Extinction

Extinction

Growing up in Bangkok, Thailand, did not keep me in touch with my roots, and I never realized how important my tradition was until I had this assignment about what has been lost in translation since I arrived in the U.S. I have enjoyed being in the U.S. for a couple years. I moved to study here. When I look back, I have completely changed from where I was because when l left my country, Thailand, I also abandoned my Thai tradition. However, when I have a conversation among Thai people in the U.S., I know instinctively that I should greet them in Thai first, and then, we can start talking. There are some traditional Thai greetings that are respected among Thai people in Thailand, but are rarely seen or practical in the U.S.

One way that Thai and American cultures differ is in terms of how people use their hands and their feet. Knowing that feet are feet, and heads are heads is very common in Thai society. When I am in Thailand, I must always remember the importance of feet and heads. Feet are located in the lowest part of the body, and head is located in the highest part of the body. In Thailand, I would never point my feet toward people because it is completely inappropriate, especially for friends and minors. Moreover, when a Thai person enters the buildings or the houses, he or she must always use their hand to open or to close in order to be polite. However, Americans do not have the same taboos as Thais because they think that every part of the body is significant. Thus, when their hands are full of plastic bags, and they want something that is located near their feet, they just use their foot to point at it. Additionally, I have noticed that every door in the U.S. puts a small sheet of metal in front and back at the lower part, and many Americans use their foot to push the metal to open the door. This would never be appropriate in Thailand.

Another way that Thai and American cultures differ is in terms of the architectural features of Buddhist temples. Going into holy places in Thailand and in the U.S., I always notice that there are one or two entrances. In Thailand, the temple, which is called Wat Thai, always has two doors, and each door is painted with a different angel painting to protect against an evil and bad luck. For example, the left door is always for men to walk in, and the right door is always for women. People follow the tradition because paintings. Additionally, there is a bump below each door, called “Tau-ra-nee.” When a person steps inside the temple, he or she is not supposed to step on it because an old Thai tradition says it will bring bad luck to that person. However, it is very difficult for me to find a Wat Thai in Chicago, and if I find one, it is usually the house that has been modified to be a temple because the real temple usually costs a lot of money to build. Most of these western temples house also uses the swinging doors instead of the traditional doors. Thus, not being able to find an authentic Wat Thai make me feel disappointed.

The last difference between Thai and American cultures is in the terms of how people discuss age. In Thailand, it is customary to ask a person’s age when they meet for the first time because they do not want to be rude. This is because Thais cannot call seniors and elderly people by just their name. Thus, if I communicate with them, I have to finish each of my conversations with the words “Kub or Kai” in order to show respect. The words “Kub and Kai” are like “Sir and Ma’am” in English. However, in the U.S., I rarely hear people say them because Americans like and enjoy to have an amiable and friendly conversation with one another. Thus, Americans are widely open to listening to and understanding every idea from everyone because they do not want a person’s age to hinder a great idea or to stop people’s imaginations. Therefore, in the U.S., I can talk to seniors or elderly people like I talk to my father and my family. In contrast, Thais mostly have to listen to seniors and elderly people even though their ideas are old like dinosaurs, and can rarely relate to the present

The reason that I have maintained my traditional Thai greetings within me while I am in the U.S. is because I have been here for approximately three years. I tend to lose my background, and then I have realized that the old Thai tradition not only makes me unique but also implies a respectable and polite way to communicate with people. Therefore, many times when I see a stranger who looks Thai in the U.S., I really want to ask “Where are you from?” However, it is normally inappropriate to ask people their nationality, so I end up speaking Thai language quickly during the conversation to identify them as Thai or American.