Why Are There So Many Americans In Chiang Mai?

[OriginalPoster]

Its the stupid American missionaries , they destroy the Thai culture and brainwash the kids.

Remove them and theres not many Americans left in CM.

Patently false, but it does fit the narrative.

Edited February 24, 2012 by OriginalPoster

[IanForbes]

They all retired to Chiang Mai after years of debauchery in Pattaya. Eventually, you just run out of gas.

[lannarebirth]

Its the stupid American missionaries , they destroy the Thai culture and brainwash the kids.

Remove them and theres not many Americans left in CM.

I don't like missionaries much either, That is unless they try to attract others by the goodness of their deeds. That said, I would say missionaries are a rather small percentage of Americans here in the North. Not only that, but not all missionaries are American. I've met almost as many Swedish missionaries as American.

Anyhow, my philosophy is let your deeds attract others to your belief system.

BTW, my wife was the beneficiary of an American Christian project. Mormons I think they were. They gave her a much higher standard of education than she might otherwise have had (and her mother was chief administrator of Ayutthaya schools, and could place her in any school she liked). She said if she went to school on Saturdays there was ice cream. That's her fondest memory. She easily moved on from there to Thailand's highest university. She can't remmber much about what they were preaching, but she says they were good to her. She's a Buddhist through and though, but now she kindly regards those "Chriteeyans" that helped her along the way. She still doesn't know the first thing about Christianity. I know there are some particularly aggressive Christians out there, but the majority are not. Live and let live I say.

Edited February 24, 2012 by lannarebirth

[lannarebirth]

In Thailand, America refers to the country -- U.S.A.

Plural, as in the Americas, that's different.

Even Latin Americans who are sensitive about the subject understand perfectly well what country people are talking about when America is said in the context of a person's nationality.

Next ...

Everybody knows that, if they made it past 6th grade that is. They like to bring up these non-sequiters for other reasons apparently.

[lannarebirth]

They all retired to Chiang Mai after years of debauchery in Pattaya. Eventually, you just run out of gas.

You raise a very good point Ian. MANY of the expats here in Chiang Mai originally lived somewhere else in Thailand first. Not just Americans but expats of all nationalities. I was lucky, I started here and never had a reason to look elsewhere.

[Oww]

Don't you mean why so many Koreans in Cheong Mai nowadays....?

[OriginalPoster]

Its the stupid American missionaries , they destroy the Thai culture and brainwash the kids.

Remove them and theres not many Americans left in CM.

I don't like missionaries much either, That is unless they try to attract others by the goodness of their deeds. That said, I would say missionaries are a rather small percentage of Americans here in the North. Not only that, but not all missionaries are American. I've met almost as many Swedish missionaries as American.

Anyhow, my philosophy is let your deeds attract others to your belief system.

BTW, my wife was the beneficiary of an American Christian project. Mormons I think they were. They gave her a much higher standard of education than she might otherwise have had (and her mother was chief administrator of Ayutthaya schools, and could place her in any school she liked). She said if she went to school on Saturdays there was ice cream. That's her fondest memory. She easily moved on from there to Thailand's highest university. She can't remmber much about what they were preaching, but she says they were good to her. She's a Buddhist through and though, but now she kindly regards those "Chriteeyans" that helped her along the way. She still doesn't know the first thing about Christianity. I know there are some particularly aggressive Christians out there, but the majority are not. Live and let live I say.

I don't find the missionaries to be intrusive either. Occasionally I see a couple of guys wearing white shirts & black neckties riding bicycles on the street, or some people saying Grace before they eat their meal. But somehow it just doesn't ruin my day when that happens.

[jjczap]

So superman had it wrong....There is no such thing as Strength Justice and the American Way in the USA...it must refer to Chile.

It Is --- Truth Justice and the American Way

[lannarebirth]

Its the stupid American missionaries , they destroy the Thai culture and brainwash the kids.

Remove them and theres not many Americans left in CM.

I don't like missionaries much either, That is unless they try to attract others by the goodness of their deeds. That said, I would say missionaries are a rather small percentage of Americans here in the North. Not only that, but not all missionaries are American. I've met almost as many Swedish missionaries as American.

Anyhow, my philosophy is let your deeds attract others to your belief system.

BTW, my wife was the beneficiary of an American Christian project. Mormons I think they were. They gave her a much higher standard of education than she might otherwise have had (and her mother was chief administrator of Ayutthaya schools, and could place her in any school she liked). She said if she went to school on Saturdays there was ice cream. That's her fondest memory. She easily moved on from there to Thailand's highest university. She can't remmber much about what they were preaching, but she says they were good to her. She's a Buddhist through and though, but now she kindly regards those "Chriteeyans" that helped her along the way. She still doesn't know the first thing about Christianity. I know there are some particularly aggressive Christians out there, but the majority are not. Live and let live I say.

I don't find the missionaries to be intrusive either. Occasionally I see a couple of guys wearing white shirts & black neckties riding bicycles on the street, or some people saying Grace before they eat their meal. But somehow it just doesn't ruin my day when that happens.

It's really funny what people convince themselves to despise. I think alot of what you read here is what the psychologists call "projection".

If I wore slacks, a white shirt and a neck tie everyday my wife would love it. Maybe that was her number one takeaway from the missionaries. Now I'm taking shit for cargo pants, t-shirts and flip flops. That ain't right.

Edited February 24, 2012 by lannarebirth

[happysanook]

I would say it's the exact opposite. maybe it's different in the more affluent areas, but in the backpacker guest houses in the old city, I'm usually the only american.

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[Mapguy]

If you're American please dont come here thinking its SF; you will simply add to the problem.... the unis already have an 80% population of those 'batting for the other side' hard to believe but true.

my biggest fear is that i will turn one day (all said tongue in cheek!)

Interesting statistic! Does this reflect your personal research, or what? I thought the universities had a "Don't ask, don't tell!" policy. Maybe its really a "Don't give a sh*t!" policy.

[wally1k]

Beautiful place, lovely women, great people, tips optional, clear skies (except now) and Buddhist culture

W

[lannarebirth]

If you're American please dont come here thinking its SF; you will simply add to the problem.... the unis already have an 80% population of those 'batting for the other side' hard to believe but true.

my biggest fear is that i will turn one day (all said tongue in cheek!)

Interesting statistic! Does this reflect your personal research, or what? I thought the universities had a "Don't ask, don't tell!" policy. Maybe its really a "Don't give a sh*t!" policy.

I think he's exagerating. My 100% raised in Thailand teenage daughters say the number is closer to 50/50.

[elektrified]

Its the stupid American missionaries , they destroy the Thai culture and brainwash the kids.

Remove them and theres not many Americans left in CM.

I don't like missionaries much either, That is unless they try to attract others by the goodness of their deeds. That said, I would say missionaries are a rather small percentage of Americans here in the North. Not only that, but not all missionaries are American. I've met almost as many Swedish missionaries as American.

Anyhow, my philosophy is let your deeds attract others to your belief system.

BTW, my wife was the beneficiary of an American Christian project. Mormons I think they were. They gave her a much higher standard of education than she might otherwise have had (and her mother was chief administrator of Ayutthaya schools, and could place her in any school she liked). She said if she went to school on Saturdays there was ice cream. That's her fondest memory. She easily moved on from there to Thailand's highest university. She can't remmber much about what they were preaching, but she says they were good to her. She's a Buddhist through and though, but now she kindly regards those "Chriteeyans" that helped her along the way. She still doesn't know the first thing about Christianity. I know there are some particularly aggressive Christians out there, but the majority are not. Live and let live I say.

I don't find the missionaries to be intrusive either. Occasionally I see a couple of guys wearing white shirts & black neckties riding bicycles on the street, or some people saying Grace before they eat their meal. But somehow it just doesn't ruin my day when that happens.

About 7 years ago my g/f was "saved" by those very same young guys on bicycles wearing white shirts and neckties. She attended the Mormon church here for a few months. That is until she was presented with the contract to sign over the annual 10% "tithing" of her income and assets to the LDS church at which time she gave a phony address and telephone number and hightailed out of there. Her Chinese blood was thicker than her new found faith. I don't know what she was saved from since she was never a Buddhist to begin with, but she considers herself a Mormon. Go figure...

[OriginalPoster]

Its the stupid American missionaries , they destroy the Thai culture and brainwash the kids.

Remove them and theres not many Americans left in CM.

I don't like missionaries much either, That is unless they try to attract others by the goodness of their deeds. That said, I would say missionaries are a rather small percentage of Americans here in the North. Not only that, but not all missionaries are American. I've met almost as many Swedish missionaries as American.

Anyhow, my philosophy is let your deeds attract others to your belief system.

BTW, my wife was the beneficiary of an American Christian project. Mormons I think they were. They gave her a much higher standard of education than she might otherwise have had (and her mother was chief administrator of Ayutthaya schools, and could place her in any school she liked). She said if she went to school on Saturdays there was ice cream. That's her fondest memory. She easily moved on from there to Thailand's highest university. She can't remmber much about what they were preaching, but she says they were good to her. She's a Buddhist through and though, but now she kindly regards those "Chriteeyans" that helped her along the way. She still doesn't know the first thing about Christianity. I know there are some particularly aggressive Christians out there, but the majority are not. Live and let live I say.

I don't find the missionaries to be intrusive either. Occasionally I see a couple of guys wearing white shirts & black neckties riding bicycles on the street, or some people saying Grace before they eat their meal. But somehow it just doesn't ruin my day when that happens.

About 7 years ago my g/f was "saved" by those very same young guys on bicycles wearing white shirts and neckties. She attended the Mormon church here for a few months. That is until she was presented with the contract to sign over the annual 10% "tithing" of her income and assets to the LDS church at which time she gave a phony address and telephone number and hightailed out of there. Her Chinese blood was thicker than her new found faith. I don't know what she was saved from since she was never a Buddhist to begin with, but she considers herself a Mormon. Go figure...

So she considers herself a Mormon and you don't like it. Thanks for informing us of that.

[lannarebirth]

Its the stupid American missionaries , they destroy the Thai culture and brainwash the kids.

Remove them and theres not many Americans left in CM.

I don't like missionaries much either, That is unless they try to attract others by the goodness of their deeds. That said, I would say missionaries are a rather small percentage of Americans here in the North. Not only that, but not all missionaries are American. I've met almost as many Swedish missionaries as American.

Anyhow, my philosophy is let your deeds attract others to your belief system.

BTW, my wife was the beneficiary of an American Christian project. Mormons I think they were. They gave her a much higher standard of education than she might otherwise have had (and her mother was chief administrator of Ayutthaya schools, and could place her in any school she liked). She said if she went to school on Saturdays there was ice cream. That's her fondest memory. She easily moved on from there to Thailand's highest university. She can't remmber much about what they were preaching, but she says they were good to her. She's a Buddhist through and though, but now she kindly regards those "Chriteeyans" that helped her along the way. She still doesn't know the first thing about Christianity. I know there are some particularly aggressive Christians out there, but the majority are not. Live and let live I say.

I don't find the missionaries to be intrusive either. Occasionally I see a couple of guys wearing white shirts & black neckties riding bicycles on the street, or some people saying Grace before they eat their meal. But somehow it just doesn't ruin my day when that happens.

About 7 years ago my g/f was "saved" by those very same young guys on bicycles wearing white shirts and neckties. She attended the Mormon church here for a few months. That is until she was presented with the contract to sign over the annual 10% "tithing" of her income and assets to the LDS church at which time she gave a phony address and telephone number and hightailed out of there. Her Chinese blood was thicker than her new found faith. I don't know what she was saved from since she was never a Buddhist to begin with, but she considers herself a Mormon. Go figure...

That's a funny story, but it doesn't really mean anything does it? Except maybe to you.

[elektrified]

So she considers herself a Mormon and you don't like it. Thanks for informing us of that.

I never said that anywhere in the post! I don't care one bit at all. Up to her.

[elektrified]

That's a funny story, but it doesn't really mean anything does it? Except maybe to you.

No, not really. Just a funny story like you said.

[LazyYogi]

If you're American please dont come here thinking its SF; you will simply add to the problem.... the unis already have an 80% population of those 'batting for the other side' hard to believe but true.

my biggest fear is that i will turn one day (all said tongue in cheek!)

Interesting statistic! Does this reflect your personal research, or what? I thought the universities had a "Don't ask, don't tell!" policy. Maybe its really a "Don't give a sh*t!" policy.

I think he's exagerating. My 100% raised in Thailand teenage daughters say the number is closer to 50/50.

Seriously? Half of the university students are gay?

Both sexes, or just the guys?

In any case that seems like a really high number.

[elektrified]

If you're American please dont come here thinking its SF; you will simply add to the problem.... the unis already have an 80% population of those 'batting for the other side' hard to believe but true.

my biggest fear is that i will turn one day (all said tongue in cheek!)

Interesting statistic! Does this reflect your personal research, or what? I thought the universities had a "Don't ask, don't tell!" policy. Maybe its really a "Don't give a sh*t!" policy.

I think he's exagerating. My 100% raised in Thailand teenage daughters say the number is closer to 50/50.

Seriously? Half of the university students are gay?

Both sexes, or just the guys?

In any case that seems like a really high number.

I don't know if the figure is 50/50 or not but definitely both sexes. There are an awful lot of lesbians here.

[lannarebirth]

Seriously? Half of the university students are gay?

Both sexes, or just the guys?

In any case that seems like a really high number.

I don't know if the figure is 50/50 or not but definitely both sexes. There are an awful lot of lesbians here.

I would say it's more like the majority of them are androgenous, yet sexual. If safer situation comes along first for a girl, with a girl, then that's what she'll do. Doesn't mean she won't later marry and have children. Maybe something similar for the men, I don't know. One sometimes gets the impression here though that many of the men are only 2 beers away from engagingin in gay activity (if that comes easier). I guess we've strayed a bit off topic.

[BookMan]

Seriously? Half of the university students are gay?

Both sexes, or just the guys?

In any case that seems like a really high number.

I don't know if the figure is 50/50 or not but definitely both sexes. There are an awful lot of lesbians here.

I would say it's more like the majority of them are androgenous, yet sexual. If safer situation comes along first for a girl, with a girl, then that's what she'll do. Doesn't mean she won't later marry and have children. Maybe something similar for the men, I don't know. One sometimes gets the impression here though that many of the men are only 2 beers away from engagingin in gay activity (if that comes easier). I guess we've strayed a bit off topic.

stray away I say!

[BlackArtemis]

We them LUGs, Lesbians Until Graduated.

[Puwa]

if kevorkian were a mod, he would have euthanized this thread by now

[mcgriffith]

if kevorkian were a mod, he would have euthanized this thread by now

Ah, free speech and all that.

We are straying a bit off topic....maybe if we were discussing American gays and lesbians in CM, it would be closer to the topic.

But not Thai uni students.

I think the OP just wants to know why there are so many Americans proportionately here, compared to other places in Thailand.

[uptheos]

I think the OP just wants to know why there are so many Americans proportionately here, compared to other places in Thailand.

American, European, Australian etc......it's cheap, why are people afraid to say so?

[Dante99]

The reason that there are so many americans here is undoubtedly because there are so many gay university students here, can't be any other explaination. Thanks folks.

[jackjones]

I have never been to the States but it does seem to be a vast country with a great variety of scenery, wildlife, climates and people. If I came from there I can't imagine why I would want to live here. America seems to have everything; mountains, beaches, deserts, wildernesses and big cosmopolitan cities. Yet there does seem to be a lot of Americans living here. I can't understand why they would want to leave all that and come and live in a condo or mooban in Chiangmai.

[BookMan]

if kevorkian were a mod, he would have euthanized this thread by now

Ah, free speech and all that.

We are straying a bit off topic....maybe if we were discussing American gays and lesbians in CM, it would be closer to the topic.

But not Thai uni students.

I think the OP just wants to know why there are so many Americans proportionately here, compared to other places in Thailand.

Spot on!

[BlackArtemis]

I have never been to the States but it does seem to be a vast country with a great variety of scenery, wildlife, climates and people. If I came from there I can't imagine why I would want to live here. America seems to have everything; mountains, beaches, deserts, wildernesses and big cosmopolitan cities. Yet there does seem to be a lot of Americans living here. I can't understand why they would want to leave all that and come and live in a condo or mooban in Chiangmai.

The reasons for us coming are as varied as the people who come.

I came here for the first time in 2005 as an exchange student at CMU, loved it and was getting my TEFL 7 months later. I lived in Chiang Mai from March 2006 to October 2008 and returned home to get a degree in education. I visited last summer and have not been able to get it out of my system. Now I am coming back in March and I am testing the waters to see if teaching in Thailand could be a permanent thing. I am qualified to teach at an international school, but no position was open this coming year so I took another job. I could be making twice as much in Bangkok, but I love Chiang Mai, I'll make up the cash other ways.

Why do I love Chiang Mai? Because it feels like a big town, not like a city. I like my quality of life in Chiang Mai. I can from a well off childhood and can hold down a job in the US and it's not because I couldn't hack it in the US. I prefer eating Thai food 95% of the time, spending time with Thai friends. Clubs like Warm Up, Monkey, Riverside, and The Wiz are far more enjoyable than anything near my home, even Philadelphia. I love that I can walk to a 7-11 and pass a multi-hundred year old temple. I love that this country has tons of street food and the government hasn't made 100 hoops for people to jump through to cook on the street. If it's not good or not clean, people won't come back!

But, yeah I dislike somethings as well, sometimes Thai logic or other parts of Thai culture get my hackles up a bit, driving can be insane, decent prices on anything luxurious, or decent internet speeds is a bother. But when I weigh the good and the bad, I come out smiling in the end. And if I decide that in 1-2 years the possibility of planning a retirement is not feasible, I will jump down to Malaysia or Brunei, maybe the Middle East. I have thought about in the next four years to teach in a different country each year and then continue moving west, ending in England and then completing the Mongol rally . Life is what you make of it, and right now Chiang Mai looks like it is offering a lot for me.

But sadly, I never did get out to the west and sleep under the vast starlit sky or go fossil hunting in the badlands of Montana, one day I'm only 30!