by Ariyada

Name: Sonia Osman, originally from Egypt but spent 25 years in California, USA.
Husband: Hamdy, who works for Bechtel.
Children: 2 sons.
Present address: Royal Cliff Garden Condominium.
Occupation: Cosmetologist and Colour Consultant, had her own salon in San Francisco for 14 years and sold it when she moved to Saudi Arabia with her husband.
Hobbies: Reading, shopping, Ikebana style flower arranging, interior decorating, socialising by meeting friends, but also new people, definitely her work and everything that makes life and its surroundings more beautiful.
Sports: Bowling, tennis, and recently started to play golf.
Stay in Pattaya: Since October 1996 and approximately until the end of this year.
Plans for future travelling: In September she will go with an American Ladies group to Russia. Wants to return to Egypt soon to meet her family again. The countries she didn’t visit yet are India and Turkey. She wants to go there to and travel all over the place to learn about different cultures and history.
What she likes about Pattaya: The weather, for it is much better than in so many other places; the feeling of security; the view from her apartment; the sea so nearby; the rather small community for all know each other and are more friendly; the easy way to make new friends; the traffic - its wonderful compared to Bangkok; the low-key system - nothing here is like it is in a big city - all is more easy going.
What she doesn’t like about Pattaya: The (still) high pollution; not enough good shopping centers; the lack of entertainment places like theatres and music-halls; believes that Pattaya has a lack of variety in good restaurants and pubs; would like to have more festivals for jazz or other kinds of entertainment, and if there are some - have better information about them, like signs in English on the streets, not only in Thai. The wild sort of taxi and motorbike drivers.
What she thinks about life in general in Pattaya: I think coming to Thailand and Pattaya is a culture shock at the very beginning. After you find out how decent and nice the Thai people are, it lessens your first impression. I like the culture of Thais; one really has to live in a country to learn more about it. Here we have a lot of history. I like being able to travel around sightseeing to wherever I want to go. I feel very secure in Pattaya; I only worry about, in case something happens, like an accident or a fire, how to reach people who are able to understand you. The communication with police is very poor in the English language. Of course, I haven’t been here long enough to know about everything and I am afraid my stay will be to short to ever learn. I like the Lady’s Club a lot, they help newcomers to settle down, give advice and keep them busy while their husbands are at work. There are some things you are able to do here that you wouldn’t have the chance to do in your own country. The standard of living is about the same as I had in the USA, but I really miss the freedom to drive my own car and go anywhere I want to without depending on the chauffeur. But here I have to, for I am too afraid to drive. Pattaya is a nice city, still I am looking forward to going home and seeing my children again. I believe, no matter where you are, the best place is at home, and I do miss it already.