Do You Have to be a Weirdo to Thrive in Bangkok? [S7.E43]

Greg and Ed revisit an old topic from Season 2, Episode 48: Do
you have to be weird to live in Bangkok/Thaiand as a foreigner?
Ed begins by noting that the question depends on exactly why an
expat has chosen to live here. Are they in the military? Are they
on a corporate package? Are they here for a significant other?
These options leave room for fairly 'normal' people. But what
about expats such as Greg and Ed, who seem to live in Thailand
without an outside force making it necessary? And of course, what
does 'weird' even mean, exactly? It's subjective, but leaving all
that is familiar to live in a chaotic city with no guarantees of
success seems like a good place to begin.


Greg contends that in some basic ways it IS weird to leave your
hometown and your country to live on the other side of the world.
The simple fact is that the majority of people live close to
where they were born for their entire lives. Ed notes that during
his recent trip home for a high school reunion, his classmates
treated his living in Thailand as something somewhat shocking and
extreme. 


Ed mentions that even among 'expats of choice' there is a lot of
variety, but that it's also true that expats tend to rarely be
boring: they are either interesting in a good way, or interesting
in a bad way. There is something about choosing to be an extreme
minority in a foreign land that attracts a particular type of
personality: perhaps one that craves new experiences or that
enjoys the challenge of deciphering everyday interactions. 


Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the
show as well as swag and other perks. We also sometimes post on
Facebook, you can contact us on LINE and of course, head to our
website (www.bangkokpodcast.com) to find out probably more info
than you need to know.