In the past 17 months, many of the aspects of Thai culture that I viewed as strange or nonsensical, I have, slowly but surely, either come to terms with or accepted wholeheartedly.
A common greeting in Thai is "Have you eaten yet?" and it's used in the same way that we say "How are you?" or "What's up with you?" Think about it, Americans use those phrases a lot, so imagine that conversation, but pertaining to food. I am now more than happy to discuss what I had for meals and if it was delicious. In the same vain, I find myself actually interested in what other people are eating and if they thought it was delicious. Similarly, just yesterday at the office, I had at least a 5 minute conversation about the sweetness levels of various kinds of fruits as we in fact ate fruit.
Thai people are very free when discussing money - how much people earn, how much things cost, etc. In America, money is generally a taboo topic. Even in job interviews, we are hesitant to discuss the salary. When I first arrived, I was a bit turned off by frequent questions about how much I make and how much my new shirt cost and my house rent. But now, I'm almost fascinated by it. I realized I could ask them back the same question and I've found it to be very interesting. I know how much people pay for their houses and cars and what they make in a month. It's great - I can be nosy and it's culturally appropriate.
I have also turned a corner with Thai music. It's pretty bad, but now I sort of love it because it's so painfully bad. On bus rides, I'm often forced to watch music videos for 8 hours straight and I'm not kidding when I say all of the music is super melodramatic - themes such as "I'm so in love with you that I can't function," "I read the text message to the other girl, you are cheating, but I still love you anyway," "You broke my heart, get away from me," "You were cheating and then I was in a car crash and now you are at the hospital feeling guilty, but telling me you love me." You get the idea. Anyway, I sort of like it now. It's so over the top and ridiculous. I'm not saying I love Thai music blaring at 2am on an overnight bus, but I've reached a more neutral stance on Thai music.
When you visit Thai houses, there is very little furniture, perhaps a wooden bench, but that's it. People eat, sleep, relax on the hard floor with these stiff rectangle pillows. For the longest time, I have never understood it. Whenever I have been with Thais and told to "relax" and watch TV, I always think fondly of my cozy futon in New York. But recently, it clicked. Soft things are hot. Hard things are cooler. My bedroom is miserable in the afternoons. If I attempt to take a nap in my bed, I wake up horribly sweaty, with the sheets sticking to me, even if the fan is aimed directly at me. But recently, I started taking naps on the tile floor with one of those rectangle pillows, which I realized fit perfectly in the crook of your neck. It's shockingly comfortable and much, much cooler.
While I've turned the corner with many aspects of Thai culture, there are a few that are going to take some more time. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy a nice afternoon nap on the floor and actually enjoy it.
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