Here & There

[luckyluke]

After Garro's " Bad News From Home And How To Deal With It" here a more general question :

For the ones who decided to live in Thailand "permanently" how to you deal with events that affects you and your close relatives in your home country?

I suppose there is no problem for the most fortunate among us, and good for them, to take a plane whenever there is a birth, marriage or funeral among their close relatives.

What about if your not so fortunate? how can you deal with this and what reactions can you expect from your relatives ?

Edited August 25, 2008 by luckyluke

[haybilly]

After Garro's " Bad News From Home And How To Deal With It" here a more general question :

For the ones who decided to live in Thailand "permanently" how to you deal with events that affects you and your close relatives in your home country?

I suppose there is no problem for the most fortunate among us, and good for them, to take a plane whenever there is a birth, marriage or funeral among their close relatives.

What about if your not so fortunate? how can you deal with this and what reactions can you expect from your relatives ?

Just let me dig my head out of the sand--ummh , I try not to think about it. Please don't post topics that remind me.

[gymshark]

In her old age my Mum has started being a bit more vocal about me living "on the other side of the world", my solution has been to get my arse in gear and build a house here now rather than putting it off and when it is done me and the Mrs will go back to the UK and use it as a base and take long long holidays here, I am sure that psychologicaly having us based there will please the kin. Also we are building the house near the Thai folks so the Mrs can be close to them too, everyones a winner, also after too may years here it is getting a bit much so flitting between the 2 countries will stop me getting too jaded with either one. I figure that you only have one set of parents and a holiday every couple of years just isn't enough. I wouldn't be where I am today without their training so I owe them.

[mrt273nva]

My Grandmother's death happened 1 week before my child's birth. Everyone understood when I wasn't at the funeral. It was difficult on my father who lost a mother but gained a grandson. He went to the funeral and was just days late for the birth after flying out here to see the new addition to the family.

[G54]

My granddaughter was born while I was here and I have never seen her yet. Not that my son is too happy about that. But sh*t happens. Means I do not have to sit on the baby while they go to the pub

House problems and mail all get dealt with by my son and I pay him to do it.

As for a death. Hmmm. No father. No Mother. No sisters or brothers. Just my son, his wife and the granddaughter. If one of those kicks the bucket or has serious problems I would be on the next plane out of here.

Apart from that, I also bury my head in the sand a lot and try not to think too much about 'back home'.

[luckyluke]

136 views, 4 inputs, thanks, so far most of the viewers are "fortunate" and do not have any problem to go back "home" whenever they want, good for them.

Time to have a "inferiority complex".

[AmeriThai]

I don't think it's so much a matter of being "fortunate". If you can't afford to more frequently travel back and forth, it's still a good idea to set aside some money for any unforeseen emergencies or special occasions.

[Spee]

What about if your not so fortunate? how can you deal with this and what reactions can you expect from your relatives ?

It's an expat fact of life. I think each makes his or her own decisions about when and under what circumstances to return. As for what my relatives may or may not think, I hope they will understand regardless of which decision I might make, and if they choose to not be understanding, then there is nothing I can do about it. As the saying goes, one can choose their friends, but they can't choose their family. As long as one can look themselves in the mirror in the morning, then they can be confident in whatever decision they made.