It’s unfortunate that in the global village we live in, cultural differences often lead to
misunderstandings, create conflict and sometimes end up in
all out war. If the villagers could stop being so pig-headed about
their own way of life and welcome a few ideas from their neighbours
once in a while, then maybe (BIG maybe) the world would be a much more
fun place to hang out.
One of the most over-used Thai phrases is “Jai Yen Yen” or “have a cool
heart”. Well, if you went to Italy and used this phrase, it would
probably be taken as an insult: Italians much prefer to have a hot
heart, which for them is a sure sign of their passionate nature.
Thais,
you have to admit, are not a particularly “touchy feely” race. This is
best demonstrated by the sniff on the cheek as a show of affection.
Well, you may be surprised to know that in many other parts of the
world this would actually be seen as a bit of a put down: almost as if
you were checking out whether the person had bathed (another story)
before getting too close. Other cultures do it differently.
Eskimos,
for example, greet friends and family by rubbing noses (which can be
very messy if they happen to have a cold) while most European cultures
gush their welcome with two or sometimes three big sloppy kisses on
both cheeks. All of these methods would cause Thais to run a mile, I
feel.
But the main area for consideration in our quest for global
understanding is the way people deal with problems. Thais are a
generally non-confrontational race of people, preferring to resolve
their differences in a mild manner. Many other cultures however, such
as those from my own ‘Celtic’ background, see nothing wrong in raging
with anger, waving their arms around and having a five-minute rant. The
problem is usually only as long as the explosion, then life moves on.
It can, however, be a terrifying experience for anyone with no
first-hand experience of this culture. Take Junior Sub’s classmates for
example.
JS announced over dinner one evening that he thought his
farang English teacher, Miss Hardcastle, must be a Celt. When I asked
why, he explained that some of the kids in the class had been
misbehaving so Miss H had grabbed hold of the whiteboard rubber and
started banging it hard against the whiteboard, screaming “If you kids
don’t shut up right now, I swear there will be a murder in this
classroom.”
Well, I thought to myself, at least she used some
interesting new vocabulary.
They do say that to learn another’s
language you also have to adopt a little of their culture. Maybe it’s
no surprise that so many young Thai kids are scared of English;
especially those unlucky enough to have been taught by Miss Hardcastle.
