July 26th, 2006, 23:53
This is a sad story. These two people end up hating each other. They also end up with a cynical and hateful relationship to each other's culture. This is a story of two ignorant people. I especially find Mike ignorant or uneducated. He should have known better. The Thai boy end up hating Mike and all Farangs. A wrong conclusion. But what can you expect from a young boy who quit school at the age of 12, and ended up in Pattaya?
My opinion is that the big economical difference between Thailand and the west is to blame. Mike and Kim's story is an example of what can happen when two people are together for the wrong reasons.
I believe Mike may be a nice and kind guy, even though he seems uneducated and na├пve. I believe Kim acts out of desperation. Maybe he also really believed in a white hero that could save him ?
People should party together when they are at the same level. They have to understand each others situations. The boy have to be strong and though, and always be in control of his situation. None of this is the case in this story. But remember: This is just one story. There are many successful stories of western-Thai relationships. This story shows how important it is to understand what is going on.
Mike's and Kim's Story:
"My name is Mike. I am 24 years old and live and work in Sweden. I recently had a close call with a Thai prostitute and almost made the biggest mistake of my life. "
".... I've never met anyone like him and was thinking out loud how great it would be if he could come to Sweden and stay with me. Somehow this idle talk turned into a plan and Kim was really keen. We started talking about passports and visa's. I knew I'd have to go home first and get everything organized. I suggested Kim stop working as a prostitute because the thought of his with some of the fat ugly guys you see in Pattaya really made me feel ill."
"Finally we arrived in Kim's village. Talk about primitive! The house we were to stay in was basically four walls a floor and a roof through which you could see the stars. No furniture and the toilet was a hole in the ground. The only shower was a huge bucket of water with a scoop for throwing the water over yourself."
"Uncle was not happy and said I didn't understand Thai customs. I understood all right! Everyone in the village was intending to part me from as much of my money as they possibly could. Maybe they thought I was stupid but there was no way I was falling for this scam"
"In the morning I gave him the money to return to Pattaya and we said out strained good byes."
"I know I'll be back in Thailand again but I'll never fall for another Thai boyl. "
Kim's story
"Hi, my Name is Kim. I am a 21 year old Thai boy who works in a bar in Pattaya. This is the story of my life and what happened between Mike and me."
"...The village school I attended was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed learning about things. I was second in my class and everyone used to think I was really clever. While we were learning all about our culture, I could see many things changing in my village. I suppose we were poor but nobody knew that then, so I was not worried about it. If the rainy season was good there was always plenty of rice to eat and when the rice harvest wasn't so good, everybody shared what we had and nobody was starving."
"...My uncle gave me the money for the bus fare and before I knew it I was back in Thoo's room in Pattaya. This time I didn't think about it but just told A, I wanted to work. Thoo tried to help me put on some make up but it never looked the same on me as it did on him. I worked for three days in the bar without ever talking to a farang. I learned to play the connect 4 game and on my fourth day I played it with a farang. He was very old and hairy but he seemed to like playing the game with me although I could only say hello in English. "
"...One day a younger than usual guy came to the bar. His name was Mike. I liked him right away and he seemed different from the others. He paid my bar fine and took me to an expensive restaurant to eat. One meal cost 1,000 baht. That would be enough to feed 40 people back home. We talked with the help of phrase books and he made me laugh a lot. Then we went to a disco. I am not a very good dancer but when they played some Isaan music I introduced Mike to Laos dancing. We had a lot of fun that night and we got back to the hotel something strange happened. For the first time I actually enjoyed having sex. Mike seemed to go much slower than other farang and I really liked kissing him."
"...I told everyone about my rich farang who was going to love me and take care of my family for ever after. Some of the boys in the bar said I should keep it a secret as farang were always bullshitting and maybe I'd never see him again. I knew they were wrong because the bond between Mike and me was very special. He rang me every week to update me on progress with the visa and to see how I was. It was very difficult talking on the phone because my English was no good but just hearing his voice made me happy."
"...The next day my uncle who could speak a little English had a talk with Mike. My mother was very excited that I was going to have a relation whit a rich farang and was wondering how much money she would have after paying off the bank loan. When my uncle asked Mike how much he wanted to give, Mike just laughed. Later he told me he was not going to give anything as he was loving me and not my mother. I was horrified. How could I explain this to my mother and what about the family's problems. If I went away with Mike who would look after my family and how could they pay the bank.
"Mike went home two weeks ago now and I know I will never see him again. I have hardened my heart and will never make such a stupid mistake again. Next time a farang loves me I will get as much money from him as possible but I will never open my heart to one again. It hurts too much and I think I hate them all. I don't understand why they are so rich while we are so poor. What I do understand is that I need money for my family and I am going to get as much as possible. What happens to me doesn't matter but I want to do everything for my family."
"I have not contacted anyone in my village since Mike left. I don't know what I can say to them. I have lost so much face I don't think I can ever go home again. I still send the money though and I'm earning even more now because I am learning how to get as much out of the farang as possible."
My opinion is that the big economical difference between Thailand and the west is to blame. Mike and Kim's story is an example of what can happen when two people are together for the wrong reasons.
I believe Mike may be a nice and kind guy, even though he seems uneducated and na├пve. I believe Kim acts out of desperation. Maybe he also really believed in a white hero that could save him ?
People should party together when they are at the same level. They have to understand each others situations. The boy have to be strong and though, and always be in control of his situation. None of this is the case in this story. But remember: This is just one story. There are many successful stories of western-Thai relationships. This story shows how important it is to understand what is going on.
Mike's and Kim's Story:
"My name is Mike. I am 24 years old and live and work in Sweden. I recently had a close call with a Thai prostitute and almost made the biggest mistake of my life. "
".... I've never met anyone like him and was thinking out loud how great it would be if he could come to Sweden and stay with me. Somehow this idle talk turned into a plan and Kim was really keen. We started talking about passports and visa's. I knew I'd have to go home first and get everything organized. I suggested Kim stop working as a prostitute because the thought of his with some of the fat ugly guys you see in Pattaya really made me feel ill."
"Finally we arrived in Kim's village. Talk about primitive! The house we were to stay in was basically four walls a floor and a roof through which you could see the stars. No furniture and the toilet was a hole in the ground. The only shower was a huge bucket of water with a scoop for throwing the water over yourself."
"Uncle was not happy and said I didn't understand Thai customs. I understood all right! Everyone in the village was intending to part me from as much of my money as they possibly could. Maybe they thought I was stupid but there was no way I was falling for this scam"
"In the morning I gave him the money to return to Pattaya and we said out strained good byes."
"I know I'll be back in Thailand again but I'll never fall for another Thai boyl. "
Kim's story
"Hi, my Name is Kim. I am a 21 year old Thai boy who works in a bar in Pattaya. This is the story of my life and what happened between Mike and me."
"...The village school I attended was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed learning about things. I was second in my class and everyone used to think I was really clever. While we were learning all about our culture, I could see many things changing in my village. I suppose we were poor but nobody knew that then, so I was not worried about it. If the rainy season was good there was always plenty of rice to eat and when the rice harvest wasn't so good, everybody shared what we had and nobody was starving."
"...My uncle gave me the money for the bus fare and before I knew it I was back in Thoo's room in Pattaya. This time I didn't think about it but just told A, I wanted to work. Thoo tried to help me put on some make up but it never looked the same on me as it did on him. I worked for three days in the bar without ever talking to a farang. I learned to play the connect 4 game and on my fourth day I played it with a farang. He was very old and hairy but he seemed to like playing the game with me although I could only say hello in English. "
"...One day a younger than usual guy came to the bar. His name was Mike. I liked him right away and he seemed different from the others. He paid my bar fine and took me to an expensive restaurant to eat. One meal cost 1,000 baht. That would be enough to feed 40 people back home. We talked with the help of phrase books and he made me laugh a lot. Then we went to a disco. I am not a very good dancer but when they played some Isaan music I introduced Mike to Laos dancing. We had a lot of fun that night and we got back to the hotel something strange happened. For the first time I actually enjoyed having sex. Mike seemed to go much slower than other farang and I really liked kissing him."
"...I told everyone about my rich farang who was going to love me and take care of my family for ever after. Some of the boys in the bar said I should keep it a secret as farang were always bullshitting and maybe I'd never see him again. I knew they were wrong because the bond between Mike and me was very special. He rang me every week to update me on progress with the visa and to see how I was. It was very difficult talking on the phone because my English was no good but just hearing his voice made me happy."
"...The next day my uncle who could speak a little English had a talk with Mike. My mother was very excited that I was going to have a relation whit a rich farang and was wondering how much money she would have after paying off the bank loan. When my uncle asked Mike how much he wanted to give, Mike just laughed. Later he told me he was not going to give anything as he was loving me and not my mother. I was horrified. How could I explain this to my mother and what about the family's problems. If I went away with Mike who would look after my family and how could they pay the bank.
"Mike went home two weeks ago now and I know I will never see him again. I have hardened my heart and will never make such a stupid mistake again. Next time a farang loves me I will get as much money from him as possible but I will never open my heart to one again. It hurts too much and I think I hate them all. I don't understand why they are so rich while we are so poor. What I do understand is that I need money for my family and I am going to get as much as possible. What happens to me doesn't matter but I want to do everything for my family."
"I have not contacted anyone in my village since Mike left. I don't know what I can say to them. I have lost so much face I don't think I can ever go home again. I still send the money though and I'm earning even more now because I am learning how to get as much out of the farang as possible."