Boredom in Thailand

[Rural Surin]

since I moved to Thailand i have come to experience boredom. This had never happened to me before.
Here are my few reasons:
- My close friends live back home
- Decrease of interest in films, games and entertainment.
- Different ambitions in life
- Lack of money

The lack of money and rain, this time of year is what gets me. I like a good walk and when I say walk, I mean walkabout as we say in OZ. No fun in the pissing rain. Jim

I would certainly prefer the rain and mud than to dry and dusty conditions...

Think about it. The sound of the rain falling pre-dawn...

The simple idea of nurturing the earth..

[Aberlour]

^ Agree. Tropical rain can be extremely uplifting and refreshing. Can get a bit tedious if it's non stop for a length of time though.

[jamescollister]

^ Agree. Tropical rain can be extremely uplifting and refreshing. Can get a bit tedious if it's non stop for a length of time though.

Over 2 months now, same every year, only rained for a hour our so today, but most days 4 or 5 thunder storms, power goes, no net. Night time, when the power goes and that's most nights, no fan, but in saying that, when the power comes back and the fan works nice and cool for sleeping.
That's life, but better than stuck in peck hour traffic, sunshine or rain. Jim

[KuhnKarl]

I would certainly prefer the rain and mud than to dry and dusty conditions...

Think about it. The sound of the rain falling pre-dawn...

The simple idea of nurturing the earth..

Just happened to notice year (bow down) you joined forum... And how many posts you have done. If my elder math is correct you have averaged over 4000 a year... Yes?
Almost 5 depending on month, etc.

So I can see that you have had no time to be bored....



Now if someone already pointed this out... Or if I've error end someplace my apologies. Just found it interesting in this topic.

Oh yeah, not bored yet... Only full time for two months. Ask me again next year.

[Brown Sugar]

Have a Thai wife who has a Thai family (and of course TeakDoor) never time to be bored

[Rocksteady]

I think we all experience a sense of boredom or perhaps a sense of things perhaps seeming a little repetative/bland, at times. However, Thailand offers so much by way of relaxation. adventure, new experiences in all areas that it's just a question of casting around to check out the next challenge/opportunity.

I'm seriously thinking of putting together a big travel trip for charity as my next venture - could be a book and documentary in it. Why not as others have proved its well doable!

Any suggestions would be well received and perhaps even a group of us might wish to give it a shot! After all I'm long due one after my year off backpacking around the edge of India, climbing the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, kicking it on beaches in the South of Thailand and knocking around Camobodia in a year off back in 1996/7

[Rocksteady]

TEFling to fill in some gaps is a totally acceptable and productive way to offset boredom as well as earning some extra entertainment money.

Absolutely. Everywhere in the world schools go begging for Maths and science teachers. I know a fella in Pattaya ... Retired Colonel/0-6 ... Medical Doctor ... More interested in drinking and whoring ... When he has so much more to offer the people of Thailand.

* He was retired before 2001 so don't anyone got with the PTSD prognosis either

Couldn't agree more, SK. I've been doing it full time since I left the UK (apart from most of my year off in the above post - but finished my last month teaching in Phom Peng before I had to swiftly get out of dodge to avoid Pol Pot 2 when Hung Sen had his coup) and it exposes you to so much more by way of new friends, satisfaction in watching your students achieve dreams and goals and cultural experiences beyond the bar/pub scene.

Give it a shot Rick

[jamescollister]

I'm still bored, but the sun has come out and I will put my boots on, go dig some good soil from near the old charcoal burner. Carry it up the small hill in a big paint bucket, put the soil in some plastic grow bags and plant cashew nuts.

A few hours of that and I will be sore, covered in sweat and dirt.

Then a shower and the first cold one for the day, if it doesn't start to rain again.
Jim

[Wasp]

I'm still bored, but the sun has come out and I will put my boots on, go dig some good soil from near the old charcoal burner. Carry it up the small hill in a big paint bucket, put the soil in some plastic grow bags and plant cashew nuts.

A few hours of that and I will be sore, covered in sweat and dirt.

Then a shower and the first cold one for the day, if it doesn't start to rain again.
Jim

All you need -- all anyone needs -- Somewhere To Live , Someone To Love , Something To Do .

[jamescollister]

Strange in a way, a couple of hours of hard physical work, tired and a bit sore, but not bored now.
Sitting having a few ice cold beers, listening to Cat Stevens, watching the darkness fall on the jungle at the back of the house.
Just a few hours of sweat, kicks those endorphins in and the boredom has gone, replaced by a feeling of a job done and a time to relax.
Jim

[Rural Surin]

Strange in a way, a couple of hours of hard physical work, tired and a bit sore, but not bored now.
Sitting having a few ice cold beers, listening to Cat Stevens, watching the darkness fall on the jungle at the back of the house.
Just a few hours of sweat, kicks those endorphins in and the boredom has gone, replaced by a feeling of a job done and a time to relax.
Jim

Sounds as if you give the consideration of simple [invented] boredom a little too much attention within your consciousness, Jim....

[beazalbob69]

Most folks from the west cannot let go of the idea that you have to be doing something all the time. Cultural conditioning at it's best! "If you are not producing then you are worthless"

Work has always been something that I have to do and I do the least amount of it that I possibly can.

Makes me a totally worthless person in the western sense.

[Warrior]

...

Work has always been something that I have to do and I do the least amount of it that I possibly can.

...

Shouldn't that have been in the Real Wisdom Threat?

Not saying that your statements are wrong

[helge]

Buy yorself an Umbrella, you cheap bastard

You being Isaan based know that the rain is a blessing

Edit:

Your post confused me

I'm pissed

(to Jim Collister, if I recall )

[jamescollister]

Strange in a way, a couple of hours of hard physical work, tired and a bit sore, but not bored now.
Sitting having a few ice cold beers, listening to Cat Stevens, watching the darkness fall on the jungle at the back of the house.
Just a few hours of sweat, kicks those endorphins in and the boredom has gone, replaced by a feeling of a job done and a time to relax.
Jim

Sounds as if you give the consideration of simple [invented] boredom a little too much attention within your consciousness, Jim....

You may well be right, but a life time of training and a 1,000 years of the grasshopper and the ant, makes us who we are. I am not Thai and out this way the ant is the role model.

Strange enough I have spent my life trying to keep away from physical labor, but here do things the hard way. It may be I have go tropo, lost the plot so to speak.

I have not written a best seller or painted a great picture, but seem to be good at planting trees.

One day my kids will look at those trees and say. my dad did this, from his own sweat, for us.
Won't leave much behind, but 2 great kids and a lot of trees, think that's better than a gold watch.

As said may be mad now, but when the sweats rolling off, like I've step from the shower, it's for me and mine, not for someone else. Jim

[jamescollister]

Buy yorself an Umbrella, you cheap bastard

You being Isaan based know that the rain is a blessing

Edit:

Your post confused me

I'm pissed

So am I now.
I may be in Issan which is dry, but I am on the Lao land border. Mountains, jungle tropical rain forest. Rains all the time, 10 KM away dry, here under water. Jim

[Rural Surin]

Most folks from the west cannot let go of the idea that you have to be doing something all the time. Cultural conditioning at it's best! "If you are not producing then you are worthless"

Work has always been something that I have to do and I do the least amount of it that I possibly can.

Makes me a totally worthless person in the western sense.

....a by-product of a instilled backward Christian ethical conduct.
Conditioning.

[helge]

here under water.

Lucky bastard

We ain't getting enough

Would like to go to Tesco dressed as Jacues Coasteau (a lot of SP )

[Sumbitch]

Then a shower and the first cold one for the day, if it doesn't start to rain again.
Jim

Do you mean you're not going to shower if it doesn't rain (makes sense, I guess) or you're not going to have a cold one or both?

[Sumbitch]

Work has always been something that I have to do and I do the least amount of it that I possibly can.

Makes me a totally worthless person in the western sense.

Yes, b/c the less you work the less you're worth.

[jamescollister]

here under water.

Lucky bastard

We ain't getting enough

Would like to go to Tesco dressed as Jacues Coasteau (a lot of SP )

Kids have had 2 days off school, bridges out, are under water. When the water level drops you don't know if they can get home again. Having a 4 wheel drive makes no difference, you don't know if there is still a bridge under the water.
All an adventure, young and old alike. Jim

[helge]

Oops !
Wouldn't like that much rain

I'm in Khon Kaen, no run off from Mountains round here, so..

[beazalbob69]

Work has always been something that I have to do and I do the least amount of it that I possibly can.

Makes me a totally worthless person in the western sense.

Yes, b/c the less you work the less you're worth.

According to whom? I have always been paid for my knowledge and experience not my physical labor.

When I say work I mean physical labor for somebody other than myself. If I am gonna bust a nut and a sweat it's going to be for me not some asshole who got lucky.

[Sumbitch]

Work has always been something that I have to do and I do the least amount of it that I possibly can.

Makes me a totally worthless person in the western sense.

Yes, b/c the less you work the less you're worth.

According to whom? I have always been paid for my knowledge and experience not my physical labor.

When I say work I mean physical labor for somebody other than myself. If I am gonna bust a nut and a sweat it's going to be for me not some asshole who got lucky.

Yes, I was saying the obvious: the more money you earn, the more money you're worth.