Advice

Some advice I got from a guy named Tony Zola, an American who’s been living in Thailand/Laos since sometime in the ‘70s:

- Be “jai yen” (literally, cool hearted)
- Be very humble and always reject a compliment
- Be full of praise and give compliments readily
- Be helpful, concerned, caring, genuine, and almost Victorian in your manners
- Don’t speak about contentious issues
- Remember “geng gua” or “proper fear”, meaning show reverence and respect where necessary
- Never refer to yourself in the first person – always use third person
- Use the phrase “kit wah” or “I think that…” less
- Use the phrase “rusak wah” or “I feel that…” more
- Practice speaking Thai at the local market as much as possible
- Practice your excuses for not being able to do something – Thais are great at excuses
- Never speak negatively about Thailand or “Thai-ness”
- Remember that people in high positions have large egos
- Thais have a poor sense of distance when telling you how far away something is
- Remember to lighten up
- Thailand operates within the realm of organized chaos
- Thailand is a matriarchal society masked as a patriarchal one
- Always be evasive, ambiguous, and ambivalent
- Always be the mouse, not the elephant (ie. Keep a low profile)
- Control your body language
- Remember that you’re on stage all day long
- Say thank you (kob cun krup) for everything
- Say excuse me all the time
- Bargain for everything
- Be ready to absorb a lot of bad situations
- Thailand is all about sen (connections)