Avoiding the Newbie Drama: Are Long-Term Expats Just Lucky? [S8.E16]

Avoiding the Newbie Drama: Are Long-Term Expats Just Lucky? [S8.E16]

We've all seen the incredible amount of drama that can go down if you don't run a tight ship in Thailand - everything from visa worries and bank problems to relationship blow-ups and trouble with the law. But it seems that a huge proportion of this drama is reserved for people relatively new to Thailand. Greg and Ed discuss why, as long-term expats, they seem to miss a lot of this drama. Is it something they did? Or did they just age out of the baggage train?

As both have been in the country for effectively a quarter of a century, the guys have solved a lot of problems and overcome a lot of obstacles to the point that they are each happy with their somewhat stable, undramatic lives. Many expats in the first few years of their life in Thailand experience CRAZY amounts of drama and adaptation, most which are way in the rearview mirror for Greg and Ed.

First, Ed brings up obvious contrasts: early stayers almost always have to deal with visa, work permit, and address-reporting issues. Beginners have to sort that stuff out in the first place, which really isn't that easy, but then have to worry about complying for the months and years to come. Border runs at first may actually seem like a version of a holiday, but they QUICKLY become a stressful annoyance due their cost, complications, and inherent uncertainty.

Second, Greg mentions more current problems, such as the Thai government's crackdown on money laundering, which seems to have cast an absurdly wide net and effectively shut down the bank accounts of many short term expats, but has left most (but not all) long-termers alone. He reiterates his old advice: if you are here more than a few months, you should step-by-step become more legitimate ON PAPER, such as by getting the proper visa, work permit, bank account, driver's license, credit card - anything you can. Every little bit helps to build your credibility as a serious person that the government is less likely to trifle with.

The boys conclude with a vow not to dunk on those suffering short-timers and to remember when they themselves were wee-little expats too. :)

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Bangkok Podcast 4: Thai Language Series 1

Bangkok Podcast 4: Thai Language Series 1

One of the problems with living in Thailand is that it’s so easy to get by without being very skilled in the Thai language, a mistake that many expats make. To provide some inspiration, we are very happy to be talking to Rikker Dockum, a researcher and Thai language scholar, who will be joining us every month on the Bangkok Podcast. Rather than standard ‘word of the day’ type lessons, Rikker will be chatting with us about the mysteries of the Thai language, tips for learning it, secrets to using it, and his experiences navigating a culture where fluency by a foreigner in the local language will likely be met with wide-eyed stares of anyone you meet. On this first episode, Rikker tells us what methods helped him most as he learned Thai, how it's helped him adapt, and a few funny stories about the reactions he's received.

8 Juni 201035min

Bangkok Podcast 3: Your First Time In Bangkok

Bangkok Podcast 3: Your First Time In Bangkok

Rarely does someone move to Bangkok with a full support network of friends ready to help them out; more often than not, the first few weeks or months are a bit of a struggle as you figure out how the city works. For this episode of Bangkok Podcast, Anthony and Greg dish out some advice for anyone thinking of moving here, or even for people that have lived here for a while but haven't yet settled fully into their groove. From joining the right networking events to knowing where in the city to live to avoiding the red light districts, they go over a few things that they wish they had known, but instead had to learn through cold, hard experience, with many a night spent wondering if we made the right decision to come here.

31 Maj 201032min

Bangkok Podcast 2: Prae Sunantaraks

Bangkok Podcast 2: Prae Sunantaraks

After a tumultuous week that saw many deaths and widespread arson and rioting in Bangkok, we discuss the fallout from the army’s breakup of the redshirt protest site and what it means to Bangkok and the rest of Thailand. We also talk about how most of Bangkok continues as normal, even as a temporary curfew puts a major dent in Bangkok’s nightlife. In addition, we are very happy to be joined by Prae Sunantaraks – nicknamed Fluke – who was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease that is slowly robbing her of her sight. She shares with us the details of The Little Light Project – a charity she started for blind children – and helps us understand how she remains so positive and upbeat even as her world becomes darker and darker – an outlook that many in Bangkok can appreciate these days. She also lets us in on the biggest mystery of all – how a visually-impaired person navigates the treacherous Bangkok sidewalks!

23 Maj 201032min

Bangkok Podcast 1: Best Source of Thai News

Bangkok Podcast 1: Best Source of Thai News

In the first edition of our weekly podcast, we discuss the major issue at the moment – the ongoing redshirt protests and the continuing efforts by the military to end them. We also touch on the causes of the conflict, and then discuss what we think are some great resources for keeping on top of new developments in one of the biggest crises to hit Thailand in a very long time.

16 Maj 201032min

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