After living in Thailand for 2.5 years, I can gladly say I’ve experienced all that Thailand has to offer since calling this country home. These are just some things that I’ve noticed after spending some time in Thailand. It was the first foreign country that I’ve lived in for a long period of time.
We’ll just dive right into this list.
Number 1: There are a ton of fruits I never knew about….
…. or maybe I’ve just never paid that much attention while grocery shopping in the states. I’ve been introduced to durian, jackfruit, lychee, mangosteen, and a handful of others that I don’t know their English name. Also because fruit is so abundant and cheap I eat more fruit here in Thailand than I ever have back home.
Number 2: Eating or drinking hot foods when it’s ridiculously hot outside.
During my time working in a restaurant I would always question why customers would order a hot tea in the middle of the summer and sit outside. Now, after living in Thailand, even I catch myself doing the same thing, and I can’t really explain why I would choose to eat a hot bowl of soup when I’m already feeling hot. I guess coming from an area where there are four seasons, I always associate hot drinks and soup with cold weather to warm your body from the cold.
Number 3: Riding a motorbike.
I’ve always driven a car. There was never any need to learn how to operate a motorbike. In my rural area of Thailand that I live in, it was necessary that I learn. Otherwise, I’d be riding a bicycle or walking from place to place and let’s face it, that wasn’t going to happen. So I figured out how to get a Thai drivers license.
It solved the problem of having to ask someone to take me somewhere. And by ask, I mean poorly act out with pictures where I want to go because no one speaks English.
Number 4: $1000 goes a long way in many countries.
From my teaching job, I am paid about $1000 once a month. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it is. This would definitely not be sustainable in the US; however, in Thailand, it is more than enough to live a comfortable lifestyle and still save money.
If you want to know how much it costs in live in Thailand check out my cost of living post.
Number 5: Living without a washing machine, dryer, oven, and dishwasher.
In Thailand, it is not common to buy a house and have all the major appliances already installed. This happened to be the case with my current housing situation. Now I am renting a house and it did not come with any of those appliances. I spent about two or three months hand washing all my clothes before I got fed up with it and bought a washing machine for $150. I don’t mind not having a dryer or dishwasher. It’s not something that I absolutely need, but I have seen some coin-operated dryers scattered around. As for the oven, this is something that I miss having. I hate having to fry everything that I would usually bake.
Number 6: It actually does get cold.
When you think of Thailand you usually just think of beaches, islands, and maybe some pad thai. Nobody tells you that in December it actually gets cold. Coming from Chicago, I know cold, but cold in Thailand is like sweater weather or a cardigan. To the Thai people, this is the time to break out the full-on cold-weather gear including hats, gloves, puffy jackets, thermal pants, and shirts. I’m usually ok with just my Under Amour jacket in the morning and a cardigan for the rest of the day.
Wow. I learned a lot from this post. It just goes to show how many different lives that are possible in this world. Great post!
My Dad lived in Bangkok for about 6 months and really loved it. He learned to drive out there too, although he drove a car and didn’t enjoy it so much.
I’m glad you’re having a great time out there, I’ve not visited Thailand much but am looking forward to going again in the future!
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing your experience. I love to learn about other cultures.