Am I lucky or not with my Thai in-laws?
Let's do some research. Marrying my lovely wife Nattawan, popularly known as Puii (and Ele by me, but that aside) was a completely voluntary choice and I have not regretted it to this day.
She has a penchant for cooking and ran her own restaurant for a while, but her expertise is building. She studied architecture and it is special to see how she manages to deliver a construction job from start to finish with the desired result with the often unskilled and undisciplined staff here in the east.
At the beginning of the year, for example, she delivered a house to a Swedish man living here in Ubon, after which she was commissioned to build a second house, and this is progressing steadily. In between she is in charge of building office space for a local electricity company and because that is not enough she also does remote consultation. An American couple has had a house built here that is leaking from all sides, and it is up to Puii to solve this. But that will be fine, she says, specialty of the house.
Of course I take the opportunity to make some subtle advertising: if you have building plans in the Ubon Ratchathani area and are looking for a skilled English-speaking consultant / structural engineer, feel free to contact: [email protected]
Okay, then the rest of the family and let's start with Plak, the youngest member of the family. Plak is a quiet young man who seems to have been a gifted golf talent in his younger years. He has now stopped doing that and when he heard that I thought it would be fun to hit a ball now and then, he brought me his complete golf equipment, he didn't do anything with it himself anyway. He has 3 sons from a, let's put it that way, not too smooth previous relationship. At the moment he is happy with his new girlfriend Som and together they are building a house here in the city, of course under the supervision of his big sister Puii.
Then we have May, Puii's younger sister. A cheerful young lady who is newly married to Toy, a cheerful young man with whom I get on very well. This is convenient as he is the first assistant to a senior governance officer. This seems to have its advantages in Thailand. When you want to get something done at official bodies, this is always a lot easier when Toy is there. For example, opening a bank account and getting my driver's license was a piece of cake.
Recently Som's father had borrowed my parents-in-law's car and caused a major accident, he had crashed into the back of a truck and miraculously escaped unscathed. However, a substantial complaint was filed by the transport company. After Toy had come to take a closer look, the charges were withdrawn after an hour and the pieces could be collected together…
Last but not least, the head of the family: my in-laws. Two resourceful people who moved to Sisaket, about an hour away from us, at the beginning of this year. In the weekend they often come over for a night in their house next to us. Father-in-law retired from the PEA last year and is now busy with his electricity company during the week. At the weekend there is always something to do somewhere and if not, the car is subjected to a thorough wash.
Mother-in-law always makes sure she brings me something nice, at least that's the intention. We Europeans have a somewhat different taste than our Thai fellow man and in the beginning that was sometimes “biting through the sour apple”, luckily she knows better and better what she can or can't serve me. All well meant of course, just like she likes to learn to speak English. Because I take Thai lessons myself, we often find ourselves in the special situation that she speaks to me in English and I speak to her in Thai. You understand that that doesn't work for a meter, although in the end we often understand each other what it's about haha.
It's not all that exciting, but I think I got it pretty lucky...
Submitted by Bas Kempink
Nice to read. And you read it not nice, but excellent! I think quite a few people would want to trade places with you 🙂
More than hit. A clean family to love. 🙂
Looks like you've hit it off really well.
It is of course also important what you want from it.
My wife is very poorly educated, the family is downright untrustworthy, drunk and lazy.
But and the most important always comes after the but.
We have the same passion, which is to travel.
3 countries outside Europe per year is no exception.
I know several highly educated Thai people with good jobs, but I wouldn't want to have a relationship with them.
Too boring for me.
It's just what makes you happy!
My wife (we married in 1988) is also called Pui and has a degree in commercial sciences.
I think a certain education is important to understand each other better.
Our marriage is still based on mutual respect and trust, which first developed a lasting friendship and then love.
It was my second marriage and after a painful divorce in my own country I really didn't feel the need for a new marriage, but when we first lived together and I found that Pui took more care of my finances than I did myself, I thought I'd marry her in fairness had to ask and I can still see the big smile on her face.
Unfortunately we could not have children.
Her father had passed away when I met her, but her mother has now turned 93.
I prefer not to write about her relatives except that my dear Pui and her mother are the only people I trust 100%
Magnificent!
Say hello to the nice special ordinary family!
Who knows, we might meet again here or there in Ubon.
And yes, what more could you want qwa beautiful family, I think it's hard to find better ..
Or of course like me .. where they don't stay in Thailand .. but then no mother-in-law to chat with or think to bring tasty things 🙂
Have fun!
I will do. And indeed, who knows!
Dear Bass,
You have a lottery ticket.
Enjoy your life in Ubon, where I also live half the year.
You are playing golf and maybe it would be fun to walk around together at Warim, Ubon airport or at the Sirindhorn Dam golf course?
My email address is known to the editors.
Greetings, Peer
Oh yes that's fine. Send me an email, my address is in the blog.
Nice story, I live with my Thai wife in the Netherlands, but when we visit my in-laws in Bangkok, we are really pampered and the in-laws always want to pay for everything. I have a pleasant relationship with father-in-law (only speaks English when he has had a drink) and with my mother-in-law (speaks better English than me). All in all, I like working with my parents-in-law and brother-in-law, I always feel welcome and at home.
I thought that the car that crashes into the back of another vehicle is usually at fault anyway.
Regards,
Jos
That's right, to clarify things: the truck was most unfortunate parked in a place where parking was not allowed at all. Let's just say that both were at fault and that without Toy's intervention Som's father-in-law would have had to pay for all the costs. Both are now taking care of their own damage.
It's not that Toy shows up for every trifle to take advantage of a situation at the expense of others, that's probably what you're referring to.
—- It's not that Toy shows up at every turn to take advantage of a situation at the expense of others, that's probably what you're referring to —-
No, that's not what I mean.
But if I read that text, Toy is the first assistant to a high-ranking governance officer, and does not show up for every little thing to take advantage of.
But he is available to open a driver's license or a bank account.
Honesty commands me to say that I ignore people like this.
Opening a bank account or getting a driver's license, we did that in the normal way, without help.
After my wife had an accident with the car, she called the insurance agent, who was there within 30 minutes and finished everything perfectly.
That's what I mean.
Regards,
jos k.
Hmm apparently I painted a wrong picture of the situation and hit a sensitive chord, apologies for that. I'm not a writer, just someone who occasionally submits a blog so don't take it too seriously haha.
I just arranged my bank account and driver's license through the normal way and Toy accompanied me out of helpfulness, after all we are family.
Less than an hour ago (and that's no joke) our parked car was hit by a car, everything neatly handled through the insurance. Can happen, no problem.
Toy is an extremely friendly and correct man who knows a lot about regulations because of his position and that can come in handy, especially for a "falang". That's kind of the point I wanted to make, hoping I explained it better that way...
Well Bas, thanks for the explanation.
I'm not a writer either! I'm trying to read for comprehension haha.
Toy simply has more knowledge of regulations.
A truck that was parked incorrectly was hit by your father-in-law.
Father-in-law would pay for all costs, but through the intervention of Toy, both parties accepted their own damage.
All fine, all possible in Thailand.
I'm not saying that Toy is a bad person!
To your question whether or not you are lucky with your in-laws…..
You can probably judge that yourself better than a random commenter.
Time will tell, they say.
Lots of fun.
Regards,
jos k.
Bas, you've done a great job, and don't be fooled by negative reactions, this is an old Dutch problem of just sticking your head above the parapet, or saying that you may be able to arrange something (too) smoothly because that is strictly prohibited. Typically Dutch, please close at the back!
Glad you found your way
Bas, boy, believe me, you've got it right. Enjoy and with your family.
Keep it like this.
I know many stories, which are not so rosy.
Few years back, Thailand, father gets into a fight with son-in-law, daughter helps her husband. Father shoots son-in-law AND daughter dead.
That Toy helps, isn't it great!? That Plak gives his golf sticks to you, isn't it great!?
They should play that song from the “Sheep with the 5 legs” a bit more, with Adele Bloemendaal and Leen Jongewaar: “we are on this world to help me, don't we” and live by it.
Unfortunately, twists in the brain sometimes force strange actions. Avoid and forget about them.
Nice story! Can't you write a blog more often?
Thank you, this is my third blog. There will probably be a fourth after…