Thai time, Thai size and other observations
It’s another stormy Sunday afternoon, so I thought I’d pass the time with some more social commentary…
First of all, Thai time. In Thailand, meeting times, starting times, ending times, departure times, arrival times and deadlines are all merely suggestions. Thai people simply are not in a rush to get anywhere or to do anything, and it carries over into most aspects of life here.
I’ve talked before about how students often show up 10-15 minutes late as though it’s nothing – they know that they are “supposed” to be on time, but it’s just not something that gets enforced or really even noticed. Thai people have the ability to walk incredibly slow – I mean to the point where it seems like special effort! They’ll take these tiny shuffle-steps, stopping here and there to look at whatever is being sold next to them, seemingly with no awareness of anything going on around them. Things that might seem incredibly rude in the west – such as blocking an entire walkway to inspect some pineapples, parking a motorbike right in the center of the sidewalk or simply riding your motorbike through a crowded bus stop – are commonplace and don’t get a second thought. Personal space has an entirely different meaning here!
Despite slow walkers, abrupt stops in the middle of sidewalks, jammed paths and, of course, traffic that never lets up (commute time in Bangkok is typically 2-3 hours by car/bus), you never see an aggravated Thai. There is no sense of impatience, road rage is unheard of and irritations are brushed off. I think that a lot of it boils down to Thai time – if you’ve got all day, what is there to get all worked up about?
I’m sure that there are many factors causing this attitude, many of which are related to Buddhism and its lack of the “get ahead” mentality. However, I think that the hot, humid climate, the sheer number of people, the belief that everything should be “sanuk” (fun) and the monsoons play a huge part as well. I mean, when the afternoon storms hit, everyone simply stops and takes cover where they are, until it’s over. Appointments and meetings be damned, they will wait until the rains stop!
Although there are certainly times when all I want is a place to open when it says it will open (for example, when I haul my massive bag of laundry to the end of the road only to find the door locked), or for there to be just a little bit of logic to the way the sidewalk traffic moves, overall I would have to say that it’s all very refreshing! You have to make an effort to adopt their attitude and simply slow down…once you do, there is no stress, irritation or frustration. As the Thais say, “mai pen rai”… it’s no worry.
I also want to comment a bit on Thai-size. Generally speaking, Thai people are small – they’re short, they’re skinny and their biggest shoe size won’t fit my big toe. There are some exceptions, however, which I notice largely due to working at a school.
I don’t think that I’ve ever seen an older person over the height of ‘short,’ but I’ve got a good number of tall, lanky 17-20 year olds in my classes. Interestingly, I recently read the reason behind this: milk was not commonly consumed in Thailand until about 15 years ago, which is when it started being given to babies. Thus, we are now seeing the first generation of milk-grown Thais… Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have milk-grown feet yet so I’m still out of luck when it comes to shoes!
Another thing that I have noticed in Thailand is that while you almost never see an overweight Thai adult, there are some pretty big kids running around. I’ve got an overweight kid or two in a few classes, but the biggest problem is definitely among the younger children, the 5-10 year old age range. This has an explanation as well: fast food, internet and television. This is a country that has only had these things introduced in the relatively recent past, but the effects are being seen quickly.
KFC, McDonalds and Dairy Queen are all huge here. Tesco is essentially WalMart, encouraging shoppers to “buy more, save more!” and society in general is modernizing pretty rapidly. Considering that pretty much every student I have lists their hobbies as “video game, internet, shopping,” it’s easy to see that Thailand is facing more and more of the consequences of westernization and consumerism every day.
A lot of these things are pretty specific to Bangkok, as it is a huge city with rampant consumerism. The villages are much different, the lifestyles much more traditional and much more appealing to me! Eventually I’ll be in Laos, where there is one ATM in the entire country. For now, however, I’ll stick with my observations of of city life!
My dad had asked about the gas prices, which I think is worth mentioning here. Gas is just as expensive, if not more, here as it is in the states. It’s running around 40 baht/litre right now, which is just over $4 per gallon. Most people do not drive, and although the roads are choked with traffic at all hours of the day, it is 85% taxis and buses. There is a large upperclass population, as there is in any big city, but I can’t imagine how anyone on a typical Thai salary would ever dream of having a car!
The gasoline for taxis has always been subsidized, but that will come to a stop at the end of the year, as the government has decided that it’s financially unsustainable and that subsidized prices will not get people to change their habits. Bus, boat and taxi fares were all increased last week by a few baht each and I’m sure that they’ll be raised again before too long.
The Thai’s are hardest hit by food prices, as food takes up the majority of family budgets. School lunches were only 15 baht and standard street meals 20 baht until a few weeks before I arrived; they are now 20 and 25 baht, respectively, due to rice prices. It’s nothing to me, but it makes a big difference to someone who makes $200 a month! I don’t think that this country could ever go hungry, but they are feeling the pain as much as anyone else in the world!
As “bad” as things are with the American economy right now, it’s good to put it into perspective. $4 gas is bad, but imagine if that $4 was your daily income (minimum wage here)… there’s a big difference between having to sacrifice a vacation to make ends meet and having to find a way to buy enough food for the week! Not too many places in the world have it particularly easy right now, but we’ve got to keep in mind how good our ‘bad’ is..
Tags: bangkok, culture, economy, food, gasoline, patience, size, thailand, time, traffic, Travel, weight, westernization
allisonrae
July 6th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Allison, it’s amazing who much one can see and perceive in another country. We’ve had so good for so long, sometimes I think we are just catching up to the rest of the world. I had the same experience in Turkey that you are having now. In Italy during the 1968-1969 I was there, gas was extremely high; $2-4.00 per gallon, while ours was considerably less.
I think everyone should HAVE to visit another country not totally westernized in order to have more appreciation for what we have in the good ole USA!
Keep the posts coming, I am so enjoying them!
John
July 6th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
John – I completely agree! I don’t think that anyone can claim to know anything, good or bad, about their own country until they leave it. Travel can make you appreciate things that you’ve taken for granted and can also bring to light things that need improvement – both are very important.
My kids are getting sent away at a young age – I want them to learn these things early in life!
July 7th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Allison –
When you send your kids away at a young age, send their Grandma with them 🙂
July 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Great perspective Allison. I was watching a show on Laos just yesterday and you will have to try the grilled and fried Swallows (as in small birds) when you go there. Apparently they eat them guts, bones and all. It looked tasty and every meal starts with sticky rice and chile paste. WooHoo!
September 24th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Thailand sounds a lot like Bolivia! Small people with newly large children, however they tend to exist in the upperclasses. Terrible traffic too, however, the taxi drivers would get pissed as all hell. Maybe they’ve just been going throught the westernization for longer.