LIVING LIFE FASHIONABLY IN BANGKOK, THAILAND
Dhvani Sanghavi
1. Please introduce yourself (age, national, current location, current job, if you have one)
Hi everyone, my name's Dhvani and I'm about to turn 22 in under a month. By nationality I am Indian but I have lived my entire life in Bangkok, Thailand. I just finished my Bachelor's a month ago and I'm hoping to pursue my Master's soon.
2. How long have you been living in Bangkok? What has it been like?
So I have been in Bangkok since I was a baby (around 2 months old) and I consider it my home. It has been really great living here and I couldn't imagine growing up anywhere else. The people in Thailand are extremely hospitable and we have such a big Indian community here as well that it doesn't feel like I'm too far away from India at times. Even though Bangkok is a big metropolitan city, it still feels like a safe, comfy place to live in. It's really great in terms of education, healthcare, cafes, malls, etc. The one aspect I feel that it misses is more "naturey" spots. We do have big parks around the city, but the beach or mountains are all quite far away.
3. Do you consider yourself an expat? What is it like?
I've thought about that word quite a bit over the past few years especially and I would say no only because I feel more at home in Bangkok than I feel in India. I'm not fully Thai which means I'm still technically a foreigner or a "farang" like we call it in Thailand, but at the end of the day Thailand is my home so I don't feel like I'm living outside my native country.
4. What are your top experiences you’ve had since living in Thailand?
That's a tough question because I have had countless experiences, whether it be while traveling to a different city in Thailand or just walking along the streets of Bangkok. However, if I had to choose then one of my most memorable experiences is hiking up a semi-cliff next to Railay Beach in Krabi to see one of the most magical sunsets I've witnessed. The sunset at Phra Nang Beach was not only extremely beautiful, but since there were hardly any people around, the water was so still and serene that it added to the whole experience.
The other top experience I would say is street shopping along the streets of Bangkok. It sounds so mundane but I love being able to find affordable, unique pieces of clothing that a Zara or H&M would not have. While shopping it's fun to interact with the shopkeepers, and do a little bit of fun (and respectful) bargaining, knowing at the end of the day that I helped the local economy and I was able to save a little bit of my money as well.
5. What are things you wish other people knew about Thailand?
I asked my friends and family to help with this question as well.
In general Thai people are extremely nice and hospitable and more often than not they are willing to help people out. Of course if you are a rude tourist, then you won't get to experience that. The infrastructure in Thailand, especially Bangkok, can be comparable to that in developed countries. We get some extremely nice sunsets on almost a regular basis which is definitely a treat. As locals we don't really use the tuktuk much and you can't find elephants roaming on the streets everywhere. One of the bad things about Thailand would be that as a tourist you might get ripped off more easily so just be wary of that.
6. What is one way being in Thailand has shaped your life?
Two ways being in Thailand has shaped my life is that since Bangkok is a hotspot for both tourists and expats I have been able to meet new people and expose myself to new cultures, something I think is really important. I have also been able to learn some extremely important qualities from Thai people. One of the best qualities they possess is that they hold themselves accountable for a job that they're assigned. This is why you will see cleaners or workers hard at work at any time of the day even when there is no one there to supervise them. They hustle for things they want and I'm glad I'm surrounded by that.
7. What other countries have you travelled too?
In 2011 my family did a tour of Western Europe so I visited a lot of countries through that: Turkey, Spain, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Amsterdam, Italy, Vatican City, France, and Luxembourg. Then in 2015 I visited Japan and traveled to quite a few cities there. My last international trip was to New Zealand in 2019 when I went for an exchange semester (around 5 months) from my university. And obviously India is one of the locations too as I visit family back there usually once in 2 years.
8. What are your future travel plans?
I'm really hoping to travel more domestically in Thailand and to our neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam. But an international destination I have been yearning to go to is Iceland, it is number one on my bucket list.
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