Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Thailand country report
Thailand is a southeast Asian country with 67 million people total. “The capital is Bangkok with a total population of 6.5 million people”(Maps of the world). The country is growing and developing and has quality infrastructure, transportation, and communication available to all citizens. The climate of Thailand is very tropical which is good for their main industry, agriculture. Agriculture and agriculture related work employs 42.4% of all employees in Thailand.
(Above and below has been paraphrased from CIA World Factbook)
The average lifespan in Thailand is 75 years old and on average every woman will have 1-2 children in their lifetime. They have a valued education system where every male completes 12 years of schooling on average and every female completes 13 years of school. The country is fighting diseases like rabies and HIV AIDS, along with other waterborne diseases.
http://www.mapsofworld.com/cities/thailand/bangkok/ (accessed 2-27-11)
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html (accessed 2-27-11)
Interview Transcript - Houa Montri
1. Sam Could you please introduce yourself and say a few things about yourself and your country and what city you grew up in?
houa · My name is Houa Montri and I’m from a city called Chiang Mai. It is a fairly large city with almost 150,000 people. Chaing Mai is in Thailand which is the country I was born in, raised in, and almost all of my family lives there. My family is fairly wealthy which has allowed me to travel to the United States to further my education. I have been in Minnesota for five years now and I am currently a senior and I’m a sociology major and an ethnic studies minor.
2. Sam - What made you choose St. Cloud, Minnesota, or the United States in general to further your education? And do you think that will better your chances of getting a career after college?
houa· I have always been interested in the United States and I found the National Student Exchange program which placed me in St. Cloud. They allowed me to have similar costs as an in state resident would have. Without that program and scholarships from my academics, I never would have been able to come here. I do believe that my education that I gain from coming to SCSU will help me tremendously when I am looking for a career. I want to be a sociologist in my country when I graduate to help solve some of our countries problems if I can possibly do that. From what I have experienced, people who have a degree from a university, especially one that has many certifications like SCSU does, they have a better chance of getting and keeping a job over someone who has a local degree or no degree at all.
3. Sam - When you were new to the United States, what was the hardest thing you experienced? Did you experience any culture shock, racism, or have any other problems?
houa -· The hardest thing I had was actually getting a visa to come into the United States. There was a lot of paperwork, questions, and even a background check. Once I got accepted for that and was on my way to come over here I thought the worst was over. I came here and knew very few people except the ones in my program with me. I noticed right away that the people were rude and I heard some comments that I did not understand. When I asked my friends they informed me that it was obscene slang and when I knew the meaning I was offended. It made me not want to talk to anyone else. That was the hardest thing to overcome. People in my country are as open about hatred and normally won’t say anything to your face. Once I found out that not everyone is like that I became more accepting of the culture and began to understand how it really works and how to be happy about who I am regardless of what others think or say. It has helped me become a better person, and also inspired me to become an ethnic studies minor.
4. Sam - Why did you come to SCSU instead of living, working, or studying in your country?
houa · The deciding factor for me was my sister Isra. She wanted me to succeed and benefit our country. Herself and I both knew that opportunities were limited without a degree and she convinced me I should go. I am definitely glad that I ended up coming here instead of just going to work in a factory like my parents did. I felt that higher education in America is a quality education and has helped me become well rounded, informed, and on my way to success.
5. Sam- Before you came to America, did you have any preconceived ideas about America and or the people who live here?
houa - · Well during my early years in school we learned about some of your history, wars, things like that. We have watched some movies and they show everyone as being perfect, like being in a dream land where everything turns out right and everyone is happy. Some of our teachers showed some animosity towards America and hinted that Americans are greedy, arrogant and naive. I have seen greedy people, and a lot of naïve people since I’ve been here. It really surprises me how little Americans know about other countries and how intolerant they can be. When I came here I tried to have an open mind towards everyone and it has been beneficial because I have met some wonderful people that do not fit the stereotypes of a “typical” American.
6. Sam - What are some cultural differences from Thailand to America?
houa - · Personal time and alone time is different back home. We tend to spend less time along with one person and more time with the family as a whole. We always sit down to eat dinner together which my mother cooks. My father is out working 8-10 hour shifts a day so he can support our family and whenever he has free time he spends it with us. We all care and love each other unconditionally. Any decision my family makes tends to be discussed by the whole family. Here in America everyone has the whole “do whatever is best for myself” attitude and that goes against the way I was raised. Respect is also viewed differently here in America than back home. We respect and do not question our elders such as teachers, parents, grandparents, or anyone with higher education because it is viewed as rude and out of line. It took me a while before I was comfortable challenging or even asking questions in my classes. After being here for five years I have become able to quote unquote act like an American and question what I disagree with and use questions to better my understanding of topics in class and also gain friendships with people who are older and younger than me.
7. Sam - You discussed family time from back home and how you always sit down and eat together. What is your opinion on the American diet, fast food, Garvey, and other restaurants in town?
houa · I personally love the food that is offered in St. Cloud. I have become a big fan of Chipotle and have eaten a lot of pizza and burgers since I have been here. The choices and multiple dishes available is different than back home, but I would much rather have a spicy home cooked meal with my family than delivery pizza or Garvey. When I sit down with my family we tend to have one single dish and almost always have rice with our meals. I like spicy food, but the spicy food here doesn’t compare to my mother’s spicy dishes she makes back home.
8. Sam - Who takes care of the finances in your family, how do you help out, and do you anticipate following traditional gender roles after you graduate?
houa · My father is the one who works and makes most of the money in our family. He works in a local factory and makes decent money from what I understand. One of the respect issues I talked about earlier is that we don’t talk about money collectively as a family. As the elder he takes care of that and doesn’t let it affect our daily life. I help out in the family by keeping the house tidy and clean with my mother and sister. We take care of maintaining the house and making it presentable to our friends who will randomly come to visit, most of the time without any prior notice. The women make the food and do the cleaning while the men go out in the work place to make the money. I personally do not like the gender roles that are normally played out in Thailand. I want to go back and become a successful woman in the workplace. My dream of being successful has helped me stay driven and overcome the hardships I experienced since I’ve been here.
9. Sam - Since you have been in the United States have you had any relationships, and how does the age of marriage compare to Thailand?
houa · This is kind of a personal question but yes I have actually dated two different people since I’ve been here and I’m currently in a serious relationship. When I first started dating it was during my first year here and I wasn’t used to the culture or customs yet. He was actually from Minnesota and was nice to me but it didn’t work. Then I found my current boyfriend who is from England and plans on moving to Thailand with me next year. As for the age of marriage I have actually missed out on most of my friends’ weddings who were married between the ages of 18-23. You can legally get married in Thailand at the age of 17 with parental consent. It was hard for me to miss out on those weddings because it is a very social gathering. Attending weddings and funerals is a sign of respect and friendship.
10. Sam - How does the climate differ here in Minnesota versus back in Thailand?
houa · The biggest difference is the snow. Its so cold! In Thailand we have cool months, hot months, and rainy months but we never get snow. We have year round summer temperatures back home and I miss that. I won’t miss the snow once I go back home. You also do not get the large amounts of rain that we get in June through October. It is nice to be here though; I enjoy having the four different seasons with spring being my favorite. I love seeing the snow melt and the beautiful flowers start growing.
11. Sam - Do you enjoy university living and university activities? And has living and being a part of the university setting changed your world views at all?
houa · I felt almost lonely in a crowded space when I was living in the dorms. I met some of my closest friends in the dorms though. I was in Lawrence hall as a freshman and was able to find people in similar situations as me and those people who helped me became really close friends of mine. My friends and I have enjoyed being a part of the Asian Students in Action club. As for my world views, I think the dorms really broke me in to American culture and gave me real life experience in dealing with Americans. I no longer feel any animosity to Americans and I have been able to share my new views with my family and friends from back home.
12. Sam - What, if anything, would you change about American culture?
houa · I would try to change the way families interact. I love my family and miss being away. I feel that everyone should stay connected with their family and not lose sight of the important things like family on their way to finding out who they want to be. I’ve heard some people talk to their parents on the phone and I just feel like they are very disrespectful to their elders. If I could change anything that would be it. I would change the structure of the families and try to have them more involved with one another.
13. Sam - Well we are running a little longer than I expected so ill end with this. Would you recommend people to come visit or go to school in America?
houa · I defiantly would recommend America. I feel it has helped me become a better person and I have a different world view now. I would warn my friends or colleagues of some of the troubles I had so they could fit in easier and quicker. I would tell them not to listen to hype and stereotypes that they might have heard and to give America a try. The education I have received is high quality and I plan on having a degree that will help me succeed with my future plans. I would also recommend them to travel America and see things such as the grand canyon, the statue of liberty, and my personal favorite, the black hills.
14. Sam -Well thank you Houa, I appreciate that you allowed me to interview you, and I hope you have a great day.
houa · It was my pleasure. I love talking about Thailand and I appreciate that you want to learn more about my country.
Interview process
When I started working on my interview process I was a little bit behind because of missing class and falling behind on class work. I then decided that I had to step it up and start working on my questions, along with including the questions from class so I could have a quality interview experience. After I started and got most of my questions done I started wondering who I could interview because I did not have really any friends that were from a different country. So I started to think about who I knew and who was in my current classes that I could interview.
I went to my Ethnic Studies class and just asked this girl named Houa who is from Thailand if she would do an interview with me. She gladly said that she could do an interview with me, but she said it had to be on a Thursday afternoon which worked out for both me and her. We set up a meeting time at 4:30 in the lounge at the end of the hall in my dorm building, Sherburne Hall. We started talking about class and about how our papers were going in that class until it finally lead into my interview after we both felt comfortable in the setting and we “broke the ice” and the interview went smoothly after that.
Before the interview day I had to point my interview into some sort of direction about what I wanted to learn from doing the actual interview and asking the questions. I am always curious, and have asked foreign exchange students in the past, about the way someone else’s country perceives us, and how their country is different than ours. I am very patriotic towards our country, and to help make our country a better place we have to know what other countries, how the actual citizens perceive us as, not just their governments. By looking at a different person’s perspective, you can look at your daily world in a different light and make changes for the better.
Once I figured out why I wanted to do an interview I had to purchase a voice recorder. I could have just gone to the mall to pick one up, but instead I embarked on an adventure with two of my friends. We headed uptown to see where we could pick up one of these recorders. We walked around the mall and ended up getting sidetracked in Scheels for about an hour. When we finally walked around the rest of the mall target had voice recorders but I realized that I did not have my wallet on me, it was in my other pair of jeans. We end up going back to the dorms so I can get my wallet but I decided to just order one off amazon.com. I ended up buying one for under $10 and I had it in two days, just in time for my interview.
About the interview/what surprised me
Houa is from a town called Chiang Mai which she said has about 150,000 people total. She started talking about how she misses her family, especially her little sister who she has grown very close to before and after she left the country. She then started talking about how her people are very friendly in her home town and misses the hospitality they offered, versus the self-centeredness she experienced her, especially in the first year of being here before she knew the culture first hand. She said that she had studied about America throughout grade school but actually being here is different than what she learned from her teachers back home. She talked about racism and how disrespectful people came off to be when she first came here, but then she learned how to communicate and gained a few good friends which helped her fit into the American culture. Those were real eye openers to me. It made me wonder about how we actually treat people in our country, especially foreigners who may be lost in our culture.
