I have many people ask me what is like being an American living in rural Isaan?
I moved here with my wife of 19 years Ying, that was always the plan.
I do not mind the rural life at all.
I can get along just fine without other foreigners, while many cannot.
It takes some getting adjusted to, but not too difficult.
It is very peaceful here with lots of farming and nature.
No traffic, no stress. I think that is the best thing.
We did build a new western house, so that kind of stands out here, but all in all, we live a life just like any of the locals.
In our village, there is nothing really to do.
No air conditioned restaurants, no stores, no malls and no movies.
Keep yourself busy by having many relatives around, working around the house and visiting local attractions like National Parks.
No one here speaks English.
The good news is if you cannot speak the Isaan Dialect of the Thai language, you never have to listen to other people’s problems!
Should try to learn enough to get around.
The cost is very cheap here and it you have no debt, it is easy to live on US $1,000 a month.
The average Thai farm worker here makes US $10 a day and manage to survive.
Rural Isaan is a place where people are up and about at 5 AM, then the streets roll up by 7 PM and there is nothing at all going on.
A typical day for mean involves getting up that early, going for a 5 mile walk, then sitting down for breakfast.
Then we make a collective decision what we want to do that day.
Being the only foreigner, I get a lot of attention.
I think people are fascinated foreigners would want to live in this rural an area.
I am well received and liked by all here which gives me faith in humanity.
We have a car and 2 trucks, so we can get out and around whenever we want to.
Because of that, I never feel board here.
It is a little over an hour to a city like Khon Kaen and Chaiyaphum, which can offer many things from the west.
We might go to the city once a month or so, so it isn’t like we are being deprived of anything.
Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Eat lots of Thai food which is very inexpensive here.
One of the hardest things to get adjusted to here is the poverty level.
The average income here is only US $2,000 per YEAR or less.
That means most people, including many relatives, are very poor.
I try to do what I can to help where I can.
I think with the lack of stress and other first world problems, I may live longer.
We will see.
But for now, I enjoy life here.
We can always jump in the car and visit a tourist spot or travel if we feel the need.