PS. There are some serious moochers out there with horrible advice that understand little or nothing about Thailand or Southeast Asia. Having said that there are some good people out there.
Some examples of what life is like outside the foreigner hangouts can be seen and experienced on my channel . Destinations Unknown The Roads Less Traveled on YouTube. Something you might consider away from the common chaos.
As long as you are able to speak basic Thai the majority of Thais should understand you fine. As you likely already know it makes life overall much less stressful and enjoyable. I am still learning everyday and am able to do anything by myself anywhere in either Thailand or Laos.
Never understood the logic of traveling so far and the first thing you do is go hang with the very people you left behind. The locals the Thais become nothing more than background noise and your slave of sorts. SAD! WEIRD!