The courage of Arpaporn
In defense of exclusion, discrimination, and xenophobia
I would like to say that my latest writing assignment given to my grade 10 and 11 classes has given me hope; but I can’t. While some of the writing showed ‘glimmers of hope’, at least in my eyes, many of the opinions my students shared unfortunately matched the biased, ignorant, and bigoted statements made incessantly by many Thai adults.
Thai nationalism
Postbox letter from Andrew Woodward
My intention here is to propose some ideas that may help to account for the feelings of peculiarity and marked shock that many farang as well as non-Thai Asians experience during prolonged stays in the Kingdom of Thailand.
Leave teaching in Thailand to the hacks
This is all just ridiculous
I no longer teach ESL classes to Thai school students. I will never again work for another Thai boss. I now work for a Chinese man with Thai citizenship (caters to the Taiwanese test prep market) and a pair of foreigners. If you're smart and resourceful enough, there are thousands of opportunities out there
My dinner with Ning
A call for traditionalists in the classroom
We were an unlikely pair. Me, a 51 year old Canadian English teacher who is jaded, cynical, and has had more negative experiences with Asian women than I care to admit; and her, a 31 year old Thai Science teacher who, in my opinion, is looking for a foreign status symbol.
House of horrors two
Just when you thought it was safe to walk under the scaffolding
Teacher Ralph Sasser has now returned to America. After being duped by building contractors here in Thailand, it's the only way he can save enough money to get the job finished and realize his dreams.
The house of horrors
The nightmare of building your own home in Thailand
Some long-term teachers make one of the biggest decisions of their life and decide to have a house built in Thailand. But what happens when it all goes wrong? Read Ralph Sasser's nightmare story of bent lawyers, jail threats and the construction company from Hell.
There's someone in the house!
When things go bump in the night.
I thought I would share the story of a recent break in, at my house, in an effort to show the fine police work that our boys in brown are doing and to let you know that hope in the criminal justice system of Thailand is alive and well
Safe as houses
Why the global economic crisis probably won’t hit Isaan
Isaan is the least touristed area of the country so a drop in overall visitor figures to Thailand won’t really make an impact on the local economy.
All about Isaan folk
What keeps them smiling exactly
What are Isaan folk like to work with? There are always going to be exceptions and I have worked with one scallywag outfit myself. But, on the whole, people here don’t go in for back stabbing or office politics. In my office we speak a mixture of English, Thai and Chinese and we always have a good laugh.
White or wrong?
The strange fixation that Thai people have with white skin.
If we look at Thailand’s cultural products – that is, when we look at how beauty is represented in the media, in literature, in people’s popular perceptions and so forth – why do we so overwhelmingly see that white skin is thought of as more beautiful? Let's delve into this issue and perhaps find out where exactly the root of the perception lies.
