Is Living Here Difficult for You?

[hhfarang]

What town/city in NC will you be near? Pete

We're in the southeast corner of Charlotte, actually closer to the downtown area of a beautiful small town called Matthews.

Since people have asked, the move had a few hitches, mostly with the shipment from Thailand and that on the coldest day in February the furnace went belly up and I had to spring for a new one. Other than that and the cost of health insurance, I can honestly say it is great here. Almost everything else is cheaper or the same cost as Hua Hin and the convenience, quiet, and general organization of everything still has me in shock (in a good way). I'm getting out a lot more, eating better (already lost 15 pounds since December), making new friends in the neighborhood, and thoroughly enjoying the weather which has emulated all four seasons in the last four months, sometimes within one week, so never boring. Got my eye on a couple of golf courses nearby, a bicycle in a shop around the corner, and have joined the local gun club/range. Already have three road trips planned next week, in the summer, and fall. Life is good and yes, much less difficult than living in Thailand so far.

[dtaai-maai]

Be careful, HHF! How many spare bedrooms do you have...?

[Takiap]

Good to hear that you have settled in and that you are happier than you were when you were here. Enjoy.

[perfectvolley]

Hello, I came here 9 month ago from Germany. For me hua hin is the best place ever in Thailand. If you like it hot and
dry like it is here it is great. If you see the weather in other parts of Thailand it is much more rainy or if you are in
Issan its partly as cold as in europe. I would like to make some more friends to spend time on.
I just turnd 50 and like sporting activities specially playing tennis. I am living with my Thai wife near khao takiap. She speaks english well and also german - living almost 20 years in Germany together. If you like to come over for an coffee or a beer we would be pleased. My name is joachim but everybody says Jo.

[Chazz14]

Here's my take on things after retiring here from the UK 18 months ago...

Thinking about it, there are pros and cons for most things, for example...

Weather: UK - hated the cold winters and sometimes several days of rain and wind, but loved the summer evenings which stayed light until 2130. Thai - Weather now too hot to do much during the day, but love doing stuff in and out of the house (+ cycling) early morning and after 1700 in the evenings...

Food: UK - expensive and no daily markets selling cheap local stuff at all. No street vendors. Most High Streets and out of town Malls have entirely identical shops everywhere. Thai - probably too much food! After 18 months Mrs Chazz is still bringing home new food for me to try every week...

Beer: UK - Hellishly expensive (about £3.50/B165 in a pub for a pint (568ml) of proper real ale. But... loads of choice. Thai - Alcohol is cheap but very few different beers available...

Some things are the same in both countries, e.g. they both have quite a few dodgy politicians and also crap drivers!

Overall, I can feel that the sunshine and freshly cooked food are doing me good and I am enjoying a better quality of life here - which is the bottom line.

BTW: If there are any rock fans/guitarists out there feel free to PM me...

[goreme]

What town/city in NC will you be near? Pete

We're in the southeast corner of Charlotte, actually closer to the downtown area of a beautiful small town called Matthews.

Since people have asked, the move had a few hitches, mostly with the shipment from Thailand and that on the coldest day in February the furnace went belly up and I had to spring for a new one. Other than that and the cost of health insurance, I can honestly say it is great here. Almost everything else is cheaper or the same cost as Hua Hin and the convenience, quiet, and general organization of everything still has me in shock (in a good way). I'm getting out a lot more, eating better (already lost 15 pounds since December), making new friends in the neighborhood, and thoroughly enjoying the weather which has emulated all four seasons in the last four months, sometimes within one week, so never boring. Got my eye on a couple of golf courses nearby, a bicycle in a shop around the corner, and have joined the local gun club/range. Already have three road trips planned next week, in the summer, and fall. Life is good and yes, much less difficult than living in Thailand so far.

How about the adjustment for your wife? Is she the only Thai person in town let alone one of the few minorities? Does she feel isolated?

[goreme]

Not at all. Thais, by and large, are the most welcoming of any I've come across. Great weather, polite/friendly people low cost and good food. In fact, I dont really miss any of the western foods i regularly consumed back in the US(wine, steak, cheese, pastries, cakes, etc) and feel much healthier. Maybe it's the hot weather, but much of western food seems repulsive to me now.

Also find driving much less stressful in Thailand than US and many other western countries. There is very little honking, tail gating and almost no road rage. A lot of farangs complain about how bad Thai drivers are but dont understand theyre in a developing country where rules are loosely enforced-- yet for all the perceived chaos, Thai drivers make it work and are extremely civil to one another. You just need to know how to go with the flow and not bring an entitlement attitude that youre right and Thais are wrong. If anything, I'm more wary of other Farangs than the typical Thai.

That being said, there are a number of downsides that make living a little difficult. Namely the tap water is unsafe to drink and the air quality up in the north can get pretty bad even by LA standards. Also, because Thailand is still developing, the infrastructure for garbage collection and recycling is barely adequate. As a result, lots of trash, plastics and bottles litter the side of the road or are openly dumped in gulches and vacant lots.

Aside from that, the positives of living in Thailand for me far outweigh the negatives. IMO, it's all about adjusting your expectations, pushing your comfort zone and not getting caught up with trying to replicate a western lifestyle.

[hhfarang]

How about the adjustment for your wife? Is she the only Thai person in town let alone one of the few minorities? Does she feel isolated?

No problem, she's a U.S. citizen who lived in both California and Florida before we moved to Thailand. She always finds Thai friends and always finds employment in any city here. She made calls for one afternoon and has a promising job interview tomorrow. There are lots of Thais and other Asians here. The city is only 45% white so I'm the minority.

It was she who pushed me to move back because we were both unhappy in Hua Hin, but I was willing to tough it out rather than pay the cost and go through the hassle of moving half way around the world again (at my age).

[goreme]

How about the adjustment for your wife? Is she the only Thai person in town let alone one of the few minorities? Does she feel isolated?

No problem, she's a U.S. citizen who lived in both California and Florida before we moved to Thailand. She always finds Thai friends and always finds employment in any city here. She made calls for one afternoon and has a promising job interview tomorrow. There are lots of Thais and other Asians here. The city is only 45% white so I'm the minority.

It was she who pushed me to move back because we were both unhappy in Hua Hin, but I was willing to tough it out rather than pay the cost and go through the hassle of moving half way around the world again (at my age).

That's great though youre referring to Matthews, N. Carolina right? Wikipedia says its over 80% white and about 3% Asian:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthews,_ ... mographics

[caller]

Also find driving much less stressful in Thailand than US and many other western countries. There is very little honking, tail gating and almost no road rage.

Come again, very little tail gating or honking - seriously? My gf can't drive far before the horn get's going. Drives me nuts! I'll more or less concede about road rage but wouldn't want to be there when it does happen.

[centermid7]

" There is very little honking, tail gating and almost no road rage."

Are you having a laugh?

[Bristolian]

Also, because Thailand is still developing, the infrastructure for garbage collection and recycling is barely adequate. As a result, lots of trash, plastics and bottles litter the side of the road or are openly dumped in gulches and vacant lots.

Not exactly on topic but also not on target....
Visit most Thai homes and they will almost certainly be clean. Most Thais, however poor, will make the effort to have clean clothes. Why?? because it belongs to them. The countryside, the beach, the roadside is a completely different matter, it doesn't belong to them personally and they let the self, self, self, kick in (clearly not all, but a sizeable majority of Thais) " it's not my job to keep it clean or even to clean up after myself"

Back to Topic. Don't even think about road rage in Thailand as you could end up facing the wrong end of a 9.0 mm . I was once forced by another driver to make a manoeuvre that was "gut reaction" and I ended up cutting immediately in front of another car in the inside lane, to avoid a certain collision. I gestured as best that I could that I was sorry but was terrorised by the driver until I could pull off at the next exit (he was in front at that stage and could not follow) road rage is a "no no" in Thailand for any foreign driver.

[hhfarang]

That's great though youre referring to Matthews, N. Carolina right? Wikipedia says its over 80% white and about 3% Asian:

We live in Charlotte, just happen to be closer to down-town Matthews than down-town Charlotte...

Charlotte demographics from wikipedia:

"Non-Hispanic White: 45.1%
Black or African American: 35.0%
Hispanic or Latino American (of any race): 13.1%
Asian American: 5.0%
Native American: 0.5%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
some other race: 6.8%
two or more races: 2.7%"

... and 5% Asian may not sound like much but Thais always find each other wherever they live. There is a Wat less than ten minutes from our house and at least 20 Thai restaurants in Charlotte. Trust me, life is better here for both of us... we already have a great primary care physician who is trained in Internal Medicine (better than a family doctor or general practitioner), and I have been to two excellent specialists, ENT for an illness I caught in Thailand, and an Ophthalmologist for an eye problem I was having; all in clean uncrowded private offices near home with no waiting because they saw me within 3 minutes of my appointment time.

In ten years I almost forgot how convenient life could be. If you love Thailand stay there and be happy, but if you're one of those, like me, who was unhappy after the initial excitement of living in another culture wore off, (took me about 4 years) by all means don't just sit and be miserable... move back home. I sat and watched good friends move back to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Sweden over the last 6 years telling myself I couldn't do it, but I have and wish I had done it in 2008 before Thailand became a place of mostly bad feelings.

[lindosfan1]

I agree with HH, I rented here for a year before deciding it was not for me. Main issues were the standards of driving, rubbish everywhere and the treatment of dogs and other animals. I do not regret living there for a year but I could see that it did not suit me. I moved to a Greek island for 3 years before moving back to the UK. Settled at the moment till I get the urge to travel again. Talking to my Thai wife possible buying a motor caravan to tour Europe and maybe further, but that is a couple of years away.

[Bristolian]

^^ agree. We, the travellers, hopefully all find a place sooner or later that suits us. Some would have us believe that their home country is perfect; then, why travel and experience other places? I love living in Thailand (generally) but I don't want it to be more like my home country (UK). I came to Asia to experience something different, more than 20 years ago and am still doing that every day. Long may it continue for me. Others move on or move home.....there is no right and wrong that fits all. That's what makes us different and forums like this interesting.