Cultural Observations

1. Come Here: Imagine waving your hand when you call someone over to you, saying “Come here”. Now imagine that same gesture with the palm of your hand facing the ground instead of the sky and without the supporting words, “Come here”. This is the Thai gesture that all the kids at the school have been doing. It’s taken a while, but we now realize that this means “Come here”, not “Go away” as we have been thinking.

2. Same Same but Different: There are shirts sold here that say “Same Same” on the front and “But Different” on the back. I’ve been confused about this shirt, which was demonstrated by my non-stop staring at a girl who was wearing this shirt recently. Last night at dinner I was enlightened to the saying by Weaw. Thai people do not really say “no”. Instead, they tend to say “Yes, but…” or “Same same, but…”. For example, if I were to ask if a phone worked, a Thai person might say “Yes, yes, but it can’t call out and it doesn’t receive calls.” What an interesting cultural difference!

3. Thai Secret Solution: Even though I think my body is acclimating itself to the humid climate here, I still sweat quite a lot every day. The Thai people, however, seem to have very soft skin that isn’t covered in drops of perspiration. I didn’t get it- Are they just used to the climate?...possible explanation. After pondering this mystery, I was so excited to discover the answer. There is an ancient Thai remedy to cure the never-ending drops of sweat and to promote soft skin- baby powder.

4. Driving Nintendo Style: Driving here is very different than what I’m used to seeing in The States. There is one highway that passes through all of the towns in this area. It has one lane going in each direction. Since a lot of people live in this region and even more seem to pass through, the road looks like an old video game, cars constantly passing each other up and nearly colliding with oncoming traffic, motorcycles and pedestrians (sometimes) on the side. The motorcycles are small, about the same size as a normal Yamaha in The US, but apparently up to 3 adults and a small child can fit on one of these motorcycles.

5. Exercise: Thai people don’t seem to exercise, at least not in public. Although I don’t suppose they need a workout schedule to go along their daily work out in the heat. When I run in the mornings, I feel like I’m on display as the Thai people stare at me and have their image of the crazy American re-affirmed.

6. Restaurants: Even though the culture here is very relaxed, Thai servers are very prompt in taking orders in the restaurants. They seat you, hand you the menu, and then return in less than 1 full minute to take your order. This is in the case they do not stay at the table, waiting to take your order immediately. Most restaurants double as a place to take laundry as well. I wouldn’t quite call it a dry cleaner because I heard that a lady asked for a stain to be taken out of her shirt and they did, but literally, by cutting a whole in the shirt where the stain had been. Think I’ll stick to doing my own laundry.