Thumper
08-27-2019, 11:16 AM
The American dream. This is how immigration is SUPPOSED to work. (He has NEVER once used, asked for or accepted government assistance.)
I have a buddy originally from Thailand (Kam ... short for his real name which has about 137 letters in it ... typical Thai name) who came to the states years ago. He went through the whole LEGAL immigration process and I even helped him obtain his U.S. citizenship back about 10 or so years ago. I met him while he was working as a mechanic at the local Toyota dealer and we struck up an immediate friendship due to obvious reasons. EVERY time I went in for service, the Service Advisors all knew to always send my vehicles to him and him only, no matter what work I was having done. He was VERY good at what he did and I had total trust in his work. I spent a LOT of time at the dealership just hanging around his stall and b/s'ing while he worked. Everyone in the shop got to know me and I'd even head out to lunch with a group of employees from time to time. I went out to his house many times and he'd make AUTHENTIC Thai food (he's a great cook). He's also an avid hunter and fisherman. He's a typical Thai ... pretty much self-sufficient. He lives in a VERY rural area (in effect ... out in the middle of nowhere, deep in the woods) and grows his own fruits and vegetables. He eats what he hunts and catches while fishing. Basically, a kid from the "old country". He brought his parents over (they're both dead now) and I really earned the respect of his family when I sat down with his dad and ate a big ol' bowl of blood soup with him. (raw pig's blood) He'd butchered a pig that morning and made the soup himself. I was the ONLY one who shared it with him and TBH, it was probably some of the best I've ever eaten.
10866
The family was from Northeastern Thailand (where I lived in a small village for 3 years) and that is where I learned to eat NORTHERN Thai ... which is in many cases much different than Southern Thai. The Northeast (Isaan) is basically a poor, farming area of Thailand and NOTHING goes to waste ... not even the blood when you butcher a chicken or hog. My nickname (given to me by a Thai elder in the village) was Thai Farang which translates to "Thai (white) foreigner". I earned the name by totally blending in and accepting the Thai culture. (a name I was proud to be called back in the day)
Anyway, I digress. The reason for this post is to express how proud I am of my buddy. Years ago, I told him to welcome ANY schooling or training the company was willing to offer and he became an ASE Certified, Toyota-Lexus-Scion Specialist. I've known him for 30 years now. He was a dedicated employee of the Toyota dealer here in town, but he lives 48 miles from work and made that drive 6-days/week for 18-20 years! Years ago (as I was helping him acquire his citizenship), I told him he should think about starting his own business sometime soon. He's a natural mechanic and has NO problem tackling ANYTHING you throw at him ... tractors, motorcycles, outboard motors, cars, trucks, gas/diesel ... break it, give it to him, and he'll fix it!
5-6 years ago, he started talking to me about my suggestion for him to start his own business and I told him of the pitfalls, the dangers of failure and the financial sacrifices he'd have to make. I told him I've been there, done that and it scared the bejeebers out'ta me, but I somehow pulled through it and it was one of the best things I ever did. I no longer worked for "the man". He found an old gas station close to where he lives and I went out and looked at it. PERFECT! It has an office, three service stalls (two lifts), plenty of parking and it's 5-mins from his house! I'll be damned if he didn't sign a lease in a matter of days. He was now past the point of no return. Well, I'm proud to say he's done REALLY well for himself. He has more business than he can handle. During the off-season (now) he works Mon. - Thurs. and takes three day weekends to hunt, fish or work around the house. He has livestock (chickens, hogs even a water buffalo!) as well as vegetable gardens and fruit (mango & papaya) trees.
I warned him, he'd really need to tighten his belt while getting started with a brand new business and he'd better have enough savings to carry him through at least a year to be on the safe side. He jumped right in and has done well. He started with a few jobs and "word of mouth" started working for him. There is a local car club in town and he attended one of their meets, then made an announcement that anyone in the club could use the lift in his shop for minor repairs, oil changes, tire rotations, that sort of stuff (he just has them sign an insurance waiver that he keeps on file) and if there was anything they needed his expertise for, he'd help them or they could simply hire him to do whatever repairs they needed. It worked like a charm and he has a constant flow of custom and vintage cars in the shop at all times. They give him "donations" when they use his "free" services (he has never asked) and they hire him for most of their repairs as they like driving and collecting, but most are NOT mechanics.
10867
A couple years ago when Hurricane Irma was headed our way, he passed out fliers and ran a small ad that he'd offer inside storage (free) for anyone who has a motorcycle and does not have an inside area to park it. He now not only gets the occasional motorcycle work, but all of those bike owners (as well as their wives/girlfriends/families/friends) also have automobiles. Quite a few appreciative bike owners took him up on his offer and he even spent the night at his shop to provide security throughout the hurricane!
10868
When things get slow, his shop is right on the shore of a nice little lake. He simply walks out the back door and does a bit of fishing on his lunch hour!
10869
Well, yesterday, as Lynn and I were returning from a few days on the east coast, I decided to stop by and see my old buddy to see how he was doing. He said he couldn't be happier with the way his business has grown and he has steady work with zero downtime, yet he still has total control of his time to do as he pleases. He works 4-days/week during the off-season (now) and once the snowbirds arrive, he works 5 days/week and even hires a helper to help handle the work load. He must have thanked me 100 times yesterday for convincing him to jump ship (from Toyota) and start his own business. He couldn't be happier!
10875
I have a buddy originally from Thailand (Kam ... short for his real name which has about 137 letters in it ... typical Thai name) who came to the states years ago. He went through the whole LEGAL immigration process and I even helped him obtain his U.S. citizenship back about 10 or so years ago. I met him while he was working as a mechanic at the local Toyota dealer and we struck up an immediate friendship due to obvious reasons. EVERY time I went in for service, the Service Advisors all knew to always send my vehicles to him and him only, no matter what work I was having done. He was VERY good at what he did and I had total trust in his work. I spent a LOT of time at the dealership just hanging around his stall and b/s'ing while he worked. Everyone in the shop got to know me and I'd even head out to lunch with a group of employees from time to time. I went out to his house many times and he'd make AUTHENTIC Thai food (he's a great cook). He's also an avid hunter and fisherman. He's a typical Thai ... pretty much self-sufficient. He lives in a VERY rural area (in effect ... out in the middle of nowhere, deep in the woods) and grows his own fruits and vegetables. He eats what he hunts and catches while fishing. Basically, a kid from the "old country". He brought his parents over (they're both dead now) and I really earned the respect of his family when I sat down with his dad and ate a big ol' bowl of blood soup with him. (raw pig's blood) He'd butchered a pig that morning and made the soup himself. I was the ONLY one who shared it with him and TBH, it was probably some of the best I've ever eaten.
10866
The family was from Northeastern Thailand (where I lived in a small village for 3 years) and that is where I learned to eat NORTHERN Thai ... which is in many cases much different than Southern Thai. The Northeast (Isaan) is basically a poor, farming area of Thailand and NOTHING goes to waste ... not even the blood when you butcher a chicken or hog. My nickname (given to me by a Thai elder in the village) was Thai Farang which translates to "Thai (white) foreigner". I earned the name by totally blending in and accepting the Thai culture. (a name I was proud to be called back in the day)
Anyway, I digress. The reason for this post is to express how proud I am of my buddy. Years ago, I told him to welcome ANY schooling or training the company was willing to offer and he became an ASE Certified, Toyota-Lexus-Scion Specialist. I've known him for 30 years now. He was a dedicated employee of the Toyota dealer here in town, but he lives 48 miles from work and made that drive 6-days/week for 18-20 years! Years ago (as I was helping him acquire his citizenship), I told him he should think about starting his own business sometime soon. He's a natural mechanic and has NO problem tackling ANYTHING you throw at him ... tractors, motorcycles, outboard motors, cars, trucks, gas/diesel ... break it, give it to him, and he'll fix it!
5-6 years ago, he started talking to me about my suggestion for him to start his own business and I told him of the pitfalls, the dangers of failure and the financial sacrifices he'd have to make. I told him I've been there, done that and it scared the bejeebers out'ta me, but I somehow pulled through it and it was one of the best things I ever did. I no longer worked for "the man". He found an old gas station close to where he lives and I went out and looked at it. PERFECT! It has an office, three service stalls (two lifts), plenty of parking and it's 5-mins from his house! I'll be damned if he didn't sign a lease in a matter of days. He was now past the point of no return. Well, I'm proud to say he's done REALLY well for himself. He has more business than he can handle. During the off-season (now) he works Mon. - Thurs. and takes three day weekends to hunt, fish or work around the house. He has livestock (chickens, hogs even a water buffalo!) as well as vegetable gardens and fruit (mango & papaya) trees.
I warned him, he'd really need to tighten his belt while getting started with a brand new business and he'd better have enough savings to carry him through at least a year to be on the safe side. He jumped right in and has done well. He started with a few jobs and "word of mouth" started working for him. There is a local car club in town and he attended one of their meets, then made an announcement that anyone in the club could use the lift in his shop for minor repairs, oil changes, tire rotations, that sort of stuff (he just has them sign an insurance waiver that he keeps on file) and if there was anything they needed his expertise for, he'd help them or they could simply hire him to do whatever repairs they needed. It worked like a charm and he has a constant flow of custom and vintage cars in the shop at all times. They give him "donations" when they use his "free" services (he has never asked) and they hire him for most of their repairs as they like driving and collecting, but most are NOT mechanics.
10867
A couple years ago when Hurricane Irma was headed our way, he passed out fliers and ran a small ad that he'd offer inside storage (free) for anyone who has a motorcycle and does not have an inside area to park it. He now not only gets the occasional motorcycle work, but all of those bike owners (as well as their wives/girlfriends/families/friends) also have automobiles. Quite a few appreciative bike owners took him up on his offer and he even spent the night at his shop to provide security throughout the hurricane!
10868
When things get slow, his shop is right on the shore of a nice little lake. He simply walks out the back door and does a bit of fishing on his lunch hour!
10869
Well, yesterday, as Lynn and I were returning from a few days on the east coast, I decided to stop by and see my old buddy to see how he was doing. He said he couldn't be happier with the way his business has grown and he has steady work with zero downtime, yet he still has total control of his time to do as he pleases. He works 4-days/week during the off-season (now) and once the snowbirds arrive, he works 5 days/week and even hires a helper to help handle the work load. He must have thanked me 100 times yesterday for convincing him to jump ship (from Toyota) and start his own business. He couldn't be happier!
10875