Single men from many countries all over the world, move to Thailand.
Each man has their own unique reason for moving to Thailand, and it is a different experience for each one.
For the single men that move to Thailand to find a girlfriend or wife, understand that the situation will change.
In the beginning, when you meet someone new, the world is your oyster.
The freshness of finding someone new and getting to know each other and exploring everything Thailand has to offer.
No matter the age, this can be one of the greatest experiences in a person’s life.
However, there may come a point where the 2 of you decide that you want to be together forever?
Here is where the situation can change.
It is very, very important in the dating stage to learn everything you can about your future partner. Everything!
At the very top of that list should be, if the 2 of you decide to spend the rest of your lives together, what are her expectations and needs? Very, very important.
While living in a condo during the dating phase may appear to be working out, she may have other ideas such as building a house or having kids?
It is extremely important for long term success that you do NOT smother her with only your expectations, but to understand hers.
Whatever her needs and expectations are, if you do not take the time to find out in the beginning, well, all I can say is that Thailand has a very high expat divorce rate.
Thailand is a unique place when it comes to relationships.
It is not love at first sight like you see in the movies or in the west.
There are more trade-offs in relationships here than anywhere in the world.
Whether it be financial status, age, fitness, beauty or others.
2 People that decide on each other are going to have to make trade-offs.
Let’s face it. Thailand is easy to find a beautiful woman and the ease of that is SHE is willing to make trade-offs to have her needs met.
If you are familiar with Thai Soap Opera’s, all the men are super model good-looking and rich. Thai girls are programmed with these shows from an early age, but 99.9% realize they are never going to find a guy like that. So they trade-off.
Sometimes when you see mismatched couples according to western standards, you ask yourself why?
And from the ladies we hear, he is a very good man, he is very good to me, he is very generous, he loves my family… all things that are important enough to her to trade what she wishes (rich, super-model guy) for someone that can meet her needs.
Money may buy a young woman, but if he is not nice and does not understand her need’s and what is important to her, it is never going to last.
The situation will change and it will be very painful.
When you see foreigners married to Thai’s for 15+ years or longer, you often hear the same common denominators from women that are super beautiful and in the west could have had anyone.
Trading their slim figure and beauty for a good man, a decent man, a generous man that will take care of her.
If you read the post “Growing Up Isaan”, I was one of those girls myself.
I grew up dirt poor in rural Isaan and would have been faced with a lifetime of poverty.
Getting married to an expat gave me a life I never could have dreamed of.
I was fortunate my husband took the time to learn about me and want to take care of me.
15 years later, he is still the best thing that will ever happen in my life.