Cross cultural integration is more about being polite and not trying to stand out any more than physical appearance dictates. Having lived in many diverse cultures, I found that there are basics to fitting in. Just be nice. I've also found the most adamant people who demand "integration" or "going local" tend to be in their first foreign environment. "You're not integrating!", says the guy who has only lived in two nations. No way could any outsider fully appreciate the natural indoctrination that takes place growing up in an unfamiliar culture with its own belief systems. When I lived in Japan, I used to be told that no outsider could possibly understand the significance and meaning of the "tea ceremony". I accepted that, though I found it an interesting insight into how the hive mind works. I've lived in places where the predominant belief system was Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Moslem. Even if I studied the true tenets of those faiths, I'd still miss how they are practiced at the "retail level". Most faiths, when adopted, were simply spread like butter on top of the already-existing belief system, so the supposed faith at the wholesale level is quite different from how the masses actually practice it. No matter where one settles, there are going to be things one likes and things one dislikes. Embrace one and endure the other, and everything goes smoothly. Perhaps by example, rather than by admonition, one can occasionally influence another culture. All cultures are dynamic, and all go through changes arising from within and without. If there is influence from outside, and the masses see it as appealing, they will slowly adopt it. On an individual basis, just be nice and don't act superior. Some outsiders can go live in the back of beyond Isaan and fit in quite well. Personally, I'd be bored silly, so I won't ever try. Thailand offers many alternatives, however. Even in downtown Bangkok, one can find "community" or little villages amidst the chaos of a city of maybe 12 million. I "integrate" in some ways, as I employ a considerable staff of Thai people in my business. In no way am I Thai nor Buddhist, but I can fit without incident by just not trying to dictate belief or behavior. The world is now a big melting pot, but there are still very few places where outsiders are ever accepted in totality. Humans retain a good deal of tribalism, and an amulet or religious tattoo are never going to allow someone to fully be "one of us".
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