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There is a Japanese hospital in Manila called The Medical City which is quite expensive and advanced. It is Japanese owned so just imagine how advanced it is.
Philippines is known for producing Nurses all over the world. 50% of the nurses in the United States are Filipinos and Philippines send nurses every year. Filipino nurses are not only found in the United States but Canada, UK, Germany, Australia etc.
I am living in China and having so much difficulty talking to doctors in the hospitals because of language barrier. There are so many things they cannot really explain to us because their English is really bad. In the Philippines, foreigners will never have a problem understanding what doctors will tell them because of their fluency in the English language.
To make it fair, 1 hospital do justify that the whole country will have this Japanese based advanced tech medication system, and medical tourist people would wanted it less expensive? since its "quiet expensive" i presume that the cost of the hospital would doubled than those in Thailand? and the hospital in Thailand is not like China's, the staff there can communicate with you in English
internationally accredited hospital in philippines numbered 4 compared to Thailand who actually have 12, you can pretty much imagine the quality of medical health in Thailand the quality of hospitals in Philippines is adequte but still not as good as Thai's
Actually Thai language is pretty hard for many foreigner to adapt, especially the pronunciation of the words themself and not to mention the Thai alphabeth themself are different from the normal abc alphabeth that most communities are more used to... many foreign expat in Indonesia manage to adapt with the language very easily because there are basically no grammar and you can mix alot of words around and i think pronounciation wise many do not find it too hard to speak.... many expat from France, Australia, Britain and US that i know actually can speak some sort of Indonesians without having to take classes for the language
Well, I'm not sure what Indonesia has to do with anything, since the thread is about "Philippines vs. Thailand". If you reread my post, I did say it can be difficult (to learn). But I also said, "...it really depends on a person's incentive, interest and willingness to learn and practice it." I don't know anything about Indonesia, but I'm sure there are plenty of expats there. However, I certainly don't see any indication of long steady lines of expats heading for Indonesia, at least not as they do for Thailand, regardless of whether a language is easy or difficult.
I do understand your point that Thai writing (it's not actually a true alphabet) can seem pretty intimidating - 44 consonants, 14 vowels, 4 tone marks, not to mention a few other characters that have other uses. I agree, you're quite right, the Thai alphabet is different than English. But maybe that's because it's not English? LOL! The written language isn't so impossibly different that it can't be recognized even if what it says is unknown to a person. With the exception of what seems like a confusing placement of some of the vowels and tone marks, the consonants tend to be very distinct as individual characters (letters). It's definitely not like Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Contrary to what you might think, the Thai language is very efficient. But like any language, you have to learn it and practice it. Maybe some people in Indonesia learn the language without taking classes. I'd be willing to bet that they had some help from someone. There are people in Thailand who have learned Thai without taking classes too. Classes can make it a lot quicker, easier and more clear though. Link below shows an example of Thai writing. Thai alphabet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I also pointed out that many foreigners and expats in Thailand never really learn the language at all and have no problem living there or getting around. If a person is going to spend a lot of time out in the rural areas like we do, then knowing the language is going to be much more helpful in comminicating with the locals. But if a person is satisfied with living in BKK or touristy areas where English is used more often, or spend your time hanging around with other English-speaking expats, then learning the language is not going to be so important.
I had a Thai friend tell me once that there's more to communication than just words. In a way, he's right, but I'd still have to say that words are definitely important. Ever notice when you want to know the price of something from a vendor who doesn't speak English, how he or she may pull out a calculator to show you how much baht the item costs? Ever notice at food courts there's often photos above or in menus of different dishes you can choose from? Those are forms of non-verbal communication.
I assume you've spent at least some time in Thailand. Let me ask you something simple. When speaking, what do you say when you greet people in Thailand? How do you say "Thank you"? It might not make you a fluent expert with the language, but it is a start. Sure, it might be hard to learn, but if a person wants to learn the language, they can. And the more time you use it and spend there, the more you can gradually learn and improve. The hardest part about learning the language is when a person is too lazy or just doesn't want to bother learning it. I still say that learning any language that you are not familiar with and is not your native language, it going to be difficult for anyone when beginning. But it does get easier with time and practice. If you don't want to learn it, then you won't because it will always seem too hard.
There is a Japanese hospital in Manila called The Medical City which is quite expensive and advanced. It is Japanese owned so just imagine how advanced it is.
What I heard about Thailand is regarding Cosmetic Surgery. Western women are going to Thailand because it is way cheaper than their respective countries in fixing their nose and doing bust implants.
Philippines is known for producing Nurses all over the world. 50% of the nurses in the United States are Filipinos and Philippines send nurses every year. Filipino nurses are not only found in the United States but Canada, UK, Germany, Australia etc.
I am living in China and having so much difficulty talking to doctors in the hospitals because of language barrier. There are so many things they cannot really explain to us because their English is really bad. In the Philippines, foreigners will never have a problem understanding what doctors will tell them because of their fluency in the English language.
Well, I'm not sure what Indonesia has to do with anything, since the thread is about "Philippines vs. Thailand". If you reread my post, I did say it can be difficult (to learn). But I also said, "...it really depends on a person's incentive, interest and willingness to learn and practice it." I don't know anything about Indonesia, but I'm sure there are plenty of expats there. However, I certainly don't see any indication of long steady lines of expats heading for Indonesia, at least not as they do for Thailand, regardless of whether a language is easy or difficult.
I do understand your point that Thai writing (it's not actually a true alphabet) can seem pretty intimidating - 44 consonants, 14 vowels, 4 tone marks, not to mention a few other characters that have other uses. I agree, you're quite right, the Thai alphabet is different than English. But maybe that's because it's not English? LOL! The written language isn't so impossibly different that it can't be recognized even if what it says is unknown to a person. With the exception of what seems like a confusing placement of some of the vowels and tone marks, the consonants tend to be very distinct as individual characters (letters). It's definitely not like Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Contrary to what you might think, the Thai language is very efficient. But like any language, you have to learn it and practice it. Maybe some people in Indonesia learn the language without taking classes. I'd be willing to bet that they had some help from someone. There are people in Thailand who have learned Thai without taking classes too. Classes can make it a lot quicker, easier and more clear though. Link below shows an example of Thai writing. Thai alphabet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I also pointed out that many foreigners and expats in Thailand never really learn the language at all and have no problem living there or getting around. If a person is going to spend a lot of time out in the rural areas like we do, then knowing the language is going to be much more helpful in comminicating with the locals. But if a person is satisfied with living in BKK or touristy areas where English is used more often, or spend your time hanging around with other English-speaking expats, then learning the language is not going to be so important.
I had a Thai friend tell me once that there's more to communication than just words. In a way, he's right, but I'd still have to say that words are definitely important. Ever notice when you want to know the price of something from a vendor who doesn't speak English, how he or she may pull out a calculator to show you how much baht the item costs? Ever notice at food courts there's often photos above or in menus of different dishes you can choose from? Those are forms of non-verbal communication.
I assume you've spent at least some time in Thailand. Let me ask you something simple. When speaking, what do you say when you greet people in Thailand? How do you say "Thank you"? It might not make you a fluent expert with the language, but it is a start. Sure, it might be hard to learn, but if a person wants to learn the language, they can. And the more time you use it and spend there, the more you can gradually learn and improve. The hardest part about learning the language is when a person is too lazy or just doesn't want to bother learning it. I still say that learning any language that you are not familiar with and is not your native language, it going to be difficult for anyone when beginning. But it does get easier with time and practice. If you don't want to learn it, then you won't because it will always seem too hard.
lol you don't have to be so critical because of it anyway, well i simply make an example out of the language "it is easier to learn Indonesian" (because it is indeed very easy for many nationalities that i've known) to actually support my statement on how hard it is to adapt with some languages while some are very easy to, its pretty much just an example nothing much... i do understand the point you make by incentive, interest and willingness to learn and practice it it completely depend on the person, however to actually absorb some languages are not very easy to many people and i also did not mention that there are no fluent Thai speaking expat living in Thailand. Maybe it's just me but i find expat who actually mastered the language perfectly actually amuses me. Hell if you live in Thailand for good life than you would probably find it hard to actually adapt with things that goes on in there, as many Thais only have a very limited knowledge on English language, especially when you are not in the tourist zone or are in the countrysides.
As a matter of fact i do spent my times in Thailand, and yes i did try to adapt with the language, but for me it's a little bit impossible and frustrating :P
lol you don't have to be so critical because of it anyway, well i simply make an example out of the language "it is easier to learn Indonesian" (because it is indeed very easy for many nationalities that i've known) to actually support my statement on how hard it is to adapt with some languages while some are very easy to, its pretty much just an example nothing much... i do understand the point you make by incentive, interest and willingness to learn and practice it it completely depend on the person, however to actually absorb some languages are not very easy to many people and i also did not mention that there are no fluent Thai speaking expat living in Thailand. Maybe it's just me but i find expat who actually mastered the language perfectly actually amuses me. Hell if you live in Thailand for good life than you would probably find it hard to actually adapt with things that goes on in there, as many Thais only have a very limited knowledge on English language, especially when you are not in the tourist zone or are in the countrysides.
As a matter of fact i do spent my times in Thailand, and yes i did try to adapt with the language, but for me it's a little bit impossible and frustrating :P
Sorry, when I said "you" at the end, I didn't mean you personally. It wasn't mean to be critical but simply pointing a few things out. I apologize if that's how you took it. I do pretty well with the Thai language (better at speaking and reading than writing), but by no means do I consider myself to be highly fluent, and probably will never reach the point of fluency that some people have. There are plenty of things I still don't understand, mostly because I don't use certain terms very much, terms that are legal, medical, technological and more, but I'm okay with that. If there's something I don't understand, I can usually ask to have it defined differently.
Living the "good life" in Thailand can mean different things to different people. Most people I know who are very fluent with the language usually have a good understanding of the culture and seem to adapt to things pretty well there. We have a house in the province of Saraburi, kind of out in the sticks. I'm sure there may be a few people around the are that speak English, but I've ever run into any of them. Almost none of the Thais do, and the ones that do are usually limited to "Hello. What is your name?, Where are you from?" and that's about it. I've seen foreigners (tourists) near the market area, but only those briefly hopping off the bus to grab a bottle of water or pop, then they're back on the bus to head on to BKK.
The point I was trying to get across is that no one that I know of learns a language entirely on their own. But I think we basically agree. You said people learn to speak the language of Indonesia without studying in a language class. But I also think it''s fair to say that if they're learning the language from scratch, they probably have some help along the way. For me, most of what I've learned has been from other people, mostly Thais. And I still learn things that are new to me in the same way. Decades ago, I had a Thai friend, who also spoke English quite well, who helped me get a basic start. It was sort of like a short crash course over a few weeks. After that, I was on my own and the best way to continue developing my skills was to immerse myself among the Thai people because at that point it was the best way to learn. If I spent too much time with other English-speaking people, any progress would likely have been much slower to none at all. My wife is Thai and doesn't speak English at all, or not enough to be lightly conversational in the language. If there's something I don't understand, I ask her, and I learn something new.
I do think that once a person has some good basics, other things can indeed be absorbed (in a sense) if that person spends enough time in the country. That's probably true in Indonesia as well. The reason is because over time, you're exposed to more things and you become more familiar with more things. Even in a class, you can't learn everything. You've got to get out and just do it. Okay, I don't mean you in the sense of YOU. LOL! Do you see what I'm saying?
I fully agree that there are people who struggle with Thai and never really get it. Maybe learning something else would be better. And there are also people who simply don't want to bother learning Thai. I don't know any Chinese or Japanese languages. it would probably be a major struggle for me, primarily because I don't feel any particular incentive or interest in learning it.
Yes, I figured you've spent some time in Thailand because you've had a lot of positive things to say about it. That's really cool. I can understand the frustration with the language. As I said, and you would certainly know, you don't necessarily have to know the language to spend time there. There are plenty of places to go and opportunities to enjoy the country without learning a single Thai word. Well, okay, chances are they'll learn a few simple words and phrases. Don't worry about it. You're quite right, that if you're out in the rural villages, communication can be a lot easier for people who can speak Thai fairly well. From the things you've indicated, it sounds to me like you still have a pretty good time when you're in the country. And isn't that really the main point?
Thailand i would choose. There is a reason why Filip leave their homeland for good. A dead end life. But they speak better English in Phillipines, so easier to get around.
I've been to both countries and I think they are both wonderful. I even met Imelda Marcos once (that was in New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel ... but that's another story.)
One thing about Filipinos, as a former member of the Royal Merchant Navy (of the UK) I can say that they make excellent seamen. Many commercial ships sailing all over the world have Filipino/a crew members.
Thailand can be proud of it's glorious culture and heritage. It has incredibly amazing architecture exemplified by it's gorgeous Buddhist temples, shrines, palaces, monuments, villas, etc. which gives the place a kind of splendor that vou don't see much in the world.
Whereas the Philippines was colonized - first by the Spanish, then by the Americans - Thailand always maintained their independence. In fact most east Asian countries were under colonial rule: Vietnam (the French), Burma (the English), Indonesia (the Dutch), Cambodia and Laos (the French), India and Pakistan (the English), Malaysia and Singapore (the English), Macau (the Portuguese), Hong Kong (the English) ... yet Thailand never succumbed. Interesting.
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, and medical tourist people would wanted it less expensive? since its "quiet expensive" i presume that the cost of the hospital would doubled than those in Thailand? and the hospital in Thailand is not like China's, the staff there can communicate with you in English 
the quality of hospitals in Philippines is adequte but still not as good as Thai's