Hey Guys! We are Shawn & Katie, 2 Canadian Expats currently living in beautiful Phuket, Thailand  (Hence why we call ourselves the lucky couple!)

1. Why did you move abroad?
We decided to move because we had both lived abroad previously, and were yearning to see more of the world still. Thailand was a cheap option that Shawn already had ties to, so it made sense for us to try to make it work here.

2. How do you make a living?
We are both working full time, in the tourism industry. Our friends are always shocked, because everyone else we know are teachers! Since we both have sales/tourism experience, we were really excited to be able to find work still in our field!

3. How often do you communicate with home and how?
We always talk to our families via skype or facetime, at least once a week with each family! With the 12 hour time change it isn’t always easy, but we always make it work.   

4. What's your favorite thing about being an expat in Thailand?
It is so hard to narrow it down, but the food and weather would definitely be up there.  

5. What’s the worst thing about being an expat in Thailand?
The thing that we dislike the most is probably the amount of paperwork and hoops to jump through for visa stuff. But it’s worth it!

6. What do you miss most?
Cheese. All kinds of cheese.

7. What did you do to meet people and integrate in your new home?
Since we live in a very local area, we’ve made friends with some of the locals near us, and we also met other expats at the grocery store and barber shop! You just have to put yourself out there!  

8. What custom/ habits do you find most strange about your adopted culture?
Hmm.. One weird thing we notice is that they always check our feet out. Apparently it’s because they always look at people from head to toe, but it’s weird to have a baby stare at your feet!  

9. What is a myth about your adopted country?
That Thai’s have ‘lost their smile’. Thais are still the friendliest, most generous people we’ve encountered. Maybe you just have to get out of the tourist areas.  

10. Is the cost of living higher or lower than the last country you lived in and how has that made a difference in your life?
The cost of living is SO much cheaper than where we were living in Canada (Toronto). This has made us decide to stay here for a few years. We never would have thought we would be saving more money in Thailand than in Canada!  

11. What advice would you give other expats?
Put yourself out there, and don’t only become friends with other expats. Get away from the tourist places, and live in a ‘local’ area.

12. When and why did you start your blog?
We started our blog in June to communicate our funny stories with our families, and to put some information out there that we couldn’t find before coming here.

Shawn & Katie's blog, The Lucky Couple

  To find out more about living in Thailand, refer to our

Guide to Bangkok

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