Thanks for your thoughts...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rickschoppers
My recommendation is to keep your US citizenship and come live in Thailand for awhile. I know things in America are not perfect, but they are a lot better than many other places in the world. My feelings were exactly the same as yours 16 months ago when I thought I would move to Thailand and never return home. Guess what? I am back in the US with the thought of working a little longer and have a completely different opinion of our home country.
Living in Thailand for awhile will give you a taste of what it is like to be an expat. The visa hassles, the missing things that are no longer available to you from food to clothing to many other "creature comforts." There are pluses and minuses to living in another country and my plus and minus columns have changed quite a bit after living, in what I thought, was paradise.
I arrived back in the US on Superbowl Weekend and really enjoyed watching the game and going to the grocery store while hoards of people were shopping for chicken wings and beer. What I am trying to say is, even though you may have a dark opinion of the US right now, once you leave it, that will all change. You will miss things you now take for granted and even may want to return home. By all means keep your US citizenship and join the expat gang to give youself a taste of what it is like being the outsider. It is not always fun and games and you will soon learn that Thailand does not really want us taking up space in their country.
Thanks for the kind thoughts, Rick.
I don't watch sports, so no problem there.
I've already lived in Thailand a few times in the last decade. I liked it a lot. I liked Hong Kong, too.
I have experienced the racism already while I was in the Magic Kingdom. But then I've experienced it here in Amerika, too. I suppose we have to take that as it comes.
Where I live in Thailand, when I'm there, is a rural area. So it's pretty quiet for me. I'm a jazz guitarist, so I get a lot of practice time in.
My wife and I just bought another five acres and we plan to build a little home on it and that'll be our retirement place.
Until now, I've not paid any attention to the legal matters. But the next time I go there I will plan to stay for possibly a few years or more. So learning this stuff is now become paramount. I realize by now of course that giving up US Citizenship was a lame idea. On to better things.
Thanks again.