Visas, Work Permits and the Art of the Lineup

Never take for granted how cushy it is living as a citizen in your home country. It's quite a shock, moving abroad, especially when it's to Thailand (Asia in general actually, but I live in Thailand so let's use that as our example), where you will never be considered a citizen. It's sometimes a shock to expats living here - back home there are many races, and all are Canadians. Asian, black, Indian, Spanish... if you're a citizen of the country, you're a citizen. You can say African-Canadian, Spanish-Canadian, if you want to split hairs, but you still get all the benefits of being a citizen. Not in Thailand; if you're not born of at least one Thai parent, you will never be Thai, legally nor in the eyes of any Thai person. End of story. So what are we left with? An ultra-bureaucratic maze of paperwork and forms in order to stay in the country legally.

Putting The ‘Gig’ In ‘Adultery’

Ahhh, the ambiguities of Thailand. I think I've included this phrase before in my blog, but my friend John summed it up quite nicely - "there are no rules in Thailand until there are rules. Then they're unbreakable." Finding a single reason for any problem is often impossible, in much the same way that finding two Thais to explain an aspect of Thailand to you the same way is also impossible. One of these is the concept of 'gig'. If you've been in Thailand for any length of time, you've likely heard the term, which can also be spelled 'kik', 'gik', 'kig' or any variation thereof. It pays to be familiar with the term, because you're probably going to be asked by someone (probably a taxi driver) if you have one. Basically, (very basically), a 'gig' is someone who is more than a friend but less than a boy/girlfriend. However, if you ask five different people, you'll get five different answers.

2016-11-17T15:49:04+00:00Thailand|0 Comments

Dealing With Thai Taxis – And Their Drivers

Bangkok's great in that there are a ton of ways to get around: taxi, tuk-tuk, motorcycle, river ferry, khlong ferry, bus, skytrain, subway... if you can combine methods of transport (train + bike + boat, for instance) you can often leapfrog your way across town surprisingly quickly. But nothing is more ubiquitous than the taxi. There are approximately nine kabazillion of the colorful chariots in Bangkok - some old, some new; some that smell nice, some that reek like death; some willing to help if you're lost, others willing only to drive you around in circles until you realize something's up. Lots of good stuff has been written about Bangkok taxis. I remember loving taxi rides in Japan, where all of them are impeccably clean, while the drivers wear a suit, a hat and gloves and are all exceedingly polite. I knew I was back in Thailand when my taxi at the airport was driven by a guy with no shoes, wearing ratty jeans and a wifebeater and munching on a huge bag of grasshoppers.

Brain Schools in Thailand

There was an article today in the Bangkok Post titled Brain Schools Gain Popularity, which discussed the glut of new schools popping up in Bangkok that purport to give youngsters a leg up in their cerebral analytical skills. It sounds a bit like quackery, but they do have a point. I love Thailand and Thai people but there's a serious lack of 'thinking on your feet' skills here; when presented with a situation that is different from a previously-described or planned situation, many Thais will simply freeze and shrink away from the problem like a snail on a salt plain.

2016-11-17T15:49:04+00:00Education, Thailand|0 Comments
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