Help Yourself.... Yeah, Right!

[cobra]

... they NEVER show at the time they said they'd be there...

that could be a topic of a whole new thread in itself, someone referred to it as "Thai time" ..

[ProThaiExpat]

I have wondered why there are lockable drawers in Thai dressers, cabinets and many other places not expected by western customs.

There are other asian cultures where extensive questions regarding your personal income, etc. is considered being polite and expressing interest in another.

I am with Ajarn in regard to unexpected visitors. In the U.S. I have been known to turn a friend away from my door when they have ignored my house rule to call first. Believe me, when you insist they go to the corner store and call you before getting in, they get the message.

Here in Thailand, my electric gate keeps them in the street and it is never opened unless an appointment has been made. I am also known for not speaking Thai, so unless they speak English, which is rarely, a simple "my thai is not here" suffices to send them on their way. Even the tax man showed up unannounced!

Udon: Was the young lady trying to provide you with some creature comfort and had to look around to find it, or was it clear she was just "looking out for herself'?

There is definitely a Thai propensity to "help themselves" when a falang is obviously so much better off than they are.

[udon]

"she was just "looking out for herself"

Yes.

on the privacy questions I love telling them I'm from Greenland, response. "oh. I always want to go there!" yeah, right!

On money and rent..... 80Kb/month and salary 2Mb a month

Gives them something to chat abt with their friends.......

[Mai Krap]

Maybe you can buy some of those how to live in THAILAND books with all that cash.

[Ajarn]

Maybe you can buy some of those how to live in THAILAND books with all that cash.

Just send me the cash. I can tell him how to live in Thailand

[udon]

On money and rent..... 80Kb/month and salary 2Mb a month

It was a joke fellers, a joke... Geeezus!

[cathyy]

I can understand the concern about people wondering around without asking but think it is a good idea to show people around so they know where the bathroom is etc.

The thing I find interesting in our part of Isaan is the reluctance of my wife to do exactly that and suspect it is because she doesn't want to show off since she has so much more than most of the people that visit.

I think that giving the quick tour of your home to guests is a Western thing, and even then it only happens if it's a casual gathering.

One thing I learned when I was reading up on Thailand and Thai culture is that only family and very dear friends get past the front receiving room in a Thai home. Makes more sense to me than giviing a stranger a guided tour.

In light of that, I don't know what those young ladies are thinking. Perhaps they have been given "the tour" by so many Westerners that they assume it is normal to have unrestricted access to the entire house.

[udon]

The thing I find interesting in our part of Isaan is the reluctance of my wife to do exactly that and suspect it is because she doesn't want to show off since she has so much more than most of the people that visit.

I understand that, but it's a bit of an enigma for me.

A few years ago my g/f was with me when I bought a shedload of goodies in our local Tesco, on the way home she went into silent mode, it turned out that she was embarrassed to stand at the checkout with all these goodies but later couldn't wait to show off her gold in front of the peeps in her home village.

Go figure!