The Differences Between Thai Culture and American Culture
- Sep 9, 2015
- 3 min read
By Wanna Buranakiti
First of all, America is totally different from what I expected. I thought it would be like in the movies, but it is not. Everything is different. It’s bigger than I expected. There are many kinds of people: some are nice, some are mean, some are crazy, some are workaholics and some I don’t even know how to describe. I thought that all (I really mean *ALL*) Americans are really nice to Asian people but it turned out that this is not true. Some people are really mean to me because my English is not good and I still have some problems communicating. Well, this is my third year in the US. I’ve had a few bad encounters. But I cannot say that there are no nice people. There are a bunch of people who treat me nicely. I appreciate that.
Thai culture is different from American culture.
Here are some of the differences:
ADDRESSING THE ELDERLY
We are polite to elderly people. We cannot say any bad words or act rudely towards them. We need to use really formal words when speaking with elderly people. For example, we cannot use “Sa-wad-de” to say “Hello”; this is a greeting we use when speaking with friends. If we want to say “hello” to an elder person we have to say "Sa- wad-de-ka", the more polite version of the greeting. I like American culture better sometimes. People act politely to show respect; not just by using words.
HOMES
Thai houses are really close to each other. We don’t have much space for a yard. I lived in the capital city so I do not know about the countryside. Anyway, there is a difference. Many American houses are built on a hill. Roads are all flat and smooth. I bet Americans do not have many neighbors. They live too far from each other. This is not always true, but my friend’s house is really far from the house next to her. Well, I think if I go to New York I may see something similar to Thailand.
GREETING STRANGERS, SELF-CHECKOUT LANES AND FLOATING MARKETS
My favorite things about American culture is when people who don’t know each other say “how are you doing” or say “hi” or smile at each other. That’s what I really like. That makes me feel like they are friendly and just makes me want to get to know them. I want to do the same in Thailand when I go back, but I think everyone will probably think that I am crazy. I like to go to Walmart because there are self-checkout lanes. That’s really cool. Well, we do not have those things in Thailand. That’s why I want to go there and make changes. Such little things. But in Thailand we have floating markets. It means we sell fresh fruit, food and desserts (traditional Thai food) on water from boats.
I LOVE AMERICA!
I think I will fall in love with American boys. Before I came here I had been working at a hotel. I had met American people in Thailand, too. I am glad that I came here and am spending time here. I love America. I don’t care that some American people hate Asian people like me. Someday, maybe not tomorrow or next year, but someday I will be able to speak English like an American. And I am glad to have been born in Thailand though I regret that I cannot speak English really well. Sometimes when people say something and I don’t understand it makes me fell so stupid but anyway, I love you, Chicago.
Here are some additional resources if you want to learn more about Thai customs and culture:
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