Once upon a time there lived a silly American who 
was fairly ignorant in his cultural knowledge. He went hither and thither offending everyone with his lack of tact. Upon arrival in the kingdom of Thailand he saw a little Thai boy who was just the cutest little thing he ever did see. The silly American trotted up to talk to him, patted the little boy on the head, sat on a chair next to him and crossed his leg; the sole of his foot facing the now shocked little boy.
“Hmph,” said the indignant little boy as he ran away from the silly American. The silly American was very confused and very sad. The silly American should’ve done his research before he arrived. The end.
Thankfully this isn’t a true story but it very well could be and is an example of many of the offending things I’ve accidently done in Thailand. There are many interesting cultural rules and facts about Thailand that I’m going to share with you not only because it’s fun but also because it’ll save you lots of embarrassment if you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful country.
- Greet everyone with, “Sawadee kap,” and place your hands palm to palm under your chin and give a slight bow. If someone is older than you then address them as “Pii” (pronounced “pee”) followed their name. I laughed when someone first addressed me as Pii Brian.
- The head is considered the most honorable part of the body so touching it is a huge faux-pas. If you do touch or even point at someone else’s head then you are supposed to beg forgiveness.
- On the opposite side, the foot is considered the dirtiest part of the body. Don’t point it at anyone, move anything with it, refer to it, and avoid ever stepping over anyone. Again; beg forgiveness.
- Remove your shoes before entering a house. Don’t forget or you’ll have to eat your shoes. Just kidding…or am I?
- The film The King and I is banned in Thailand because it is deemed historically inaccurate and against the monarchy.
- Thailand is 94% Buddhist. To be Thai is to be Buddhist. That’s a lot of people who are in serious need of Jesus.
- There are lots of monks in Thailand and I know you’ll be tempted to run up and give them a hug and take a picture but if you’re a girl DON’T DO IT. They are forbidden to talk to a girl, take anything from a girl, or sit near a girl. If you feel so inclined to hand something to a monk, please first hand it to a man who will then hand it to said monk.
- Show disrespect to Buddhism or any of their sacred objects and you could get deported.
- There are spirit houses everywhere. They are shrines to the spirits who reside in them and look like miniature homes complete with front porches and yards. They are beautiful to look at but extremely creepy. The owners will leave food for the spirits and one time we saw a chicken eating the food, then it left the spirit house a present.
- The King is a great man. Repeat that after me. He is a great man. That is all we are ever allowed to say about the king. Apparently there are people who will try to trick silly Americans into disrespecting the king and then they get thrown in jail. Fun! The National Anthem is played every day at 8am and 6pm and everyone must stop what they’re doing and stand still in respect. The king is a great man.
- Don’t point at things. It’s rude. Put that finger away.
- Thais are extremely laid back and fairly happy people so you should be too. They smile all the time (it’s called the Land of Smiles for a reason). Don’t yell, don’t show anger in public. It’s like Jamaica; no worries mon.
There are so many other fascinating cultural differences I could share with you but there is also something fun about figuring it out in the moment. Get messy and make some mistakes. You’ll laugh about it later. Above all though, no matter where you go, respect the culture and enjoy it. God is going to teach you so much through your differences.
