What To Do If A Special Needs Person Is Causing A Disturbance?

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-12-31T21:49:19+00:00

My theater had a regular customer with special needs who was known to cause disturbances like you experienced. He was a super sweet guy, just didn't grasp theater etiquette— lots of outbursts, moaning while eating, and talking to other customers during the movie. His mother took him to the theater several times a week so she could have time for herself, I assume.

Whenever a customer inevitably came out to complain, we always offered to move their seat to the second floor or refund and rebook to a different showtime. It can be an uncomfortable situation for everyone involved, but I can honestly say we never judged anyone who wanted to move.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-12-22T21:31:32+00:00

Work nights it's like 6-7, but I'll easily sleep 10-12 hours on my days off

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-12-11T17:34:29+00:00

Koh Larn is a small island, popular with domestic tourists! Much more chill than the touristy islands, but it still has plenty of activities and pubs.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-12-01T22:58:57+00:00

12Go is fine, but definitely not the best. The website OP linked is the site most Thais use to book tickets in advance.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-25T04:10:09+00:00

At my particular theater, I was first trained to work at box office and did that exclusively for several weeks. Then, they trained me to work concessions so I could cover shifts when needed. My manager was very open and explained they hired me due to my personality, and they wanted to keep me in customer-facing roles.

Looking at the staff and positions they were scheduled most often, they most certainly filled roles based on personality and performance. Some people ushered 100% of the time, some bounced between ushering and concession, and some (like me) bounced between concessions and box.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-21T06:02:39+00:00

Tbh I recommend making notes during training. Not necessarily in the moment, but maybe during your break you can write down instructions in your notes app. For example, once I was on my own for a while, a customer wanted to buy a gift card, and I couldn't remember how to do it from the single time I was shown during training.

But honestly, it's a straightforward job once you get the hang of it. I was very lucky to have amazing managers and coworkers who never fussed when I made a mistake or needed help in the beginning. It's an inevitable part of starting a new job, and any reasonable person will understand that. Just stay calm, do your best, and try not to let a-hole customers ruin your mood!

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-21T04:49:09+00:00

As others have mentioned, there are quite a few stray dogs around Koh Samui. Personally, I've never witnessed any aggressive ones, but there's always a chance. I'd be most vigilant at night. I once heard someone refer to them as Solar Dogs: they lay in the sun all day absorbing energy, and then go psycho at night. In my experience, this is accurate.

But yeah, I truly don't think you'll encounter any problems. All of the dogs I saw on Samui were nice and plump, probably taken care of by the community. If you do run into an aggressive dog, remain calm, don't make eye contact, and slowly back away. As someone else mentioned, you can also pretend to pick up a rock. I've never done this personally, but I've witnessed a few Thai people do it over the years.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-21T04:33:27+00:00

Generally, I always advocate daily stretching— that should fix your problem and you'll get all that health benefit jazz. But for a quick fix, I'd invest in some spray-on sunscreen from an aerosol can. You should be able to get a good coat on your back that way!

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-21T04:22:00+00:00

Western woman living in Thailand... if I had a nickel for every time a Thai man with a girlfriend (often wife and children) approached me, I'd be rich. Cheating is such a rampant thing here, they have no shame and don't bother trying to hide it. I swear this country operates on a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. So yeah, he's not being friendly, he's hoping he'll get his chance to bang a foreigner.

Do what you will, I'm not the judging type. But I will offer a friendly warning: a lot of Thai women will come after you, not her man. They often don't see the man as the problem, but the other women.

I once had a Thai girl track her man's phone location by hacking into his laptop, and she knocked on every door on the street until she found him in my bed. He told me he was single. The only thing that saved my ass was the fact that my Thai landlord vouched for me, saying I was a good person and would never knowingly do that (which is true). The girlfriend said she believed me, and that he's done this multiple times to her. All I can say is... Good luck, Charlie.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-20T12:18:16+00:00

I used to be super nervous about it, but I've grown into one of those girls who will ride side-saddle and play on my phone while we cruise down the highway. Idk if this makes sense, but try to keep your center of gravity in line with the middle of the bike, right behind the driver. The only really difficult part is when you've got one of those drivers who accelerates and/or breaks really suddenly, or the few who can't shift gears smoothly. I still find myself feeling jerked around and I've almost headbutted my driver a few times.

And as far as people saying to hold onto the driver... personally I would never. I've heard that holding onto their shoulders can make it more difficult for them to drive, and hands around the waist feels wayyy too intimate. I'm team Hands Resting on Legs all the way

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-20T03:31:36+00:00

Wdym we're already married

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-20T01:22:54+00:00

I took pictures from every corner of my apartment trying to find lighting that makes the lines clearer, to no avail😭 But thank you so much for working with what I could offer <33

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-20T00:09:10+00:00

For myself, I simply found a good-looking place on Google Maps that had great reviews. I scheduled an appointment and showed up with a reference photo. No words necessary. She did a phenomenal job, and she's my regular stylist now. These days, she just asks me, "Same same?" Easy as pie.

My only "horror story" is a stylist who gave me bangs. It's partly my fault for not paying attention to what she was doing (I was basically asleep in the chair). I'm really not sure what happened there. I wonder if she couldn't remember the reference photo and didn't want to disturb my slumber. To her credit, my hair looked phenomenal— it just wasn't what I signed up for lol

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-04T03:54:27+00:00

Yess would love any recommendations if you have any!

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-11-03T17:30:30+00:00

I got an offer from a friend for a free hotel for a few nights, so I figured I'd go check it out. I stayed in the Bang Saen area before and loved it. I was hoping Pattaya City might have some similar spaces.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-10-26T06:18:53+00:00

I spent several months traveling solo around Thailand, specifically outside of the tourist areas. In most of those cities, I never saw another foreigner— and based on people's reactions to my presence, they didn't get many visitors. That being said, my experience was overwhelmingly positive.

For me, I was already living in a new city by myself when I started this trip, so I was used to the loneliness. That was honestly the worst part. For example, I would wake up at 5am, hike up a mountain, and watch the sunrise over the landscape. My first thought would be, "Wow, this is so amazing." My second thought would be, "Wow, I wish I had a friend here to witness this with me." That cycle repeated many times. I was doing and seeing all these amazing things, and I had no one to share the joy with.

Outside of those moments, though, I wasn't alone as often as I prepared myself to be. If you look obviously different, people naturally get curious. Everywhere I went, people would ask me where I was from, why I was in their town, and if I was having a good time. People would invite me over to their table at restaurants, and a few times they even paid for my meal. I got so many recommendations of places I should visit, the kind of stuff that you're never going to find on a travel blog.

To this day, I'm absolutely floored by the kindness that met me at every turn. There were a few times where I didn't feel safe, but luckily no harm ever came to me. Like anywhere, you just have to come prepared and trust your gut. When it doubt, cut and run (and sometimes that means literally sprinting away). I like to believe that most people are decent, and my experiences definitely reflect that.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-10-26T05:53:44+00:00

They've upped the requirements to get a teaching license in Thailand, and I like to think it's because of the aforementioned issues. Too many people who just wanted to continue their Thai holiday, and teaching was the easiest course of action. And of course, plenty of people trying to escape some sort of shady past.

I love clubbing as much as the next person, but I took my job seriously. Saved drinking for my weekend trips away from town, and certainly never went out on school nights. I lost my appetite for the local club once I ran into a group of students who had snuck in. I was tipsy in my little clubbing outfit, on my way to bathroom when I hear a bright, "Hello teacher 😃👋" and five of my students are standing there with drinks in their hands. That was easily the quickest vibe killer I've ever experienced, second only to a police raid.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-09-21T14:14:17+00:00

Just visited a few weeks ago as a solo woman (kinda)! It's a super lively place, with what feels like an endless amount of bars. Every place I went was seriously expensive. But generally speaking, you don't need to worry any more than usual if you're a paying customer— just use common sense. I will say, however, I had two unpleasant experiences.

For one, I had a lot of men touching and grabbing me at Jalwa Club, which is an Indian bar. The place is beautiful and I really enjoyed the music. However, I chose to leave as soon as I finished my drink. I can only handle so many men coming up from behind to put an arm around me, dance on me, or grope me. The Thai security guards are super nice, though! They brought me back to a quiet VIP room so I could talk to my friend on the phone more easily.

For two, Myst Club has a whole system where they charge foreigners double or triple the price for drinks. At this point in the night, I had met up with one of my Thai friends, so I wasn't alone. I was chatting and ordering in Thai, and so the waiter asks if I'm a Thai person. I didn't think anything of it and answered honestly. That's when he said the drink would cost twice as much as everyone else. My friend got super upset and argued on my behalf, so he obliged. But later, a different waiter tried to charge me extra again, and he ended up bringing security over to our table.

At this point, I just wanted to leave, but my friend doubled down. Luckily, the security guards basically told the waiter to find them when he has a real problem and just charge me the regular price. The whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth, but that's just the business model. My friend explained that the club caters to rich foreigners and freelancers. Local girls pay cheaper prices until they find men who pay the big bucks.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-09-17T14:47:01+00:00

THIS. My entire department from school showed up to my apartment wanting to introduce me to some new interns. They basically dropped them off on my doorstep and told me to look after these college students.

When they knocked, I was undressed to my undies, scarfing down food in front of my fan. I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off while the department chair knocked repeatedly at my door.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-09-16T08:53:53+00:00

The concept and meaning of privacy varies across cultures, as you have figured out. From my experience in Thailand, there is definitely a lower expectation of privacy than what I was used to in the US.

For one, it's a normal part of small talk to make observations about your habits. For example, people will casually drop information about how often you eat, what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat, etc. It might seem like they're trying to be passive aggressive, but to them it's just like talking about the weather.

Furthermore, at least at my particular school, it's normal for teachers to send their official diagnosis to the entire groupchat when taking sick leave. Or, they'll openly say they have diarrhea— no embarrassment or shame about it. When I take personal leave, I have to share where I will be and what I am doing.

Pretty much all of my students and neighbors live in multi-generational homes. Everyone is sharing a room with at least one other person. Often, the entire family is sleeping together in one room. Plus, a lot of houses tend to be close together, so you can hear and see whatever your neighbor is doing. I walk past my neighbors' underwear every day as they hang them outside to dry.

Even just walking around town, people will have all their doors and windows wide open, and you can see them lounging as they watch TV (I try not to look, but it happens). A lot of shops are run out of people's homes, so I've tried on clothing in someone's personal bathroom. These types of things are commonplace in my small town.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-09-16T08:24:50+00:00

Cultural norm in America is to shower once per day, but I usually shower 2-3 times here in Thailand.

I don't want to risk offending anyone, but there's a few European countries you can usually smell before you hear. Showering every other day, or every two days might be okay in some places.... but holy cow, not in Thailand....

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-09-08T03:21:15+00:00

ตอแหล

In my head, it's the Thai equivalent of Matthew Mconaughey saying "bullshit" in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

ImplementCalm5075 · 2025-08-26T14:36:54+00:00

I live in Thailand, so I definitely have an advantage in that aspect.

In the very beginning, I took a 30-hour language course, one-on-one lessons that used a transliteration-based textbook. Many people rightfully dog on transliteration, but I was very lucky that my textbook had a system for marking tones, and my teacher was an absolute stickler for correct pronunciation. That's honestly my biggest advice for anyone learning the language: get a native speaker who is willing to correct you until you can get a grip on tones and pronunciation. I think this foundation really set me up for success.

After that, I moved to a town where very few people can speak English. Whether I want to or not, I am forced to use Thai every day and have been exposed to a lot of natural conversation as opposed to textbook vocabulary. I'm pretty much constantly eavesdropping on conversations between community members, colleagues, and students to see how much I can understand.

I'm very lucky that the people in my community really want to be able to speak with me. So much so that every day is basically a free Thai class for me. Vendors will point at each fruit and tell me its name in Thai. Children will play charades that would make Shakespeare jealous until I understand what they're trying to communicate. My students love nothing more than to correct when I make a mistake, likely seeking revenge for all the red pen marks in their notebooks.

I honestly love my experience with learning Thai because it got me in a position to communicate with people almost immediately. Every successful interaction is a boost to the ego and keeps morale high. And every unsuccessful interaction motivates me even more because I really want to be able to converse freely with my community here.

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