Thread: Howdy

Hello to everyone here. I hope to make the most of TD and hopefully to stay on the good side of most folks. I've been on TD before but just faded away from it in terms of posting. It's a great place to keep up on the latest Thai news and bs kicking around the nation.

I've lived in Thailand for quite some time working as a teacher (Oh, no!) I've worked at a few schools over the years most of which were outside of Bangkok. I'm married to a Thai and have kids. I speak Thai well enough but don't consider myself and expert with it in any way. I like to think I understand Thai students well because I am as lazy as they are a lot of the time. I should be more diligent at understanding the language and history of the nation. Despite being here for quite some time, I really don't understand the place. I guess I have a love-hate or hate-love relationship with the place. Most of the long-term foreigners I've met still haven't reached enlightenment on the Thai story so I don't feel I am doing so bad here.

At the moment, I am up in the Northeast in Esarn in my wife's village in Surin. Lots of people online seem to have connections to Surin. We just got hi-speed wireless net (after a month of waiting!) so I will be able to comfortably zoom around the net and check out the boards. Since I am working, there will be times that I will not be able to follow up right away on posts but if you comment on something I say I will try to respond sooner or later.

I think of myself as a fairly opinionated person so I am sure I will have a lot more to add to this later. I might just turn this into some sort of blog for odd thoughts, etc if that's okay. Of course, I will spend most of my time posting on the other boards though.

I won't win prizes for my writing that's for sure. I like the words 'articulate' and 'lucid' but my writing doesn't reflect either of these words most of the time. I picked the name Hampsha but Bumbles might have been a bit more appropriate. So what does Hampsha mean? It's where I come from in the States.

How do I end this???

Yeah!

Howdy Do-Di.

GESSSSSSSS weclome To TD that a lot to say for a newbabi
Now we know, your hold life story. Cheers

Thanks for the welcome.

Originally Posted by Hampsha

Hampsha

A new place I understand. Welcome.

Originally Posted by Hampsha

So what does Hampsha mean? It's where I come from in the States.

And there's me finking you was a Basingstoke boy..

That would be the old Hampsha.

There's a song called Old New Hampshire out there somewhere. I can't find the song but here is a tribute to my state if you get bored.

Welcome. I too, once upon a time, hailed from Hampsha. One gas pump little town called Springfield; about 20 miles from Hanover and Dartmouth College in one direction, and the same distance the other direction to New London, home of Colby College. Have fond memories of the lakes and woods, and friendly people. Haven't been back for decades, but it was where I spent much of my childhood, so it will always be a special place to me.

^Do you know Barney, Mo and Ned ?

^???Slow this morning, I guess.

didn't know you'd been away ( must pay attention )

^^ the simpsons come from Springfield.

Sorry I was bored earlier.

I am obviously without culture, as I must admit to having never watched what I presume to be that cartoon show.

I grew up in Nashua which once was a nice little town but now has become overrun with strip malls and that type of stuff. NH still is a nice place up north.

^Where I lived as a kid, drivers you don't know still wave as they pass. Pretty rural once you get off the main roads.

Must have been nice out there in the boonies. I used to spend a lot of time skiing at Gunstalk and the north. In the Spring and Summer I spent a lot of time fishing in places not too far from my home such as Hollis. I also used to go surf fishing and deep sea fishing quite often.

nice post, the thai land is kind of love it and hate it at the same time.[for me] and as a foreigner, even understanding the language is sometimes just more frustrating, because, they will talk bad about you in your face, then get upset if you reply in thai

edit, nice post HAMPSHA,i say "they get upset" because they are trying to charge you a foreigner price , or some other scam for easy money. Then you are farang know too much. i always would insist[useless and stupid i know] i am "person another country" [kon dtang chart] because that farang bullshit really heats up my ears. from idiots who cannot find thailand on a map. I dont think there are many expats who spend a long time there and dont have some reservations that it is not paradise as the beaches would leave you to believe haha. Well i am living in the philippines and they are polite, but watch out. it can be dangerous here in a totally differerent way from thai

Originally Posted by Hampsha

Must have been nice out there in the boonies. I used to spend a lot of time skiing at Gunstalk and the north. In the Spring and Summer I spent a lot of time fishing in places not too far from my home such as Hollis. I also used to go surf fishing and deep sea fishing quite often.

We had a 150 year old boathouse on the lake near the house, and I spent most summers either there or on the trout streams, and the winters in the woods at the base of the White mountains on snowshoes. Good times!

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Welcome Hampsha - thought you'd been posting for some time now? Our politics might differ but WTF? If everyone thought the same way, this place would be boring indeed.

Curious, like, about a statement in your introduction: " Most of the long-term foreigners I've met still haven't reached enlightenment on the Thai story so I don't feel I am doing so bad here."

Is true 'enlightenment' w/respect to the 'Thai story' attainable in this lifetime?

btw, Surin is a nice town. Always stay at the Tong Tarin Hotel when passing through. Nice beer garden out front.

I just figured I'd post that song about NH which I found on youtube. This is the Hampsha thread afterall.

As for the enlightenment, I've given up on that at the moment. I guess enlightenment in Thailand is some sort of place where you aren't suffering from the heat, bad food or insects.


I've never stayed at the Tong Tarn Hotel. If it has a nice bathtub, it might be good for night away. Despite being up about 2 hours from there on the RoiEt border, I don't get down there too often. Sisaket muang district is actually closer to me.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

Originally Posted by Hampsha

Must have been nice out there in the boonies. I used to spend a lot of time skiing at Gunstalk and the north. In the Spring and Summer I spent a lot of time fishing in places not too far from my home such as Hollis. I also used to go surf fishing and deep sea fishing quite often.

We had a 150 year old boathouse on the lake near the house, and I spent most summers either there or on the trout streams, and the winters in the woods at the base of the White mountains on snowshoes. Good times!

My grandfather had a house on Great Pond in Kingston as well so that's where I spent my summers.

Originally Posted by dtalok

edit, nice post HAMPSHA,i say "they get upset" because they are trying to charge you a foreigner price , or some other scam for easy money. Then you are farang know too much. i always would insist[useless and stupid i know] i am "person another country" [kon dtang chart] because that farang bullshit really heats up my ears. from idiots who cannot find thailand on a map. I dont think there are many expats who spend a long time there and dont have some reservations that it is not paradise as the beaches would leave you to believe haha. Well i am living in the philippines and they are polite, but watch out. it can be dangerous here in a totally differerent way from thai

From what I have read and heard, the Philippines sounds dangerous and dirty. But if you are in the better areas, it must be pretty nice. Looks like there are some great beaches with amazing diving there.