Thailand-USA Information Portal and Hub

In tourism Thailand–from the grimes of Kao Sarn road to the sleeze of Patpong, Pattaya  and Patong–you’re certain to run into public drunks staggering around with an open bottle in hand. Foreign holidayers and some misguided expats have mistaken the streets of Thailand for some hippie festival–a 365 day/24 hour party. Mindful locals and expats who have either inherited wise common sense or have earned it with a hard lesson of bad experience know better. Every now and then, an incident happens which reminds us of what not to do. The following report is of a Thai who had to fatally learn the hard way. Unfortunately for him, there will be no second chance.
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Following is a (nipped down version of) reflective essay by Neaw, a 2nd year Thai University student who visited the USA in the summer of 2009 on a travel-work program. The essay was composed for Intercultural Communications  course at Thammasat University. For the sake of readability, the Literature Summary part has been ommitted:

Is self more important than society? In regards to intercultural studies amidst the age of globalization, this is perhaps the most commonly addressed question. Last summer, I traveled to the United States, having the opportunity to work at a popular amusement park in Vallejo, just outside of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area in Northern California. The pace and style of life over there was all new to me, much different to what I was used to in Bangkok. During this brief yet enlightening experience living and working overseas, I gained valuable insights about not only American culture, but my own Thai background in comparison. Here I present a narrative of my experience, highlighting the manifestation of the cultural values of individualism apparent in the US, contrasted with collectivism in Thailand, respectfully. Read more »

Similar to retailers’ initiative to reduce plastic bag distribution in places like Germany and Holland, major retailers on the tropical Thai island of  Phuket plan to start  charging customers for  bags in hopes of tackling the island’s infamous waist dilemma. Frankly, a ‘start’ is all that such a decree can qualify to be.

While arguably an initiative for some consumers to start developing a sense for reusing, revenue seeking fractions of such two-fold environmentally capitalizing legislation is only starting to tap the tip of this iceberg’s much larger problem. Even more worrisome and urgent than retail packaging waste is an over-neglected burden of food packaging.

Walk into a 7-11, Family Mart, 108 Shop, or any other mini mart or supermarket in any part of the country, and the only way you won’t walk out without at least one bag, no matter how small your purchase was, e.g. a pack of gum, bag of chips-crisps, etc., is if you outright declare to the clerk, “No bag, please! Mai Tawng Sai Tung krup (ka)! ไม่ต้องใส่ถุงครับ (ค่ะ)”
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