Kickin' it with oldies or going to an Expats Meeting!

Since I got here, I have been trying to attend this blasted meeting :O) Brian and I are finally realizing we don't have much time left here and we need to get our Pattaya bucket list done!

Why haven't we gone already, you ask? It's been 8 months, you say....

Well, since we wake up everyday during the week at 6 a.m. - ish, it's hard to feel motivated enough to wake up early on a Sunday morning and zoom up to the north-side of the city. Plus, we usually forget :) Plus Plus, it's really hard to try to convenience Brian as to why we are going to this meeting in the first place AND I sure as hell don't drive in this town... are you crazy?!? Needless to say, "the bucket list" speech really helped get his foot out the door this morning :)

I would like to take this time to plug the Pattaya Ex-Pat newsletter. It's awesome. It keeps you up to date on all the happenings around the city and country. I read it every Friday before school and share my findings with my fellow teachers. I can't tell you how many times they have asked, "How do you know that?!" Oh yeah, it's like commercials for the New York Times selling you on the point that you too can be important, trendy, in the know, and get ahead in life! I'm in the loop with the Pattaya Ex-Pat newsletter.... how ridiculous does that sound... haha... only in Thailand.

Anyway, I get the newsletter via email every week and scan it for each Sunday's speaker. We have missed some good ones, but most of them are in regard to retirement visa's and medicare ;) I haven't seen a good speaker come through in a while. There was one a way back on the Laws of Attraction a.k.a. The Secret, but we slept in that day... oops. This is what I read this week...

"This Sunday, our guest speaker will be Karen M. Jones. She will be talking about treating the body really is about treating the mind. Karen will touch on some different vibration healing methods that are currently in favor and explain how they work. She says this will connect nicely with the presentation and work that Bruce Gordon has previously done on the Law of Attraction. Karen says we are all responsible for our own experiences. Every thought we think is creating our future. So do we create every illness in our body? Can we change our physical health simply by changing out thoughts and energy system? Come to Sunday's meeting and hear the answers."

It would at least appeal to Brian! That and "the bucket list" speech. He can't say no :)

So we woke up and made it there no problem. Traffic not an issue in the morning for a nightlife town. We hardly made it through the door without being greeted by "Hawaii Bob." Yes, he's from Hawaii and yes he is haole. Maybe he's Portuguese though because he has the gift of gab, but it works out for the club. Anyone who meets him is sure to have a nice introduction and experience with the Ex-Pats club - granted he can hear you. Poor man's a bit deaf and has a huge hearing aid in, but he makes light of this fact... so I'm not hatin'.

He gave us the brief walk through of the club and membership options. The meetings are free (They get to use a restaurant for free on the Amari Hotel grounds and ask that you buy the buffet at 200 Baht or at the bare minimum at least toast and coffee for 80 Baht. We opted for the 80 Baht. We're all about supporting things - plus free refills on DRIP coffee!!!!), but they encourage a yearly fee of 400 Baht to help with miscellaneous things. Not a high fee and I suppose if you do retire in Pattaya it would be no problem. However, Brian and I are not membership material. Perhaps if we were more active in the club and over the age of 60. Not like they would reject us... no no... they are very enthusiastic about everyone... Hell, I would do it just to get the card... show that puppy at every available moment... Oh, you need a picture ID? - BOO YAH! :)

I thought it cute that Hawaii Bob asked if we were retired. We usually get asked if we are married... but this was the first time we got retired (another "only in Thailand" moment)! We should have ran with it - made up a story. But at last, we weren't fast enough to take advantage of the situation. I'm sure nothing erks adults more than retired 20 year olds :) It even erks me! Haha... but I'm sure they see it at the club. I don't think his hearing aid allowed him to hear our rebuttals that we were mere teachers cause he said, "God Bless You - more power to you." Haha... then he went on to tell us about his 4,000 DVD collection that members are allowed to borrow... I love this guy! Definitively a change from the drab Englishmen... ooops, did I say that :)

*Warning Tangent Ahead*

This experience is suppose to teach you cultural awareness and appreciation. They also say its a great way to travel. Ha! The TESOL companies LIE! Whenever I get messages from people asking me about teaching, I tell them to think long and hard about what they want out of the experience haha... However, I think I was more tolerant before I left America. Maybe I'm just backwards (but I don't think so because Teacher Emily and Brian have gone from being happy go lucky cultural loving travelers to quizzical contemptuous creatures too!) I would like to say that there are always exceptions to the stereotype and I am open to finding those ;) *cough*... excuse me... something in my throat.  I would also like to say there is a BIG difference from visiting a country on vaca and actually living in one spot for a year. If I were lucky enough just to travel around and not have to work through it, I'm sure it would be a different experience entirely. We mark them up as learning experiences... or we at least tell ourselves that we learned something :)

*Warning full blown stereotypes coming at you. Read at your discretion and know humor is involved. I am not a complete Bia :) *

So what I've learned.... I can tell you Russia is off the list of places to go. I can't imagine a whole country full of those people. Australia is barely hanging in there - like see the reef and get the frick out of there. New Zealand is still all good. Props to New Zealand. I no longer find any kind of accent attractive - be that Irish, English, Scottish, Italian or Australian. They all crashed and burned and produce vile in my throat. Further more, I don't know how those accent's minus the Italian are allowed to teach English. I can't even understand them :) I don't know how England gets anything accomplished with all the complaining they do. I don't think Thai food will ever be the same to me. The entire country of Thailand never got the memo on the concept of, "THINKING." My dad could market his "Think" signs in this country. They really need it. I could go on and on, but I must regress. Jokes aside, we (Teacher Emily, Brian, and myself) thought that this experience if nothing else taught us to appreciate our own country more. With phrases like, "Thank God I went to school in America," uttered almost daily.

*End Tangent*

Anyway, on a more positive serious note here is Brian and me stuffing our faces at the meeting.

Brian enjoying the b-fast.

Mmm.

The speaker was interesting. I enjoyed learning more about Reiki. I can't say the majority of the club really appreciated her message. There was a lot of shaking of heads, slight laughs, and exits outside to socialize with the other folks not into the subject. One guy even leaned over and said to me, "Can you believe in America that insurance companies pay for this sh*t." Which was really particularly interesting to me because.... No, I didn't! But I appreciate that insurance companies would even allow their clients to try holistic medicine over their second income of pills being shoved down our throat for the latest ridiculous crazed ailment. I smiled and laughed. Gotta love trying to teach old dogs new tricks :) I mean that dig about teaching old dogs new tricks in no offense to our lovely parents who might be reading this :) Loooove you!!!!

The Meeting. Lots of peeps in attendance too!!!

I should have said earlier... during the introduction with Hawaii Bob... There are two ex-pat clubs in Pattaya. The one we went to is predominantly made up of Americans. The other one is predominantly made up of Europeans. They did not do that on purpose though given my recent tangent - I'm sure it would have happened naturally anyway. The clubs used to hold their meetings on different days and then you could attend both clubs. Now, they hold their meetings on the same day and are in competition with one another. Hahaha... not really, but they both want members...

My favorite part of the meeting was the open forum. You can ask any question to the seasoned ex-pats about living and getting around in Pattaya. I loved the 20 minute discussion on pharmaceutical drugs. YES! Definitely an oldie moment. Quintessential Ex-Pat experience! My ABSOLUTE favorite comment was about the lack of toilet paper in the restaurants bathrooms. YES!!!! YES!!!! Old people complaining... another quintessential Ex-Pat moment.

(I would like to note the difference between an English person complaining which drives me crazy and an American complaining : An English person would never haven gotten on the mike and tried to change the situation. Instead you would listen to them complain about it for the entire day. An American most definitely would get on the mike and oust the problem and demand change. It's in our blood. We see a problem - we want to fix it... not talk about it endlessly. I end this example by saying not everyone fits into the stereotype. Better to be a little "PC" in these times... gosh I miss the good ole' days. I can't believe I'm 25 and saying that :)

I would like to share with you the exact phrase the guy used to bring this matter to attention. Again, it made my day. "I would just like to say that for the past 3 weeks there has been no toilet paper in the bathrooms. They give you a "deuce-er" but no paper."

I can't believe Brian never came up with that term! I think he was a little bit jealous :)

Another person seconded his motion. A litter later it was confirmed that there was indeed two rolls of TP in the bathroom at the beginning of the meeting, so there must be a toilet paper thief among us. Haha. YES YES YES YES. Thank you Ex-Pat's club - You exceeded my expectations.

I would like to end with a quote from Brian. I must rely that the speaker talked a lot about chakras. More specifically, the chakras located in your genital areas. Whew, it was a good meeting!

Misty - "Brian you have to think positively. Your giving off negative energy."

Brian - "UUUUGGGGHHHH, I can't help that I have negative energy coming from my balls... my testicle chakra."

And that's why I love him folks. He might have been a little A.D.D. in the meeting, but he came out with the main points :)