Free for 3 Days #expatlife

Water Heart

Free for 3 days

Balanced #expatlife

Part of my quest to find this balance started almost 20 years ago when I left the United States in search of something better.

You don't have to become an expat to find this balance Joe speaks of, but if your circumstances are right, it can be a major step towards it.

Get the Feeling of Isan #expatlife

The Khaan played by Sombat Simlah. The feeling of the northeast of Thailand and Laos. Like it?

The same juice in my novels.

How to Start a Farm in One Year #1: Black and Red Chickens #expatfarm

BLACK AND RED CHICKENS: 

an ESSAY about Permaculture Farm Life

This will not make much sense at first. But, when all of the essays are finished (12 in all) and posted on the blog you will know everything you need to know about how to start a farm in Isan or the Northeast of Thailand where land is cheap and many foreigners settle.

Some chapters will be step by step instructions and some more like essays (like this blog post). Hey, it's my blog and I have about 3 readers not including my mom. But, if you are careful you can learn a lot.

The crew from the city appeared with a backhoe to clear 3 meter strips along the canal running through the bottom of my farm in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. The drunken crew left me with several Eucalyptus trunks to chop, clean and mulch then carry 150 meters up a clay road to the cabin. 

We were trying to stay pure and did not use tractors.

    
About the same time a local farmer offered me 10 free Rhode Island Reds. They were old hens saved from the 2 year culling system at the local, ag university. But, I was resisting animals and most forms of capitalism,  except for fish, because I was keeping things simple and avoiding the duties of checking them every day, theft, and buying feed as I was not as productive as I had hoped, focusing more on earthworks and fruit trees which are long, long term.

     But, I had the logs and a good spot shaded by mature bamboo and a massive Japanese wattle. The spot at the end of the road was also the edge of zone 1 where an old compost pile left very active soil covered with 6 inches of leaves. Maybe it was time.

      The trunks are very hard wood and it is not necessary to use cement in the post holes. They will last 10 years- even in the wet/ dry tropics with just tamped, wet clay. An old rice barn torn down last year was providing scrap lumber for many projects- a bridge, mushroom house shelves, a hammock frame and now a chicken coop. Even the rusted zinc roof panels from the rice barn were good enough after 20 plus years. The old 2 by 6 boards could hold up the roof and frame the wire walls.

     Temperatures here are well over 100F so I appropriated a vinyl banner from the university dump. It just happened to match the width of the coop- blocking a good bit of morning sun. The west side was already shaded by the Wattle and the thorny bamboo which I also pruned and tossed into the fish pond. Thieves tangled their fishing nets and ran home empty handed.

    I covered the floor of the coop with more leaves and a dozen bushels of rice straw from that season's threshing. A neighbor brought 10 sacks of rice husks, free for anyone who would haul them away from the old rice mill. I hung the shop bought yellow feeder and watering jug from the rafter, then wired 2 locally woven egg baskets in to shady corners. These baskets used to be for sale at every village shop, but these past few years 7 Eleven showed up and the local crafts are fading. Something is missing from these plastic farm products. The colors of the handmade tools are rich with a certain glow and they smell right. I can't fully explain it.

     The old hens settled right in and scratched, pecked and spread the deep bedding in 1 night. They were good housekeepers and ravenous eaters. 3 year old hens are fine. They are happy and give us from 5 to 7 eggs a day- more than enough for my family of 4.

     The great benefit of active chickens is the compost under deep bedding. Keep 6 inches of anything, napier or lemon grass, rice husks, weeds, bamboo leaves, pigeon pea, for them to scratch and eat. Later, you can dig 4 inches of rich, dry compost out from under that mulch any time of year. I cleaned the whole coop once for fruit trees and filled 2, 80 gallon drums.

    A few other benefits worth mentioning are kids and kitchen scraps. The kids love to sit in the coop and pet the hens. They try to imitate that cooing sound. Just about every scrap from our family kitchen went to the coop, the worm bin or the fish pond. And the hens loved it. They huddled by the door in the morning and waited for their share. It seems to me as well, the lactic acid bacteria from the rice and other fermented scraps kept the microbial community active. The coop never smelled bad.

     But the year of red chickens ended badly when the mismanaged dam 50 kilometers upstream topped and flooded the whole region. I was underwater 21 days. The hens slept next to the door, and it isn't likely they had enough time to get to the perch. It isn't clear how high the water reached, but it is also not certain the perch was high enough.

     We recovered after 3 weeks of hard work, but the coop would be empty another 6 months. Several groups of volunteers came and went and encouraging me to find a new flock, but I was a little shy of the responsibility again and still in flood shock.

     Eventually though I would acquire 5 new hens and a rooster. Black boned chickens with bright white feathers from an old, permaculture farm the King of Thailand built 30 years ago. The chickens were bred by a local veterinarian to suit the wet dry hot climate. They came from a local, Sakon Nakhon chicken and a Jersey Giant. Even the meat is black. They named them, Phu Phan Song, after the mountain above us and from where I write to you today.

My Collection of Short Stories

    

    

   

    

    

You Never Even Dreamed #expatlife

https://internationalliving.com/author/esysak/

I Never Dreamed I Could Stop Worrying About Money

Max Davies still can’t believe the monthly fee for using the gym at the 4-star Hilton Hotel is only $63 a month. He can use the sauna, the pool, the weight room, the squash court, ping-pong tables, and a clean locker room scented with frangipani. Resort-quality amenities for locals. That’s one of the many benefits of retiring in Hua Hin. Local residents can take advantage of the struggling hotels during off season, which lasts most of the year.

Max, a retired San Francisco cop, has been living here about six years. At first, he was only visiting Thailand, cruising to the different beaches along the southern coast such as Khao Takiab and Cha-am and enjoying the fresh seafood, nightlife and relaxed day-to-day lifestyle. He had planned to go back to California and take up welding, but after a few weeks he could see that returning was an insane move.

Umbrella-laden section of Hua Hin beach in the center of town.

The cost of living was a major factor in his decision to stay in Thailand. His retirement package is about $3,000 a month. It is a whopping sum for Max’s lifestyle. He tells me, “I never dreamed I could stop worrying about money day to day. I do what I want, enjoy life, and money is just a tool I always have in my pocket.” He has no worries about scraping the bottom of his account in any situation or emergency.

Max is 53 years old, very fit with a tanned face and unruly, short grey hair. You can see he spends a lot of time outdoors. Dressing up for Max is jeans and a pressed tee shirt, which is fine for almost all of the restaurants around town. As far as clothes, Max recommends leaving most of them back home. “Shopping here is pretty much the same as in the States except for the lower prices.”

Quality of service is high. Max had a major root canal procedure for a little over $200 last month. The hospitals and medical services overall are excellent. But, Max recommends you do a little research on the doctor or dentist first. Not every medical school here is top-rate and you can get in a bit of trouble if you pick a disreputable doctor. Finding a good one isn’t difficult though. Just Google the person, look at where they graduated, where they have worked, make sure they speak English well, and check any reviews on major expat forums like Thaivisa.

Max also recommends you do not buy a condo or small house in a development. You are better off renting a place. At the low end that costs about $500 a month, and at the high end around $1,500 a month. Max rents on the lower end of the scale as he is single for now and he doesn’t need to be right on top of the beach. Some of the condominium complexes off the beaten path are old and a bit rickety, but it is fine with him. In fact, the older condos have a mysterious air, something like a good noir detective novel. After all, he was a cop for 20 years.

The best way you can get ready for a big move to Hua Hin or any other resort town in Thailand is to visit first. Plan a trip for two or three weeks and try to get away from the confined tourist areas once you are here. Do not stress. Culture shock is real and you will feel out of sorts, maybe even the whole time. No big deal. This is why you are moving! Do not bother with tourist attractions the tuk tuk drivers want you to visit. Instead, live like a local or at least like you are a local. What do you every day at home? Do it here. Get coffee, take a walk, read a good book, have a beer with friends.

Max divorced about six years before his retirement and he has remained single, which gives him a lot of freedom. Hua Hin fits his desire for a simple lifestyle near the beach. No condominium full of furniture, fancy coffee makers, or stacks of knick knacks. He likes to be outside. Khao Takiab beach is just a 10-minute walk from his condo. Every morning he walks there then takes a short jog on the sand. He uses this time to reflect on his life, his two grown daughters, and a book he has always wanted to write. Most of all, he reminds himself retiring in Hua Hin was one of the best decisions he ever made.

***Thank you, Declan.

You will Teach in Bangkok and Beyond #expatlife

This interview appeared on www.ajarn.com. The website is a fabulous resource and Phil deserves all of the praise he can stand...

Ask me any questions you'd like about becoming an expat, teaching in Thailand, jobs, money, culture, etc...I enjoy sharing my experiences. I won't post your name or location.

Erich R. Sysak

27th May 2018

Erich R. Sysak has lived in Thailand for almost two decades. He's got many years of English teaching experience under his belt but he's also written several Thai-themed novels and developed a permaculture farm in Isaan. Now this guy really does sound like an interesting fellow.

Q

Erich, welcome to the Ajarn hot seat. You are originally from New Orleans, USA but I noticed your Amazon profile says you 'wandered the Southern United States for much of your adult life'. Wandering around doing what exactly?

A

Thank you for the warm welcome, Phil and ajarn.com readers.

Long, long ago back in the states I stayed in college and grad school as long as possible to avoid real work. I was lucky to have a small stipend and tuition waiver from a teaching assistantship at Florida State. But, it wasn’t enough money. So, I wandered the estate sale shops, Goodwill and Salvation Army stores throughout the Southern US hunting antiques and rare books I could resell.

I priced rare books with old auction guides and a general knowledge of dates and categories that collectors wanted. For example, golf books before about 1945 or anything about old guns like the Kentucky Rifle, art books by certain publishers of high quality, and so on…This was a few years before the internet exploded and everyone became a picker.

Q

So what was the reason you chose Thailand? Had you checked out other countries in SE Asia as possible places to call home?

A

I was tired of academia and knew I had very little chance of landing a snug professor job in the States. So, I sent out feelers to many countries around Thailand such as Malaysia, Vietnam and China, even Russia and waited to see what happened.

The replies from a nice lady named Wachuree at a Rajabhat in Chachoengsao were inviting and detailed. I had zero idea what a Rajabhat was or what to expect, but I figured Bangkok was the center of the universe and I could put up with anything for a school year as I grew accustomed to life as an expat.

I came to Thailand instead of pursuing a PhD in English and it was the best decision I ever made. Now, many years later I have two sons and a wife and this is my home until the finish line appears. I’m 51 now and don’t see any shiny tape yet.

Q

I guess with an academic background back in the USA, you had pretty much the pick of the jobs?

A

Since moving to Thailand, yes, I’ve enjoyed a charmed life in terms of jobs. I really had no idea an English MA was candy here and feel very lucky. I studied English because I love reading, writing and sharing knowledge. But I would like to add that the 'for-profit language schools' seem to care more about certificates like CELTA than degrees in English.

Also, international schools for kids seem unimpressed by me, but I have never tried very hard to get a job teaching children. Kids take too much energy and I have two already. I prefer the university setting and write about it often in my novels.

Q

In a lengthy teaching career, you've earned good salaries at international universities and worked for standard government packages at Rajabhats. I'm taking a wild guess that you aren't driven by money?

A

I guess because it was easy for me to get teaching jobs I thought the money would always be there. It was foolish and I should have protected my career more carefully. I did not tend to a good relationship with a wonderful publisher out of Singapore, Monsoon Books, who published my first two novels in print. C’est la vie!

Q

What's the closest you've come to your dream teaching job?

A

Five years in Hua Hin and Cha am in a bungalow a short walk from the beach for 10k baht a month and a rickety old Honda motorcycle.

I taught classes with fully fluent students from all over the planet, teaching creative writing, research papers and modern literature. Crazy paycheck every month. A broken down campus full of strange, brilliant expat rogues. I loved it so much it became a novel - Water Heart.

Q

I always like to ask this question to teachers who have been here a long time. In what ways do you think the TEFl profession in Thailand has changed over the last 17 years?

A

Past few years I have met many Thai teachers who are aware of the hierarchy problems in the education system and are eager to tear it to pieces. They want students to get the respect they deserve, a real chunk of knowledge underneath that degree and a dose of truth.

There is talent, intelligence and money behind a growing trend toward better systems inspired by Montessori, Steiner and Finland recently. Even in my small town of Sakon Nakhon there are two Montessori-style schools. One inspired by the other. They are packed with applicants every year. Is the trend prevalent everywhere? Probably not. But, I am optimistic.

Also, I have noticed many teachers coming to the realization that phonemic awareness is the magic trick Thailand needs. So many Thai students know their ABC’s, but do they know the actual sounds the letters make and how to use their tongue, teeth, jaw, et al, to do it? We did a seminar a few months back with about 15 parents from our kid’s school and showed them phonemic YouTube videos. Most of the parents speak a little English, but struggle as per the norm. A few parents told us, 20 years of English classes and not 1 person showed us the sound of c is mostly /k/ or even what schwa is….and so it goes.

Q

You enjoy teaching but fair to say that writing is your first love?

A

Thanks to Gladwell, I know I am a maven or a person who enjoys sharing knowledge. Both teaching and writing offer me a healthy fix.

The major difference between the two: teaching can be laborious. 6 to 8 hours a day in class makes me tired just thinking about it. But, teaching is where they keep the silver and a good international university is an exciting stage to play.

Q

Tell us a little more about a few of the books you have written, starting with Stage V. It's a thriller right?

A

Thank you for asking. A marketing manager named Lawson Banks is diagnosed with terminal cancer and given one or two years to live if he has multiple surgeries, chemo, and swallows handfuls of drugs. And of course spends all of his money. Welcome to America, right?

Banks loses his house, his job, his security, everything except a life insurance policy. The first twist: viatication. I had no idea people actually bought life insurance policies with someone’s future death in mind, but apparently it started up big in the eighties as an unregulated investment for aggressive Wall Street bankers.

Banks cashes out his policy for less than half its value, 400,000 dollars, and moves to a beach in Thailand to live out his final days in paradise. Because of the huge difference in the cost of living between the US and Thailand, Banks settles into a nice beach house, finds a girl and really starts enjoying life. But that does not last. The investors back home need that policy to pay and are willing to do anything…So it begins. The book is here for those who want to check it out further https://amzn.to/2LAENcT

Q

'Water Heart' sounds as though it's based around the expat teaching profession?

A

Yes, Water Heart is my favorite novel of the bunch because it is my homage to the great John LeCarre. But, don’t compare, please…the title comes from the Thai phrase, 'nam jai' which basically means generosity, thinking of others, etc. The main character, an expat academic named Bonner, goes on a journey to find a missing grad student as an act of kindness.

I was always hoping a powerful influencer would drop an act of kindness on me and promote the book a little! It enjoyed very good reviews when it came out and has been selling a few copies every month for many years. But, I kind of disappeared from social view soon after it was published and am just now breaking water on Earth again. More on that later?

Q

Finally, you contributed to a book called 'The Best of Asian Erotica'. Perhaps I shouldn't ask if this draws on personal experience but are you an aficionado of Asia's seedier side?

A

I just have one short story in that book along with Stephen Leather, John Burdett and many other great writers. My agent at the time, Richard Lord, asked me to contribute and frankly, I had never written erotica in my life. I wrote a story about a fellow teacher while I was living on Phuket (a great year). He was an upscale monger and deserved a story of his own.

Q

For a good number of years, you've been running a permaculture farm in Isaan (NE Thailand). I'm a city boy Erich. You'll need to explain that to me.

A

An Australian named Bill Mollison wrote an amazing book in the seventies and coined the term, 'permaculture' from the words: permanent and culture. My wife and I bought three acres near our house and I commenced making a fool of myself. I have always been interested in plants, water and animals and just wanted to try developing a sustainable farm from the ground up, so to speak. I had spent most of my life in classrooms and it was time to play in the mud.

I could easily write another book about how to start a farm in Isaan and maybe I will one day. Needless to say, it was damn difficult. Three major factors became an unbeatable force. The first, people. Local villagers thought I was crazy and some even felt animosity, expressing it by stealing fish and trees, encroaching and other petty acts. It was also very difficult to find employees to help.

The second factor was money. Very slowly the costs went up and the earnings down. I could see that curve would never bend another way. The final factor: weather. three floods, a drought, and insanely hot days were taking their toll on my health and productivity. If you are rich and have infinite patience - have kids or a farm as your hobby.

Q

You also run an on-line blog called 'Expat Life'. What's the focus of that?

A

The blog is more for friends back home in the West who are into Thailand, but maybe only get here once in a while or plan something big in the future. I like to re-post articles that seem more like scenes from novels than real life.

I am trying to be more social in my late middle-age and hope to connect with readers who also enjoy the kinds of books I read and write - a bit of community building if you will. After all, we are a fortunate minority!

Q

Thanks for the chat Erich. You can check out Erich's Amazon page where you'll find all the books mentioned in the interview (at extremely reasonable prices I might add) and don't forget to pay a visit to the Expat Life blog.

A

Thank you so much, Phil, for this interview and also for keeping ajarn.com running. I have used it so many times to find a job, see who is hiring, read articles and interviews and just to enjoy the teacher talk. Thanks again!

Where all of my books, blogs and links meet: https://amzn.to/2GUUzvM

Hack the Dominance Hierarchy and Escape #expatlife

After graduate school (MA) I had 2 offers with teaching assistantships to join PhD programs in English. a PhD! Wow, right?  But, if you have not spent time in the world of American graduate schools you do not realize it is a miserable dead end. Social politics are dismal. Classes are redundant. Ego reigns supreme in the hallowed halls. I knew my chances of landing a great teaching job at a beautiful university were very slim. Even with a shiny PhD.

So I decided to leave the country. That's right, desert, abscond, emigrate, remove, depart!

It was the best decision I ever made.

Short Stories

My life changed dramatically in every way. Finding jobs was easy. Making money was easy. Meeting people, entering affluent social circles, free time, relaxation, peace of mind and a grand adventure all came within a few months. It is hard to believe. I know. I was just as surprised. The freedom and peace of mind helped me achieve many goals I had set for myself such as writing novels and stories, publishing and becoming a college professor.

So, why is it so utterly fabulous for westerners to move to Thailand?

The basic reason is very simple and the nuances are complex. Let's explore both.

People who move to Thailand enjoy a major promotion on the social dominance scale. This is true for men and women.

I want to emphasize this point. When you move to another country, particularly in the East, you shoot up the social hierarchy. You climb the ladder. Do not mistake this phenomenon with a personal desire to seek status. It is not the same. One is a natural condition of the move and the other is a created desire. You can do whatever you wish with your status reward. And more often than not the kind of person you truly are emerges for better or worse. Hopefully, if you are able and wise enough to make the move, do not waste it. Do something meaningful, something your children will be proud of.

Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson discuss Hierarchy

So, why do you get a promotion?

First, you are now, most likely, taller than average. The average height in America is: 177 cm. In SE Asia it is: 162 cm.  I am often the tallest man in a crowded room and I am only 180 cm. It is hard to describe the advantages these conditions convey. I can often move to the front of a line because a worker will speak to me first or deal with me in a special way because I am a foreigner.

Next is intelligence. No, you are not smarter than everyone, but you do have knowledge that is now unique. You speak English and you naturally understand western culture. The English language abroad is a form of power that grew from the early exploits of the British Empire. But, I will save that for class.

You are now popular. Not as popular as Korean boy bands, but that is another story.

The exotic theme continues with attractiveness. Your attractiveness to everyone increases not only because you are rising on the social dominance scale, but also because you physically look different than most others.

And your creativity blooms because your experience and knowledge is quite different. What you learned as a kid and experienced growing up, working, and living is now fresh and new to others.

There are many ways to climb the social dominance scale. Becoming an expat is just 1 of them.

Keep in mind you have to be able to pack up and leave the USA. If , for example, you have a family, well, you can't. This is why you see mostly young men and women here or older men closer to retirement.

We all know the stereotype of over the hill, pot bellied western men and bar girls. Well, it's true. There are a number of them here and the sex industry does exist. But, westerners tend to exaggerate the scope and where it actually started.

The Vietnam War spurned the creation of Patpong, Soi Cowboy and NaNa the notorious areas for sex tourism. Prostitution existed long before that and just about everywhere on the planet! And these famous areas are just 3 small streets compared to the size and culture of the entire country. The discussion here about dominance hierarchy is not about sex tourism, though that would be quite interesting to research.