I like to work with kids (I'm a primary school teacher) and I hate school (to make it short: I think education in the world is still in prehistory, adults do exactly what damage the potential of children, poor kids).

I like kids because they're close to their feelings and show them. When they laugh, they laugh, when they're sad, they are, when they love, they love and give everything. They're in the present intensively. I'm more than grown up now but the kid inside is still alive.

In my f**g French culture, you mustn't express your feelings (if you have!). In the culture I'm living in, it's so fake and repressed, specially the feelings you show. All my life, I felt apart because people are scared by spontaneity, be careful if you don't keep it inside.

When Thai women smile, they smile, when they dance, they dance (some of you know what I'm talking about, hehe), when they like, they show it, in the moment, here and now, at least the ones I met. I know there are many other sides, maybe not so beautiful, we're all humans, but this is real. I feel so free to be myself in Thailand, living that part I've got inside. I will never be able to thank enough this country and Thai people for the gift of life and light they gave me. (I don't know much about Thai men, I hope I'll be closer one day. But what I saw make me feel that a lot of them are like that also.)

Now I'm back in Mexico, feeling dead inside again, dreaming about my next journey to the land of my inside freedom.

Wow, very well written Sylvain!! I like sincerity myself and found alot in Thailand

correct about teachers, they can be the biggest killer of kids dreams. i know a few french people and they are a bit spontaenous but maybe that is cos they live in australia, not france. and i agree about thai people, maybe that is why its called "the land of smiles"

at least, that is what the advertising says LOL

bobby> I should have added that I find something of that in TF also, and not only in Thai women but also in white farang men... from NYC... if you see who I'm talking about

johnno> "but maybe that is cos they live in australia", yes ppl who choose to live abroad are not the average ppl, it's probably not by chance they stay there.

Add: generalisation are always stupid (kind of racism) if you forget that one person is not average ppl. I never shut or open my door to one person because of his origin ot whatever, I know him/her before. What I wrote are just my feelings.

They are nice French ppl, I hope I'm one he he

Very nicely put, Oneil. And you've touched on part of the reason I choose to live here in Thailand. Another important factor is that we are not stigmatized by the age factor nearly so much as in the West. Where else are you judged as a person, not catagorized by your age?

khun_lung> As an aussie friend in BKK (not a TFer) said to me: I feel free AND young here. He's in his sixties and has been married with a Thai woman more than 25 years younger for more than 10 years.

P'Oneil .. yeah u will back soon ..and we will have good Time again !! hehehehe

Nicha> I hope so. It's nice to have in mind