From a different angle

Recently I've stumbled across a blog of an American guy living in Bangkok who has written a lot about our country and its people. It's always interesting getting to see how foreigners have some certain perspectives on us Thais plus his parts of experience are so different from my own that make me curious if I am really in the country he's describing. Some of them are so undeniably true. Some parts of his blog, though, really bug me and make me want to scream out loud. Apparently, his Thailand world and mine are almost like we're on the different planets.

According to his blog, Thai people are uneducated or undereducated and it's hard for us to strike some intelligent conversations whether in English or in Thai. Not only he said we Thais can't expand our ideas and can't hold interesting conversations more than a few minutes, but also mentioned that educated women in Thai universities are not that clever if compared to Western standard (OH. MY. GOD. Did I feel a slap in my face?). I can interpret it as we Thais are stupid.

Which is not true. From my own experience, my friends and I think Westerners aren't quite the bright ones themselves, especially when all of us exchange students join together and talk about our experiences in those countries we've been to. I remembered an American classmate of mine ask our teacher in World History class if that country on the map was Russia, but it was actually China. I was sitting in the back of class and couldn't help but smiling to myself. One of the American students in my class didn't know what is the capital city of the state of Pennsylvania, where she's been living all her life, and I could answer it was Harrisburg and the teacher said "Even an exchange student knew that". I'm sorry, but that wasn't the only time I've seen Americans acting dumb. I got called "a flippin' Asian Math genius" in US but in fact my math skill is very, very ordinary in my Thai school. Other friends of mine experienced the same thing in Physics, Biology, and Chemistry, all of us agreed that those subjects are way much easier than in Thailand.

But here comes the pathetic part. We've studied harder but I agreed on one thing this American guy wrote about, Thai people can't think. We're forced to acknowledge the information teachers giving us without questioning. I admit that Thai education is all screwed up and hopeless. I've long ago lost faith in our education system. In my university, though, things are getting a bit better than in high school. Most classes in my faculty encourage students to respond and have some discussions with the teachers. Take an example of General Philosophy class I took last year with the teacher who has already become my "idol". Usually she would have us sit in a big circle and she would be in the middle guiding, throwing open questions from time to time encouraging us to tell our own opinions to her. I loved her class a lot, though it was a difficult one.

What else was this guy commenting on about Thais? He said he can't ever fit in in our society, just because he's a farang. Well, this is quite simple; same thing goes for us when we go to Western countries! My brother's friend who has been studying in Canada for 2 years usually hangs out with his Asian friends and admits that he has a few of Canadian friends. I believe some can adapt to fit in, my brother is one of the great examples who said he prefers American society over Thai. But many aren't like that cuz there is a big cultural gap between Eastern and Western, and it's just hard to make this barrier completely disappear in order to blend in perfectly and naturally.

He said Thais in general don't share ideas. We do, actually. We just don't usually share it with strangers or someone we don't know particularly well. I myself wouldn't share my opinions on certain things to Thai friends whom I'm not close to, let alone to a farang. He said we Thais always avoid arguments and harassment, and this is true. For this, I must admit I like Western style better. When I was in the US, it was comfortable whenever I wanted to say "I think I'm good at", "I don't think so", or other kinds of phrase that can express my feelings more directly and freely. I can just say "This is what I want" and don't really have to care about what others think. In Thailand, it's hard to do so cuz our culture and society aren't quite allowed us to. You would be frowned upon if you say you're good at something because a lack of modesty would be taken into an account for such behavior. There's also a problem with seniority. In Thailand, we are trying not to make someone lose their faces, especially if that person is older than you. Throughout our lives, we've been taught to treat people with respect and good-manner. All of these might be contributed to the fact that we don't share ideas openly like Westerners.

As a result, I don't know about others, but for me, I treat Westerners and Thais differently in that matter. I'm more careful when talking to older Thai people, and always make sure I sound polite. With Westerners, there is more of a feeling of equality so it's easier for me to be straightforward, regardless of how old that person is. I don't have to be overly humbled or polite, which is sometimes preferable to me.

He also claimed that Thais have a "little sense of the world". And so do Americans! We're not talking about Americans living in Thailand here ok? We talk about Americans who are IN their own country! I hardly ever find an American taking an interest in other cultures and countries besides their own because well, they are "the most powerful country" in the world. Why should they be interested in others? Others "MUST" pay attention to what they say anyway!

But I found it quite amusing when he wrote that most Thais think Thailand is an important country and well-known to others. This really got me laughing so hard! Is it really true? God, I've known this long ago Thailand is NOTHING in the world. Foreigners know Taiwan, but never Thailand. Somehow we are almost like the missing country on the map.

There are so many other things I'd like to mention, for example, Thais can't do things alone - for this I absolutely agree and sometimes am a little irritated by it (Maybe I should write a book "Why can't Thai girls go to bathrooms alone?" Do you think it'll be a bestseller?). I might continue later if I have time or feel like it. All in all, I'm not saying that this country is better than others or anything. I just want to say every SINGLE one of us is different, even if we're from the same country. All of us have different backgrounds and experiences, so it affects how we perceive things around us. The well-known quote I've been told among other exchange students is "It's not right. It's not wrong. It's just different", and I couldn't agree more.

Now, before ending this entry, let me quote this directly from his blog,

"They will talk about Thailand in glowing terms, about it’s beauty and it’s people..."

Notice anything? If not, let this "undereducated" Thai girl talk a bit, isn't it supposed to be "its beauty and its people" so the word "its" can act as a possessive pronoun in the sentence?

I just think it's funny when Americans mess up with their own grammars or spelling, that's all. And believe me, it wasn't the first time I've seen it :D