| Welsh expat Andy shares some of his insights on what it's like to live as a farang or foreigner in Thailand, based on his more than ten years' experience of living there. Andy currently lives and works in Bangkok, and here he describes some misconceptions about the local cost of living and gives some tips on understanding Thai behavior. |
 Andy Wallace |
-Where were you born?
-In which country and city are you living now?
-Are you living alone or with your family?
-How long have you been living in Thailand?
11 years-What is your age?
37
-When did you come up with the idea of living in Thailand?
11 years ago, I had a mate here who recommended it. He helped me get settled and was my guru, educating me in the ways of Thailand for a few months (that really helps). I never looked back.-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
-How do you make your living in Thailand? Do you have any type of income generated?
Various, am employed full time by Thai company involved in IT area. Used to be a teacher at Saint John's University. Speak to a guy named James MacNamara if you are interested in teaching there, it's not a bad place.-Do you speak Thai and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
Sure, it is not that hard to pick up a few phrases and definitely helps. Best not to let on you know too much though. You will see how much Thais like you NOT to understand if they think you cannot speak their language.-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes, miss Wales a lot, but overcome this with lots of beer drinking, and going out and fraternising with the locals and travel to all the nice beaches, etc.-Do you have other plans for the future?
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I rent. I am looking into buying. www.myasianvilla.com are a good source of information, other than that I have been swamped with a lot of different information and this often makes it difficult to really understand the law here. As everything in Thailand, nothing is permanent and it changes with the wind, so best just to take it as it comes.-What is the cost of living in Thailand?
Cheap, but not if you like the night time activities. Food, cheap as anything. Basic accomodation too. Anything in the expat areas though is very expensive by Thai standards. Even though you may think it is cheap coming straight from the UK or US, it is not, and if you intend staying here your money will drain away very rapidly. Best speak to someone who lives here, I have lived all over Bangkok and have many mates who have too. Go to www.thailandwebzone.com and add a group, we can get lots of info in there for you!-What do you think about the Thais?
Generally very very well, although not in the tourist bar areas, the lower 'class' Thais there have pretty much no respect for you as all they see are rich guys blowing more money in one night than they earn in a month. They tend to think we are all like that and don't understand the concept of western pricing and holiday budgets, etc. etc. Generally though I have always been treated very well. Thais are very accepting of foreigners I think.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Thailand?
As above I think. Stereotypes are the worst thing for more and irritate me more the longer I stay here, not sure why, I should be used to it. Also, I must be honest, relationships with Thais can highlight an underlying trait which we may find dishnourable like their opinions on lying, cheating, apologising, etc. They do not think of it in the same way as us. You have to get used to it.
-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Thailand?
Get in touch with someone who lives here, through www.thailandwebzone.com or some other portal. There are many. Don't always listen to all you hear from Thai ladies on these sites though, there are a number who are prostitutes plying their wares using 21st technology! Many legitimate Thais looking for friends too of course but I would say try and make contact with a foreigner who lives there, or 'farang'. They are more likely to provide you with useful and more relevant info as they will understand your needs and concerns.-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Thailand?
www.thailandwebzone.com - newly created Thaialnd community site (Jul 08), but plan is to build it up to provide a wealth of useful information as well as a platform for meeting new people, creating groups, events, dating etc etc.
www.myasianvilla.com - they have some superb properties on here, some beautiful places with a wide range of prices. Speak to Dan.
www.steves-english-zone.com - Steve is a mate of mine, an ex-army guy from UK. Contact him for a truthful account of teaching in Thailand. We worked together for several years when I was a teacher.
www.crmasiasolutions.com - web based customer relationship management solutions for small-medium businesses, implemented at offshore prices. This is relevant to what i am doing in a Thai compant here in Bangkok.
