I was curious what you others have encountered.

[Guest]

I was curious what you others have encountered.

Everytime I€™m in Thailand I get someone who€™s amazed about some aspect of myself or something I do. For instance, I€™m tall around 6€™4€-6€™5€ and usually when I go down through a market or through shopping stalls, I always get some old lady who smiles and stares and points at my height like I€™m some giant or they reach up and touch my moustache€¦they are amazed at facial hair.

When I was there in May, I went out and worked in the fields with my gf€™s family and took off my shirt because of the heat of the day and they are fascinated by my white skin, it was spring so I had no tan and because of this, I burned some and a week later, I started to peel and my gf was horrified like I had this incurable condition€¦haha. I was being passed around the houses so everyone could have a look at the peeling farang€¦.lol.

The family members that live in the rural part of Thailand (Northeast corner €“ East of Surin) all have made comments that they really dislike their dark skin but from what I have encountered in my trips over the past year or so, many Thai€™s don€™t like the idea that they are so dark, but isn€™t that the way things are though. You always wish you were something different?

Now I understand I€™m dealing with some rural people that have never even been to BKK let alone out of Thailand but with each trip I have done to Thailand, I always have an amusing encounter somewhere when I€™m wandering around and I was curious, am I alone or do you others get similar experiences?

Nhscotsman

[moe666]

Use to have a very full beard and grey, needless to say arrive after Xmas and you are called Santa Claus.

[stogie bear]

The more remote area you teach the more odd you will be seen as!

Kids will often play with your facial and arm hair when you are in your class. If you wear shorts (and you should NOT ever be wearing shorts) then be prepared for more intimate encounters also, because these kids (and their fingers) are inquisitive and have no shame! This is a situation that they don't teach you in TEFL class!

Learn when to break away from a physical encounter. The first time it happens it's a bit of a shock. God knows what happens when they get home and I don't want to know. But kids of around 12 or younger will certainly grab you in places that shouldn't be grabbed. It's very innocent but you should learn how to extricate yourself from these situations very quickly.

[Guest]

Can't say I have ever experienced that in Thailand. In China, very frequently kids would touch my skin and body hair like I was from outer space and stare and point at my blue eyes. But not in Thailand so far.

[donnnnnny]

experianced this many times in rural areas not in bkk or pattaya

[Socrates999]

(nhscotsman @ Aug. 10 2007,18:59) Nhscotsman

YGM

[Guest]

(stogie bear @ Aug. 11 2007,03:22) The more remote area you teach the more odd you will be seen as!

Kids will often play with your facial and arm hair when you are in your class. If you wear shorts (and you should NOT ever be wearing shorts) then be prepared for more intimate encounters also, because these kids (and their fingers) are inquisitive and have no shame! This is a situation that they don't teach you in TEFL class!

Learn when to break away from a physical encounter. The first time it happens it's a bit of a shock. God knows what happens when they get home and I don't want to know. But kids of around 12 or younger will certainly grab you in places that shouldn't be grabbed. It's very innocent but you should learn how to extricate yourself from these situations very quickly.

I hadn't experienced that yet, but when I went by the big elementary school that's just down the street from Walking Street (The one across from the big Wat) all the kids always would point at the facial hair and would reach out trying to grab any part of me they could get their hands on. I always went by this school, half the time I would click off pictures of these kids. Just like in the states, kids LOVE having their pictures taken. Funny thing though, everytime I'd show up, the ice cream guy would show up so I'd by popcycles for the kids.....it cost me next to nothing though and the smiles and thank you's always made it worth it. It's hard not to love kids.....it doesn't matter if they are American or Thai kids.....Kids are Kids!

Nhscotsman

[stogie bear]

Funny thing though, everytime I'd show up, the ice cream guy would show up...

Now that IS odd.

Look forward to meeting you soon... I think you'll do just fine here.

[Guest]

I look forward to meeting you too sometime.

You think maybe the ice cream guy was stalking me?...hahaha. Granted I'm an easy mark, I showed up at lunchtime everyday, but who gives a shit, for the small amount I paid the guy for the popcycles, the smiles on the faces, the ice cream guy included, it was worth every baht.

One thing I think though......What a shame it was to have a school within eye sight of Walking Street. I also wondered, with the cute faces these kids had, I wonder what they really think with regards to living in Pattaya....what these kids see on a daily basis probably is shocking to most here in the states.

One girl in particular was really cute and always had this big smile on her face whenever I saw her. Even before she saw me, she was still smiling, but I couldn't help but wonder if she would some day end up in a bar. Even though these kids got me laughing every day, thinking of these kids future still brought me back to the reality of where I was.

Nhscotsman

[stogie bear]

The upside is that if they end up working in a farang bar it will be because THEY have decided to do it.

The Thai government offers plenty of diverse programs for poor people to get a university education.

I'd be much more concerned with the children who's smiles have already long since disappeared since they have been passed through the endemic Thai system of local prostitution and sexual favours.

[Guest]

(stogie bear @ Aug. 15 2007,19:36) The upside is that if they end up working in a farang bar it will be because THEY have decided to do it.

The Thai government offers plenty of diverse programs for poor people to get a university education.

I'd be much more concerned with the children who's smiles have already long since disappeared since they have been passed through the endemic Thai system of local prostitution and sexual favours.

The upside is that if they end up working in a farang bar it will be because THEY have decided to do it.

True......VERY TRUE!

The Thai government offers plenty of diverse programs for poor people to get a university education.

I wonder if my Thai GF would have schooling options now, even though she's 26 years old or if it would be just for school aged people? She has mentioned interest in going back to school and of course I always encourage her to do so.

I'd be much more concerned with the children who's smiles have already long since disappeared since they have been passed through the endemic Thai system of local prostitution and sexual favors.

Very good point! On a positive note, all the kids I saw ALWAYS had big smiles on their faces. Their smiles always gave me a smile. Tough to have a bad vacation or time for that matter when you are with kids like this.

SB, you always bring up great points and always make me think.....

Nhscotsman

[seamus]

I'm a red head & while in Indonesia had my hair cut a good few times,the hairdressers went made for it,asking was it out of a bottle etc.& in the villages guys running to get there cameras & asking me to pose with their wifes for photos.In Uk piss taking by the day,i wanna move to indonesia LOL

[Napalm]

That was one of the quesitons on family fortunes tonight,
Of 100 people surveyed, what is a slang term for someone who has red hair?
Our top anser was? Rusty
Our second most popular answer was? Ginger
Our third Redhead
Our forth Carrot Top
And lastley our fifth and final most popular answer was? Redser

[seamus]

I must say i was expecting a lot worse then that Napalm.I have been called all of the above & more,but as long as it works in the far east I dont mind

[moe666]

I have a bit of body hair. On port calls in Japan the bar girls would put their hands down my back and chest to feel the fuzzy.