Meet Jane Kasemsarn, a young, beautiful, and intelligent Thai woman, a devoted Pilates practitioner, a model, and the girlfriend of a young Swedish man.
I got to know Jane about a year and a half ago and was impressed, not only by her beauty, but also by her elegance and intelligence, not to mention her ability to learn the Swedish language.
Either Jane has a true ear for languages, or perhaps Swedish is a language that is relatively easy for Thais to learn? She doesn’t think she has an ear for languages at all, and she admits that she thinks the pronunciation of many Swedish words is hard. Jane also participated in an exchange program in Spain, but says that she has forgotten how to speak Spanish.
I wish that after 179 hours of Thai classes and 18 years in the country, I could speak even a fraction as well as Jane has managed to learn Swedish in such a short time.
Sure, one might say that having a Swedish boyfriend makes it less surprising, but I’m convinced that even if I had had a Thai husband, I still wouldn’t have learned Thai the way Jane has learned Swedish. She explained to me, as we sat down talking about Sweden versus Thailand, that she and her boyfriend mostly speak English with each other, but she feels it’s important to try to understand and speak her partner’s language to some extent.
“My boyfriend also makes an effort to learn Thai” she says with a smile.
Jane was born and raised in Bangkok. She has four siblings. She went to KIS International School until her high school graduation and after that, she went to the Chulalongkorn University for her bachelor degree, majoring in language and culture.
She comes from a family that runs its own business which manufactures corrugated cardboards and boxes. She worked for a while in the company, but realized it wasn’t her passion, she wanted to do something more meaningful.
As she has always been interested in health and wellness, she got the idea of becoming a Pilates instructor. In 2024 she signed up for a teacher training program in Portugal and a few months later she started teaching.
I have heard, from some SWEOR who are taking classes with Jane, that she is an excellent instructor. I asked if she thinks Pilates is for everyone and she busted out, “absolutely, as it focuses on core strength, flexibility and mobility, which everyone in all ages will benefit from”.
Jane is also a popular model and has done several fashion shows in Bangkok.
“I got into modelling by accident, about 10 years ago”, she says.
“Mostly I have been modelling for Thai brands and my longest relationship is with the designer Vvon Sugunnasil”.
Having lunch alone in a Café one day, Jane was approached by a young man. They sat and talked and suddenly there was “Love in the air”. The young man was a Swede. I asked Jane what it is that makes Scandinavian men so attractive by Thai women.
“I have only had a few serious relationships and it has always been with foreign men”, she answers.
“I didn’t know that Scandinavian men are highly valued by Thai women,” Jane adds, “but the reason might be that Scandinavian men are used to strong, independent women and they are willing to put down the same work with children and household as their women”.
I agree, that could be the reason and I would add, that many Scandinavian men are good looking and mostly caring.
Jane has been to Sweden several times and she praises her future in-laws, as they have greeted her and welcomed her into their family with open arms.
What about your opinion about us Swedes in general I had to ask?
“Well, at first the Swedes can be a bit reserved, but as soon as you get to know them better, they are really friendly”.
I was also curious to find out what a Thai woman thinks about Swedish traditions, culture, food and last, but not least, the Swedish climate.
“You Swedes have so many more traditions and to me it seems to be very important for Swedes to go all in. You love to decorate your homes at Christmas, Easter, Midsummer etc. A Christmas without the traditional Christmas buffet with all delicacies is not acceptable, the same is for Midsummer I’ve noticed. You enjoy and love your Crayfish parties.”
“I love Swedish food, especially Toast Skagen, Herring, Janson’s Temptation, Pytt I Panna, you name it. Your food is much milder than our traditional Thai dishes. I must also say, I have never been eating so much “GODIS” (candies) as during my visits to Sweden”.
Here Jane is right, we Swedes eat about 15 kilos with candies pro person and pro year, quite a lot.
Talking about climate, Jane admits that the whole year in Sweden might not be her cup of tea, but she just loves the summers in Sweden. She has noticed how we really love and appreciate the nature. We enjoy having picnics in the parks and strolling through the forests.
“We don’t do that much in Thailand” she adds.
Her dream in the future would be to spend half the year in Sweden and the other half in Thailand. Swedish winters can be hard she thinks, better then, to be in the warm and sunny Thailand. I think that is a dream she shares with many of us.
Jane’s future dream, or let us say plan, is to have a family of her own, and a beautiful home where she and her future husband could raise their children and a Pilates studio where she could practice and teach.
Let us hope that her dream comes true!
