Advertise here from only 40 baht per week
to hull
and back
Mags Meanderings: Dream Guesthouse
From Som Tam
Restaurant & Bar
To Mushy Peas
Swedish, European & Thai Food
Soi 94 (2nd left after railway)
Cheap room for rent
sabai sabai?
There are many different reasons why people decide
to head for the expat life in Thailand. Climate, lifestyle,
and, in some areas at least, the low cost of living. Then
of course there is that ‘sabai sabai’ attitude to life,
beneath which lie complex and often frustrating layers
of tradition, beliefs, superstitions, hierarchy and class
which expats can often struggle to understand.
There are no manuals or induction courses in sabai for
new expats, and however many times they have been
to Thailand before making that final move there is still
some degree of culture shock to cope with.
Most learn to love, if not fully understand, the Thai way,
and to live with it, which makes sense for people who
can only ever be guests in the Land of Smiles. A few take
advantage of often lax law enforcement, which allows
them to take chances they would never dream of taking
in their home country in exchange for a little tea money.
A small minority become totally disillusioned and either
go home, or stay put and delight in complaining about
their host country.
If you have found yourself in the ‘disillusioned’ group,
and in particular if you are a disillusioned Brit, you
might want to think back to one of the other reasons
for your move to Thailand. Political Correctness.
Together with its’ brother Health and Safety, ‘PC’ ness’
grows day by day in the UK, and the longer you have
spent in Thailand the harder it becomes to adjust back
to your native shores.
One recent example of extreme PC’ ness occurred in a
branch of Marks & Spencer. One time purveyor of all
things British made, it has been many years since its’
customers could be assured that they weren’t buying
foreign made goods there. But that is no longer a problem
in this global economy of mass production and cheaper
products. Nor is it usually a problem for its’ customers to
be served by staff of different nationalities, especially in
a country like England which relied heavily on migrant
workers to keep it going in the 1940’s. The problem
only arose when muslim members of M & S staff were
allegedly allowed to refuse to serve customers with
alcohol and pork.
The resulting outcry left M & S embarrassed and
apologetic for what appeared to be a misunderstanding at
just one of its stores. But the incident seems symptomatic
of the way some employees use religion to dictate their
terms and conditions. Just a few days before the Marks
& Spencer incident, a Christian childcare worker lost a
case against Sunday working which she had taken to the
Court of Appeal. The woman claimed that as a devout
Christian she had the right to take Sundays off work for
Call: 0805626735 Swe/Eng
0915094729 Thai/Eng
worship and rest. The court decided, quite reasonably,
that children don’t stop needing care on Sundays.
Earlier court rulings have supported the rights of
employees to wear clothing and other items of religious
significance, perhaps the best known of these being the
case of the British Airways stewardess who was told
that she couldn’t wear a crucifix. And of course the
debate continues on whether muslim women in the UK
should have the right to cover their faces.
The really annoying aspect of all this litigation is that it
should never reach the courts in the first place. People
who take jobs in care realise that it is 24/7 work. Those
who work in retail understand what items they will have
to sell. Employers who enforce dress codes make that
fact quite clear to prospective employees.
I remember when hospital nurses weren’t allowed to
wear nail polish or jewellery - other than a wedding ring and it didn’t seem to do them any harm. It certainly didn’t
prevent them from entering their chosen profession. Nor
do religious days prevent Jewish tailors from opening
their shops on Saturdays. The message seems quite
simple - if religious or cultural beliefs conflict with a
job, work elsewhere. The same could be said for where
we choose to live. But if those minor irritations do begin
to get to you in Thailand, just sit out in the sun with a
Chang for a while and think about what you are missing!
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