[Agastya]

I'm considering spending half of my college career abroad, and the only option available for incoming sophomores is Bangkok's Thammasat University, where I can take courses on political science(which is closely aligned with my field of interest).

Anyone done anything like this and have any advice to share? The caveat is that I am of Indian descent; I'm not trying to IRT, but I've heard that Thais are pretty hostile towards Indians in general, largely because of the large numbers of Indian tourists who come over and act like obnoxious fucks. I'm sure Thailand would be lots of fun nonetheless(and doing this would build me a solid Thai social circle), but I'm wondering if my time might be better served simply staying at UCSB.

Thoughts/advice/opinions?

[Sp5]

I think you will be OK if you've got American-style confidence. You should do it, experience of a lifetime. Plenty of opportunities with fellow students, I'm sure.

That said, back in the spring I read an op-ed piece in the Bangkok Post by a Thai citizen of Indian descent. He was complaining about Thai prejudice towards Indians. He cited a Thai minister repeating a Thai saying "If you see a snake and an Indian, kill the Indian first."

[PoosyWrecker]

Huh?!?! You're passing up international travel to a Poosy Paradise and several nearby countries, the chance to meetup with members of the RVF in SEA, great food, cheap made to measure clothes, etc ... because you're scared they don't like Indians?

[Agastya]

(12-23-2013 08:46 PM)PoosyWrecker Wrote:  

Huh?!?! You're passing up international travel to a Poosy Paradise and several nearby countries, the chance to meetup with members of the RVF in SEA, great food, cheap made to measure clothes, etc ... because you're scared they don't like Indians?

I'm not passing anything up, I'm just asking if it'll be worth my time to go. I'm already going to school that essentially is a Poosy Paradise, I'm just wondering if it makes sense to study in a place that has a reputation for hostility towards people of my ethnicity. I have no legitimate knowledge of Thailand whatsoever; I'm basing my opinions off of hearsay. I'm just inquiring as to how true rumors of anti-Indian racism are in Thailand. Even if there is some racism, I have no doubt that I'll be able to pull and have a good time, but it might not be a good use of my time and money considering the fact that I'm already at UCSB, which is pretty much a goldmine for girls.

[WanderingSoul]

Been here for damn near two years. It's true that Thais do not like Indians. Thais are very prejudiced. They don't see you as an Indian from America, you will just be Indian. It is rare that I see a Indian guy with a Thai girl who isn't a hooker. The fob Indians destroyed it for you.

But who knows, maybe being a younger dude in university will give you a better experience than them? If I were you I'd come for one semester and test the waters. If it's good then stay longer.

UCSB is pretty great itself though. I lived in San Luis Obispo for s couple years and hit up IV for Halloween. Good times.

[Menace]

Agastya,

Provided that your degree is issued from UCSB, it might be worth it. Overall I'd say it's probably better to do it than not do it, and I suspect that the anti-Indian racism, while present, is not so overpowering that no girl is going to bang you. This is Thailand we're talking about. Most likely their distaste for Indians comes from IRT's on vacation from the motherland, who are likely uncultured, rude, and treat the girls like shit. If you can demonstrate that you are essentially "American" and dress better than the tourist slobs (trivial to do), then I think you should be ok. Of course this is pure speculation on my part w.r.t to their attitudes toward Indians.

Edit: well never mind my speculation, Rio is actually there and has seen it.

[WanderingSoul]

Bangkok actually has a very large population of Indians that have been here for generations. Many of then are very wealthy. I still don't see them with Thai women so often even though they speak Thai and were born here. I see them mostly with other Indian chicks. That may be due to pressure from their families to marry other Indians as well.

[Agastya]

(12-23-2013 09:33 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  

Bangkok actually has a very large population of Indians that have been here for generations. Many of then are very wealthy. I still don't see them with Thai women so often even though they speak Thai and were born here. I see them mostly with other Indian chicks. That may be due to pressure from their families to marry other Indians as well.

Thanks. Racism notwithstanding, I don't feel like it'll be substantially harder to pick up Thai girls than it would be for a white or black guy, though of course I could be wrong. Even if I get absolutely zero love from the Thai girls, there are still tons of other international students, expats, and tourists running around the city. I've hooked up with Scandinavian girls in UCSB, so I have little doubt that I'll be unable to do it in Bangkok. The African girls there should also be a solid option.

The girls aren't the issue, it's just the general level of friendliness I'll get from people. I really don't want to spend months in a place where people despise me just for the color of my skin, so is this actually a problem? Are people going to be flat out impolite wherever I go? Could I expect any violence? I'm around 6'2, decent looking, and in decent shape, if that makes any difference.

Also, Rio, how attractive/accessible are the Indian girls in Thailand?

[WanderingSoul]

I doubt you'll have any trouble with violence at all. Don't even worry about that. Most Thais will probably be polite to you as well if you are well dressed and polite, though I can't say for sure.

Indian girls in bkk are not so attractive, though some are hot. Accessible I'm not sure. Spoke with a couple at Q bar who were very receptive, but I don't kick it in spots often that have lots of Indian girls. I wouldn't know where to find many of them.

My personal thought is that it will be much more difficult to pick up decent girls here for an Indian or black guy, than it is for a white or Asian guy. People are sure to throw a fucking fit over that statement and call me a racist, but that's my honest belief. It isn't about me being a white guy and wanting to hide my "pussy paradise" from minorities, it's just my observations living in a class based society. Even as a white guy some girls are off limits because of the color of my skin, and some girls would love to fuck me, but would never let their friends find out because of the color of my skin.

If you're family is like a lot of Indian families in the west, I'm sure there are certain families your mom would love for you to marry their daughter, and other families where she would be embarrassed as fuck if you were dating their daughter. If that makes sense to you, that's similar to how I feel Thailand is in regards to social status and class.

With that said, maybe a young, tall, good liking American Indian could do well here. I really don't know, I've never seen any. My personal advice is come for one semester and see how you like it. If it's great, then awesome. If not, UCSB isn't a bad fallback spot hah.

[Homo_Sapien]

I work with two British-Indian colleagues here in Bangkok, one who prefers laying pipe inside the abundance of female tourists and expats in Bangkok, and another with a stunning Thai university student girlfriend.

I haven't spoken with them at length regarding their experiences with Thai women but I'd imagine that while racism is certainly more evident here than other societies (my girlfriend despises Arabs for no logical reason), it likely wouldn't be a problem should you decide to live here for a semester.

One thing to keep in mind about Thammasat is that the main campus is about an hour north of central Bangkok, and if you were to commute from the city you'd need to travel through the area of Rangsit which, during peak hours especially, has a lot of traffic.

[dirtypurist]

Thais are prejudiced against Indians, however they only will express it behind your back, never to your face.

And there is one kind of Indians they ain't prejudiced against: rich Indians. In Bangkok, rich Indians are usually Sikhs with the turbans on their heads and I see once in a while Sikh dudes with pretty hi-class Thai girls.

So, as an Indian: be rich, don't be unrich.