Thailand, the "land of smiles." I'm sure you've heard this phrase before since Thailand is advertised as a friendly place where people are always smiling and always willing to help foreigners. Hate to burst your bubble, but that's simply not true. Most Thais have a resting bitch face that would put Kim Kardashian to shame. (Yes, I hate myself for making a Kim K. reference. That whole family disgusts me.)
If a Thai person is smiling, you need to be aware of the different kinds of smiles. There are 13 defined smiles, which range from a "F*ck You!" smile to a polite, nervous, leave-me-alone smile.
Don't get me wrong; Thai people are awesome. But, they don't just go around smiling. Instead, they only smile when you ask them something, and they have no idea what you're talking about. Rather than say, "I don't know," which no Thai person in the history of the universe would EVER say, they smile at you because they don't want to "lose face" by not answering your question. It's a Buddhist thing.
18-arm Buddha, Koh Samui
Big Buddha, Koh Samui
Thailand is a Buddhist country. I knew absolutely nothing about Buddhism before I got here. During my initial TEFL training, we got the basics of Buddhism, so we could learn what was / was not appropriate behavior for this culture. From what I learned, Buddhism is guided by 3 main principles. *Disclaimer: these are sweeping generalizations. I am not an expert in Buddhism nor am I claiming to be.
- Karma - Thais have faith in the universe. They believe that any energy you put out will be acknowledged by the universe, and you will reap the rewards. Essentially, Newton's 2nd law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
- The only reality is now. There is no past or future to be concerned about. Only "being in the moment."
- We create our own living hell due to the karma we've put out in this life or previous lives.
Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park
Losing face is a big deal. Thais believe in karma so hardcore that if something bad happens, and they get embarrassed, you're supposed to smile then ignore what's happening.
For instance, some of the teachers and I were at a restaurant in Chiang Mai, and our waitress said it was Sunday. But, it was actually Tuesday. When we pointed it out, she ran away because she was so embarrassed. Oops.
Temple in Chiang Mai.
At school, if I ask a question and the teachers don't know, they'll smile at me and just say something - even if it's wrong. They will say anything to prevent from losing face. Whether or not the information is correct is insignificant. Everything is always mai pan rai. Smile + no worries = good karma.
Obviously, this attitude can be absolutely infuriating. Imagine you're asking for directions. No matter who you ask, they're going to smile, then tell you something regardless of whether or not they know.
Wat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai.
But, it can be awesome. Another teacher and I decided it would be good idea to run out of gas on our scooter. We started pushing it to the nearest gas station when two Thai strangers rode up to us, told us in broken English to sit still because they'd be back with gas. About 5 minutes later, here they came with gas and water. We were rescued, and they wouldn't take money for anything they bought. Because, karma.
My students don't smile for pictures.
Girl on the right is throwing some serious shade.
Yes, people in Thailand smile. But, their smiles could mean a number of things. For the most part, they don't smile. Unless someone is about to lose face, then they'll say something to cover their ass and throw you a smile to make it seem like they know what they're talking about. Anything to save face and keep their good karma, so their next life is #blessed.
***Side note, in Thailand, it's illegal to get Buddha tattooed on your body or have any statues of Buddha leave the country. Buddha is holy and should be respected no matter what your religious beliefs.***