Thai Cultural Workshop

Attended a Thai Cultural Workshop last weekend at school. It is actually a requirement for continued employment at the school, and in Thailand actually. It was interesting and I learned a lot about the culture of Thailand. First, they are very proud that they have never been conquered or occupied by any other countries. Other countries around them have been under the control of other countries at some point (England, France, etc.) but not Thailand. This is a great source of pride for the thai people.

Part of this pride is shown through the support of their athletes. Thailand is not known as an Olympic powerhouse, but they do have a few sports in which the perform very well, such as boxing. When these particular athletes are participating in that sport, they are the center of attention and Thai's all over the country support that athlete. This pride is very strong and something I have witnessed first-hand while watching the Olympics this past summer.

Second, it would appear that even though Thailand is attempting to become a Democracy, and has declared itself so for many years now, it does not seem to work very well. It would appear that everytime someone is elected to office and there is a problem with that individual, rather than let the elections run their course, there must be a coup and a big protest. To me, this doesn't make much sense because it defeats the purpose and meaning of a Democracy.

One other aspect I have noticed about Thailand and its people is the overwhelming support for Barak Obama. Whenever I tell someone I am from America, they're first response involves Obama. It would almost appear that Obama is viewed as a savior by some people in Thailand, someone who will fix all the problems of the world as soon as he takes office. I am not sure it is so much that these people think Obama is going to solve all the problems, but rather a joy that Bush is no longer in office. Not trying to get into politics too much, but I would say there are many Obama supporters in Thailand.

Aaron