Usually a countdown signifies moving from something not so good to something a better. Not the case in our situation. I, Thavorn, and Jaidan like Thailand, but for a variety of reasons it is time for a look see to see if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, or in our situation, the other side of the planet.
In Thailand, economics drives just about everything. It is why pretty girls and ladies work the bar industry, and lo-so folks stay lo-so and hi-so remain hi-so. It is also why we are going to Canada for 6 months.
I have been in Thailand for 10 years now, sometime full-time, sometimes part time. During that time I have seen the CDN dollar go fro 32 baht to the dollar to 23 baht to a dollar. I have effectively lost 33% of my purchasing power. Thais also adopted smart phones during that period and have become more economically aware and now charge more for their services. Wealthy Asians travelling to Thailand have also resulted in higher prices as they often pay too much for a service. Thailand is no longer the bargain it used to be.
The other driving economical force is life and health insurance. At 68 years of age I can't afford the $7,500 US for health insurance and forget life insurance. In Canada, I get free health insurance, topped up by my group insurance plan, as well as a guaranteed 10 year term life insurance plan at a reasonable cost. The kicker is I must live in Canada for 6 months a year. My group plan also covers myself and my family for out of country trips for 3 months at a time.
The biggest issue with 6 months in Canada and 6 months in Thailand is schooling for Jaidan. He is 4.5 years old now and we home school him. Sometime down the road we will put him in school and at that point we may move to 9 months in Canada and 3 months in Thailand. There is really no reason Thavorn can't spend an additional 3 months in Thailand to see her other 3 kids, mother, brother, and sister, not to mention her Thai friends.
However, first things first. This is a look see to see how Thavorn and Jaidan like Canada. Thavorn is intrigued by the idea of working in Canada. In Thailand she can make 110,000 baht a year and in Canada she can make 900,000 baht a year.
I anticipate that I will have lots to blog about with lots of pics. I will keep you informed of countdown activities (of which there are lots) and our departure .. then onto another new adventure!
TTYL
FYI, it's not greener...it's whiter! Going cross-country skiing today (3rd time this week). Yay, it's snowing again.
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