Most expatriates in Thailand say that the more you understand Thai culture, the more enjoyable and productive your life in Thailand will be. The Thai Culture chapter describes the most important aspects of traditional Thai life for foreigners living in the Land of Smiles, so your transition into Thai life is as smooth as possible.
Thai people are naturally fun loving and they can be brash and noisy when they let their hair down. Many foreign nationals become confused when seeing a group of Thai people raucously enjoying themselves and then comparing this behaviour with the principles of kreng jai (consideration for others) and jai yen (remaining calm). This can be explained as a dynamic of face, phu yai/phu noi, jai yen, and sanuk. Firstly, a group of friends will already have established the pecking order; who are the leaders and who the followers (phu yai/phu noi). They will have tacitly agreed to forego the social inhibitions of a dignified bearing (kreng jai and jai yen) for the mutual pleasures of fun and well being (sanuk and sabaay jai), and similarly will (up to a point) put up with loss of face if that contributes to the group's pursuit of fun. When judging the behaviour of Thai people, many factors need to be taken into consideration. This is a very complex business and even after years of studying Thai behaviour, many foreign nationals can be confused by the way that Thais interact. This is one of the major attractions of life in Thailand - however much you think you know, there is always something new to learn about the Thai people and their society. Unless you have lived in Thailand for most of your life, you are unlikely to ever truly understand Thai culture, but trying is great fun.........
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