[RagnarLothbrok]

edit

[Turkish Republican]

Hands fucking down Bangkok. Seoul is a very tough nut to crack, conservative culture. Taipei is also very good but the cost of living is much higher than Bangkok. You will have no problem getting plenty of bangs in Taipei, just attend the language exchange meetups. But as a student with 1400 usd, you can live like a baller in Bangkok and frequently have your own table at clubs. In Taipei you need a much higher budget if you want to roll like a baller.

[Suits]

(09-15-2015 12:41 PM)Dipar Wrote:  

- should be able to hold longer conversations in the local language after 6 months (how easy is it to learn Korean, Chinese, Japanese compared to Thai?)

Thai is about half as difficult as Korean, Chinese and Japanese.

The Big Three (K, C, and J) take about 2200 classroom hours to learn (if we are talking strictly classroom hours), while Thai requires only 1100 classroom hours.

(09-15-2015 12:41 PM)Dipar Wrote:  

My budget will be around 1400 USD per month (maybe more if I get a scholarship). I have already spent a few months in Bangkok and I am pretty familiar with the city and Thai culture. I can also speak a bit Thai and don't find it too hard to learn the language. If i choose Bangkok I am 100% sure I will have a great time there. I already have friends in Bangkok who are also studying at Chula and I know how to get a good apartment and set myself up for everything. So basically the integration phase will be non-existent for me. I will be able to bang lots of girls and I am confident to break into the social circles that will give me real quality women sooner or later. However, there is something inside me that wants to explore a new city and culture. I feel like I need to step out of my comfort zone to grow as a person. That is where Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul come into play. But I am not sure how those cities match my criteria. I haven't been to any of them yet, so I am seeking help on RVF. In the end i don't want to regret having picked a city that doesn't suit me.

Taipei should be your best bang for your buck when compared to Seoul and Tokyo. Tokyo is very expensive and in Korea, the women are very masculine and unattractive.

(09-15-2015 12:41 PM)Dipar Wrote:  

The language - is it possible to learn Mandarin, Korean or Japanese in 6 months if i put in the effort?

Not a chance.

[RagnarLothbrok]

Ok so it will be either Bangkok or Taipei. Time to start reading the Taipei thread from the beginning to the end. Turkish Republican said the cost of living is much higher in Taipei than in Bangkok. What numbers are we talking here?

[Deluge]

Keep in mind as an exchange student you will predominantely be meeting, socializing and fucking other exchange students, especially if you live with other exchanges which I recommend since they'll also be eager to make new friends and go out a lot. Living with locals may be more of a cultural experience but also much more boring. The people you meet in the first few weeks and if you study in English have class with will be inevitably be exchange or international students, and hence your social circle for the rest of semester.

It's easy to meet local girls out gaming, but it's a lot more difficult to make proper local friends. What this means is you are going to learn a lot less of the local language then you think unless you already speak it and are doing your classes in it. Even less so with Asian languages.

[The Beast1]

OP,

Your criteria seems to be centered around meeting and gaming women. Yet we don't see any mention of this exchange program furthering your goals in either your degree or professional sphere which to be honest should be 100% the reason for going. Girls a close 2nd.

What's your degree and do you want to find an internship or business connections so you can more importantly come back after graduating?

[Vacancier Permanent]

Dipar,
Agreed with the Beast. How is this going to benefit you in your degree and professionally? Gotta think with the big head rather than the smaller one and the earlier, the better! Which country, culture and language is going to benefit you the most professionally and biz wise?

Have you thought about doing an exchange semester in say China (Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen/Guangzhou, Chengdu or Hangzhou among the major Chinese cities) or HKG/SGP? Now, these would boost your networking and career prospects like nowhere else on this planet!

Cost of living in BKK and Taipei are pretty much similar. However, there's no way "you will be living like a baller with your own table on 1400USD/month in BKK!".

Turkish Republican, how long ago and for how long were you in BKK that you got these kinds of prices there? in the 1980's or during the 97 Asian markets' crash?

[RagnarLothbrok]

@Deluge: For Bangkok I am planning to live alone or sharing a 2 BR apartment if I find a cool guy who is also an exchange student there. The things you said regarding my social circle are true. However, I definitely want to get a social circle of locals (preferably from the same university) as well. I also plan on taking classes to learn the language faster.

@TheBeast & VP: My exchange semester should have a good balance between having a great time with cool people and pursuing my career/study goals as well as improving other parts of my life. Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok for example offers a lot of courses that can be accredited and Bangkok is cheap enough to have a good lifestyle for 1400 USD. I don't need to live like a baller with my own table every week. As for networking I am sure that HKG/SGP/China are better than Bangkok. But they are also more expensive (I am not sure about the cost of living in the Chinese cities VP mentioned) which means that I won't be having the same lifestyle as in Bangkok or Taipei. What's more, at the moment I don't really see myself working in or with China in the future. Thailand however, is already in my heart and I would be more than glad if I could work in a job related to or maybe even in Thailand in the future. Thus, learning the language and networking in Bangkok for 6 months can definitely be useful. Especially because I can start off on the right foot since I am already familiar with everything. In other cities I would need at least a month to get used to the new environment and set myself up.

As I am writing this, I just realized that Bangkok will probably be the best thing for me and my future. Thanks to you guys. You made me ask myself the right questions.

[elcidcampeador]

Taipei is significantly more expensive than Bangkok, particularly housing. Same as Shanghai, although drinking is less expensive (but that's basically it). Mainland has so many cheap options out there that don't exist as much in Taipei.

[ElJefe1]

Bangkok......

[The Beast1]

That's good OP. I lived in LA for a semester and basically used it for 6 months of wanton debauchery. Honestly it was a complete waste of time and money. I carry this shame to this day.

Don't forget why you're there! Build connections so you can come back.

[Suits]

(09-17-2015 06:23 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

That's good OP. I lived in LA for a semester and basically used it for 6 months of wanton debauchery.

I'm honestly jealous.

[EinsteinsLaundry]

(09-15-2015 05:56 PM)Suits Wrote:  

Tokyo is very expensive and in Korea, the women are very masculine and unattractive.

I am sorry, but that is not true at all. Women are not masculine here in Korea, simply put.

[Suits]

(09-20-2015 11:47 PM)EinsteinsLaundry Wrote:  

(09-15-2015 05:56 PM)Suits Wrote:  

Tokyo is very expensive and in Korea, the women are very masculine and unattractive.

I am sorry, but that is not true at all. Women are not masculine here in Korea, simply put.

What men think Korean women look like:



What Korean women actually look like:

[The Beast1]

(09-18-2015 06:17 AM)Suits Wrote:  

(09-17-2015 06:23 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

That's good OP. I lived in LA for a semester and basically used it for 6 months of wanton debauchery.

I'm honestly jealous.

Honestly it was a great time. I met some cool dudes and partied hard. I only got two and a half notches (didn't get the last girl). It was a crazy haze to say the least.

However, the real reason I was there was to secure work post graduation. Not only did I fail to do that, my partying affected my studies and internship. To say the least, I became extremely apathetic.

I have a post on here where I call myself out more or less. I had some excellent connections in entertainment and completely f*cked it all up. To say that I am ashamed of my behavior in retrospect is an under statement.

Here's the post I mentioned:
thread-35825...#pid962015

OP, you remind me a lot of myself. I beseech you to take this trip seriously and do your best to make connections. You will be beating yourself up in a year if you just party hard and not put your heart and soul into your internship and studies. Because no one you meet then will help you come back.

Heed my post!

[RIslander]

Bangkok dude, Bangkok. You'll have a blast.

Beast above is right though.

[RagnarLothbrok]

Yeah. I think it helps that I already did a lot of partying and fucking around during my previous visits to Bangkok. So I won't be too tempted and I can focus on finding a quality girl, learning the language, making valuable connections and being successful with my studies.