Finally putting good Jonny to bed...

This blog is more than five years old (!) but it has practically been dormant since 2010 when I (finally) left Saraburi to live in Bangkok.

My life in Thailand has changed immeasurably since then. I have another child, a different job, new apartments, different lifestyle, am 30 (plus) etc, so I figured it is time to officially put this blog to bed. The site will remain open -- I'm still amazed that it gets a decent number of visitors and people regularly email me about Saraburi (I'm always happy to help where I can) -- but it represents a different time in my life.

Exhibit A: Look how old these rascals are: 3 and 5, to be precise.

You can find me on Twitter (I'm at @jonrussell), and I'm still very much into blogging: I post personal bits from Thailand and beyond to jonrussell.me, am busy scribbling tech and Internet-related news stories for The Next Web (my employer)... and I occasionally write short notes on tech in Asia at my Insidethenoodlebowl.com blog.

See you around.

Thai floods: I don't have a right to moan but here goes anyway

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything here on a regular basis.

That isn't likely to change any time soon although right now we're back in semi-ruralness in Saraburi which gives me the urge to update this blog because I've always far more to say here than in Bangkok...both positive and negative.

The reason for this entry here is a little rant about the Thai floods but I'm going to be honest when I say that I don't really have much reason to moan about, as I've been largely unaffected by it. 

We've been with my in-laws for a month now after initially popping back for the weekend, which we do every other weekend so my wife's parents can see the kids and we get to a break from urban life. However, a weekend turned into a week...then a fortnight...now a month as we wait to see exactly what will happen in Bangkok (fact: I was without a razor for at least 10 days).

Flooding has massively affected the outskirts of the city -- take a look at Paul Garrigan's troubles and anxiety, for example -- although central Bangkok, where our flat is, has been largely unaffected. However, given that we live some way down the soi (road) with a major canal a two minute walk behind the property, we took the safe option of sitting things out to see what will happen. The possibility of being marooned in our flat with the car submerged in the car park didn't really appeal, even if it may be an unlikely scenario.

So we waited...and waited...and waited and, from what we hear, there is still no water flooding near our property - gah! The boy's school, which was closed for half-term during the first week, is set to reopen after three weeks without classes, because a small but vocal minority of foreign parents appear to have got sick of having their kids at home despite the fact that many do not work and have armies of maids...hmmm.

My return to writing full time (as of last month) gives us the freedom to stay here, or perhaps even go elsewhere, and we fully intend to wait until the flooding is over before we go back - even if the boy misses more school. I'm really not impressed by the school who are clearly trying to avoid giving parents credit for missed classes, I feel sorry for the many Japanese, Korean and other Asian expats most of whom were shipped back home weeks ago - how insensitive of the school and the other parents in Bangkok to plough on. I especially can't believe the gall of the moaning parents in Bangkok who asked the temporarily repatriated Japanese/Korean parents to sign a letter consent allow the school to open, in spite of the fact that their kids would not be able to go.

Without wishing to rant any longer about the school, the wife and I feel like we're ready we've been ready to go back to Bangkok for a few weeks now. For me personally, being stared at has stopped being novel and I'm remembering how we're treated like a new species at the zoo when dare try and go somewhere public with the kids.

There are positives to be here of course. I do enjoy spending time with my wife's parents, I get plied with food and alcohol and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere here too. I've also had the chance to catch up with friends in Saraburi which is great.

As my parents and countless others have rightly said, there is no point going back now when we could find ourselves in a sticky position if things turn nasty with the floods in central Bangkok. So we'll hang on for a little longer, at least until the drive back to Bangkok goes back to being the usual 90 minute route rather than a 4 hour journey of chance through a series of back roads while much of the motorway is closed.

Like I say, I realise I've little right no bleat about the flooding as things could be a lot worse.

Saraburi has already had most of its flooding, although water levels remain higher than usual and some people are still affected by this. We've been out looking and helping a few given that my in-law's house has been entirely untroubled being in a good place despite a river reasonably close-by.

A few weeks ago the wife snapped some pics from the local neighbourhood when the flooding was at its worst. The first two come via a pal who snapped a pic of water under a bridge rising until it almost meets the road.

A dose of inspiration for Thai learners

I'm on never-ending quest to improve my Thai skills, both written and spoken. Recently however I've had days during which I barely have time to do more than read the signs on my commute to work, and chat to the office cleaner for a few minutes whilst grabbing a coffee - but every little helps keep my brain ticking over.

I'm looking to crank things up a little - particularly in the reading/writing department - but my motivation got a boost this week as I bumped into a couple of interest items online.

First of all, this excellent Bangkok episode with Learn Thai From A White Guy blogger Brett have some top-notch advice for learning Thai.

- find your inspiration: if learning is chore, you won't find yourself improving, says Brett (amen)
- tackle reading Thai as soon as possible (I can vouch for this)
- immerse yourself in Thai-only, or predominantly Thai-language, situations as often as possible (another factor I can vouch for)

Check out the podcast and more of the wise words within here.

Secondly, I ran into www.farangland.net, a hilarious website run by (what looks like) a bunch of farang comedians who speak and act in Thai. It is so convincing that it had my Thai colleagues forwarding the various videos around the office in laughter - not an easy crowd to win over, as my own gags attest.

A few choice vids are below, but check our the website for more...you won't be disappointed!

A belated return

It has been a long time since Christmas and my last post but I've resolved to be more active here, and with that there is a change in the theme.

The lack of blogging is actually very poignant as life here in Thailand has changed since this site started some two and a half years ago.

With a regular office job, apartment in Bangkok, two kids and all that goes with it times have certainly changed since Jonny Foreigner emerged. No longer am I/we carefree in the sticks, instead life is much more like it would be back in blightly, but with the benefits (and issues) of being in Bangkok - but it's ok because that was the aim all along.

More soon...I hope!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to one and all in Thailand, the UK or where every you may be.

Two years of living in a very Thai province where the day passes like any other make this year's Christmas Day a much more festive event here in Bangkok, plus - now aged two - the little fella is getting into it for the first time which is definitely going to make it a special day (while yours truly is particularly excited at the prospect of a home-cooked Xmas lunch!)

Lifestyle design and location-independent entrepreneurialism

Finally, someone has said it: lifestyle design is a load of rubbish.

The video below comes from Chris over at My Egg Noodles and the phrase used is actually BS. While his language is pretty strong, I completely agree with Chris on calling this out.

There are so many 'digital nomads', 'lifestyle designers', 'global citizens', 'location independent entrepreneurs' and countless other phrases for people who work online and live overseas (typically Asia, especially Thailand) perhaps in more than one location, or travelling.

I do respect and like some bloggers that fall in this category, like Chris for example, however the overwhelming majority are self-righteous, self-important and not all that special at all.

The internet allows anyone to be anything they like, or at least to be perceived to be whatsoever they desire...being an entrepreneur is as easy and publishing the word in a Twitter profile or at the top of a blog. Those who trumpet their victory over a post-collegiate office-cubical lifestyle at home are seriously deluded if they think they have done anything special as it really isn't that difficult.

Pack up your stuff and buy a ticket, as Chris says, and then go from there...most expats in Thailand arrive with nothing and build themselves up from scratch as teachers, programmers, writers and so on...it is just these lifestyle gurus who talk it up like it is comparable to moving to the moon.

Take myself, there's nothing particularly special about me I'm just an example. I arrived with nothing and have, in a fairly ordinary way, build a life and found a routine here in Thailand with enough money to support a small (but growing) family.

Earlier this year I was in a position that, were I without responsibilities, I could have 'gone location independent' whilst working freelance here in Thailand. And yet I had managed to get into the position, including government accreditation and (legal) working visa, with little difficulty proving that it simply about perseverance and a little bit of luck, of course.

The online work life is not the dark art or rocket science that lifestyle experts would have you believe it to be. Once you find your bearings after arriving in a new country, opportunities will be there it is simply a case of taking them.

Then there is the issue of transparency, what do they actually do to make money?

Only a handful give any kind of clarity on what they do, and crucially what they make... because a little money goes a long(er) way in Thailand (a low bar of entry to entrepreneur status) so realistically a sufficient online empire doesn't need to match the Spanish Armada, and can be anything from $800/900 upwards per month.

As for the location independent element - travel is clearly a hugely attractive prospect. However a permanent job, with a decent pay packet and a home to base oneself in a country like Thailand, can mean travelling every weekend, getting a taste of local culture all whilst collecting credible work experience to ensure your career progresses overseas.

I'm  not saying there is anything wrong with working online and enjoying the benefits of living abroad, far from it as I wish it was something I did earlier in my life...however to claim it is a complicated science, which requires those interested to buy an e-book, subscribe to a blog or anything else, is just not true in my mind.

The one thing you need is the desire to be abroad...and that truly comes from within. Reading about it makes it appealing but that is almost certainly not enough to get someone off their seat and onto an aeroplane. As I well know because it took a major event to finally put my wanderlust into action and get me out to Thailand.

Little Miss arrives

Something we've been waiting on for a while finally came through as the newest arrival to the family arrived into the world last week.

After a few nights camping out full-time in the hospital, I was pleased to get the all clear and bring Mum and Little Miss (the first girl on my dad's side of the family for 3 generations!) back to the in-laws' place in Saraburi over the weekend.

Big bro is delighted and very proud to have a have a sister around the place, even though right now her routine consists of little more than eating and sleeping: lady of leisure.

โชคดีครับ

Preparation before learning to read Thai

Somewhat belatedly following my recent post on learning Thai, I wanted to kick off by looking at how I first started out and got myself into the mindset for learning Thai. As I mentioned in the post, I didn't follow a strict, academic plan and instead embraced Thai and the language as much as I could in everything I did.

As I also mentioned in my initial post, my learning was not tactical nor organised, and as such it may not work for everyone but it does demonstrate that there is an alternative to studious work, dedicated classes and other techniques that may not fit schedules.

So here is a basic list and things I did before I even picked up a book or began looking at Gor Gai - ก [Gor] is the first letter of the Thai alphabet which together with ไก [chicken] the equivalent of 'A for Apple'.

Believe the unbelievable. A great number of foreigners have mastered Thai to a high, fluent level. While it is unlikely that my approach alone reach that level, the fantastic achievement of many help make my small goal of understanding basic Thai seem possible. After all, if you don't believe in what you are doing, achieving it becomes all the more difficult.

Get motivated. I often try and start new things and don't carry them through but I was determined that my learning of Thai would not be a flash in the pan. Lucky for me that I have a number of factors motivating me to keep going, even if at times it felt like wading through treacle.

Firstly, my son is half Thai and will grow up speaking/reading/writing the language ('understanding Thailand' was a major reason we relocated here from London) alongside English. While my wife and I communicate with him in our respective, native tongues, the idea that I can at least keep up with books they read, his (future) homework assignments, letters, etc is a big reason to learn.

Additionally: I've met many a foreigner claiming Thai can't be learnt, which is motivation alone for me to disprove the (incorrect) theory. While as a curious person I can't help be compelled to learn the language around me, not to mention that there is a certain duty as a guest in his country.

Lastly, though my wife and I would, at some point, like to return to UK, we don't see our lives in either country, rather both. With Thailand such a big part of my future, and having family and other responsibilities, learning to read/write Thai will be a major bonus that might make me more attractive to employers and open me to more job opportunities.

Be immersed. Undoubtedly the most difficult step, particularly for those who do not reside in Thailand permanently, immersion is a hugely influential factor which has played a vital role in helping me, help myself to learn Thai.

Just picking up the newspaper, reading adverts on the BTS, looking at my dual English-Thai keyboard everyday and other small things helped me get a feel for what Thai charaters looked like, before I even began learning them.

Remove expectations. In my post more than a year ago I stated my believe that the road to learning Thai would be long. This was as specific as my predictions got, in part because I really didn't know what I was doing, but in part because I'm not great at sticking to things.

By allowing myself no set targets, I did not feel pressured to learn which helped me enjoy taking in new concepts. That isn't to say I was always happy with my progress or workload, which varied hugely from time to time.

Ignore phonetic western spellings. I am a visual learner, that is to say I do best when I write things down rather than just repeatly speaking them. Initially I began writing words down using phonetic western spelling, soon after I began learning to read Thai I realised just how misleading the spelling were. It really is true to say that reading Thai will help learn and pronounce words as Thai is such a phonetic language...though of course there are some exceptions.

This is just a brief look at steps and attitudes I adopted before I began serious studying. Coming next (hopefully without such a lengthy delay) will be a look at some of the learning techniqued I used to get a basic understanding and how I took my learning further.

I look forward to other opinions and techniques people have used to help prepare themselves for learning Thai. For now, I'm holding off discussing actual learning as I honestly believe getting into the mindset is the most important step.

My "long" journey learning Thai

It was February 2009 when I bravely went public with my intention to learn to read Thai. I'd been in Thailand for less than 6 months and having developed the basics of spoken Thai fairly reasonably, thanks in particular to my mother-in-law's patience and help, I set my sight on the unknown land of Thai script.

At that point I could not read a single letter of Thai, and had taken to learning the shape of the words that spelt the town names I needed to known in order to catch my bus to work and back. Hardly an efficient system as I found out when I bordered the wrong bus one day.

I titled my post 'Learning Thai - the long road starts here' but the truth of the matter is that getting the basics of Thai is not so difficult after all, and within weeks of my post I had learnt the basic pronunciation of the most common Thai letters.

Fast forward to now, October 2010, and I'm (surprisingly) making good ground through Becker's Thai for Advanced Readers.

I am by no means fluent (the 'advanced' book was chosen as the intermediate was sold out) and have a long way to go before I can be anything like satisfied with my ability but I am able to read a number of things from menus, to adverts, to Facebook and Twitter updates, and write fairly substantial messages in Thai, though reading books and larger chunks of text is takes me longer, practice and time should help me improve.

My point is that, to get to my level I didn't take any classes, I didn't buy DVDs, extensive arrays of books or MP3 series. I didn't attend workshops, get a tutor or pester the wife for tips... heck I didn't even study regularly (such are the responsibilities of fatherhood) and this book is my first proper learning material, excluding the horribly Romanicised Thai handbook that every expat must buy within their first month of arriving.

But for me, learning Thai is a mindset not an academic course, and it is there where I score top marks.

Living in Thailand the language is all around you. If you curious about life like me then you will want to know what you are missing, what the beautiful squiggles and lines really mean.

The basic task of learning to pronounce the Thai characters was as hard a shift as I put it, and it is the grounding which has helped me develop in my own way. The truth is, I've been at this level for a while - hence the use of the book to advance me - which shows that the 'long road' is not so far after all.

With the aim of being helpful and not self-indulgent (as mentioned, I feel I still have a long way to go), I'm going to pen a series of posts explaining what worked for me and helped me get to the level I am at now.

I won't say I have learnt every aspect of Thai well - cough cough...the tones - and I could do with a visit to a Stu Jay workshop, for example, but I've reached a level I wouldn't have dreamed of back in February 2009 through a 'workload' that could suit (or be bettered by) anyone.

Two years later

Monday marked the little fella's second birthday. Last year we celebrated back in the UK but this year for a number of reasons - notably my new job and the missus's big bump - it was Bangkok instead.

It is crazy how things can change in two and a bit years. I've been lucky to do a fair number of new things I'm proud of here in Thailand, I've probably done more than in the previous five years since graduating university. But nothing comes remotely close to the pride and love the missus and I have for the not-so-little-anymore fella.

From this...

...to this...

...in what seems like no time at all.

Here's to the next two years and beyond...with the next one due next month it'll be double trouble.

Off-topic - Charlie & Camilla in India: captions please

Another long period since my last post when I saw this photo, I couldn't help but think it is ripe for a mini caption contest - even though I realise it isn't Thailand-related.

Background Prince Charles and his 'lady friend' Camilla Parker-Bowles are in India for the Commonwealth Games event (which has so far been a spectacular disaster organisation and infrastructure wise).


No sure if anyone stills reads this blog, given my recent infrequency, but if you out there, please do pipe up with your best...if there are enough entries I'll stump up a wonderful prize for the winner.

My (very PC) opening effort...

"So where exactly is the little boys room?"

A long overdue update

Haven't had the chance to update for a while as we're in the process of pretty significant change. After ranting about making plans for the future I decided the leave the world of freelance journalism (and give up my cherished M (for media) Visa) for an in-house marketing job at a big tech company in Bangkok.

Initially we stayed in Saraburi and I had the unenviable 2.5 hour (each way) commute in addition to a 9.00am - 6.00 pm job for my first tens 10 days, a combination which almost finished me off. However, after a through search, we moved into a nice two bedroom place in Bangkok last weekend...words can't fully express my delight at a new sub-30 minute commute to work.

As yet there is no internet at home hence the mini hiatus in posts, but rest assured I'll be back soon with plenty of content.

As for Saraburi, my in-laws remain there and I envisage we'll be making plenty of trips back at weekends, particularly as the missus is expecting late November/early December and will need some support looking after the little fella as she becomes less mobile. For now, all three (/four) of us are in Bangkok.

Before I sign off, a quick point to a great post at a newly discovered blog by Lat (aka @RatasitC) who covered the delights of the national park in Khao Yai (a place I know well) and curry puffs, a delicacy that originated in Saraburi and is closely associated with the town.

Check out the post here.

An awful lot of Pad Thai

To those who say Thai people are all skinny and Thai food is healthy:

It is easy to become desensitised to just how big people can be given the number of TVs shows and documentaries that cover fat people.

She is big, but let's face it, in America they cut people out of their homes...which is far more dramatic. Relative to Thailand, however, this is fairly remarkable and has made a fair amount of news.

My favourite part:

The governor was on hand to wish Umnuayporn well and paid tribute to the patient's state of mind.

Moving to Thailand: Steve, Thailand Musings

It has been a while since I ran a couple of interviews on aspiring expats and their plans to move out to Thailand.

I featured Talen and Martin, two very prominent bloggers and after a long delay, mainly, nay, entirely down to me, next up to the plate is Steve from Thailand Musings.

So without further ado...here's Steve...

You are living in the USA at present but with aspirations of moving to Thailand. What is it that makes you want to move to Thailand?

I’ve been fascinated with Thailand since my first visit there back in 1997. I love the food, the culture, the pretty girls, the weather, the pace of life, the diversity of locales (from the islands and beaches in the south like Koh Phangan to metropolitan Bangkok to the mountains in the north) and the fact that everything is fairly close.

The fact that I now have a Thai wife is of course a huge deciding factor, since she wants to be back with her friends and family. Even so, I’m certain I would be planning the move if I was still single, in fact I probably would have made it already.

Other things that have factored into my decision is the lower cost of living in Thailand, the availability of western foods and medical care (compared to other SE Asian countries), the freedom of life in Thailand compared with the West and the adventure factor of the whole move.

When did you first release your desire to live in Thailand full time?

I believe it was first released when I started Thailand Musings (the blog) back in September of 2006.

How often do you visit Thailand as an expat?

As I said earlier I have been coming to Thailand since 1997. Some years it is once and some years more. I haven’t kept count, but I’m sure I’ve made a couple dozen trips over the years and have probably spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 18-24 months in Thailand total.

Recently we haven’t been back in almost 18 months due to Golf’s pregnancy and our attempts to save enough to make the move full time. At this point it doesn’t look as if we will return until we are ready to make the move and that currently looks to be sometime in 2011.

It's clear you are carefully planning your move as proven when you went public with your estimation of start-up costs for moving to Bangkok late last year with this post. Has your thinking, and/or the figures involved, changed since initially writing the post?

My thinking hasn’t changed much since writing that post as I am still carefully planning the move, our expenses for the move and our monthly income/budget once we make the move. If anything I have become more detailed with this planning since the birth of our daughter.

One thing that has changed is the figures for the move. At the time I proposed US$90,000 as the amount we would like to have in the bank prior to moving. I would still love to have that amount before moving as it would simplify some aspects of the move, but Golf and I have come to an understanding that somewhere between $30-40,000 will be sufficient. Obviously we will have to give up some things and compromise on others, but ultimately we both feel that we will be happier making the move earlier with less money than waiting until we have more.

You mentioned that you would consider working as a teacher whilst freelancing. Many expats living in Thailand feel 'stuck' in teaching or are seeking extra money - for their reference can you explain exactly what you mean by freelancing and the kind of money you believe you can make doing it?

When I say ‘freelancing’ I’m referring to all of the possible online avenues to income (and there are many). Much of my current savings and expendable income comes from the websites I own and those same sites should provide enough for us to live on in Thailand. The whole question of whether or not to teach for me comes down to how much money does one need to be happy? I mean I’m currently making about $2000 a month from the website so obviously that would be enough to live on and save a small bit, but the extra $1000 a month from teaching would go a long way in Thailand.

So, I have the websites which earn money primarily from advertising and affiliate commissions. That’s one way to go if you are looking to create a passive income stream. I also do some freelance writing on occasion for several sites. Although I’m not crazy about this, it does provide a nice additional income and if I were to pursue it 8 hours a day it would pay as well as teaching English in Bangkok. You can get started with freelance writing at a lot of different sites, but the ones I’ve used successfully are oDesk and a small content provider site called The Content Authority. oDesk is an auction type format so it takes a bit of effort to build a portfolio and client base there and initially you’ll get paid peanuts. The Content Authority pays based on your writing skill and it’s not too difficult for a native English speaker with decent writing ability to get to the point where you’re making $0.015/word which is not great, but enough to make it worthwhile if you can write fairly fast.

Depending on your skill set and interests there are also plenty of opportunities to make money through programming, graphic design, web design, search engine optimization and many other skills that are not necessarily location dependant. While I don’t freelance in any of these areas myself, it does appear that the pay is better than that of a freelance writer, so if you have skills in these areas you may want to look into it. In most of these cases it does take some time to get traction, but once you have a handle on where to get your customers it can work well as a side income and even as your entire income, depending on your needs.

At this point I do not expect to need to teach, the combination of my online pursuits and Golf’s employment should cover our expenses quite well.

You recent had a baby girl (congratulations again!) which is one of your main motivations for moving to Thailand. Why do you feel your daughter will benefit from living in Thailand as opposed to the USA? Which, ironically, is a country where, ironically, many Thais would like to reside in.

Yes it is quite ironic isn’t it? None of Golf’s Thai friends here in the U.S. have any plans or desires to return to Thailand except to visit. Apparently the U.S. is still seen as the land of milk and honey for many. I wonder if they would feel the same if they felt they could move back to Thailand and keep a U.S. type salary?

First off, let me say that as an American I am very proud of my country and the people who live here. I know we get painted as villains and bullies throughout some parts (much?) of the world, however these things that cause so much hatred towards the country are the result of the decisions of a small majority (government) of the country.

That being said, I personally am not happy with the direction the country has been taking over the past decade or so. Costs for everything are rising, jobs are disappearing, health care is turning into a shambles, taxes are on the upswing (and no end in sight there) and ironically the “land of freedom” is losing more and more freedoms every time you turn around.

Add to this the death of the family in the U.S. and the lack of compassion and respect that I see, especially among much of the youth and I feel that an upbringing in a country such as Thailand will be superior in terms of family connection and possibly even financial reward.

Let’s face it, Asia as a whole is definitely on an upswing in terms of growth and I don’t see this changing anytime soon. Thailand has China as one of its major trade partners and this should be very beneficial for the country for a long time to come. The world that my daughter will live in is not the same world that I grew up in and I hope to give her the opportunity to be able to choose between West and East, which is really only possible if she grows up In Thailand. If it turns out that I am wrong it will be easier for her to come back to America for University and a career than it will be for her to move to Thailand if she was raised in the States.

In the past you've mentioned that you have children from a previous relationship. There are many expatriates in Thailand that are in the same boat, how does being far far from other children weigh on your mind?

Actually the children are now 13 and 15, so in all likelihood they will be nearly adults once we make the move. So, being so far away from them doesn’t weigh on my mind much. In reality I am hoping I can get them over to Thailand for an extended period to expand their horizons and give them a view of the world outside their sheltered U.S. existence and upbringing.

Currently the older boy is totally on board with coming to visit for an extended time, the younger not as much, but that could simply be a function of his age. It could (and I hope it does) change once he is older.

Thailand is somewhat more stable now, though as long-term observers are aware political feuds do not easily disappear in the country as it seems current tensions may flare up again. How the current political situation and recent events in Bangkok - the city you are planning to move to - affect your decision to emigrate to Thailand?

Honestly it didn’t affect us much at all. The recent events were contained to a small area of the city and most of the people we know that live in Bangkok were completely unaffected by the turmoil. Thailand as a country has a history of many coups so it isn’t like much has changed.

Considering the portability of my income we could always head north to Chiang Mai if Bangkok became destabilized for a long period of time, which is not likely in my opinion.

Have you begun tackling the Thai language given that you’re planning to move out here? If so what techniques have you used and with what success? If not yet, how are you planning to approach the issue?

I have not begun tackling the language issue yet. I have a very rudimentary understanding of Thai at this point, but I do pick up languages pretty quickly when immersed. Golf and I have the agreement that as long as we are in the U.S. she will focus on learning English (which she has done incredibly well) and once we move to Thailand I will focus on learning Thai. It made sense because here she has plenty of people to practice with and there I will have plenty of people to practice with.

I plan on enrolling in a language school to begin my study of Thai and may supplement that with private lessons initially to get up to speed as quickly as possible. Once I get to the intermediate stage I believe it will simply be a matter of practice, practice, practice.

Do you have any additional advice for those considering a full-time move to Thailand?

Be sure that you have the resources, financial, emotional and psychological, necessary to deal with living in a country that is vastly different from your own. Make a plan for your move, but keep in mind that it is quite likely you will need to adapt that plan once the move is made, sometimes dramatically and sometimes frequently. Keep an open mind and be adaptable.

My thanks Steve who turned around these answers very quickly.

There is certainly a lot of interesting content here. One thing that certainly strikes me about him is he is a meticulous planner who certainly knows what he wants - perhaps the polar opposite to myself, it takes all sorts after all.

Good luck with the plans Steve, look forward to reading with great interest how the savings/budgeting is going over on your blog.

The Thai police as you've never seen them before

Great video and idea behind this, no sure if it was deliberate but I rate this promotion of Thailand well above any of the events that have been hastily arranged to forget recent atrocities in Bangkok and beyond - even in Saraburi held a concert at the army base where a leading profession had been held, without charge, promoting massive negative media focus.

The video has proved so popular the Associated Press has even written about it - see here - after it hit 250,000 views on YouTube.

May I present the Thai police...as you've never seen them before (I hope)...covering K-Pop band Super Junior...

As you may know my father in law is a senior policeman.

He thought this was great and event started joining in the moves, ably assisted by his young grandson with a penchant for singing, dancing and general showmanship.

Am working on convincing him to commission a retake on this from the boys at this station...would be amazing, though they aren't quite as photogenic as this bunch.

Stay tuned for the Nong Khae Saraburi version...

Smoky green fingers

Gardening is generally acknowledged as a fine pursuit - good for the soul, creative and a way of creating a pleasant environment around you.

Having grown up with parents and two sets of grandparents with green fingers I've always been in agreement, however moving to Thailand has changed my view somewhat.

Why, you ask?

I'll let the photo below do most of the talking but, essential, the neighbour backing onto our house decided that - in a change from the usual approach of cutting his lawn - he could burn it instead.

Not only is that (stupid - of course - and...) high ineffective but it creates a load of smoke which covers our garden and surrounding area forcing us inside, where it then proceeds to invade us through the aircon.

Unbelievable.

Being a ฝรั่งใจร้อน ("farang jai rorn") aka hot headed foreigner, I raced over there to get photographic evidence and ask why he was too lazy to do the job properly.

Neighbour's 'work' seen from his garden, our house is in the background to the left

Thankfully, on the other side, our neighbours have restored my faith in Thai gardening by keeping their land in immaculate conditions, thanks mainly due to employing a gardener but they both regularly muck in when their busy (lawyer) schedules permit.

An amazing garden which was, in fact, the setting for our the evening dinner and entertainment on the day of our wedding.

Still here close to two years later

I arrived in Thailand in October 2008 having done little preparation on the country or life here. Over the course of time since then, both my missus (as a Thai) and I have learnt so much about living out here whilst raising a family.

My knowledge and comfort in being out here has grown as I’ve picked up an understanding of Thai culture, the language and nuisances of everyday life in this country.

We deliberately chose to come back to Thailand for the first years of my son’s life. We didn’t know how long we’d stay but neither of us was particularly enamoured with the prospect of raising the fella in London, where just renting a house alone takes up a huge chunk of our hard earned wages.

Neither of us wanted our son to grow up through perpetual childcare with two working parents, there had to be an alternative to life in London on my salary – though great for a twenty something guy living the urban life – and that was Thailand.

Nearly two years later, with another kiddie on the way, our thinking is shifting to a different paradigm of thougt.

Location is no longer our primary motivation for remaining in Thailand, or indeed anywhere.

When you’ve lived in rural Thailand and ‘earned baht’ – as an American guy stuck in the country without the means to return home once counselled me – many things become out of your range, suddenly the lure of a salary in London becomes somewhat stronger.

Though life is perhaps more comfortable out here, it comes with restrictions as you slip into Thailand-only mode.

That is to say, Thai prices which seem cheap and an absolute steal for tourists are normal for you...while you can do anything you please in Thailand, you are restricted on leaving the country where your hard-earned cash gets you far less.

For example, our trip back to England last year was only made possible courtesy of an early birthday present (the cost of flights) from my family, while prices back home genuinely scared me compared to cheep-as-chips Thailand.

This doesn't mean I believe we made the wrong decision coming out in Thailand, far from it, it was the right decision which we do again a hundred times over again.

Coming to Thailand we (particularly I) have learnt so much that I wouldn’t not have found in London. Opportunity knocks here I’ve been fortunate to do and be part of some very interesting things, open interesting doors etc...but now, more than ever, our future will not be about geographical location alone, it will be about career opportunity (for both my wife and I), lifestyle and quality of living.

These things have, of course, always been important to us...but from now on, it may be Thailand or it may be somewhere else...

In the meanwhile, I’m looking at a series of informative posts based on a few experiences I’ve had out here.

They may/may not be relevant to anyone but, for my own thought process and digestion of events, I’m going to be exploring them in more detail.

This post isn’t the precursor to us leaving Thailand but instead reflective of a change in our recent thinking - from my new lease of freedom working freelance - which doesn’t discount living in other countries, specifically the UK, just because they are not Thailand.

My situation is quite unique compared to others I know, and don’t know, many of whom are older, without family responsibilities and out here having invested time in a career at ‘home’ – wherever that may be – and are retiring in Thailand or reinventing themselves out here.

Unlike them, I spent less than four years working in London, so my career and our future prospects are still very much in development and - after finally knocking teacher on the head earlier this year - we are looking at my next career opportunity as a family and in more detail than our initial last-minute move out to Thailand.

While also, looking at other expats, with children and a wife my situation is very different to most I know who have already ruled out the potential of returning home. A friend’s recent happy return to repatriation in the USA from Thailand – ‘the right decision’ as he calls it – is proof that there is life after Thailand, and we needn’t restrict ourselves to being in Thailand, and Saraburi in particular, if there are other opportunities out there.

The Buffalo

My missus is amazing. No doubt. Of her talents her never-ending desire to cook me amazing dinners (separate post with pictures required) is one of my favourites.

She is currently sporting a bump for the four months of pregnancy thus far and, though she gets plenty of rest, she still charges around like a maniac and insists on cooking said amazing dinners.

Sunday, as is often the case, truly was the day of rest and I went foraging for my dinner. We headed out to the car with the little fella en tow – he’s an easy sleeper during car drives – and took the five minute or so journey to the market.

Upon arriving and finding a decent parking space, I dashed out and ordered myself two lots of khao mun gai, not my favourite but is safe given the number of times other, more exotic, dishes have proved to be let downs when returned home to consume.

Dinner purchased, locals mildly impressed with this farang’s Thai...we’re all set to go back – via the longer route, of course, so the little man can doze off to his favourite English nursery rhyme CD. Reversing out is always tricky at markets in the darkness of evening, people walk back ignorant of cars, bikes plod along in their own world and motorcyclists weave between gaps in a hurry.

So, minding the pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists I backed out. Given I had a precious parking space it wasn’t a surprise to see a pickup flash to let me out, so off I went...then suddenly...bang...shit...did I just kill someone.

I moved the car forward before jumping out to see what I’d done – ten years as a driver, my first accident awaiting me.

Seems the guy flashing me out was actually flashing me to say I couldn’t come out. A flash of the lights in Thailand is more a warning than invitation to go...though in this situation it was usually the opposite.

He looked pissed, very pissed, so immediately I apologised, politely calling him P’ and also giving a wai, the respectful greeting in Thai.

“You didn’t look, did you?” was his response...

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, “I looked you flashed...then...”

“Buffalo,” he shouted as a crowd of onlookers grew watching this farang who’d just crashed his car.

Now that is not a respectful way to talk to anyone in Thai. At this point I was pretty angry – with myself for crashing, it was clearly my fault and with him for the insult, petty though it may be – but I managed to stay calm and told him I’d already apologised, but he wasn’t listening.

“Look what you’ve done,” he said, insinuating that I’d decided to crash into his pickup on purpose. “Look!” he shouted.

On inspection, the ‘damage’ was little more than a one inch paint scratch and a little abrasive damage to the wheel hub area.

“It isn’t much,” I told him, beginning to think he was taking me for a ride.

“Yes it is,” he repeated, “why did you do this?”

By now he was snarling at me but I managed to stay cool. Just nipping out to the market I’d left my phone, as had the missus – who had got out of the car and was coming over to see.

I gave him my number and told him to call me tomorrow, but the missus – who was getting angry after him insult me – wanted this sorted out. With no phone and little fella with us, I jumped on a motorcycle taxi and headed out to get my father-in-law, who just happens to be a local police chief and a definite fixer of situations like this.

Cutting a potentially very long story shorter...I came back with FiL who told the guy, in no uncertain terms, they were going to get the car fixed now. The guy was talking a lot, I could understand most of it, he was saying the damage would require extensive work and would need a lot of money.

FiL, on the other hand, was arguing that repairing the wheel-hub part would be fine, and his grand plans were unnecessary. It got a little heated in parts with other people and a market security guard in attendance agreeing with FiL. The argument was that this should be settled now, at a garage, with us paying the full cost of repair – more than fair I thought.

The guy looked very angry but FiL made perfect sense and, as a more senior and respected man, the guy had little choice but to go along with it. The missus and I took the little fella home in FiL car while he went on in my car with the other guy to get his car fixed.

After waiting a while, FiL got back, I somewhat nervously asked how much it came to and  was happy to hear 2,500 baht was the answer.

All-in-all I managed to escape my first accident without breaking the bank or writing off a car (as my brother did as a teenager). Though as Khao Mun Gai goes, a 2,500 surcharge on 50 Baht of food isn’t all that great – but I can live with it.

The accident was my fault, despite his flash, but the guy’s attitude really bothered all of us – particularly my mother-in-law who said she wanted to go over there and bash him up.

The guy is in his forties, was with his wife and kid, but yet he completely lost it with me being aggressive towards me, and apparently the missus while I was gone, insulting me and generally being a tosser.

This is just another example of how fortunate I am to have such great in-laws and a master-fixer of things for a FiL.

World Cup disappointment

The most notable aspect of watching my first World Cup in Thailand, aside late match kick-offs courtesy of the five hour time delay between Thailand and South Africa, was a lack of English match coverage and technical analysis.

The Three Lions performance was somewhat disappointing too, but away from the hype bubble of the UK press I was not too shocked or overly saddened (as I usually am) given team was truly dreadful and barely deserved to qualify for the knock-out phase.

Leaving match analysis aside, as I'm sure Roundball Passion, a new blog from the excellent fella behind Beyond The Mango Juice, covers this in more detail, other issues arose in Thailand.

It seems Thai broadcasters failed to purchase the rights for English language commentary and, as is often the case in Thailand, the detailed match analysis, pre and post game, which often is cumulatively longer than the football itself in England was missing too.

What a coincidence that the Telegraph's Expat section decided to cover this story here.

Eyes peeled for a very media friendly quote from yours truly, and comment from Mike, who incidentally has a new blog over here.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy learning and listening to Thai, but during the football Thai analysis is pretty low-tech and obvious, never thought I'd find myself pining for English commentary...funny how things pan out.

Now what was I saying about the joys of blogging t'other day...nice to see your name in lights.

If I'm here for next World Cup, or European Championships in 2012, lets hope a lesson is learnt and English is included. Don't get me wrong I'll be a fluent Thai speaker by then (I wish! - though my football vocab is already well stacked) but my little fella(s) can follow in English.

On blogging

Blogging, they say, is a labour of love and I couldn't agree more.

Bloggers go through the process of researching topics, chasing news, running interviews, developing features and more because they are passionate about the subject matter at hand. It often is labour in the truest sense of the word.

The pay cheque

Finding money in blogging is tough. Google's ad platform is more "cents" than "sense" while, in my opinion at least, adverts on a blog just don't do it so I've never taken up the few offers that have come my way. Fair play to those that do though.

Blogging about digital media (on my other side) has thrown a few paid assignments my way but payment comes from completing the assignments myself not the blog itself. However such leads are the best example of monetisation I've seen from my experience.

Engagement and (self)fullfilment 

The real value, and satisfaction from blogging comes from engaging with other bloggings and an audience, if you are lucky enough to develop one. Thai blogs are a particularly communal area so the chances that after linking to some and 'doing the rounds' with comments, interest the like, word will get about and the key to the expat Thailand blogosphere will be yours.

Happiness is also often found through the personal triumph of recognition - in the form of a link from a big fish or, better still, a moment of fame with "proper" media.

The other one


This blog has been going steady since I started in November 2008, having just moved over to Thailand. Thanks it to I've connected with some great people - both virtually and face in face - and have even had my name in lights once or twice.

Over at my other blog, the younger, trendy, fashionable kid on the block has had a far racier ride.

Blogging about social media might seem like naval gazing to some, but its a world I worked in, and still do from time to time, and one I see myself rejoining at sometime. It is also a trendy topic which generates a lot of interest from Big G which has  put me on Thai TV, quoted me in media, generated a steady stream of work and seen me engage with a diverse audience.

Graduation

However after less than six month, it seems like yesterday that the little blighter was born, already I'm waving it off as it heads off to the big smoke and the world of Asian Correspondent.

That's right, my other labour of love is about to toss me a few gold coins each month as the hobby I (happily) do for free is now putting out. It isn't enough to retire off mind, but its a nice little earner, as they say, (particularly for Thailand) and it brings the potential of greater exposure and more potential to engage --- win, win.

There is a degree of sacrifice involved, for instance my unashamedly self-indulgent URL - jonathan-russell.com - has lost its mojo, going from host (with the most) to an invisible redirect which sends traffic to the new location at Asian Correspondent HQ.

It was never an easy decision to make but being invited to contribute to a website making serious waves was too big a chance to ignore, particularly as most of the well known writers have spent years building a reputation, unlike my vagabond blog which made it in less than half a year.

- - -

The point of this post, however, is to say that it isn't all about the money, and never should it be, blogging may not always monetise itself in the form of cash flow, but the benefits and enjoyment that come with are worth enough on their own.

But if you do get the chance, or feel inclined, why not head over to my social media blog that just flew the nest.

It seems likely that with little brother away, Jonny Foreigner may enjoy a renaissance...just to prove it isn't all about the cash.