|
|
|
Heart to Heart with Hillary
|
|
Dear Hillary,
I am new here to Thailand and the “wai” thing has me confused. I know it’s a
mark of respect, but when do I give it? Only as a response, or do I start it? It
seems to happen everywhere, even in shops. Do I reply with a wai there too?
Please help.
Antoinette
Dear Antoinette,
Who initiates the wai and who responds to a wai is actually quite complex, and
depends upon the social standing in most cases. A Thai will generally wai to a
foreigner first. A younger person will wai first to an older person. A person
with a more menial or lower position will wai first to someone in a higher
position, like a school teacher for example. So, in your case, you should
respond to a wai, but this is not really necessary in supermarkets and
restaurants. As you are a foreigner, it will not be expected that you wai first.
The height of the wai also has significance, but beyond the scope of this
column, but for you, bring the finger tips to touch the nose (your own nose) and
that is fine.
Dear Hillary,
My GF often has her friends over for a meal and they will all be sitting in a
circle on the floor eating dreadful smelling stuff and washing it down with
cheap whisky and soda until they are all tipsy and screaming with laughter at
anything. At other times she is a sensible woman, but put her with half a dozen
Esarn women and they all revert to being cave dwellers.
George
Dear George,
You have to understand the Esarn culture where discussions and gossiping
complete with food and drink is how they were raised. You will never take their
culture away from the NE people. So maybe it’s best for you to go to your
favorite pub and have a meal there when your GF has her cronies over for the
next session.
Dear Hillary,
Can you tell me why all the Thai girls are in love with themselves? Anywhere you
go, you see them holding up their camera phones and taking photos of themselves.
Then posing with their friends with obviously rehearsed poses. I think it was
Narcissus who was in love with his own reflection, but a Thai girl with a smart
phone goes one better!
Jackson
Dear Jackson,
You are correct. Not only did Narcissus fall in love with his own reflection,
but he couldn’t leave it and died there. I don’t think your Thai girls will die
holding a camera phone, but they will use one to make sure they look OK in the
coffin!
Dear Hillary,
Do you hold these letters for a long time before you publish them? I ask because
it’s hotter than (you know what) in Kazakhstan in August.
Vladimir
Dear Vladimir,
Yes, you have uncovered my dark secrets. I often do hold on to some shorter
letters to be used to fill spaces in the column at a later date.
Dear Hillary,
I have met a really nice little Thai girl and she’s moved in but she doesn’t
have much English, so we are having some communication problems, which is a bit
of a worry for me, and how long do these girls take to learn our language,
Hillary, should I keep trying to get her to go to a language school or something
and can you recommend one.
Lenny
Dear Lenny,
I think you are the one having communication problems, Petal. That’s one very
long sentence, try popping in a few full stops every so often and your written
communication will improve no end. Now I want you to repeat after me “I am
living in Thailand. The people here are Thai. The people here speak Thai. I
should learn Thai if I want to communicate with the people here.” Say that every
morning before breakfast and take yourself to a language school - not your GF.
You are the one with a problem - not her. OK?
Dear Hillary,
One of the women at work told me she needed some money as deposit for a unit
close to work. It wasn’t much, only 4,500 baht, so I gave her 5,000 baht. I
didn’t expect it back. Just a gift and I forgot about it after she said she had
moved in to her new place. About a couple of months later she left the job, but
came back to see me as she was waiting to be paid and was behind in the rent, so
I stumped up for another 1,500 baht. Am I being played for a sucker?
Wally
Dear Wally,
Wally the wallet, you have certainly been a soft touch, my Petal. There’s no
secret in what to do here, and you know it already. Just say “No”. You can do it
nicely, by saying you are a bit short this month yourself, and that’s all. She
will find someone else, just the same way as she found you! But learn something
from it. OK? Charity may start at home - but that’s at your home, not hers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|