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Britta originally had not intended to stay on in the USA but to go back to her hometown in Sweden where she had always wanted to practice medicine. Her plans were changed however when her father, Thomas Swen was given a post at the Swedish consulate in New York City. Britta was a person who many considered to be impractical when it come to things such as money so it would be fare to say that financial reward was not what prevented her from going back to her hometown but the wanting to be close to her mother whom she allowed for better or for worse to guide her life.

Britta was a woman who to many in America represented their stereotypical idea of what the Nordic woman was like. She was light skinned in a rosy tone that made it easy for her face as well as the rest of her body to freckle up in the summer given the low amount of pigmentation she had. Her eyes were blue so much so that it was difficult not to take notice of them even for those who tended to be nonobservant of such details.

On the whole hers was the kind of face that was nice to look at as all her features were ideally proportioned from her nose which was perfectly straight to her lips which could not have been better suited to the rest of her face had Michael Angelo himself painted them. All those features which also included high check bones were served to the viewer in a face that was oval in shape while being framed with golden; almost yellow locks of hair that came down from her head and went past her shoulders. How lovely was this ever so slightly wavy hair which she took great pride in, almost as much as she did in her blue eyes. This long thin hair which flowed down resembling honey pouring out of a jar when ever the sun’s ray would strike it just right made her as imposing a sight as those pagan Nordic goddesses whose magnificence had impressed her so when she was in her childhood.

Yes, she was definitely pretty perhaps overly some might say to make her beautiful as she did not posses any of those perhaps faults that create character which in the opinion of some were the essence of what true beauty was.

Body wise, her height was one that could be considered tall with her standing at 175 cm while being thin weighing in at 65 kilograms with small breast which were not uncommon for women in her country given that statistically speaking they were said to have the smallest in Europe.

Britta was born in Gothenburg, a city situated north of Sweden’s capital Stockholm; where she spend the first years of her life as the only daughter of Thomas Swen and Inga Johansson who had her only daughter at the age of thirty after having started her profession as pediatrician. To many people the marriage of these two individuals who were her parents was a union of opposites if not two people who should have never joined one another in any kind of union let alone one of holy matrimony. Inga was a woman of great beauty (her daughter being almost an exact replica of her) which was not to say that Thomas was really ugly but the truth was that all those around could not imagine why she had chosen him. She was a woman who though her ambitions did not include fame or fortune; they at least did make her want to be the best she could be in her chosen medical profession. Perhaps it was not only professional desire but the caring person she was who did really care about her patients in a way that went beyond her medical profession. It was all this that really made her an outstanding doctor; contrary to those in the hospitals were she had worked at who only sought to perform their duties well so they might be promoted to the head of a department or perhaps hospital, she was more then content to simply be a doctor who had her patients’ trust. 

All this in her was in clear difference to her husband who was not only plain in looks with features that followed the norm of his country men which were the blue eyes and the blonde hair but contrary to his wife, his face was not nice to look at. His eyes being small with a nose that like his mouth was simply unpleasant which perhaps made him look nastier then his demeanor really was. Professionally speaking was another place where these two separated as unlike his wife; Thomas was not a man of ambition in any sense of the word. He not only did not care to make money but he did not necessarily even care to be good at the job he had; believing that work was a place where one spend time till one got paid. It was precisely this reason why he never rose above that of a minor government worker who on many an occasion more for his wife’s family connections then his skill had been sent abroad to represent Sweden in minor posts which though not overly important had granted him a very good salary. This income being the standard for all government workers when ever serving abroad. As for Inga she had been the one who to a large part had sacrificed her own career in favor of her husband as she was not allowed to practice medicine in many of the countries were they had been sent to given that she did not have a license.  

In many ways Britta had had a life that many might want and even envy. She had traveled to many places with her parents; spending a lot of time in those countries in which her father had held positions for the Swedish government. All this allowing her to learn several foreign languages that included Portuguese along with French added to English and all those Scandinavian languages such as Danish and Norwegian which the average Swede could understand without major difficulties.

Her childhood had been nice in many ways but happiness was something that had never been hers and this was basically due to her father who in his intensions had wanted else then what he would accomplish which was to have his daughter dread him. He being one of those who had never really accomplished much made it that he desired to push his daughter to what he had not achieved but instead of being a motivator turned in to a small minded tyrant who often made his daughter cry when ever she turned to him for support.

Compounded to this was the fact that Britta was a complicated person in the meaning that she was one who had about her so many contradictions and inner conflicts that she was in constant struggle not only with herself but with everything around her from her strong faith in God to her body to her sexuality to her career. Everything to her was complex as was her life and the way she had made it which influenced all the relationships she had with all those around her like parents, relatives, suitors and even God whose judgment she was in constant fear of. 

Britta was a woman of thirty three years of age who had graduated medical school at a relatively young age more because of the long hours she had dedicated to her studies then to being a student of brilliance. She also earned what she considered to be a good deal of money as it was more then she would have made in her own country where the social medical system did not allow physicians to become wealthy.

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled “New York’s Opera Society” which is now available on Amazon.

There is one thing I often notice from western husbands that I always think is unfair and will cause relationship problems. It is the belief that their Thai wife should be grateful.

It is far from all the western husbands that are guilty of this attitude. However, it is common enough that it is worth discussing. These men believe their wives should be grateful for the improved lifestyle they have given her. They believe this means they call the shots and if the wife doesn’t like it, she is being ungrateful.

Is this really a healthy basis for a relationship?

When these men are discussing their latest spat with their wife, you will often hear similar comments. “She forgets where she came from. When I found her she was living in a shack and sleeping on the floor.” Does this means she must be meek and subservient? Cannot have any control in the relationship? If you do not respect your wife’s opinions, how can you expect her to be happy just because she has a nicer bed?

Of course, gratitude is a factor in relationships. Many of the western husbands in Thailand have made great sacrifices for the benefit of their Thai wives. Their wives should be grateful for these sacrifices but not to the extent that it diminishes their role in the relationship. The Thai wife also contributes much to the relationship for which the husband should be grateful. In a healthy relationship, gratitude is a two-way thing.

Many men come to Thailand with the intention of finding a wife. I think a lot of them arrive with little knowledge of the local culture and naive ideas about what they will find. They think they are going to ’save’ a Thai girl from her life of poverty and give her a better life. In return, the girl will be eternally grateful and will be a doting and attentive wife.

Well the bad news is most Thai women do not feel like they need ’saving’. They love their country and their family. They usually have plenty of friends. They like their lives in Thailand. Yes, a lot of Thai women are poor but that does not mean they are unhappy. They don’t want to change their lives. They just want more money so they can make their current life better.

Many Thai women are amenable to approaches from Western men. Thailand has one of the most open and tolerant societies in Asia and they do not fear mixed-race relationships. One of the things Thai women like about western men is that they can provide greater financial security than most Thai men can. However, they are still looking for the other things women expect from a good relationship such as love and respect.

They don’t want a one-sided relationship where their husband constantly expects them to be grateful. Who would like such a relationship? To be endlessly treated as a second-class partner with no say in the decision making process because they do not provide the money. To be constantly reminded where they come from.

Marriage is about give and take. Both sides need to be able to compromise and respond to their partners needs. It is true that some Thai women are not the best at controlling the purse strings and if the western man is providing the money then it may be best for him to control the money. That does not mean the Thai wife should have no input on where the money goes. It does not mean she has to be subservient to her husband on all issues.

Here is the reason why Thai women are not as grateful as their western husbands sometimes think they should be. They are not afraid of their previous life. They are not afraid of sleeping on the floor in a shared room. They are not afraid of taking cold showers from a tub of well-water. If this is the life they knew, they are not scared to go back to it. They are not massively grateful for their new comforts because it is not the most important thing to them.

There are two things most Thai women will put before their own comfort. Firstly, most Thai women want to help support their family to some extent. Some are happy to make a small contribution while others can never give enough.

The second thing is obvious. It is what everybody wants from their relationship; to be loved and respected; to feel important. All the possessions in the world cannot make up for being treated like a doormat. It’s the same for them as it is for us. They want to feel like they matter.

A while ago, I found myself in the slightly embarrassing role of translator for a Swedish man who was proposing to a Thai girl. This Thai girl was a neighbour and friend of my wife. The Swedish guy did not speak any English so he had a Swedish friend translating for him. The Thai girl did not speak any English so I was translating to Thai for her.

This Swedish guy was on holiday for two weeks and looking for a Thai wife. He was very pleased with himself that he had not chosen a bargirl. He kept on repeating that he was too clever to marry a bar girl and that was why he had approached our friend – a nice Thai girl. He had seen her eating at a Thai restaurant and asked her out. They had gone out together several times but could barely communicate. She is a very beautiful young lady. Of course, he had no way of knowing she is also a lesbian.

So we all went to a restaurant. Finally, he had a translator and could get his message across to this young Thai woman.

“I will marry her.”

Our lesbian friend was a little surprised by this proposal. Apart from being a lesbian, she had only been out with him a few times. However, like most Thais, she kept her cards close to her chest and let the Swede continue.

“She will move to Sweden with me.”

This is one of the classic mistakes western men make. Many men are convinced they can offer the girl such a better life in their own country that the girl could not possibly turn down this generous offer. Well here is a general truism – Thais like living in Thailand. The reason many Thais do move abroad is to make money. They do not go for a better lifestyle. The lifestyle they like is in Thailand. They go abroad because they have the chance to make better money than they can at home, and often they plan to move back to Thailand as soon as they have enough money.

“She will learn to speak Swedish.”

Learn a new language – only a small request. Our friend humbly agreed this was a fair demand.

“She will live in my house.”

Very generous. Let the wife live in his house.

“She will cook, clean the house and do the laundry.”

Yep, this guy really knows what he wants. A beautiful Thai lover and maid. I wonder that he couldn’t find a Swedish woman to fill his requirements.

“If she wants to send money to her family she must get a job and earn it herself.”

He has obviously done some reading up on Thai wives. He knows they like to send money home to the family. Well only reasonable that he should lay down the law and make it plain he is not going to pay for this inconvenient tendency. After all, she will have plenty of free time between her household chores and nuptial responsibilities.

Notice the total lack of question marks in this dialogue. It really never occurred to this Swedish guy that a Thai woman might say ‘no’ to his proposal. Surely, she would be grateful!

Our lesbian friend gave due consideration to the proposal. What she was actually considering was whether she could get any more money or free meals from this guy before she let him off the hook. She decided against it. The Swedish guy’s chin hit the floor as she told him she did not want to move to Sweden. He could not believe this girl did not want to be ’saved’. How could she be so stupid as to turn down such an opportunity? He gruffly said so and left.

I tell this story just to highlight the strange assumptions that western men can make about Thai women. They really are not going to automatically be grateful as if the western man is their saviour. And neither should they be. This is no basis for a good relationship. A relationship based on one person controlling the other is never going to be a good one. For any relationship to work there has to be give and take from both sides.

(I’m so excited, I can’t wait for it. I’ve only had one other massage, on my wedding day and that was 5 years ago!)

Thanks!

What does a person have to go through in the United States in order to become a licensed massage therapist? The prerequisite is, of course, getting the proper educational background. He or she should take full courses in massage therapy in a school recognized by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). The required course work covers an average of 500 hours of study on physiology, anatomy, kinesiology, pathology, massage theory and techniques, hydrotherapy, clinical practice, first aid and CPR, sanitation, business, communication, ethics and legal issues. On top of this, he or she should have actual hands on experience in massage therapy.

Thirty eight states in the US require massage therapists to be registered, certified or licensed in order to practice. Such registration, certification or licensure is in turn offered in 39 states. Most states require massage therapists to be Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCTMB). This is achieved through the certification program and tests of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. One may also be certified by providing documented proof of specified amounts and quality of training and experience.

When a massage therapist is said to be registered this means he or she has attained a specified educational requirement. When a massage therapist is said to be certified this means he or she has attained specified higher educational requirements. When a massage therapist is said to be licensed, on the other hand, this means he or she has met the most rigorous process of all since this is the highest regulatory level.

Thirteen states in the United States accept the MBLEx certification exam given by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. A large number of states also allow State Endorsement from another state, meaning the massage therapist has already been licensed in that other state. The requirement, however, is that the standards of the previous state in its written and practical examination is comparable to or more severe than those of the second state.

If the massage therapist has not been previously licensed in any other state, he or she must meet the minimum required educational attainments in the state and then pass the required written and practical examination in order to get a license. The required educational attainment may vary among states. In some states, holding a license in an approved health related field in that state has credited value and only a certain number of hours of course work in massage therapy has to be added. The approved health related licenses usually include those of a medical doctor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, registered nurse, doctor of chiropractic or licensed practical nurse.

The first thing you should do when you choose a therapeutic body massage clinic, therefore, is to ask for official documentation on the accreditation and training of their massage therapists. Do not even consider getting reflexology massage, Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage, back massage and even foot massage services from untrained persons who call themselves massage therapists. You may end up worse off than you were to begin with. You will certainly find the accreditation and training you seek from professional massage therapists if you go to a reputable massage clinic in Charlotte NC.

I’m new to sweden and want to gift something special to this swedish girl whom i talk to for the last 2 weeks. What could be the best gift for her ? I am thinking of something completely new for her.

Thanks