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Teachers Wanted |
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A Native English
speaker? There is
a job waiting for you in Thailand. click! |
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Thai News |
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An introduction to living as a white
person in Thailand. click! |
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Thai Workers |
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Thais work hard and believe
in serving with the personal touch. click! |
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Bangkok |
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Discover Bangkoks real name and
the other world records this famous city holds. click! |
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Thai Culture |
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Read about this amazing culture. |
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Thai Life |
Every mode of transport is used,
from elephants to airplanes.
Read about Thai Cuisine of insects and rice. click! |
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Thai Experiences |
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From visiting slums to shopping
in Tescos, every day is a new experience for me. click! |
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Isaan |
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Visit a part of Thailand not
seen by many tourists. click! |
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Teaching |
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Life in a Thai classroom. click! |
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Thai Silk |
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Find out how silk is produced. click! |
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What is Thai
Culture like?
Thai culture is vastly different from English culture and so
before setting foot in Thailand you should find out about the
essential 'do and don'ts' . Here are just a few, but the most
important rules.
Do Smile: Thailand is
known as the land of smiles. Thais do not necessarily smile about
something like we do in the west. They smile for a variety of
other reasons too. To say hello or thank you, to make a request,
to apologize, to smooth over bad feelings or to show embarrassment.
Do show
respect for the king:
Thai people show great respect for their king and they expect
visitors to do so too. The national anthem is played twice a
day (typically at 8am and 6 pm) and also before every film at
the cinema. Everyone is expected to stand whilst it is playing.
You should never insult or joke about the king or royal family.
Do show
respect for their main religion, for the Buddha, and for monks. Shorts or tank tops should not be worn in a temple,
and shoes should be removed before entering. It is considered
very improper for women to touch a monk.
Do not
touch anyone on the head. The head is considered to be very sacred.
Do not
point your feet at anyone or anything. This
is quite hard for a westerner to follow as, without realising
it, we do in some circumstances seem to use our feet quite a
lot e.g closing or opening doors. I never realised how much I
use my feet until I was made very conscious of it in Thailand.
Do not
step over anyone instead
walk around them.
What is so
special about the way Thais wash their clothes?
Thai people wash the
top of the body clothes separately from the bottom half i.e.
shirts and jumpers go in one wash and shirts, underwear and trousers
go in another. This is because, as Buddhists, they believe the
lower part of the body is unclean whilst the top part is sacred.
This is part of their religion.
A Buddhist Thai would also never take off or put on a skirt over
their heads for the same reason.
The same rule applies when hanging out the washing on the line.
Clothes from the lower part of the body are not placed next to
or higher than clothes worn on the top part of the body.
The same rule
applies to drying yourself after washing.
If you
take a shower you should not use the same towel for the whole
body, the correct way is to use one for the upper part (the head)
and another for the lower parts.
'A symbol
of beauty is the whiteness'.
A sunbathed
skin is not appreciated by Thai people because it is the symbol
of the peasant, the poor person often working in the fields or
on the streets. If one has a dark skin it means that he/she is
working outside. Thais believe the paler you are, the higher
you are in status. It is strange but true, as Westerners we look
for the sun to get a sunbathed skin, where as Thai people try
to escape from it.
It is quite common to see a Thai person with an umbrella when
the sun is shining. Indeed, I have witness motorcyclists holding
an umbrella in one hand whilst steering with the other!
Why is Thai
culture changing?
Thai culture is changing with time because of the contact with
Western civilisation. Although most Thais stick to their own
culture, some are influenced by what they see on television and
from tourists. It is therefore not uncommon to be greeted with
a handshake rather than a 'wai' in the main cities and towns.
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