Bar Girls are Hookers used to making 1000 ThB per day. Few Ferangs seem to know they can only own a car and maybe a portion of the house they built in Thailand. 30 Year Lease Backs are about the best one can do. At least they provide the ferang some leverage over property he paid for. When the money runs out, the Thai Wife or her Family may have you kicked off the property, if you are lucky or right out of the country if they are really vindictive, or you show any attempt to cause them more problems. Every major Thai Embassy or Consulate that I've been in the past 5 years, had 1-3 Ferangs, surrounded by a local lawyer or 2 telling them that "For $10,000 USD, the Law Firm can get them access back into Thailand". I routinely meet older ferangs on Thai Golf Courses all over Thailand, who are on their 2nd or even 3rd Thai Wife/GF. These Ferangs may be independently wealthy or Offshore Oil Rig Workers, but they blew a lot of money in Thailand. I personally know a Swedish Ferang living in Pattaya; whose $2-$3 Million USD Estate was totally plundered by his Thai Wife & her Family. His executor was a long term friend of mine. My pal was left "Holding the Bag" so to speak, trying to explain to the dead man's Swedish relatives, that there was no money or property whatsoever to split amongst them. The Estate Lawyers were totally hopeless. The Swede's considerable Thai assets ($1 million USD Home) had all been converted to cash as per his will, but all the money disappeared into HKG, Singapore, Manila, back to HKG and then disappeared into Mainland China. My pal hired a Forensic Accountant to track the bank transfers. In the meantime the Swede's smiling, now very wealthy wife disappeared into the Thai countryside. Apparently her family even sold out of their Thai Home Village ... which is a big deal in Thailand. The Swede was worth around $10 Million USD, when he first went to live full time in Thailand, in the late 1990's.

[jamescollister]

Cdnsk, it was the swedes money, not yours, he was a grown man I take it and had a good before he died.
Being the richest man in the graveyard, is not something I would aspire to. Jim

[VocalNeal]

There's a refreshing lack of pretension among expat communities. There's very little of the "where did you go to school" snobbery. Admittedly that's occasionally replaced with "what are you doing here" snobbery (English teachers to the back of the queue), but in general no one cares where you came from, or which school you went to, or who you worked for back home. You're here now, everything's different.

He's obviously never bumped into one of those financial products type guys! All full of questions and things they can do with your money!

[CaptainNemo]

Guess when you read the article, what you consider to be an expat will sway how you see it.

What I call an expat, will be different that what other think.

To me I don't see long stay tourist, fly in fly out of shore workers etc as expats. Jim

You're talking shite. The article is dross, like an enthusiastic american student putting a positive gloss on what is frequently a slightly tedious and seedy existence, and a short-term one (in terms of years as well as months) in most cases.

An expat is someone who lives and works in another country and earns a wage equal to or greater than what they would in their home country, whilst maintaining their main home in a country that is not their home country.

Offhore worker counts, for the simple reason that if your main base that you return to as your home after every jolly is in your home country, you wouldn't say you didn't live there, would you?

Not an expat:
...a retiree
...a business owner that does not work
...a spouse of a local that does not work
...a student
...a tefler
...a traveller
...a slut sponserer/long-distance relationship
...a tourist
...a DJ
...a criminal

you get the picture?

in general, if you are in Thailand, and your income is less than 100,000B a month, then you're not really living an expat lifestyle, are you?

Living in the boonies in the developing world and issuing a steady dribble of smug truisms, is hardly being an expat, is it, boys and girls?

[kingwilly]

Based on which definition?

Most definitions define an expat as someone voluntarily living abroad. (As opposed to just traveling).

On your list above,

Expat retiree, yes.

Expat business owner or spouse of, yes.

Expat Student, yes.

Expat Tefler, yes, even them.

I suspect you're confusing expat with 'expat lifestyle' which does indicate a more wealthy socio-economic group.

[jamescollister]

CN, posted the definition one page back, doesn't really tally with yours.
Think I will take there definition, not yours as fact. Jim

[VocalNeal]

I suspect you're confusing expat with 'expat lifestyle' which does indicate a more wealthy socio-economic group.

I think even the term "expat lifestyle" is misleading. We all know what we think it means but what about a Mexican living in the US. Expat, but "expat lifestyle"? Vietnamese In Aus? Tunisian in France, Nigerian in UK?

The term expat has been corrupted to mean a worker from a developed country working tax free in a lesser developed country for a multinational company with a free house, free car, driver etc.. I think these are a dying breed? But still some hanging around at the British Club.

But yes the world as a whole could learn something from anyone who has lived and worked in a country not their own. If only because travel broadens the mind.

[FloridaBorn]

Good story and very true, not many farangs out here, but if they speak English you will be cracking a beer with them. Jim

May be I would Jim, but I'd be also thinking 'here's another loser'. 99% are in my opinion. I see them come with big ideas and I see them go as failiers. May be I should include myself in there as I'll never know 'til it happens.

Failing isn't losing............


Never giving it a try is...

[jamescollister]

Good story and very true, not many farangs out here, but if they speak English you will be cracking a beer with them. Jim

May be I would Jim, but I'd be also thinking 'here's another loser'. 99% are in my opinion. I see them come with big ideas and I see them go as failiers. May be I should include myself in there as I'll never know 'til it happens.

Failing isn't losing............


Never giving it a try is...

Hardships and failures are what we remember most, not taking chances, is just drifting to the grave. Jim

[FloridaBorn]

Failing is in the eye of the beholder, without an occasional "failure" (personally I prefer the phrase "set back" when speaking with my children) you never learn how to improve or what it feels like to really succeed, it builds character.. No one who ever succeeds at ANYTHING has 'NEVER' failed before..

[xanax]

There's a refreshing lack of pretension among expat communities.

Expats, in general, are friendly. They want to meet you, and know your story. They're fun to be around. They're people who "do" rather than plan.

]

Utter crap, most expats in Thailand can't even look you in the eye and pretend they have not seen you, outside of the tourist areas anyway.

[FloridaBorn]

Being an expat changed me in ways I still don't recognize but others do. I have no immediate plans to return to Thailand but in less than a year stateside I've been told I told I don't belong; or don't seem like I fit in anymore; or that I sound like I lean left recently ... and my own mother is betting it won't be long before I go back.

I have friends who have spent decades in Japan and consider themselves expats who get upset when I tell them to try living overseas outside the protective environment of a military base or embassy installation primarily associating with Americans and their spouses.

Changed me too, on my return I appreciate what I have and where I came from so much more.. Makes even the most stressful days feel like I'm out fishing, I'm blessed..Though not in the religious sense..

[withnallstoke]

Not an expat: ...a retiree ...a business owner that does not work ...a spouse of a local that does not work ...a student ...a tefler ...a traveller ...a slut sponserer/long-distance relationship ...a tourist ...a DJ ...a criminal

[FloridaBorn]

Holy F!!! Where'd you come up with that!! Fark! How do you even Google something like that?

[patsycat]

That is horrible!!

[withnallstoke]

Googled "talking out of your arse gif".

[FloridaBorn]

That is horrible!!

Nasty shite is what that is!! Irony intended ..

[FloridaBorn]

Googled "talking out of your arse gif".

Sorry but talking is not what THAT looks like! You pushed a wrong key somewhere!

[jamescollister]

There's a refreshing lack of pretension among expat communities.

Expats, in general, are friendly. They want to meet you, and know your story. They're fun to be around. They're people who "do" rather than plan.

]

Utter crap, most expats in Thailand can't even look you in the eye and pretend they have not seen you, outside of the tourist areas anyway.

Not the way it is out my way, expats seek each other out. The people you meet, have get to gethers where possible. Farmers meetings hash house harriers etc.
The people who won't make eye contact, or turn away are usually short timers, who react as if they are in the west. Stranger approaches, what is he selling or what does he want, is he a god botherer, move away.
I may just be an out going person and say hello to any farang I meet, the 2 weekers don't want to know you, but the long termers are normally happy to have a chance to speak English, have a beer and compare notes, so to speak.
Not many of us out this way and unless you want to live like a hermit you go out of your way to meet others. Jim

[boatboy]

There's no reason why everyone can't live like that, why you can't treat your own city like a holiday destination. But people rarely do it. Masterchef is on.

Well there is in Oz
Excessively high mortgages and even rents for many
High cost of living, education, power, insurance etc
High fuel costs
High taxi costs
Restaurant prices prohibitive so eat home a lot
Cant even drive around after having a few beers anymore and if you could you can't afford to park the fucken car ($22 for 2 hours yesterday)

Solution: Cash in my chips here and go beer drinking OS

[MeMock]

A few weeks ago The Journalist in the OP used his visit to me 6 years ago to write a travel article about Ubon!

Is Ubon Ratchathani about to be ?discovered?? | Family life in rural Thailand & Australia

[NZdick1983]

Great post/thread, KW.

I love that feeling of independence and anonymity we have, when living abroad.