Bangkok Podcast 19: Thai Education System

Greg and Ed discuss the Thai temperament and what exactly causes Thais to occasionally blow their collective lids. Greg uses the recent example of a Swiss expat who kicked a Thai woman in the back, allegedly because she was inappropriately sitting on the steps of his condo and blocking his path. Somewhat surprisingly, the incident went viral, much to the Swiss man’s detriment. The guys speculate as to what it was about THIS incident that caused it to blow up. Was it the fact that he used his foot to assault the Thai woman? Was it because she was a doctor, a person of high status? Or was it some random quirk of social media that led to the uproar?

Ed then runs through the classic no-go zones in Thai society, such as insults to religion or the big M, and the guys try to figure out if anything else is going on in the recent incidents. Is there possibly some pent up frustration against foreigners in Thailand? Could it be that Thais got used to fewer foreigners during COVID? Greg speculates that possibly Thai nationalism is on the rise and reminds listeners of the price paid by former Ambassador Kristie Kenney when she suggested that Thailand should be a real democracy. Ed then dusts off some of his political science knowledge to try to determine what counts as expressions of nationalism versus simple enforcement of social norms. 

While no deep certainties are uncovered, the guys give some common sense advice: if you are a foreigner in Thailand, respect local customs and don’t be a jerk. Hopefully, you didn’t hear it here first. :) 

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Ed interviews his former student Mookie about her experience studying in the U.K. and her later choice to move her family back from the U.K. to Thailand. The two old friends begin reminiscing about Ed’s university program and how Mookie really was an unusual student. Most young Thai women tend to be very shy in class and rarely express their own opinions. But Mookie was different, showing up on the first day of class ready to debate! They quickly move on to Mookie’s decision to get a master’s degree in London, which Ed was happy to hear wasn’t too hard for his former student. 

Mookie's story gets an unexpected twist when she managed somehow against all odds to find a perfect guy on Tinder of all places, leading to marriage and two beautiful children. At first, she and her husband wanted to raise their kids in England, and Mookie discusses what she liked about the schools there. However, over time, the couple grew disillusioned with the U.K. and ended up choosing to move back to Thailand and raise their kids here. 

So what’s up with that? Well, in short, Mookie and her husband felt the schools were not such a great deal for the money, when you factor in class size and facilities, compared to Thailand. Plus, health care was ‘free’ but the service provided was poor. Last, England is just not very outdoor friendly, given the poor weather relative to Thailand. 

Although she lists some cons to Thailand at the end of the show, Mookie makes a convincing argument that Thailand is a great place to raise kids relative to the U.K. Believe it! 

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Getting a bit nostalgic after listening to Tay-Tay’s latest album, Greg and Ed reminisce about their respective first year’s in Bangkok by recounting their most vivid early memories, something that’s unique for everyone but plays a big role in setting the tone for your time here. 

Ed explains that he came here a little bit older than many expats, and relatively speaking, had his ‘shit together’ so to speak. No visa runs, no desperation at the end of the month to pay bills. But what he wasn’t ready for was the excitement, ‘newness,’ and general party atmosphere of Bangkok. In Ed’s words, he felt like he was a freshman in college all over again.

Greg possibly had a more typical experience, having arrived in his twenties with a couple nickels in his pockets. He recounts his long traverse to work, something out of “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” and his anticipation of his first paycheck. Luckily, he ran into some super friendly NGO workers from the UN to ease his transition to expat life (note, this is a lie).

Ed talks about having some ‘typical’ memories himself, this time of late night, drunken tuk-tuk rides (an expat requirement if there ever was one) and the crowded street market that used to be lower Sukumvit. Both guys of course fell in love with the place and hence, the roots of the Bangkok Podcast were sown. 

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This is Part 2 of Ed’s interview with friend and expat extraordinaire David Cluck. The guys pick up where they left off, discussing the holy grail: living in Thailand but making a Western salary. David explains how he began to get work in Thailand and for a while balanced a life in L.A. with one in Bangkok. He shares numerous anecdotes from his work on the Hua Hin Film Festival, which eventually led him to intersect with the cast and crew of “Only God Forgives” and a meeting with Ryan Gosling.

David then explains how he got a unique opportunity to work as the assistant director on a black and white silent film, shot in L.A. but written and directed by French filmmakers. Wholly unexpectedly, the film, “The Artist,” went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, among many other accolades. And believe it or not, the Cluckster has some of the only spoken lines in the film!

The boys wrap up by diving deep into the advantages that Thailand brings to foreign film productions, from excellent crews to fantastic scenery as well as tax incentives and rebates. Suffice it to say that you can add film production to your list of all the cool things going on in Thailand today. 

Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Ed interviews David Cluck, a Bangkok-based filmmaker, friend of the podcast and bona-fide “interesting expat”. The guys begin talking about their mutual love of Thailand, but then go back to the beginning to hear about David’s early life as a musician in Southern California and how he transitioned into working at a local TV station. That led to some work on commercials and short films and then slowly and surely into work on bigger budget film projects.

David regales Ed with stories of working with Rob Lowe in Ed’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, and then to his break on a film with Jeff Bridges, the ‘Big Lebowski’ himself. Now in the big leagues, David took a flyer on a low budget film called ‘Monster,’ and lo and behold the main actress would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. 

The guys then get into David’s introduction to Thailand on a film project called ‘Formosa Betrayed,’ which will lead to David re-orienting his life towards the Land of Smiles. The rest is history as they say.

Listen in next week for Part Two, when Ed and David focus on why major film productions often choose to shoot in Thailand. 

Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

We’re getting a bit personal on this episode as Ed talks about his marriage and eventual divorce in Thailand. Although it’s a difficult topic, enough time has elapsed that Ed is ready to discuss whether or not his experience provides any lessons for expats in the Land of Smiles (and sometimes frowns). 

First, Greg asks Ed about the actual legal procedure of getting a divorce and whether it involved a lot of paperwork. In Ed’s case, the process was easy because it was by agreement; the only hitch was the need for two witnesses, which was solved by paying a random motorbike guy 100 baht to be the second witness (seriously). For more complex legal angles that must be considred, the guys plan to have resident lawyer Dave back on a later show to explain all the details. 

Second, Ed does his best to try to figure out a possible lesson for other expats. On the one hand, every relationship is unique and can succeed or fail for a lot of reasons having nothing to do with cross-cultural issues. But Ed does come up with one insight: he feels that he had the habit of always taking his wife at her word in an almost legalistic way. Ed references previous shows where the ‘high context’ nature of Thai culture was discussed. Thais tend not to rely so much on what people say, but read a lot into what is unspoken. Ed wonders whether his failure to recognize this led to communication issues. Since his wife spoke English well, it certainly wasn’t language. 

Greg chimes in with a few insights from his own marriage, and both guys try to fashion some advice for expats looking to tie the knot with a Thai partner. Chok dee from the Bangkok Podcast! 

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Ahh, Thailand. Beaches, sunsets, late-night parties, serene temples, and…space technology design and future satellite launch site? 

Greg interviews Dr. Natthawat Hongkarnjanakul of the Thai Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, essentially Thailand’s version of NASA. Dr. Natthawat begins with his background studying aerospace engineering in Thailand and later in France on a scholarship. Next, he talks about GISTDA, and the Thai government’s interest in space research. Greg notes that people do not normally think of Thailand when they think of space, but Dr. Natthawat states that Thailand uses satellites for data gathering for mapmaking, air quality monitoring, and for help during natural catastrophes such as floods or forest fires. 

The two continue by going into more detail on the work of the Thai space agency. Dr. Natthawat points out that a big part of their work is educating the private sector in Thailand on the value of satellite data. Greg remembers reading about McDonald’s use of satellite images back in the day to plan its expansion, and Dr. Natthawat says that this is exactly right, that many big companies have realized the unique advantages of data from space. 

Listen in for further discussion of the ‘space economy’ and the unheralded work of Thailand’s space agency. 

Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg and Ed discuss situations - whether they come from luck or strategy - that can seriously improve your quality of life in Bangkok. The guys try to avoid the super obvious things - getting a better job, meeting the person of your dreams - to focus on factors that are more advantageous than one might expect in Thailand. 

Ed begins by emphasizing the importance of living close to where you work and having a short commute. While some might put this in the obvious category, the boys both agree that in Bangkok, this simple thing can make a real difference to your quality of life, as the daily stress of a long commute adds up quickly. Greg then brings up the unexpected benefits of having a Thai spouse that works at an international hospital or school, which typically provide significant price reductions to family members such as husbands and wives and children. The cost savings can be great. 

Ed then brings up the problem of flooding, which plagues certain neighborhoods around the city. Knowing this when you choose a new area to live in can totally change your experience during the rainy season. Greg then mentions the strange fact that having a friend who works at an Embassy, especially the American one, has numerous advantages. The guys continue by discussing how much a good maid can improve your life and the extreme usefulness of having an employer that provides a proper work permit from the get-go. 

Trust us - if you can make any or all of these things happen, your stay in Thailand will get better. :)

Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Greg interviews well known Bangkok-based photographer Tim Russell about his book ‘Bangkok Station,’ which focuses (literally) on the iconic and now mostly defunct Hualamphong Train Station. Tim begins by explaining his early days twenty years ago as a traveller in Vietnam and how he picked up photography as a way to document his travels. Eventually he made his way to Thailand and managed to pass through Hualamphong in its heyday. The guys discuss Huamlamphong’s design by an Italian architect and its opening in 1916, making it a Bangkok institution for more than 100 years. 

Greg then brings up the possible future of the building, with many people concerned that it could be torn down and replaced with the typical condo or new mall. Tim believes that the current plan is to make the station into some type of rail museum, but still admits that in the long run, due to the value of the real estate, there’s no guarantee it will be around in the long run. 

The guys continue by focusing on the eclectic neighborhood around the station, the incredible diversity of visitors who have made use of it over the years, and Tim’s decision to focus on photos of people at the station rather than its architecture or the trains themselves. 

Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

In a spirit of optimism and renewal, Greg and Ed discuss their New Year’s resolutions as expats. What are their goals for 2024 to grow as expats in Thailand? Greg begins by committing to read The Falcon of Siam, a famous novel set in 18th century Thailand, and to watch The Overture, a film about a famous classical musician in the Royal Palace. Ed wants to focus on improving his Thai, and he developed a plan to learn to read a collection of 9,000 Useful Thai Expressions, a popular PDF among serious Thai learners. 

Greg then mentions his desire to spend more time at the Siam Society, an organization dedicated to spreading knowledge of Thai history, culture, and society, famous for its lecture series. Being a movie guy, Ed has decided to pick ten of the best Thai movies of all time and get to the point where he can watch them with Thai subtitles. 

Last, Greg has a plan to join a local club of Thai people to help him make more connections with other Thais, with archery or possibly knife-making leading the list. Somewhat similarly, Ed would like to find a new ‘third place’ - somewhere to hang out besides his workplace or his home. 

Ambitious these goals are - there’s no doubt about that! But that’s how we roll at the Bangkok Podcast. :)

Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.