Ask away anything.
I have moved more cities than I can remember at this point (counting cities where i have lived for at least 8 months).
I know a total of 6 languages and am fluent in 5. Almost Native proficiency in 4.
I have two masters degrees and I love to design and build websites.
Thanks!
Hi everyone. I am 29M, moved to thailand after living in London/Sheffield, for over 8 years.
Been in Thailand for over 3 months so far. Currently in Saraburi province, an hour away from Bangkok.
Two weeks ago I started working as an English Teacher at a huge government school here. The job is the easiest part of the life here.
The town is rural (course I checked all the details before moving here) but 🧎➡️
The lack of some amenities, the lack of basic human courtesy, the lack of basic infrastructure almost makes me want to run away.
I am not a picky eater, I can survive for months just on Khao man kai, some oats in the morning and some peanut butter bread and fruits here and there.
And it is still difficult to find good places to eat here, sure there are small markets and stalls but I have seen how dirty some of those can be. Not to mention the hot conditions in which the food is kept and stored (please don't lecture me about hygiene etc, I know it is a small town and I should have known but this is worse on ground than it feels online)
Second thing is the absence of any freaking transport system in this town and the complete lack of walking spaces. People just drive their scooters as they like, kids as young as 11-12 year olds zoom on their scooters like they can re-spawn. I have been repeatedly asked to get a scooter for commute, okay, but what If i am scared of driving on these stupid roads (full of dust and rash drivers) ? No other option at all.
Third thing is the complete absence of any sort of warmth from the local thai teachers. Hear me out, I understand these teachers work 10x harder than me and get paid almost a fraction of what i am paid. I also understand that they see foreigners coming and going every month.
But the point I am making here is not just the distancing but some of the teachers have made it a point to Send a Notice to the foreign teachers group even for the smallest things.
I said "Good Morning " instead of Swadee kha to a teacher and they smiled and replied back. 2 hours later I get a message in my line group asking all foreigners to respect local language and culture and only greet in Thai. I gave them all chocolates in my first week and thanked them for the support (which was non existent) and I also have learnt a lot of simple thai phrases which i try to use with them, to no avail.
I am a two weeks new English teacher. Man.
Fourth, the absolutely ridiculous state of Renting an apartment.
Not to exaggerate but I (along with my agency guy) looked for an apartment (budget 1200 thai baht to 9000 thai baht), 9000 thai baht is almost luxury villa with a pool etc here in this area.
But even after i offered to pay double, I could not find a single apartment that was vacant. Not One.
We checked around 32 different buildings. The agency guy was a local. He informed me that most buildings had places available but since I am a foreigner (Who happens to look Indian/Pakistani, and hence they all refused).
Fifth, The Local people and culture, as an English teacher in a remote town, everyone is just interested in me, my life and my money. I have had 10 students come up to me with their sad stories and difficult past and asked me for money.
I have had children video calling their mothers from inside the class and one of their moms asked me if I had instagram.
The previous teacher was fired as he added some girls from the school on social media. The girls from M3-M6 classes have openly said I love you, they keep taking photos during the class and just are relentless in their pursuit. It becomes tiring after a while.
That is what I could muster for now. I am taking it slow.
Edit:::::
I absolutely love M1 (Mathayom 1) kids, class 7.
Haha, the 6-7 6-7 thing makes me giggle every time.
As soon as I go attendance, 1, 2, 3, i know what is coming.
Took me by surprise in week 1. Gets funny after that.
Gen Z man. 🏆
Thank you for reading. Open to chat with anyone who wishes to! 👋😇
Hi everyone. I am 29M, moved to thailand after living in London/Sheffield, for over 8 years.
Been in Thailand for over 3 months so far. Currently in Saraburi province, an hour away from Bangkok.
Two weeks ago I started working as an English Teacher at a huge government school here. The job is the easiest part of the life here.
The town is rural (course I checked all the details before moving here) but 🧎➡️
The lack of some amenities, the lack of basic human courtesy, the lack of basic infrastructure almost makes me want to run away.
I am not a picky eater, I can survive for months just on Khao man kai, some oats in the morning and some peanut butter bread and fruits here and there.
And it is still difficult to find good places to eat here, sure there are small markets and stalls but I have seen how dirty some of those can be. Not to mention the hot conditions in which the food is kept and stored (please don't lecture me about hygiene etc, I know it is a small town and I should have known but this is worse on ground than it feels online)
Second thing is the absence of any freaking transport system in this town and the complete lack of walking spaces. People just drive their scooters as they like, kids as young as 11-12 year olds zoom on their scooters like they can re-spawn. I have been repeatedly asked to get a scooter for commute, okay, but what If i am scared of driving on these stupid roads (full of dust and rash drivers) ? No other option at all.
Third thing is the complete absence of any sort of warmth from the local thai teachers. Hear me out, I understand these teachers work 10x harder than me and get paid almost a fraction of what i am paid. I also understand that they see foreigners coming and going every month.
But the point I am making here is not just the distancing but some of the teachers have made it a point to Send a Notice to the foreign teachers group even for the smallest things.
I said "Good Morning " instead of Swadee kha to a teacher and they smiled and replied back. 2 hours later I get a message in my line group asking all foreigners to respect local language and culture and only greet in Thai. I gave them all chocolates in my first week and thanked them for the support (which was non existent) and I also have learnt a lot of simple thai phrases which i try to use with them, to no avail.
I am a two weeks new English teacher. Man.
Fourth, the absolutely ridiculous state of Renting an apartment.
Not to exaggerate but I (along with my agency guy) looked for an apartment (budget 1200 thai baht to 9000 thai baht), 9000 thai baht is almost luxury villa with a pool etc here in this area.
But even after i offered to pay double, I could not find a single apartment that was vacant. Not One.
We checked around 32 different buildings. The agency guy was a local. He informed me that most buildings had places available but since I am a foreigner (Who happens to look Indian/Pakistani, and hence they all refused).
Fifth, The Local people and culture, as an English teacher in a remote town, everyone is just interested in me, my life and my money. I have had 10 students come up to me with their sad stories and difficult past and asked me for money.
I have had children video calling their mothers from inside the class and one of their moms asked me if I had instagram.
The previous teacher was fired as he added some girls from the school on social media. The girls from M3-M6 classes have openly said I love you, they keep taking photos during the class and just are relentless in their pursuit. It becomes tiring after a while.
That is what I could muster for now. I am taking it slow.
Edit:::::
I absolutely love M1 (Mathayom 1) kids, class 7.
Haha, the 6-7 6-7 thing makes me giggle every time.
As soon as I go attendance, 1, 2, 3, i know what is coming.
Took me by surprise in week 1. Gets funny after that.
Gen Z man. 🏆
Thank you for reading. Open to chat with anyone who wishes to! 👋😇