Domestic / cross cultural issues - Thai / Foreigner concerns

Are there any good marriages out there?

By terry, Created on: 20/04/2010, Last updated on: 25/09/2011

» The reason I started this post was to hear good stories of couples getting together. All of the bad things I have heard in Thailand I have seen here in the USA. I treat my wife very well but still now and then she goes over board on spending. As a family we go to to the Wat once a week. Maybe that...

• rickinfla commented : [quote="terry":31j9hawr]The reason I started this post was to hear good stories of couples getting together. All of the bad things I have heard in Thailand I have seen here in the USA. I treat my wife very well but still now and then she goes over board on spending. As a family we go to to the Wat once a week. Maybe that is the reason for a strong marriage.[/quote:31j9hawr] Hello everyone I am Rick I lived in Florida, I'm 38 my wife is 34. I feel I have a good Marriage with my wife, we just had our 1 year anniversary, we have not had too many fights mostly bickering about her driving. I think our situation is a little different from other men who have married Thai ladies, I have 2 friends here in Florida, one married an Au pair the other I think met similar to the way my wife and I met which was through the net. I was introduced to Ning from a friend who was friends with her online. My wife and I started chatting in2004 around the time of the Tsunami. We continued our courtship online until I saved up 2 years and went to Thailand Sept 2006 the day after the coup. I had planed to Stay but with all the visa rules and family problems I came home and did a K1 visa. I recommend K3 to any one considering to do the K1. I lived in Chonburi near Bang Sean University for 5 months and dated my wife, met her parents went to Maha Sarakham stayed with the family for a week, took a bath out side,ate things I would not normally eat . Now my wife has been in US for one year, she has a job we are saving to go do our Thai wedding. I did build a new house for her family with an inside bathroom and sit down toilet. I do send money home every month until we go do the wedding. All these things I did not really want to do but I understand the custom, I speak some Thai, I taught myself to count to 1000 and say greetings and good byes before I went to Thailand. I have tried to be open minded through this deal, I can see where people think how these women are money hungry but I did not want to leave her mom and dad living in a shack with no income because I married the daughter who was an assistant accounting manager for a Japanese company. I lived poor but never that poor. I think it helps to try to know the culture, to try and understand the customs, and be open minded. My wife and I are taking care of my mother who has diabetes, my niece who has had 2 heart transplants and I can not drive because I had a stroke at 23 and lost some of my peripheral vision. My wife is kind giving I do not have any question about her love for me nor do I have a worry of her cheating. I think immigration has given us so many hoops to jump through she would not want to do it again. I took the time to get to know my wife and know her values, I wanted a good woman and I found one. I was introduced to a Nurse at the same time but all she wanted to do was come to the US and work as a Nurse so she could make money. Ning only wanted to know about me and my family. I dated a Filipina a year before my wife and she ran me in 12 thousand dollars of debt, and cheated on me with her boss while I baby sat her kids. I did not take the time to know her like I did with my wife. This is my good story so far.

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