One thing I have never quite been able to wrap my head around is how Thailand manages to be both incredibly formal and completely informal at the exact same time. On one hand, everything looks like it belongs in an ornate ceremony. Postal addresses are about three paragraphs long. People’s full names can take up half a passport page. Job titles sound like something out of a government ministry from the 1800s. And if you walk into certain offices, everyone is dressed formally like they are about to command a small battalion, even though they are just processing paperwork. Then on the other hand, five minutes later, the same person will introduce themselves with a nickname like “Lek” or “Nok,” laugh, and immediately switch into the most relaxed, easygoing conversation imaginable. You see it everywhere. Extremely formal documents, bureaucracy up to their ears, double and triplicate forms and photocopies just for something as simple as getting an ATM card replaced, fancy uniforms, titles, and procedures on one side, and then on the other side, complete casualness in how people actually interact day to day. It is like there are two parallel systems running at the same time, and somehow nobody finds it strange except probably us farangs. Even the way people address each other can flip instantly. One moment it is full respect, titles, and politeness, Khun this and Pii that, and the next it is nicknames, jokes, and a level of familiarity that would take years to reach in other countries. I am not saying it is a bad thing. In fact, it probably makes life easier in a lot of ways. It just creates this constant contrast where everything looks very official on the surface, but feels completely relaxed underneath. I cannot think of any other places in the world that are really like that. It is like Thailand has mastered the art of being both extremely formal and not really giving a toss, all at the same time.
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