What do you miss the most?

[bucknaway]

I just finished talking with a expat living in Thailand and for the most part I was explaining why I could never leave the USA to live in Thailand and could only imagine myself vacationing there. That is how I feel now, later my feelings may change.

What do you miss the most from your home while you live in Thailand?

When I am in Thailand I miss talk radio. I love listening to talk radio; Tech Talk and Political talk are my favorite. I also miss what I now consider American style coffee. The coffee in Thailand tends to be very strong and thick, unless you get the instant coffee. I also miss the hazelnut or irish cream coffee creamers.

Shopping, I miss being able to find what I need from a store that share the same name as the store in my home country.

I miss being able to go anyplace without anyone looking at me as if they know I am only a visitor.

TV, I miss many of my favorite shows and while I am away I pray that my Tivo is recording everything I want to see when I get home.

I miss being able to buy the things I want without having to haggle the price down knowing if I pay too much I will be considered a sucker and if I try to pay too low I am insulted all because I don't have any idea what the true fair price should be.

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[SimpleSoul]

Good question Bucknaway...

I am from the UK and the thing I miss the most is Sky News (TV news). I am working on getting access to that, it isn't available through True Vision. I miss nothing much else really; I find it is easy to adapt to a new place. I listen to all my favourite radio stations: BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, LBC and RTHK over my wifi. With the TuneIn Pro app on my iPad you can also record any of your favourite radio programmes for listening when convenient. As for my favourite TV programmes I like most of the British and American dramas... you can usually get them on good quality DVDs from TukComm and I much prefer watching them one disk at a time rather than sit at home waiting week by week for the next episode to be aired. PLUS, its a damn site cheaper too. You can get a great many varieties of coffee and if that is such an issue you could import your own....Laos coffee is great, for example. The same applies to your shopping needs I think.

What I would add is that living here, as in living anywhere new, is totally different to vacationing in a place. I came and rented a condo for 3 months in the Pattaya area before deciding whether it was really something I wanted to do... I would strongly recommend this option before anyone commits to moving all their stuff over.

The main thing I miss are my friends, but they have a new holiday destination and its great welcoming as many as possible to visit. Plus, it is quite easy to make new friends; though a bit difficult for me to find like minded farangs here as most farangs seem to be here ONLY for sex. I am not judging them but that is not why I moved here and I am not focused on getting laid 6 times a night as some seem to be. In fact, for me, I rarely dip into the scene here; mostly only when visitors come as they like to see it. It is entirely possible to have a non-scene gay life here. I must admit that I do enjoy reading all of the various incidents, positive and negative in this forum and this is a great resource.

Another aspect of living in Thailand, which I would recommend if you can, is to rent out any property asset you have at home. Receiving rent from a high cost location, such as the US or UK or Australia etc and living in a low cost location such as Thailand is obviously sensible from an economic point of view. Plus, if you keep your home property asset you can retreat if the need arises. No one knows what can happen in the future and it is wise to have a suitable contingency plan for your life.

So, in summary and simply, if you did want to move here you can make of it what you like to make of it. There is much to be recommended. Lastly and most importantly I think it all comes down to what sort of person you are and only you can know that. What I mean is that some people can not adapt and many people come here and complain. Sometimes they complain bitterly that it is not like home. IMeversoHO they should go home.

[RichLB]

I sure endorse SimpleSoul's response. The additional good news is that there are some solutions to the things the OP included in what he fears he would miss.
If you are not morally opposed to downloading through torrents, virtually every US and British television program is available in only an hour or so (depending on the speed of your connection). If you're not familiar with doing that, check out Piratebay.com, Extratorrents.com, Kickasstorrents.com, or any of the many many other sources.
Grocery shopping does take some getting used to. Unfortunately, there will be some items not available (I sure miss Fritos), but Villa Market and other supermarkets cater to Western demands. If they don't have what you're looking for, they'll usually be willing to order it for you.
Like SimpleSoul, I also miss my friends back in the US - but most of them have now moved on, died, or are so sedentary that boredom quickly sets in. I do, though, have some problems making real friends in Pattaya. There are tons of other farang here (no pun intended - grin), but many seem to be limited in their conversation and activities to the sex scene. Nothing wrong with sex, but I've always related to my sex life as a private matter and not the center of almost every social exchange. But, friends are available and what is missed is the years of common experiences that built the foundation of "back home" friends.
When I try to think of other things I might miss, the compensations of living here make such things insignificant.

[PeterUK]

Lastly and most importantly I think it all comes down to what sort of person you are and only you can know that. What I mean is that some people can not adapt and many people come here and complain. Sometimes they complain bitterly that it is not like home. IMeversoHO they should go home.

There is certainly no point in making Thailand your home if its only attraction for you is the cheap sex. The effort to understand and adapt to local ways is very important. That does NOT mean that you need to check in your brain at the airport and go around with a silly compliant smile on your face all the time. The critical faculty doesn't have to waste away from lack of use. There is much that is negative about Thailand (as with any country) and you are better off acknowledging it than pretending it doesn't exist.

To return to the OP's subject. What do I miss about England? A few close friends, my garden, owning dogs, Sunday newspapers that are like mini-libraries, quality documentaries on TV, the range of yummy fruit yogurts and fruit drinks in supermarkets, the rolling landscape, cricket on village greens, cinemas showing a wide range of movies and not just the current blockbusters, visiting exhibitions with my friend Lorraine, also our Tuesday evening chats in her chaotic flat, stately homes, city squares, good bookshops, my local Gourmet Burger branch, parks and commons, snuggling under the bedclothes because I feel cold, fast broadband, guarantees that are actually honoured, a row of poplar trees, mowing the lawn, the Lake District, teashops, hearing people say 'sorry' when they step right in front of me, rhododendrons and azaleas in the spring, a crisp spring morning, packaged fresh soups. Oh, nothing much really!

[adman5000]

I miss:
A clean and green environment- I find the streets and beaches mostly littered in Thailand.
Access to western culture, people, and everyday way of life.
Civic mindedness - local people volunteer and show they care about their community and residents.
Local government infrastructure - if I fell, had an accident, or a heart attack - I know I would get to the hospital quickly in my home country, I don't get the warm fuzzies about that in Thailand.
Feeling like I belong, rather than being viewed as a foreigner
Cool weather

Yes, I also miss the obvious things such as certain foods(especially a good burger or steak), newspapers, shopping environment, etc- but there is a also a more powerful less obvious missing cultural element that I always appreciate more when I return home.

I enjoy going and being in Thailand because my mind empties of the minutiae that I normally carry around and deal with at home. In Thailand I concentrate on different things, but I always enjoy coming back to what is familiar. I guess that is why I visit and don't live there.

[francois]

Good wine at a good price; impossible to obtain in Thailand due to greed of the government.

[christianpfc]

Nothing significant that I miss. I brought some cheese and some sweets from Germany because they are not available in Thailand or very expensive (cheese).

Sometimes I wonder if I should just take a day off (i.e. go home after work and stay in reading a book), but then, should this adventure ever end, I will curse myself for wasting a day in Thailand reading a book in my room.

I miss making a date (time, place) then you go there and the other person is there. Here it is several calls or messages to confirm place and location or shift them.

[Zebedee]

Buckinaway, you are a complete mystery to me! I just can't figure you out. Sometimes your posts infuriate me, and others just disarm me ( for want of a better description ), so Ill give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are real!


"Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?
Would you let me see beneath your perfect?
Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl
I wanna see inside
Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?"
....Labyrinth

Relax I am not coming on to you! Scottishguy would get jealous!

[bucknaway]

Buckinaway, you are a complete mystery to me! I just can't figure you out. Sometimes your posts infuriate me, and others just disarm me ( for want of a better description ), so Ill give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are real!


"Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?
Would you let me see beneath your perfect?
Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl
I wanna see inside
Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?"
....Labyrinth

Relax I am not coming on to you! Scottishguy would get jealous!

I'm curious to know which are the posts thar rub you the wrong way? For the most part I try to write posts that show whimsy and I try not to troll for negative emotions. Some of my posts are random thoughts and sometimes they are topics that have come up with friends.

It seems that for the most part my posts never go in the direction I want. If I post about getting soaked In the rain the thread will focus on my tipping, if I post about tipping the thread will focus on my food choice... I never know what direction a post will take when I post it but I do try to avoid drama these days.