Hot! Expats In Asia

[partridge]

Im thinking of voting yes. I am a US citizen. The first question would be:

Whats up with changing the ACR/ICR to a plastic card? The deadline is now April and our local immigration has no idea on what to do. Anybody get the plastic card yet?

Then again...... I could ask this with a thread titled "US citizens in the Phils"

On the other hand, I think there are too many subforums now. I think I will say No.

You know sometimes locals have the best answers to expats problems. Except for these kinds

 

[jiveturkey]

16 votes to date. several are not expats living in Asia. Is that because of apathy or the fact that most expats in Asia on this board just don't care about a sererate forum?

Just because our profiles may say we aren't there now, doesn't mean we don't live there. Others may spend significant time there and feel they have something to contribute.

 

[scubaju]

This is an interesting debate!

Me…
Passport: Brit
DNA : Chinese

Born : HK
Childhood: Australia/ England/ HK
Adulthood/work: 50% England, 50% HK

Languages: Fluent in Both English and Cantonese (pretends to know some French)
Written : Can read about only 80 Chinese Characters, mainly food items (can actually read more French…shame on me!)

As an ‘I don’t even know whether I’m really an expat or not (mainly I don’t, but the lack of reading skills often put me in this catorgory)’ I’m sort of undecided whether a sub-forum would be beneficial or not!

Is there a way of putting a sub-forum up for a ‘trial period’ and if the response is not good or somehow can be absorbed into the other forum, the sub-forum can be ‘erased’?


Anyway, my 2 KB!

 

[Babydamulag]

Im thinking of voting yes. I am a US citizen. The first question would be:

Whats up with changing the ACR/ICR to a plastic card? The deadline is now April and our local immigration has no idea on what to do. Anybody get the plastic card yet?

Then again...... I could ask this with a thread titled "US citizens in the Phils"

On the other hand, I think there are too many subforums now. I think I will say No.

You know sometimes locals have the best answers to expats problems. Except for these kinds

There is our first question that needs to be addressed - Let's see how many nationals answer this one. The question is addressed to those living in the Philippines. The clock is ticking for an answer.

 

[Scubakevdm]

I don't have very strong feelings about whether there is an expat sub-forum, but I would like very much to be an expat in Asia. Is it difficult to get a gig out there? I'm a full time scuba guy in Florida. I've started learning Japanese in order to be more marketable out there, and I care very little about money. I only need to survive and I'll be happy, I think.

 

[Zippsy]

Just because our profiles may say we aren't there now, doesn't mean we don't live there. Others may spend significant time there and feel they have something to contribute.

I'll re-stress the word "several" so that it does not get interpreted to mean "all".

Anyone, of course, can vote or express an opinion, whether an expat or not, whether living in Asia or not. I'd imagine that anyone would also be able to contribute or benefit from a sub-forum if it became available.

My point was that someone has asked for a poll as to whether expat Scubaboard visitors in Asia can have their own sub-forum and only an embarrassingly small number of expat forumers here have cared to vote. Why so?

 

[Kim]

My point was that someone has asked for a poll as to whether expat Scubaboard visitors in Asia can have their own sub-forum and only an embarrassingly small number of expat forumers here have cared to vote. Why so?

One would have to conclude that although it theoretically seems like a good idea, the people it is intended for primarily don't really care. Given that the Philippines and Japan already have their own forums which expats could use I wonder if there would be more interest in making a club for Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia? This area seems reasonably interrelated - would that attract more interest?

 

[Babydamulag]

It is interesting to note the results of the vote. The first fact that jumps out is that the EXPAT SB readers are either working too hard to vote or we do not have a large readership of EXPATS in Asia. Interesting development after all of the sidebar discussion that happened prior to the vote. Another interesting note is the number of asians that voted against such a forum. Interesting development. I say close the poll.....the facts are in!

 

[whitehead]

"On the other hand, I think there are too many subforums now. I think I will say No."

This is the sole reason I voted no. Since the philiipines "moved", my morning scanning has become a bit more difficult (same with nikon subforum of photography forum).

I think the idea is good, just makes life a little more difficult when I am trying to scan quickly without the boss catching me!

 

[tangfish]

Why are expats always trying to segregate themselves off into an elite little cubicle? I worked overseas in SEA for a few years, and I found the expat community rather repulsive at times. I felt much more comfortable and welcomed by the locals. After all, they had a lot to offer being as it was that they were from there and had a great deal of insight and information about the local surroundings. So, this division you are proposing, would exclude expats who are do not work in the dive industry, and people who work in the dive industry...but are from Asia. How is this useful?