The Expat Experience

Hopefully,you will allow them a much better formal education before you bring them into this''idiot factory education system''.I don't think you will be doing them any favors by giving the ''the expat experience'' in Thailand!IMO,you would be doing them more harm than good!

Morning Stan.

without getting into an education debate , it does remain one of the major bug bears of living here . IMO even with a bank full of cash (which i havent) and your offspring going to the "best" schools n unis available in Thailand they would still fall short in the real world ,,,,,,, its plain n simle the education syaen as whole from kindergarden to uni from Government village to Bangkoks most acredited learning establishments are sub standard compared to the "real world"

My son goes to the Udon Christian school , its ok enuff said , my step daughter oes to Pattanakarn as a boarding student Mon - Fri , its ok ....... enuff said ....................... my point being the mid range schools are all ruffly the same , i have noticed how the teachers seem to scramble thru the terms year after year with extra classes and summer camps which is IMO gloryfied babysitting for busy parents as most kids have had enuff by lunch time let alone till 5 pm .

As ever only my opinion .

mash

Not wishing to be drawn into a debate , but generally the major problem even highkighted by ASEAN is that Thai education fails to come up to the mark in many spheres, true they have their successes but that is in the top 2-3 %, the rest muddle along as they can.
As ofr generally held beliefs about the expat experience, i have had my problems sure, hasn't everyone but in the main I can manage the problems and setbacks and over the years learnt to out- manoeuvre them in most things. One of the problems here is that unlike our home countries there are not the clubs or other institutions that one can belong to where probable help is at hand or can be found. One is reliant on ones partner or friends to help. That for me is why belonging to Rotary helps, I have that help if required ,on occasions it has been found to be helpful, but it does teach you here to stand on your own feet. I have no problems here and in truth would not return unless I absolutely had to . So stop knocking Thailand it ain't perfect but then nowhere is , if it were we would all be there, then it too would become imperfect OK.

"Mixed kids" like mine are not expats in Thailand, they are born and bred Thai, having one parent who is not Thai.

My childrens' expat experience would be if I uproot them to spend a few years in the USA, which I have very strong intention of doing, for their benefit more than my own. Beginning retirement with a few leisurely years in the US sounds appealing to me, having been something of a "salaryman expat" for most of my working life already.

I do not want to send my offspring to boarding school, because I had them late in life and want to spend as much time with them as possible before they head out on their own as adults. Hopefully they will have choices, if they want to be here, or settle anywhere in the world, by virtue of their solid education and upbringing.

"Parrot, have you seen proprerty prices for example in La Quinta CA or Florida lately? Look at Trulia.com Baht can sure buy a lot now. "

My youngest brother moved from CT to Florida post haste after seeing some of the depressed prices there. He's 500' from the beach in a house he'd otherwise not be able to afford. He's a happy camper.

For me, it's more of a lifestyle thing. I suspect I've got a few mother-earth-news genes in my bloodstream......rather fix something and make it last for years rather than trash it and buy new, I like my outdoor showers, curtainless windows, and generally laid-back lifestyle. I'd be hard pressed to do that in the US on an acre of land in the middle of the countryside.......drilling a deep well alone would bust the budget!

One comment about education: I know of one expat here with a junior high school daughter. She can watch all the tv she wants....but only in English. When the father and mother are together and the daughter speaks to them, she only speaks in English. (She can speak Thai with her mother when they're alone or with Thai friends.) She's tutored a few hours each week at home in a variety of subjects. I've carried on extended conversations with her in English....she's got the lingo down really well and converses freely.......I can't say I've met another expat-child like her.
Years ago, I thought the father's rules about speaking English in the house/watching TV etc were a bit on the strict side. Now, having seen the product of that regimen, I'm more of a believer.

Hi,
Sateev. If it ever catches up with me, i will let you know. I think you will have a very very long wait though. Went for a day out yesterday, to N.K.. met a lot of Thais that i had never met before, and had a talk with a few of them. Still nothing to change my mind. Even the police, i was stopped at a road checkpoint, and asked for my lic. Only had my own countries lic. with me, my fault, but it was legal as i had been out of the country in the last six months. The policeman said sorry i am taking so long, i am learning to read English, and am trying to understand your written lan. The man was very pleasant, and we had a chat. Unlike my encounters in the U.K.. The only people i have met, in the six years i have lived hear, and who were a pain in the arse, were Falangs. Two from England and one from New Zealand.
About the differance in prices for Farangs, This occurs in England, i remember prices were diff. for locals and visitors, in holidy resorts. Back home on a holiday Island, then, not now, the big snake called finance has took over, in the holiday season prices went up. But the locals paid the winter prices. But i can live with this. I don't pay tax's out here, so i did not help in paying for these things. The Thais who IMO have helped pay for these things, and should get a little benifit from it.
I don't go into town drinking, so i have no experiences with drunk Thais. I suppose they are like drunken Farangs, and act like idiots.
Cheer from a happy Doug.
Enjoy yourself, life is to short.

parrot wrote:"Parrot, have you seen proprerty prices for example in La Quinta CA or Florida lately? Look at Trulia.com Baht can sure buy a lot now. "

My youngest brother moved from CT to Florida post haste after seeing some of the depressed prices there. He's 500' from the beach in a house he'd otherwise not be able to afford. He's a happy camper.

For me, it's more of a lifestyle thing. I suspect I've got a few mother-earth-news genes in my bloodstream......rather fix something and make it last for years rather than trash it and buy new, I like my outdoor showers, curtainless windows, and generally laid-back lifestyle. I'd be hard pressed to do that in the US on an acre of land in the middle of the countryside.......drilling a deep well alone would bust the budget!

One comment about education: I know of one expat here with a junior high school daughter. She can watch all the tv she wants....but only in English. When the father and mother are together and the daughter speaks to them, she only speaks in English. (She can speak Thai with her mother when they're alone or with Thai friends.) She's tutored a few hours each week at home in a variety of subjects. I've carried on extended conversations with her in English....she's got the lingo down really well and converses freely.......I can't say I've met another expat-child like her.
Years ago, I thought the father's rules about speaking English in the house/watching TV etc were a bit on the strict side. Now, having seen the product of that regimen, I'm more of a believer.

My experience was that as a teenager verbal communication with opportunities to enhance the English speaking lessened severely .Without English speaking friends and the increased socialization with only Thai speakers,The English learning experience in the schools almost nil because of incompetent teachers curriculums and incomprehensible textbooks,plus the fact that teenagers don't communicate with the parents the same as before,my daughter English skills were rapidly deteriorating!During those years,IMO,living in the language is paramount!

Pulling the post back onto its original track, living here is the same as living anywhere, you take the bad with the good, in this country despite what many say, the good outweighs the bad so i am here to stay. As ofr educatin well now that is a whole different ballgame and actually has nothing to do with the OP questions on post Number 1.

On education, as I posted on a thread for that topic: You can pay for a substandard education (private schools) or you can get a substandard education for free (government schools). The ex-pat experience for your kids will need to include a decent amount of tutoring or home-schooling. Nkstan has posted extensively about the Thai education system. All gospel!

As for the rest of it, I agree totally with Sateev's first post on this thread. Says it all!

I didn't realize that this thread would develop into such an exercise of introspection. It seems that we all have had our bitter with our sweet. Some of us have found a home, some of us have thoughts of moving on and some have left. 
Those who have stayed have found the best method of coping that works for them. The methods expressed ranged from assimilation, to the extent that that is possible, to separation in an enclave of like minded folks. There is no magical formula that has worked universally for everyone. 
It's been stated several times in this thread, but I'll state it again "there is no perfect place" and this includes Thailand. 
Thailand is not the stuff of my dreams of 40 years ago, but I still have found enough to entice me to stay. I like the rich history and culture. I like the people, not all of them, but most. I like the climate, although the rains were a bit much this year. I like the food and have made it my staple. I have my issues but the benefits far outweigh the detractions......for me. 
One of my  favorite authors, James Michener said it well: 'If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.'

I have to say that USArmy_Veteran did a good job of summarizing the numerous messages. I have lived around the world as well and find that Thailand is still the most comfortable for me. I have found that middle ground that let's me enjoy some of the Thai food though not all (still a learning process, I grew up on a meat and potatoes diet), customs I accept, religion I am tolerant (having lived in Christian, Muslim, and Buddist countries I try to understand, thus my tolerance), and enjoy many of the people. It is not perfect and it is not horrible, just a good in-between that keeps life interesting.

WELL SAID THOSE LAST TWO POSTERS......