“I Didn’t Even Like Thai Food”: A Fresh Start in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Name: Connie Booth
From: Chicago, IL
Living in: Chiang Mai, Thailand

A Nike store convinced me to move overseas.

In 2020, I’d lost my husband of forty years. I’d recently retired from my position as a school administrator, and I was just going through the motions in my Chicago home until some old friends broke me out of my funk.

Thanks to International Living, they’d retired in Chiang Mai, Thailand… and they thought I should move there, too.

I told them all the coaxing in the world couldn’t get me to live in a foreign country. I’d only left Illinois for Florida twice, never mind leaving the country. The one time I’d dined at a Thai restaurant, I’d thought the food was too spicy. “No way,” I told them.

But on a freezing, gray Chicago day, just after I’d turned 60, I walked past an athletic store. “Just Do It,” the advertisement in the window shouted at me. It hit me like a ton of bricks: I was active and healthy. I still had the best years of my life ahead of me.

I booked my flight to Chiang Mai and applied online for the 60-day Multiple Entry Visa. I admit I was feeling apprehensive, but I’d arranged to rent my apartment to my daughter and I’d cleared out my husband’s clothes. It was cathartic—a new beginning, yet my nerves still jingled.

I needn’t have worried. As soon as I arrived, I was in awe of Chiang Mai. The people were friendly, the temples serene, the simple fruit stalls a kaleidoscope of colors. And I immediately fell in love with the food. I admit it: I’d been wrong about the spices. I felt alive again.

Initially, I stayed with my friends who lived in the Central Business District. It was ideal for exploring this small city, since everything I needed was within walking distance. I’d read an article in International Living about teaching English overseas. My savings were meager and I needed an income, so I enrolled in a course in Chiang Mai to receive my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate.

It wasn’t easy. I’d left school at 15, but my teachers and classmates helped me study. I graduated proudly after a month of full-time study and started my part-time teaching job in Chiang Mai. (Thank you, Nike.) My students are eight years old, with a strong desire to learn.

Their outgoingness inspired me. As I settled in, I began taking myself on excursions to Chiang Rai and Mae Hon Song, Thai cities near the Burmese border. I took the bus and chatted with locals, who are always patient and affable with foreigners. I visited Buddhist temples, listening to the chimes as gentle breezes passed over them. I took walks after dark, something I’d never do back in Chicago—because crime is very low here.

I also completed a Thai cooking class at The Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School. We took trips to an authentic Thai market and toured the school’s organic farm. I played golf and enrolled in yoga classes. I could never have afforded these activities back in the States.

Through these, I discovered Chiang Mai’s strong expat community. I joined the Chiang Mai Expats Club, and I’ve made friends from all over—not just the States. We meet regularly at places like the Chiang Mai Writers Club or the simply named Wine Bar.

It was at Wine Bar that I met Greg, a fellow teacher and widower from Manchester, England. Being able to share my life with someone again—to have a companion—is the icing on the cake.

On average, we spend a total of $1000 a month, including our rent. We live in a one-bedroom apartment, with a pool and a small gym in the Old City neighborhood of Chiang Mai for $525 a month. This includes cable TV, WiFi, furniture, and all the necessities down to kitchen cutlery.

Chiang Mai is more a large town than a city by American standards, and the Old City is its heart. Only a few minutes away are cafés, bars shops, historical sites, and museums. The Old City is surrounded by ancient walls, which reduces traffic—so one of our favorite pastimes is wandering on foot. We especially love the Sunday Night Walking Street Market (open to 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.) which has a carnival atmosphere and sells eclectic items, from floral soaps to jewelry. If you visit, be sure to haggle.

We eat out most nights. A delicious Thai meal, including a few beers, runs us $15–$20. Every once in a while, though, we stay in so I can show off my Thai cooking skills. (Not bad for someone who’d only eaten at a Thai restaurant once before moving here.)

My days of worrying about the next electricity bills, or sitting in front of the TV, are long gone. Now, I’m always learning something new, and I live a sumptuous lifestyle that would only be a distant dream in the States. Greg recommended we apply for the one-year retirement visa. With it, we can enter and exit Thailand as we like.

And after that, I might teach in another country in Southeast Asia. I’m ready for the next adventure.