I come from a wired country. We text, email, Whatsapp, chat, Facebook, etc, etc. The scary thing is we don't seem to know how to communicate face-to-face anymore!
When I went to Bangkok for a 3-week working trip. I noticed anybody and everybody talking on the mobile phone constantly. Some were trying to juggle two mobile phones at the same time, talking to 2 different people. Finally, I asked one of the staff in the office if mobile communication was cheap in Thailand. She said "yes" because phone companies are always having promotions to get new customers.
That aside, I found that in reality, Thai people belong to what we would call an "oral culture". In other words, Thai people much prefer talking than writing, even if it's a 160 character text message. No wonder I never ever got responses to my emails and text messages! If I wanted a response, I needed to pick up a telephone and call. Forget about email.
I also discovered that once a group of Thais start talking while supposedly doing some work, their mouths took over and the hands stopped working! It took 5 young ladies all day to check 20 sleeping bags because they were talking the whole time!
My Thai friend who runs a catering service said that she made it a rule in her kitchen that no one is allowed to talk during work hours. She told them they could talk if their hands continued working, but it didn't work. So, no talking. Her husband is Singaporean and she lived and worked in Singapore for many years. Her work style is not laid back Thai, but efficient Singaporean.
Cultural quirks can drive us crazy. Let's get creative and learn to work around them, like my Thai friend. A little give and take can ease a whole lot of stress and frustration. Some prior mental preparation can also help. Find a book on culture at www.funlanguagetools.com!
Happy cultural learning experiences!
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