MIA

Thai food is loved and appreciated worldwide! Just like Thai food, Thai desserts are delicious and popular too. They look tempting, colourful, and delicious! Ummm…!! Do you know most Thai sweets are made using five basic ingredients -- coconut flesh, coconut cream, palm sugar, rice flour, and eggs? When in Thailand, you must try the sweets listed below: - thong yot (sweet egg yolk drop) - thong yip (sweet egg yolk cup) - kluai buat chi (banana in coconut cream) - kluai chueam (banana in syrup and coconut cream) - met khanun (mung bean flour coated with sweet egg yolk) - foi thong (sweet shredded egg yolk) - sangkhaya (egg custard) - tako (jelly with coconut cream) - fakthong buat (pumpkin in coconut cream) - lukchup (fruit-shape desserts made of mung-bean flour with natural coloring) Thai sweets are for sale everywhere ranging from sidewalk stalls, markets, and small shops to department stores. I am sure some of them would become your favourites forever!

Can a non-Thai buy a house in Thailand? A friend of mine, who has got married to a Thai girl two years back, is planning to buy a house in Thailand. He asked for my advice. I think, he cannot buy a house in his name. He can either buy it on his Thai wife’s name or buy it through his company. Someone told me that he can take a long-term lease with an option to renew it. What’s the term of the lease? I heard foreigners can buy a condominium a condo in a building? Is that true? Please let me know your views.

Tips on learning Thai language Thailand boasts of a beautiful culture and friendly people. Many of us want to learn Thai language in order to come close to Thai culture. But, is there a quick way to learn Thai? Should you buy some English-Thai language books to learn Thai? Or, should you buy Thai language CDs/DVDs to master this language? Here are some tips to help you learn Thai language: • Internet is the easiest and fastest way to learn Thai language. There are numerous websites available that can offer you Thai language resources. • Buy CDs, books and enrol to Thai teaching websites. • Make some online friends in Thailand, who can help you learn this language fast. • How about hiring a good Thai teacher back home, who can guide you, correct you, and encourage you to use Thai language in real-life situations? • Try a language school to learn Thai language. • Another useful tip! Just learn 10 new words everyday for a period of 6 months, and keep rehearsing them. This way, you can increase your knowledge base and improve your skills too.

Some interesting facts about Thailand • Thailand has been ranked as 84th least corrupted country in the world according to the 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International. • Thailand was known as Siam until 1949, and it was later changed to Thailand. • The country was never colonised, and thus the country retains its culture and religion. • According to a 2008 survey, country’s population is around 65 million • Thailand is world’s 49th largest country, which is larger than California state of US • The country spends a good portion of its money on importing fuel. Thailand imported the furl worth US$18.5 billion this year. • The country is getting extremely popular as a medical tourism destination. The country earned 36.4 billion baht (US$1 billion) in the year 2006. • Thailand's Board of Investment (BoI) offers numerous incentives in order to promote foreign investment in the country. • Thai people don’t like anyone touching their head. This is governed by a belief that a person’s soul resides in head. So, you should never touch a Thai on the head.

You have just won over the heart of a lovely Thai woman. What next? If you have tried English and it doesn't seem to work, what other way you can try to express your love for her. How about telling her that you find her extremely beautiful and sexy? ;-) How can you impress your Thai woman so that you can retain her love forever? Here's the help. We all know that Thai language is difficult for Americans, but this doesn't stop you from reciting some useful Thai phrases, which can help you a lot while dating a Thai woman. Listed below are some important phrases that will help you impress your Thai love and also tell her how special she is: => tee rak - sweetheart or darling => khun suay mak - You are very beautiful => khun na-ruk mak - You are very cute => khun chorp pom reu blao - Do you like me? (For yes she will say “chorp†and for no she will say “mai chorp“) => chan rak khun - I love you => pom kit teung khun - I miss you => khun mee faen reu yung - Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend? (For yes, she will say “mee†and for no “mai mee“) => joop dai mai - Can I kiss you? => khun keu yot ruk kong pom - You are my sweetheart Watch this space for more useful phrases and tips. Afterall, the language should not be a barrier when it comes to express your love for your Thai girlfriend.

I visited Thailand last year in the month of October, and was invited by my friend to witness the annual Buffalo race in Chonburi town. I could not resist the temptation to see how a domesticated buffalo would assume the role of a celebrity. This amazing event was also covered by CNN and BBC news channels. Before the races begin, I met the owner of the buffaloes. They all looked so much prepared and serious about the event. Then, begins the race! These bulky animals ran at an alarming speed and the crowd went mad while roaring in support of their favourites. The excitement was anyhow short of a horse race. The fun and excitement did not end here! There were so many food stalls offering delicious Thai foods, snacks, and sweets. Take a small walk and you can witness concerts of folk music and an interesting beauty contest for winning the honour of being Miss Buffalo. There are plenty of photo opportunities to capture for an amateur photographer. With October just round the corner, it is certainly a good idea to travel to Chonburi when you go to Thailand.

Why should you date Thai women? My male friends in America love the thought of dating Thai women. Why? Pretty simple! Thai women love to serve their men, which makes them more sexy and desirable. Thai women are believed to be very obedient and loyal to their men. No wonder, many westerners love the thought of being with Thai women, day in and day out. Unlike American dames, who despise even the thought of serving their men, Thai women love to take special care of their men and ensure that he is happy and contented. Thai women are delicate, petite, and feminine. They follow a set routine, hence they are in shape. They look nice and possess many feminine qualities, which can not be found in most Western women. These qualities never fail to impress men and some men prefer these qualities more than their looks. Daniel-my friend, who got married to a Thai girl two years back, seems quite happy with his decision. His wife is a simple lady who knows how to please her man. She has all those qualities, which you just cannot expect from a woman in the West. No wonder, so many western fellows are dating Thai girls, and love it too.

Exploring Thai Cooking Methods Umm!! Thai cuisine- is certainly world’s best cuisine! It has a unique blend of spices, which makes it so desirable, so impressive! Do you know that Thai food owes it distinct flavour to a major typical method of cooking i.e. grilling? Maybe Thailand has a huge abundance of natural wood, which can be comfortably used for cooking food. Therefore, Thai people grill everything ranging from meats to fresh seafood. The grilled food is normally eaten with dips or 'Nam Phrik'. Yam is another popular method of cooking in Thailand. It actually refers to a type of healthy salad, which is made using salty seasoning such as fish sauce, lemon juice, chili, garlic and shallot. Unlike its western counterpart, Thai dressing contains zero fat. Do you know this salad is used to create several interesting dishes such as pork salad, papaya salad, shrimp salad, beef salad and whatever you can think of? Yam is yummy, healthy, and delightful. So, try it next time you go to a Thai restaurant. Then, boiling is another method of cooking method widely used in Thailand. Earlier, Thai people used clay pots to boil food, cook rice, and make various delicious soups. I still remember the unique aroma and taste of 'Tom Yam Goong,' which is cooked by using boiling method. My analysis says that Thais like good food, and it is evident in the ways they cook. Thailand is fondly called as the nation of eaters. The country has many tempting delicacies to offer, which are made using various ingredients and taste combinations.

Looking for a teaching option in Thailand? Well, I must say there is a huge scope for English teachers in Thailand. There are many kinds of teaching options available for English teachers. You can teach children in schools, or teach business English classes, and TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS preparation classes. A large majority of teaching jobs involve teaching children at schools. There are numerous job options available with Thai government schools, bilingual schools, and international schools. Depending upon the option you choose, you can expect the salary from 25,000 baht per month (government schools) to over 100,000 baht per month at international schools. While government schools in Thailand require you to hold a university degree along with relevant work experience, many private schools accept any Westerner with our without a university degree. If you are looking for a high-class lifestyle, you should plan to join either a bilingual or an international school. However, you must possess a university degree, one to two year’s teaching experience and preferably a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. If you fulfil all these conditions, you can expect around 50,000 to 100,000 baht salary every month. Those, who do not have a university degree and relevant teaching experience, can consider joining a language school. A large number of Thai parents enrol their children for weekend or evening language classes. As far as the salary package is concerned, you can expect anywhere between 400 to 700 baht per hour, but no surety of getting consistent work. If you are looking for extra income, you can join a language school along with your full time job. Many Thai students and business executives enrol themselves at a language school to prepare for TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS exams to study at foreign universities or learn English language to enhance their job skills. Many language schools have ongoing requirement for language teachers and are ready to hire Western teachers. These classes will be on a part-time basis and be in the evenings or on weekends. Pay scales will range between 300 and 700 baht an hour (only the lower level language schools pay 300 baht an hour and only the unqualified, inexperienced teachers accept that low of a salary). Teaching these classes is usually really fun though, because the students really want to be there and want to learn. Most language schools require a university degree in order to be able to teach these courses, and some do also require experience in teaching TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS preparation classes. Teaching Corporate/Business English - This is usually the most lucrative teaching opportunity but jobs are more difficult to get. Many language schools and agents need Western teachers to teach in-house Business English classes at companies all over Bangkok. These courses will run for around 10 weeks and pay between 400 and 800 baht an hour (the good agents don't pay less than 600 baht an hour). These classes themselves are fun to teach as, again, the students usually want to learn, and preparation time for classes is quite easy. However, they are short-term contracts and class cancellations can happen often as work at the company takes precedence over English classes. There are also full-time opportunities at corporations but these jobs are few and far between. I currently work at one of these full-time corporate jobs and salary and benefits are excellent, as are my students. It has however taken me almost five years to get a job like this as most companies don't want to spend the money necessary to have a full-time in-house Business English instructor. These jobs all require verifiable university degrees, TEFL certification and usually at least three years experience. These are the four main opportunities for teaching English in Thailand. There are other opportunities but around 90% of the jobs will fall under one of these categories. All have positives, all have negatives, but if you're careful about choosing a job and don't jump at the first job offer you get, there are many teaching opportunities in Thailand so you could end up with a great job.