Well, where does one begin when they are writing a paragraph or two about living and working in Asia. I taught in several schools in several different towns and cities in Thailand for just under five years. I did my fair share of moaning and grumbling about the system there. How the Thais treated us, with utter contempt. And when the opportunity arose to relocate to Vietnam, I took it. After arriving here I did send a small post saying what a breath of fresh air it was being here and getting away from the Thais and their bad manners amongst other below par traits

Yes, I knew the dust had to settle here and to learn from scratch how these people tick. After being here one year now, I can honestly say Asians are the same throughout Asia. They might do certain things different, due to the cultural differences. But deep down, they’re all the same. To give a small example, it changed from me being called a FARANG to me being called YOU. I’ve found Vietnamese to have the same mentality as the Thais. And after talking to many traveling teachers that have taught in China, Laos, Korea and other countries. I’ve come to the conclusion, it doesn’t matter where you are in Asia. You will experience the same problems we all experience in Thailand.

So, if your thinking the grass is greener on the other side, IT’S NOT. Yes, we have to put up with ill educated Thais thinking they are superior to us and treating us as such. But unfortunately if we want to live in their land and enjoy their freedom of living, there’s not a lot we can do. Or we could go back to England, where native Brits are now the minority in our own land. As for me, I’ve started applying for teaching positions back in Thailand. Tail between the legs scenario.

P.S. Vietnam is a stunningly beautiful country and well worth a visit. But it is 15 years behind Thailand in every sense.

Russell