It’s one thing to learn a spoken language.  It’s quite another thing, but also very essential, to learn the unspoken language of a culture.

One thing is for sure, Thai culture is much different than Western culture.  It can be a little disorienting at first, but if you are open minded and willing to learn, you can adjust quickly.

Here are just a few key parts of Thai culture that we have learned more about since living here.

The Wai- The Wai is the way that Thai people greet one another.  In the West, we shake hands, but in Thailand, we wai.  Both hands are raised in a prayer like manner, touching the body between chest and forward.  The higher the wai the more respect is being shown.  Usually juniors will wai seniors first.  The wai is used to show respect, courtesy, and even worship.  If a wai is not returned when given it denotes that the person who did not return it is higher in social standing.  For instance, the wai is generally not returned to waitresses and waiters at a restaurant.

Jai Yen- This literally means “cool heart.”  It is in distinction to “jai rawn” which means “hot heart.”  Thais value keeping your cool, especially in public.  It doesn’t matter how bad the situation gets in personal conflict, the Thai will work to keep cool and keep smiling.  Anyone who carries on in public is seen as weak morally and a great embarrassment to himself and others.  I find that we in the West tend to be alot more aggressive in interpersonal relationships than we realize.  If you live in this culture any length of time, you will have to change or you will crazy!  Although Thai people put alot of emphasis on being polite and courteous in face to face interaction, those rules generally go out of the window when it comes to traffic and cutting in “lines.” Continue Reading…