Things I have learned in Thailand

[kiwiinasia]

Things I have learned in Thailand:

1) how to bargain with shop keepers/vendors

2) how to pay off the police

3) how to jump to the front of the queue

4) how to bump people off the escalator

5) how to be rude while smiling

6) how to drink beer with ice

7) how to grab a seat on the train before the 25 girls get there

8) how to talk to a man who is dressed as a woman (and not end up in hospital)

9) how to walk through water in flip flops

10) how to use my finger as a shopping tool.

[GuestHouse]

I learned a different kind of tolerance in Thailand which has helped me enormously elsewhere in my life - I know I said this at the time, when I was later posted to Saudi Arabia and had a good time, met some good people and enjoyed their different point of view. I believe this was largely possible because of that different kind of tolerance I learned in Thailand.

Like Benalibina, I got my health back with the help of a Thai doctor - I've gone from not being able to climb a flight of stairs to competing again in Road Cycle Races. As a young man I raced pro, chronic illness robbed me of everything health brings - I have a very vivid memory now of racing in Thailand in the last five Kms, sitting fifth in the line-out and suddenly realising I was doing something I love, something I never thought I do again - realising what a gift I had been given.

Most recently a Thai friend said something to me which got me thinking and with her encouragement I'm now back in university researching something that has interested me for ten or more years. The university is not in Thailand but the journey there 'restarted' in Thailand.

Several people have mentioned 'living the moment' and I think that almost perfectly encapsulates what I have learned in Thailand - though not so much just learning to live the moment, rather actually putting what I've learned into practice and LIVING THE MOMENT.

And as I say often, I have also had very privileged access via my job to aspects of Thai society and Thai life that I could not possibly have gained by any other means, which has given me many treasured memories of my life and work in Thailand while enabling me to provide a home and a good life for my family.

I've been blessed.

Edited October 25, 2013 by GuestHouse

[geronimo]

OP, is it living "in Thailand" that has taught you those things? Seems to me, those are things learned by "living".

Living in Thailand taught me that a cement mixer truck can travel at 150 KPH.

Well obviously I can't be sure that I wouldn't have learned these things in another place, but I think it is something to do with the core concepts of Buddhism so I think Thailand has a great deal to do with it.

[umbanda]

What I can say...

I come here with cancer and broke at 67...after be married 3 times and loosing my company and assets....

I got cure, found the love of my life, and a new wonderful family with her family...

Starting a new business with my new wife, just for fun, not with the needs of make just money...

Learn to enjoy every moment like the last one...

Smile, smile, smile.....if I not want to get complaints because I am not doing it...

I just learned to be happy....truly happy.

[sms747]

I know my place

[rct99q]

After living and working here for the better of 4 years now (and counting) the one thing Thailand has taught me is that as crazy as I thought I may have been there are a lot "and I mean a LOT" of <deleted> up people in this world.

Walking by a group of rooms the other day and over heard someone screaming "don't look in my eye, don't look in my eye!!", thinking somebody may be in trouble I inquired if they needed help, turns out there was this guy all alone in his room and had been beating the shit out of himself...literally all cut up with bruises and bleeding lip....said he was really quite normal most of the time but on occasion needed to teach himself a lesson.

[LisaMaria]

"Things I have learned in Thailand"

... you probably could have learnt anywhere else...

Edited October 25, 2013 by metisdead
Oversize font reset to normal. Do not post using overly large font.

[Liss]

In your life you meet people. Some you never think about again. Some you wonder what happened to them. There are some that you wonder if they ever think about you. And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again, but you do...

I've learned that things change, people change, and it doesn't mean you forget the past or try to cover it up. It simply means that you move on and treasure the memories. Letting go doesn't mean giving up... it means accepting that some things weren't meant to be." Edited October 25, 2013 by Liss

[jpduggan]

''Seeing the good in everything.'' That's some good weed you're smoking!

[soi41]

These might be specific to living in Bangkok:

You can be surrounded by a lot of people and still be alone.

There is no real safe way to cross a street. Sometimes a little luck is required.

If you want Thais to talk to you, go to Home Pro. Those sales people are like sharks.

Most street food is better than in the fancier restaurants. (cheaper too).

I can drive for 1 hour and only go 5 km (or less).

Walking around is still the best way to experience normal Thai living.

7-11 will give you a straw when you buy a 2 liter bottle of milk.

Sorry mate, but you have been cheated! A 2 liter bottle of milk comes with 2 straws!!

[Jaggg88]

I've learnt life is cheap for ordinary Thai ppl which is why health and safety has such a low priority

[Cuban]

Some people make really dumb choices.

[kranuan]

living and being around thai people for the last 14 years has taught me 1 thing. look behind the smile. most thais are selfish , greedy and cold manipulating people. thats my personal obvservation anyhow.

so sorry i cannot sit here and lie.

Edited October 25, 2013 by kranuan

[pitchag]

 

Schadenfreude is taking joy in the misery of others; taking joy in what you think is or should be the misery of others is something I have only ever encountered on this website.

Is this something you have learned in Thailand?

I am living the dream at the moment beautiful condo great position, loving Thai lady that cares for me and has proven it more than once, a very sweet potential mother in law that I adore. She has worked from the age of 7 and is still working past 65 so for me Thailand is the place to be

l

Yes -- only since being in Thailand have I encountered situations wherein someone might say "My wife loves me" and someone else replies: Your wife actually cringes at your very touch and will dump you as soon as she has made sufficient arrangements to enjoy your money without having to co-habit.

 

It seems there are a lot of negative expats here, be tolerant of them, they have far more problems than you.

[Liss]

living and being around thai people for the last 14 years has taught me 1 thing. look behind the smile. most thais are selfish , greedy and cold manipulating people. thats my personal obvservation anyhow.

so sorry i cannot sit here and lie.

I am Thai and I couldn't agree more of your statement!

Of course there are nice good Thais people but they are rare!

[Mudcrab]

I have learned that having your drink in a plastic bag is great, right up to the point where you need to put it down somewhere.

One of the few places where you can buy a bag of coke and not get a life sentence!!!

[Mudcrab]

What I can say...

I come here with cancer and broke at 67...after be married 3 times and loosing my company and assets....

I got cure, found the love of my life, and a new wonderful family with her family...

Starting a new business with my new wife, just for fun, not with the needs of make just money...

Learn to enjoy every moment like the last one...

Smile, smile, smile.....if I not want to get complaints because I am not doing it...

I just learned to be happy....truly happy.

Sounds like an interesting story...please continue

[GuestHouse]

"Things I have learned in Thailand"

... you probably could have learnt anywhere else...

I think that is very true.

Though I would add that there is something liberating about moving away from the society you are raised in/established in and since for most on this forum that move has been to Thailand.

[Suradit69]

living and being around thai people for the last 14 years has taught me 1 thing. look behind the smile. most thais are selfish , greedy and cold manipulating people. thats my personal obvservation anyhow.

so sorry i cannot sit here and lie.

" look behind the smile. most thais are selfish , greedy and cold manipulating people"

And what do you suppose those Thai people see when they look behind your unhappy demeanor? As to "manipulating," are you really so easily led astray?

"...so sorry i cannot sit here and lie."

Possibly if you stood up and moved around a bit you'd feel less sorry for yourself and have a less jaundiced view of everyone else. In most cases Thais, like all people, respond in kind to those they are dealing with. If you've lived here for 14 years, you must be somewhat fluent in both the Thai language and the meanings of the many varieties of Thai smiles ... or at least made some demonstrable effort to learn about the people with whom you live. Sitting in one place while expecting everyone else to accommodate you is not likely to result in happy feelings for anyone. And I expect a lot of people who smiled at you back in your home country were just as likely to not be feeling all sorts of warm and fuzzy emotions when you popped into view.

If you stop getting hung up on the superficiality of a smile,something that you may not really understand, and project a friendly, trusting attitude, in many cases it'll be returned in like fashion. This of course may not apply to Thai people working in bars or the sex industry where "manipulating" farang is de rigeur, but then I'm sure you're too sophisticated to think those people are acting as Thais would naturally or sincerely in less weird circumstances.

As to some of the many Thai smiles:

1. Yim thang nam taa: The “I’m so happy I’m crying” smile.

2. Yim thak thaai: The “polite” smile for someone you barely know.

3. Yim cheun chom: The “I admire you” smile.

4. Fuen Yim: The stiff smile, also known as the “I should laugh at the joke though it’s not funny” Smile.

5. Yim mee lessanai: The smile which masks something wicked in your mind.

6. Yim yaw: The teasing, or “I told you so” smile.

7. Yim yae-yae: The “I know things look pretty bad but there’s no point in crying over spilt milk” smile.

8. Yim sao: The sad smile.

9. Yim haeng: The dry smile, also known as the “I know I owe you the money but I don’t have it” smile.

10. Yim thak thaan: The “I disagree with you” smile, also known as the “You can go ahead and propose it but your idea’s no good” smile.

11. Yim cheua-cheuan: The “I am the winner” smile, the smile given to a losing competitor.

12. Yim soo: “smiling in the face of an impossible struggle” smile.

13. Yim mai awk: The “I’m trying to smile but can’t” smile.

14. Yim som tam: The “Waiter, there’s a dead crab in my salad!” smile. (ok, this one was completely made up. But I’m sure I’ve given it myself a few times…).

Source: Working With The Thais: A Guide to Managing in Thailand by Henry Holmes and Suchada Tangtongtavy.

... but then an old Thai hand like you knows these and many more, right?

Edited October 25, 2013 by Suradit69

[ABCer]

OP, I'm happy for you.

Don't know which country you came from.

For myself I can say the following:

- All the things you have learnt in Thailand I have learnt elsewhere, PLUS something else, -

never to tolerate things I consider to be bad;

not keep my mouth shut because eventually the bad things come to kick me on the butt;

I call it having principles.

Of course this is subjective but it is mine. And it does not matter if many people disagree with my view.

Majority can impose their views in a democracy but it may still be wrong.

[swissie]

Nice to read threads that are on a positive note,

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. To play "Devil's advocate", that is.

- Where are the posts of Farangs that have lost out "big time" by granting loans?

- Where are the posts of Farangs that have lost everything (love, money, self-respect?)

Such posts don't surface very often, because who wants to display a life dream in paradise, when the life dream turned into a nightmare?

Next to the positive things a Farang may experience and enjoy, a healthy dose of "don't trust everyone just because he/she smiles at you" is an absolute "must", as far as "things to learn in Thailand" is concerned.

Oftentimes, Farangs disregarding this essential fact of live, (especially applicable in Thailand) may find that their long-term plans of staying in Thailand were cut short.

Cheers.

[Thai at Heart]

Schadenfreude is taking joy in the misery of others; taking joy in what you think is or should be the misery of others is something I have only ever encountered on this website.

Is this something you have learned in Thailand?

Yes -- only since being in Thailand have I encountered situations wherein someone might say "My wife loves me" and someone else replies: Your wife actually cringes at your very touch and will dump you as soon as she has made sufficient arrangements to enjoy your money without having to co-habit.

To be perfectly frank, that isn't too different anywhere in the world. Can't think of the last time I regaled my overseas friends and family about how much my wife lives me.

Probably only to be followed by someone muttering " must be something wrong, why is he taking about that?"..?..

[marquis22]

I've learnt that beer is drinkable watered down with a few melted ice cubes.

Thai women think I am hansom and look younger than I am.

Teenagers do not like sitting next to me on the bus.

I just gotta step over that line at the station to hear the whistle go off.

That taxis nearly do a nose to tail when I try crossing the road.

That soi dogs know I am a farang when walking past, intruding into their territory and let me know it.

[mca]

You don't have to pick with your fingernails in a frenzy at the rubber band around those little bags of nam pla they give you with your take home khao pad until the bag splits and the contents either spill down your front of squirt in your eye. Just gently pull at the rubber band and it'll just come off.

Took me years to discover that.....

[GuestHouse]

I've recently learned that some people have an acute sense respect but don't understand it to be a two way street.

[MA1]

My first visit to Thailand was straight after being deployed to the Middle East and Iraq. I fell head over heals in love with a beautiful Isan lady. I discovered the Thai countryside and some wonderfully giving people. I also saw the darker side of people and what I felt was greed. ended up divorcing and remarried a lady from the north country.

Having married a Thai and been through many different, sometimes difficult cultural issues, I still choose to live here and believe Thailand is a good place for me. Every place has good and bad, every person has the potential for good and evil.

I do not compare it to the U.S. and those standards, but sometimes I wish the 7-11's in the U.S. were as clean and carried some decent yoghurts or spicy hot dogs...oh, and I wish Thailand would switch over and drive on the right side vs. the left side. Other than that I am a happy camper!

Edited October 25, 2013 by MA1

[geronimo]

''Seeing the good in everything.'' That's some good weed you're smoking!

Yes it is, but even when I'm straight I still the good!!!!!

[mca]

oh, and I wish Thailand would switch over and drive on the right side vs. the left side.

Why on earth would you want them to drive on the wrong side of the road my dear chap?

[yingyo]

So the OP moved here at age 25, and is now aged 57.

During which time he has learned to:

Be far more tolerant of others.

understand that the moment is everything.

Accept certain things.

Seeing the good in everything.

Enjoy whatever life I have, irrespective.

I would say that 100% of 57 years olds have learned all that and much more compared to when they were 25 years old.

Country has nothing to do with it.

Edited October 25, 2013 by yingyo

[MAJIC]

Schadenfreude is taking joy in the misery of others; taking joy in what you think is or should be the misery of others is something I have only ever encountered on this website.

I think in the west it's also known as Gloating. Yes we often hear on this site in Thai, "Som nam na" or if someone gets ripped off: "You were stupid you deserved it" now what satisfaction does someone get out of a mindless statement like that?