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  1. #26
    I am not a cat
    nidhogg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai View Post
    Communications is my biggest frustration in Thailand. The only person I can communicate at anything other than a very basic level is my wife, who speaks fluent English . So consequently she is my whole world.
    So far I have plenty of projects to keep me busy, but in the long term....
    Aside from some other challenges, unless I learn the language, I don't see myself staying here for the rest of my life.
    I am here one month now, and I am already getting restless. As soon as Thailand opens for me to return, I will got to Greece for two or three months, Perhaps spending summers there might be the solution. I love to move there, but my wife is so fappy here with her family , I hate to move her again. We will see.
    If I ever do retire here, one of the first things I will do is to start learning Thai. Will finally have time for it.

  2. #27
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    If I ever do retire here, one of the first things I will do is to start learning Thai. Will finally have time for it.
    Generally speaking I would think that's a must, or frustration is guaranteed.

  3. #28
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by havnfun View Post
    there is no word in Thai for "routine"
    Funnily enough, google translate disagrees with you.

    Google Translate

  4. #29
    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Generally speaking I would think that's a must, or frustration is guaranteed.

    Much more common than not, even among long timers. And all too typical.
    The points of acclimation and adjustments are nowhere to be found.
    Therefore, little knowledge of society and culture is secured - aiding in their deeper discomfort and disconnections.

    The tighter the exclusive Farang bubble becomes the more pathetic it proves itself.

  5. #30
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    If I ever do retire here, one of the first things I will do is to start learning Thai. Will finally have time for it.
    You know, it's funny. I have little interest or shall I say lack motivation in learning Thai. I have worked with and know so many Thai folks that speak fluent English I just haven't had the need. I know enough basic Thai, can order food, and get around with absolutely no issues so I haven't been where I was pinched or stuck. Now I will admit, my wife does a good majority of the important communications but I think its better in the bigger picture because she knows how to navigate the systems here and even if I spoke fluent Thai I doubt that would help.. When we lived in the states, I did the same for her. She speaks excellent English but struggled to understand all our systems.

  6. #31
    Thailand Expat armstrong's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Generally speaking I would think that's a must, or frustration is guaranteed.
    I think frustration is a given wether you speak Thai or not.

  7. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by JPPR2 View Post
    You know, it's funny. I have little interest or shall I say lack motivation in learning Thai. I have worked with and know so many Thai folks that speak fluent English I just haven't had the need. I know enough basic Thai, can order food, and get around with absolutely no issues so I haven't been where I was pinched or stuck. Now I will admit, my wife does a good majority of the important communications but I think its better in the bigger picture because she knows how to navigate the systems here and even if I spoke fluent Thai I doubt that would help.. When we lived in the states, I did the same for her. She speaks excellent English but struggled to understand all our systems.
    I'm quite similar in many respects. The main problem I have is the Thai script. I lived in Spain for 10 years and have passable Spanish. Even Russia, where I also worked for a few years and having got to grips with the Cryllic spelling and pronunciation, I could get by. If I can read, I'll understand for the best part. Thai, forget it, so I'm doomed where my pronunciation of what words/expressions that I can master will take me.

  8. #33
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PAG View Post
    I lived in Spain for 10 years and have passable Spanish
    Being I lived in California and was frequently in Mexico while I was attending college in LA, I learned Spanish very fast. I can also read it pretty well. I tried to learn how to write Thai about 10 years ago while at the factory with a few of the folks. I took a few classes and its just not intuitive and progress was slow so I lost interest. Additionally most Thai folks I work with would much rather learn English then teach me Thai. Now being older to dive into it just doesn't interest me. It will not change much other than I can speak Thai and its not like I am going to go sit with some locals and talk about life.

    At this juncture I will continue to learn the basic stuff as time goes on but its not a priority and will not impact me one way or the other.

  9. #34
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    wot e said. if ur young enough. 55

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by PAG View Post
    I'm quite similar in many respects. The main problem I have is the Thai script. I lived in Spain for 10 years and have passable Spanish. Even Russia, where I also worked for a few years and having got to grips with the Cryllic spelling and pronunciation, I could get by. If I can read, I'll understand for the best part. Thai, forget it, so I'm doomed where my pronunciation of what words/expressions that I can master will take me.
    Me too. I can get by in basic Chinese but I cannot seem to make any progress with Thai. I think there are several reasons, in my case:

    1. I am getting older and new language is definitely a challenge as we age.

    2. Motivation, I am not chasing young women, or even older women, so the gf can help with the details. I don't have a pressing need to learn.

    3. Lack of structure. I really need a teacher so that I have targets and someone to explain things and answer my questions. The gf is a decent person in many ways but she is not helpful with Thai, having a tendency to shrug off questions and laugh at my toneless efforts. (I think in part this is because she cannot answer some questions and we hit a 'face' issue.)

    4. The Thai language itself. The Chinese were smart, they developed pinyin and numbered their tones and, more importantly, they teach their people this aspect of the language, so an educated Chinese can tell you that the Chinese for 'person' is 'ren', spelt r.e.n. and Tone 2 - always. If I look at Google Translate I know I will see ren marked as Tone 2. This makes putonghua consistent and accessible for foreigners because we can associate their words with a script we already understand, more hooks for the memory. Thai does not enjoy this simple consistency and even though there is somewhere an 'official' transliteration system it is not applied consistently. I frankly do not know if the official transliteration for 'person' is kon or khon or why Google Translate renders it as khn or what that 'h' means and I have absolutely no idea which of the five tones it might be.

    And breathe ....
    Last edited by Shutree; 09-06-2021 at 11:13 AM. Reason: Lewis Hamilton moment, hit the wrong button

  11. #36
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shutree View Post
    I cannot seem to make any progress with Thai. I think there are several reasons, in my case:

    1.

    Inability to see things through?

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    If you are bored as a retiree in Thailand, you would be bored as a retiree elsewhere too. Nothing unique about Los in this regard.
    so so correct.

  13. #38
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    [QUOTE=Buckaroo Banzai;4268984]Communications is my biggest frustration in Thailand.
    yep same for me. ive also been a victim of thainess, privilege, ie, your in the wrong cos u aint thai. + shouldn't be here.

  14. #39
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    I am confused ? I thought backspit came to thailand to get bored ?

    by ladyboys

  15. #40
    Thailand Expat Backspin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    I am confused ? I thought backspit came to thailand to get bored ?

    by ladyboys

  16. #41
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by armstrong View Post
    I think frustration is a given wether you speak Thai or not.
    Or English for that matter.


  17. #42
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    Given that there is no purpose in life other than procreation it probably doesn't matter what one does in order to pass the time until death. Everything in the end is simply killing time and chasing ephemera, either in the spirit of self indulgence or in the fatuous belief it could have an intrinsic value.

    Certainly, learning the Thai language must count as perhaps one of the most redundant pastimes one could engage in not least because their society is without doubt quite worthless and communication a priori is useless.

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seekingasylum View Post
    Given that there is no purpose in life other than procreation it probably doesn't matter what one does in order to pass the time until death. Everything in the end is simply killing time and chasing ephemera, either in the spirit of self indulgence or in the fatuous belief it could have an intrinsic value.
    Is this you on the way for a sausage resupply SA?


  19. #44
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    Your puerility does you credit, PAG.

    It really is quite something that after 3.7 billion years of evolution, stromatolites bubbling in the primordial soup gave rise to the homo sapiens species producing a creature such as you which is little more a putrid mass of cells and water of no function beyond eating and defecating in pursuit of fucking any available aperture reminding you of your mother.

  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seekingasylum View Post
    Your puerility does you credit, PAG.

    It really is quite something that after 3.7 billion years of evolution, stromatolites bubbling in the primordial soup gave rise to the homo sapiens species producing a creature such as you which is little more a putrid mass of cells and water of no function beyond eating and defecating in pursuit of fucking any available aperture reminding you of your mother.
    I think you nailed it with that photo PAG.

  21. #46
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    Oh look, there're two of them.

  22. #47
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    Originally Posted by armstrong
    I think frustration is a given wether you speak Thai or not.
    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Or English for that matter.
    When in Thailand harry does not need to worry about his Thai, just about his English spelling. That makes the life much easier when retired in Thailand...

  23. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheRealKW View Post
    Funnily enough, google translate disagrees with you.

    Google Translate
    ...which translates literally as 'regular work'

    Concerning learning Thai, some people are better at learning languages than others. My father was a professor of languages, and was trilingual from a young age (he lived in Egypt and went to a French school). My mum used to write books in French. So I've always been exposed to languages. I had great plans to be the first male student to attend Royal Holloway College (for academic reasons of course - it was a historic lady's college in London), but screwed up my French A level and opted to study electronics instead.

    In Thailand, I studied for an MA in Thai at Chula University. This wasn't a wasted effort. It meant that I could converse very well in Thai, as well as reading and writing the language. I 'worked' for 12 years as a volunteer translator for the Thai tourist police.

    In the past few years, that Thai knowledge has helped me to improve my Lao language skills, since I now live in north Laos. Anyway, most Lao people can understand spoken Thai from watching Thai TV programs, but can't speak Thai very well. I speak Lao, but chuck in some Thai words if I'm not sure of the Lao word.

    In the past, I've learnt spoken/written Chinese, Arabic, Farsi, Italian, Spanish, German and of course French. Now, most of those languages are saved in a deep recess at the back of my brain. I use English, Thai, Lao and French on a daily basis (Luang Prabang has a fair few old Frenchies, who either cannot or will not speak English or Lao!!)
    Last edited by Simon43; 13-06-2021 at 03:51 PM.
    Groping women when you're old is fine - everyone thinks you're senile

  24. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Seekingasylum View Post
    Given that there is no purpose in life other than procreation it probably doesn't matter what one does in order to pass the time until death. Everything in the end is simply killing time and chasing ephemera, either in the spirit of self indulgence or in the fatuous belief it could have an intrinsic value.

    Certainly, learning the Thai language must count as perhaps one of the most redundant pastimes one could engage in not least because their society is without doubt quite worthless and communication a priori is useless.
    Nothing, nothing could be as redundant as the "life" you apparently lead. A bitter, hate filled old man, trapped in a country he despises, surrounded by people he loathes, deeply regretting the choices that led to this.

    Bet that balcony starts to look damn attractive some nights. Just be sure you are up high enough.

  25. #50
    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Klondyke View Post
    When in Thailand harry does not need to worry about his Thai. That makes the life much easier when retired in Thailand...
    .....or, chatting up with everyday Thais conducting "interviews" as to their concerns and opinions on Thai politics and present COVID matters.
    Sure he does.

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