Originally from the island of Mauritius, Nicolas now lives in Bangkok, Thailand. He seems to be at a crossroads at this point in his expat life; nevertheless, that doesn't stop him from giving useful tips on moving and working in Thailand. Read on for his thoughts about the language, the people, and his future plans.	Nicolas de Fontenay

-Where were you born?
Mauritius Island

-In which country and city are you living now?
Bangkok, Thailand

-Are you living alone or with your family?
Alone

-How long have you been living in Thailand?
Over 3 years now.

-What is your age?
28 years old very recently

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Thailand?
I was planning to leave Mauritius for a while and do studies in management. I was aiming for Canada. Then my company closed their business in Mauritius. I was doing a good job. They needed IT people in a few business units. It seems things got in place at the right time for me.

I did it cold turkey. Between my decision to move to Thailand and the day I landed in Thailand there were only 3 months. I had a bag with a few clothes, my saxophone and my camera…

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
I’m a special case for that matter. I came here the best way it could be. My company handled it all the way.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No. To make me confident, I’ve had a full coverage for 1 year with a 24-hour assistance call centre, and which includes repatriation to Mauritius just in case.

-How do you make your living in Thailand? Do you have any type of income generated?
There are needs for skilled expat people in Thailand. When someone asks me what to do, I would tell them to be motivated, get in contact with chambers of commerce and industry, get their hand on a list of French companies (if French-speaking, same applies for others) and write a CV with a good motivation letter to each of them. Being on site helps a lot, so maybe a two-month holiday, cleverly chosen, might help. It’s all about motivation.

-Do you speak Thai and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I was learning Thai with a teacher for a couple of months but it was almost useless. I was just learning enough to explain to my taxi driver how to go back home. Learning a language implies learning how to read and how to write. Most Thai schools don’t seem to consider it important at the beginner’s level. So I stopped. I’ve learned reading by myself. From that point my vocabulary keeps improving because I can ask around me what this word means. Don’t expect Thai people to explain to you because they would consider it disrespectful to you…

The first 2 years, all these customs looks sweet, very respectful to everybody, but I came to realize that it brings us and them to nowhere. So, now I tend to give my point of view and I try to speak with Thai people and force them to consider or see things they wouldn’t normally.

Every culture has good and bad things. We should strive to take the best of each and not just accept everything because we are in their country.

I’ve found out there’s a period of 3 years before expat people get into a crisis. At that point, they will get crazy over small things which they would usually tolerate then go back home or go through it and get a new philosophy on life. I’m right in the middle of this crisis. I’m not blogging much for this reason. I think most of my blogging would be rants these days.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I’m from Mauritius. I miss the sea very much. I can hear people from Europe thinking: “This guy lives in Europe and he misses the sea?” Well, in Mauritius the sea is always a 30-minute drive at most and this would be considered far. In fact, I could see the sea from my classroom when I was studying and from my office when I was working. I miss it.

I miss my family a lot. I discover a lot of things and I want to share it. To compensate, I have some good friends and I’ve invited my brother to visit me soon. :)

-Do you have other plans for the future?
I’m learning Japanese in Bangkok at the Japanese foundation (a king appointed project). I’m the only foreigner there. Because I’m in the middle of this crisis stated above, I’m considering moving there. More craziness, more pressure but a new experience and skilled people. I feel I’m only teaching and not learning anymore in Thailand.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
Considering the new government and their self-sufficiency policy, I think purchasing any kind of capital is crazy. Laws are done and undone too quickly to be honest.

-What is the cost of living in Thailand?
Bangkok is famous for catering to a wide variety of budgets. I’ve chosen a little pricy condo but I eat rather cheap.

-What do you think about the Thai people?
I have mixed feelings. Depending on where we go or what we do, we’ll have a very nice service, a lot of care and attention. Somebody asking to help is not somebody trying to get your money. Problem is… the opposite is true.

My biggest concern right now is the critical mind, skills and knowledge of Thai people in all aspects of life.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Thailand?
It’s cheap, it’s big, and it’s in the middle of South East Asia. I love to be able to cross the Chao Phraya River with my bike on a long tail boat and end up in a place looking like countryside in the middle of Bangkok.

I hate having Thais making enormous mistakes and try to hide it. Talking with the locals is pretty hard too because most of the time they will have no opinion. They will most likely answer what they think you want to hear. I have almost no Thai friends.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Thailand?
If you are from an occidental country, then be aware that you are landing in a culture totally opposite. There is no point trying to find some logic behind the way things are because the mechanic behind it is totally different. Priorities are different.

So, simply laugh about it. It is okay to be critical; it is actually very good to give your opinion to a Thai person if you can. It’s not helping to try to look/do like a Thai.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Thailand?
http://blog2beton.wordpress.com is my personal web site. A huge repository of experience. (in French)
http://www.tous-asie-muts.com is my friend’s blog. He does a good job of going to restaurant and other places and give his opinion on it. It’s in French but the addresses are the same in all languages.
http://gnarlykitty.blogspot.com is a young Thai girl's point of view on her society between the lines. (in English)
http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com is a political blog on Thailand (of course the blogger is not living in Thailand)

From this set of blogs, it will be possible to browse to others. They are all well linked.