Do you ever feel not farang?

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golferstu
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Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by golferstu »

After staying here for a while, how do you feel getting accostumed into Thai culture and society? And just how different is it from back home, wherever that may be. Please do state, for the record, btw.

What i want to know is are there situations where you just melt in and don't have to worry about being a guest somewhere?

And how long have you been here?

Being well traveled myself i seem to get into all sorts of funny moments and yes, I do sometimes forget why i came there in the first place. I admit I've been on my toes while travelling south east asia and so have not really found the time to really settle into the vibe, even though that is what i am truly hoping for.
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by oakdale160 »

I know a guy who came here as a child, who has lived his whole life here, who speaks fluent Thai and has half-thai children-- he is and feels like he is---farang.
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by handdrummer »

if you're not from where you are you will always be, if not feel, "farang".
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by Takiap »

I'm from South Africa and spent 10 years living in Scotland where after a few months, I felt 100% accepted. The only reminder that I was not from there was the fact that I needed to obtain permission to remain there once yearly. Other than that, and the difference in accent, I felt totally British.

Now, after roughly 20 years in Thailand, I still feel 100% farang. Personally, I don't think it is possible for any Westerner to "become" Thai, regardless of how well you settle in. We grow up in a world that is so vastly different in so many ways, and added to that is the fact that Thais will never ever really view a Farang as being Thai.

So, to answer your question, I would say that there are times when I probably feel more like a Thai than a Farang, but for the most part, I feel I am very much still a Farang, and I am happy with this. I believe that this is actually why I still enjoy living here. Unlike many other expats, I don't don't need to be here for the weather because I have great weather back in my own country, and I have all the good things that you have in most Western countries. The cultural differences and the relentless craziness is what keeps me here I guess.

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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by VincentD »

My opinion is similar to that of Takiap.
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by dtaai-maai »

if you're not from where you are you will always be, if not feel, "farang".
If you're not from where you are you will always be from somewhere else... :D
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by oakdale160 »

Takiab--- please enlarge on your last sentence.
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by Nereus »

Takiap wrote:The cultural differences and the relentless craziness is what keeps me here I guess.
You forgot to mention: 'n behoefte aan 'n dik vel te kry :rasta:
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by VincentD »

Nereus... Haha.. how true.. I had to go to Google translate to figure that out.. it did look like Dutch.. but I didn't spend enough time in The Netherlands to pick up the language properly..
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by hhfarang »

I was there ten years with only one month outside Thailand in that time. Never felt like I belonged and was never able to assimilate. Asian cultures are just too different from western ways for most to adapt. I always felt like a foreigner just on an extended holiday that gradually became less and less fun. After a bit over two years, I'm very happy to be back in a more familiar environment looking forward to a much shorter holiday in Thailand some day in the future.
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by Ginjaninja »

VincentD wrote:Nereus... Haha.. how true.. I had to go to Google translate to figure that out.. it did look like Dutch.. but I didn't spend enough time in The Netherlands to pick up the language properly..
try Afrikaans...
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by Gregjam »

If you are farang you will never in the eyes of a Thai be anything but a farang. You may well have Thai nationality, speak, read and write Thai but because of your hereditary you look different and are farang, and will be treated so. This is not necessarily a bad thing though. Having spent a large portion of my married life (26 years) in Thailand and being firmly farang I cannot say that I have ever felt 'not farang' but depending on the company am integrated into various occasions to varying degrees. People in the village accept me to some degree when I am there and being able to communicate in Thai goes a long way to immerse yourself but the fact that we are different means that however well we integrate you are always a farang. I have come to accept it and enjoy the freedom it gives me to distance myself from some of the activities I might otherwise have to suffer. Deafening and mind numbingly boring Loy Krathong beauty pageants with their garland buying vote rigging comes to mind but that is just a personal opinion. Basically my answer to the question is no, but I am not particularly worried about it and enjoy being part of life here in Thailand.
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by NOKYAI »

Been coming to HH for over 20 years and still feel much the same, it's my home now and the U.K now feels almost as foreign. I have tried to learn the language and we speak Tinglish in the house. I do nearly all the shopping at local markets and am totally accepted with lots of smiles and jokes. When I see the market traders in the local shops they come over and say hi.
Do I have Thai male friends? A few! But mostly it's Ferangs of many nationalities and their Thai wives. I like my Skandi- German- French- Dutch friends..... It's a bit of a Ferang melting pot.
So no I never feel not Ferang, but I sometimes don't feel English........but I'll always be a Yorkshireman :-)
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by Farang »

Rarely, if ever.
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Re: Do you ever feel not farang?

Post by StevePIraq »

In my wife's village in Isaan there is a Scotsman who has lived there 35+ years, his Isaan wife has died and now he lives alone, dresses like an Isaan farmer, eats Isaan food says he speaks Isaan, Cambodian and Laos fluently, says his Thai is so so and his English is now poor as he very rarely speaks English.

When the people in the village mention him he is "The Farang".
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