Before I moved to Bangkok for the first time in 2007, I had the impression that Thailand is not safe, and the people are dangerous. Thinking of how naïve I was back then, I laugh at myself. All those negative assumptions were a result of hearsay I had heard about Thailand. Never did I know that one day I would call Thailand, my home. After living here for almost 10 years, I realized that I was so wrong in seeing Thai people. At certain points, they are better than my countrymen. I will list down Thais general deeds and their interests based on my experience.

Smile

Yes, Thais are generous with their smiles. They like to smile a lot even to the strangers. When they smile, you can see that it’s coming from the heart. Consequently, I always feel welcome wherever I go. Over time, this facial expression had an influence on me. Yeah… I didn’t smile a lot before not because I was unfriendly but simply as I thought It was not necessary especially to the strangers. Living in Thailand had taught me to smile more. When you smile sincerely, people will feel safe and welcomed. That’s how I feel when Thais smiling at me. They are not dangerous anymore… hahaha. Hence, The Land of Smile is exactly what Thailand is.

Polite

Of course, not all of them are polite, same goes to not all people are bad. Thais usually are polite when they speak and act. They don’t cut the queue, prioritize children and elderly, also not to lose temper easily particularly in public. When they speak, they always use the polite particles “ka” (spoken by women) and “krap” (spoken by men). That is why you hear the word ka/krap a lot in the Thai language. They respect each other with Buddhist philosophy as their way of life.

Helpful

This is one of the reasons why I like living in Thailand so much. They are very helpful. If you get lost and want to ask them for direction, they will try their best to help you even though they can’t speak English. For me, it is not asking for a direction that amazed me but beyond that. Usually, I will spend my weekend with kids at the shopping mall. Most of the time I have to use a baby stroller, which means I must take an elevator whenever I need to go up or down the floor. Each time, the Thais will help me by keeping the lift’s door open for me to get in. Also, the person closest to the lift’s buttons will ask which floor you are going and will press the button for you. I had a bad experience in Kuala Lumpur where my baby stroller got stuck in between the doors of the lift where no one on the scene care to hold the door for me. The incident made me upset about the lack of consideration towards people with baby and kids shown in Malaysia. Thailand, on the other hand, is the opposite. Once, I was going home by bus with my daughter and had many grocery shopping bags. The bus was full where no seats available, so I had to stand. One of the passengers who was seating in front of me offered a help to hold my shopping bags and others were offering their seat. I never expected that kindness and have seen they did it to others as well.

Friendly

Thais are friendly people. They often approach each other and begin a small talk. Since I look like a Thai to them, there is always someone who talks to me randomly in the gym’s changing room, while queuing at the supermarket or on the street. Sometimes I feel guilty because I just smiled and pretend that I understood them. When they ask me questions, then I have to say “put thai mai dai ka” to let them know that I can’t speak Thai and I’m not Thai. Isn’t it cool that you can make friend with Thai people easily?

Another characteristic of Thai people that I’ve seen is that they like something beautiful, charming and vibrant which they apply in every aspect of their life. Intricate craftsmanship in their arts and architectures especially their Wats and traditional houses resemble these features. Thai food regarded as one of the most delicious food on earth, because of the fresh ingredients they use in their cooking. The wet market around Bangkok offers relatively cheap and fresh seafood, poultry, vegetables, as well as fruits. The market looks beautiful with many kinds of colorful fruits, greeneries, and shining fishes. In most Thai’s prominent supermarkets, you can get freshly cooked food, salad bar or cut fruits. All are packed nicely to catch the attention of customers and it looks very tempting too.

Thai people care so much about their appearance especially ladies, are obsessed with makeup. Besides that, they like to enhance their beauty which explains the abundance of aesthetic clinics which exist around Thailand. It is nice to see for instance a cleaner lady or lady security guard, is well groomed, in a profession that we think the use of makeup is not necessary. ( I’m comparing with people who work in these field in my own country where you hardly see the use a lipstick). No matter what, they always strike me with their generosity and sincerity.

After mingling with many Thais, some of them became my friends. We always do many activities together and they too, have helped me a lot regarding ‘Thai matters’. They are fun to be with, cheerful and at the same time crazy. However, I enjoy every moment very much and glad to have known them otherwise I might be like an outcast in the foreign land. Thank you, khorp khun kha!