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I'm super excited! I just got a wonderful job offer in Bangkok at an amazing international school. Going to be working with gifted kids and teaching. It's the exact job I wanted! The contract is for 2 years. It has a great salary and benefits, and I believe I can renew it after the 2 years if I decide that I want to stay. The school year starts in August, so I have a lot of time between now and then to do my homework and prepare myself mentally, and in several other ways for this move which will take place in July.
Although I've traveled abroad and have been in Asia before (Japan), I've never lived in another country. I am completely new to all of this, but I'm excited for all of the new experiences this chapter of life will bring, as well as the new connections I will make. I was hoping I could receive some guidance regarding several aspects of life in Bangkok so I can prepare as best as I can.
Location: I'll be staying in Nonthaburi. I was wondering if it's considered as part of Bangkok. If not, how do you get to Bangkok from Nonthaburi?
Culture/Lifestyle: Is the culture or what it's like to live in Nonthaburi vastly different compared to Bangkok? Is anyone familiar with this area? What's it like? What's Bangkok like overall? For reference, I'm originally from New York City. That is, life is pretty fast paced, everything is expensive, and people can be rude. It's a very diverse city. Crime is mounting. Dating seems to be a mess for both men and women. Speaking of dating...
Dating: What is dating like in Bangkok? I have heard all sorts of things, so it's hard to get a solid understanding without asking people who live there. A friend of mine (white female, from US, a bit older than me) told me she struggled with dating, and gave a lot of commentary regarding her dating experience there. She no longer lives in Bangkok. She says that expat women in general struggle there, and most of the women she knew left Bangkok eventually because it wasn't working out for them in the relationship department.
When talking about dates, her experience is that expat men felt as though she should be lucky they were talking to her. This whole convo felt weird to me because I thought that's exactly what dating feels like here in the US for a lot of men (I didn't say this to her, but you get my point). According to her, if I date an expat woman, I may have to (verbatim here) "prove" myself to her because she's likely been burned before. What's the deal with expat girls there?
I don't know why expat women can't get dates there or have a hard time there, but the following is a little bit of info about me. I am a 35 year old black male. I'm pretty short for a guy, so dating can be challenging sometimes but it's not impossible. I'm attractive facially, stay in decent shape, and I love to cook, read, and play instruments. I recently got my PhD. I struggled a lot when I was much younger, but my dating pool increased significantly in my late 20's/early 30's. It's not too difficult to find a date now.
I'm single currently, so I'm looking forward to meeting someone nice and maybe forming something long term. What's the dating culture like there? Does anyone know if it's hard for black men to date in Bangkok? Are Thai women into black men? I'd like to date local Thai women or expat women really. If you're someone who's dated both, what was your experience like? Have you noticed any differences? What are the best dating apps (or places) to meet women?
Language: Can I be fluent in Thai in 5 months?.....Just joking, lol. I'm probably going to have a much better experience if I can learn to speak the local language. I can spend a lot of my free time now learning Thai. Does anyone have any recommendations for apps, programs, or other resources for learning Thai? It doesn't seem to be on Duolingo.
Misc: Is there anything else in particular I should know about? Are "lady boys" exactly how it sounds? Perhaps other terminology or other things I should be wary of (or be happy about -- it doesn't have to be negative)? Groups? Barbers? I'm a big gamer and foodie -- are there any popular arcades or restaurants that people frequent?
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