Interesting Friends And Strange Characters: Expat Connections [S7.E66]

Greg and Ed discuss some interesting expats they have met over
the years - both good and bad - and what lessons they have
managed to glean from them. Thailand is a bit of a strange stew
of expats; with many different types of people coming together in
a foreign land, you are apt to meet and/or befriend people in
Thailand that you never would back home. The results can be
positive or negative, but either way, there can be lessons to be
learned.


Greg begins with an anecdote he's mentioned on the show before,
about 'VP,' a random character that took Greg to a party filled
with U.N. people. Although the people there were 'interesting' in
the sense that they were educated and well-traveled, Greg felt
their snobbery at his low status in Thailand intensely and had to
bail. He learned that there is a bit of an unspoken 'expat
strata' in Bangkok and that people can - fairly or unfairly -
place you within that strata no matter where you meet them. Ed
counters with a story of a Swedish friend, who although being a
great guy in Thailand, ended up being deported back to Sweden for
old legal problems. Ed woke up to the fact that when you meet
expats later in life, you have no idea what kind of baggage they
have from earlier in life.


Greg then brings up an old coworker named Seth, who was fairly
normal in the daytime, but who Greg realized was deeply embedded
into the seedier side of Bangkok's nightlife. The takeaway: not
all foreigners just dip their toes into the redlight districts;
some dive in and never get out, and if you're not careful, you
can be pulled along with them. Ed finishes with an unfortunate
anecdote about an American friend who was prominent in the expat
community in Thailand until he suffered a serious illness and had
to return to the United States. The experience made Ed realize
that nothing is permanent, and although your expat life might
SEEM solid, some bad luck could cause you to be yanked back
home. 


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