Reverse Culture Shock?

[scottish-guy]

.. if I report a lost / stolen passport, it first has to go through a RCMP (police) investigation..

Do they send a guy wearing a red uniform and brown hat round to your house, on top of a horse?

Matt2.jpg

[Smiles]

" ... If they deny the issuance of a new passport again, I'll just sue the federal government ... "

Yep ... that should work like a charm.

[nordicguy]

I was living in BKK as an expat for three years, and returning to northern Europe was really hard I have to admit. When I think back, then it was easier to adapt to life in BKK than life in Denmark, but that's maybe because BKK was some sort of adventure for me.

The things that were really hard to adjust back to was of course the food (Thai food is the best food in Asia!) and the cold weather in Northern Europe. And of course the boys. In BKK, you are in some neighbourhoods surrounded by heavenly beautiful boys all the time who are friendly and interested talking to you. It's a kind of hard landing going back to Europe where all younger guys play hard to get and are plain arrogant often. Spoiled, you could say. Even though there is very often a strong element of sexual attraction between farangs and Thai boys (and money too some extent too), it's hard to overlook the genuine non-sexual and non-pecuniar aspects of this: The curiosity, hospitality and their deep-grounded respect that characterises the younger Thai guys (with many exceptions of course).

About the people at work, then I was actually kind of happy to back in a European workspace with more people to talk during the day about politics, (pocket)philosophy and culture and to make jokes with. The humour in northern Europe is very much based on irony and sarcasm, which Thai people don't get at all.

[snotface]

The humour in northern Europe is very much based on irony and sarcasm, which Thai people don't get at all.

Yes, irony and sarcasm tend to crash into the rocks of Thai literal-mindedness, particularly among the less-educated. I try not to use sarcasm at all, since it is usually perceived as plain aggression and hatefulness. Even the mildest form of irony can backfire as well. I have a good Thai friend Dton, who works in a Bangkok bar but comes to visit me in Pattaya quite often. We were sitting at Dick's Cafe in Jomtien one time and I was telling him how much he resembled a waiter there. The waiter wasn't at work that evening and I found myself exaggerating the resemblance mischievously. As we walked away after our meal I looked at Dton in mock puzzlement and said, 'Are you Dton or the waiter?' I can't believe any Westerner would have failed to realise at once that I was joking, but poor old Dton cried out in anguish, 'I am Dton!' 'I know, I know,' I had to reply tamely.

I don't mean to suggest that Thais are lacking in humour though. On the contrary, I find them to be one of the most delightfully humorous peoples in the world when it comes to appreciating life's absurdities.

[Nirish guy]

As we walked away after our meal I looked at Dton in mock puzzlement and said, 'Are you Dton or the waiter?' ........... but poor old Dton cried out in anguish, 'I am Dton!' .

Perhaps he was more just quietly shaking his head in despair inwardly thinking "ohh FFS yet another one of those stupid racist farang who seemingly can't tell the difference between Thai people as they think we all look the same" - but - before you start to protest too much there about "NO, it ain't so" I have it on good authority from my asian BF that a lot of asians think EXACTLY the same about us in reverse so I wouldn't worry too much !

[a447]

... I have it on good authority from my asian BF that a lot of asians think EXACTLY the same about us in reverse so I wouldn't worry too much !

So true.

I was often told in Japan that we all look the same!

[paborn]

So true.

I was often told in Japan that we all look the same!

A few years back a Korean shop keeper in the US was charged with selling cigarettes to a minor. His lawyer won a landmark decision which validated that Asians have a very difficult time identifying age markers in Caucasians just as Asians look so young to us. That precident is now used in all cases involving Asian/Caucasian ID cases in US courts.

[werner]

I am Swiss. I have encountered some of the worst "reverse culture shock" when I bump into other Swiss people in Thailand or other parts of the world.

I am from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. When I meet Swiss from the German-speaking parts, there is always the question of what language should we speak.

Should I speak to them in French, even if their French is not very good? Should I try to speak to them in Swiss German, or should be try to speak in standard German?

Or should we just try to speak in English, which would be a neutral language....And these are people from my own supposedly multi-lingual country.....

[francois]

snotface, do you explain the meaning of your posting name (snotface) to your Thai friends?

[snotface]

snotface, do you explain the meaning of your posting name (snotface) to your Thai friends?

It's not occurred to me that they might be interested - but who knows, what with all that public nose-picking that goes on...