Transcript of the above video: 

I thought of making this video after a confluence of things happened directly before the making of this video. One was I actually saw a clip from an American in Thailand's channel - link in the description below - where he is talking about how basically burning out if you will or losing it in Thailand is a bad deal. I have watched him over the years kind of off and on. I don't really follow - a lot of people think this is odd - but I really don't follow any or much of sort of YouTuber content pertaining to Thailand specifically. Frankly I do enough of it on here; that's not really what I go on to YouTube to do. That said, there ones, there are guys that will pop up, and I have seen him before and he has got some good insights frankly; he's always had kind of an interesting channel, and he has got a point there. Thailand is one of the freest places on Earth and it leads to a situation that if you burn out here, if you spiral out of control here, you're in a real bad place and there is no safety net is I think more the message of that video he did than anything and I think that is very apropos. I think it is important, especially for a lot of these new folks that are coming out here to understand and again, this brings me to the confluence of events. 

So I saw that, then at the same time I was doing a consult with a client - I don't think it's going to be a client that ever uses us in the future - because frankly this person, and I don't hold any ill will, I really don't, I'm not making this video for that, I'm doing this for the teaching point, but this person's sort of an attitude about Immigration matters is one that new folks, especially if you are looking to become an expat, you have got to get your head wrapped around the idea that look the Immigration System is what it is. And the reason I bring that up and the reason for the thumbnail which again is another confluence of things because it is from the scene in PCU the movie PCU with Jeremy Piven and Jon Favreau from the scene where he says, "you're wearing the shirt of the band you are going to go see? Don't be that guy." It's kind of a funny little moment, but the reason the sort of "that guy" thing came up in all this was I was talking to this person on the phone and I was saying, look this is basically the strategy for when you want to come over here and immigrate which is - basically this person wants to be able to, and I quote, well I won't quote anybody - but basically be able to come and go from Thailand as they please, but they still have to deal with the Visa system. This is a classic, it's almost like a mental block expats have to get through if you will, that look, Immigration is what it is. Thailand isn't your country. You are not going to be able to go into and come out of a place that is not your country “as you please”, in an unfettered way. That's just not an presumption that is reasonable to make. 

Now could Thailand make things easier, better, more efficient blah blah? Those are all questions that heck I dived into that on this channel for almost 10 years now. But again, the point is, I was sitting there saying, "hey, if you decide to come back, let us know a month in advance and we can make arrangements for you based on the prevailing circumstances of Immigration at that time." Which is not always our advice but in this person's circumstances, they didn't need something instantly. They are trying to come up, again they want to come and go as they please. Well you still have to deal with Immigration. You're not a Thai and therefore Immigration is just mandatory; it is something you have to deal with. And I said, look, this can be planned out about a month in advance and this person said, "oh, I'm not that guy; I just want to come tomorrow if I want to come." Well great, you can be that guy, and you are going to have problems with Immigration. Again, I don't hold any ill will, this person, they are not even exactly unreasonable; they are just unseasoned in being an expat. That's basically what it comes down to, and getting one's mind wrapped around just the ever-present, ubiquitous, almost monolithic nature if you will of Immigration is really the first step on being an expat, because it's just something we all have to deal with. 

Now there is in the sort of Saving Private Ryan when sort of Tom Hanks is sitting there and he says, "the only way out of this is going through it." Yeah, I've sort of been through the whole system and come out the other side, and yes it can get more pleasant and obviously I prefer being a Thai because yeah, I can effectively come and go as I please from Thailand in the aftermath of that. But that was eleven years of dealing with the Immigration system which again was ubiquitous and a constant thing I had to keep up with. Not saying I like it, not saying anything. It's just again it's the notion of this "that guy" insofar as one of the biggest moves that can cause you to spiral out a control here in Thailand insofar as your status, is Immigration, so what An American in Thailand brings up in his channel, it also has pertinent relevance for Immigration because again, all of this stuff sort of winds together if you will or binds together to create your expat life here. So not only burning out in sort of a personal context or whatever, is a problem here, but burning out in terms of Immigration can be a problem too. You can't have that mentality in Thailand that "well, I just want it to be my way, and it should be like this etc." I get it. I really do. I've been there. I don't particularly love that the system is what it is sometimes, but there are some baseline things that one has to understand when they are moving to a foreign country and dealing with Immigration matters is just going to be one of those things.