Dear Hillary,
My name is Maleeporn, and I am a Thai woman, working in an office here in the sex and sin city who have been reading Pattaya Mail and your column for years. I wrote to you once long time ago, could not remember what it was, in hand writing. Anyway, I am writing you today again to tell you how I enjoy your column.
I enjoy learning foreigner’s point of view in life – I mean yours and your readers’, the style of putting out their opinions, their home countries and everything. Personally, I always admire their punctuality and being discipline which we Thais are so weak at this. Your column is very helpful to me to learn the differences of people in this world.
As I am studying Humanities at Ramkhamhaeng University major in English, I would like to say here that I have learned a great deal of knowledge from your column, and this has helped my studying to become a very interesting one. I thank you. You are like my religion here. I hope you keep doing this useful job for a very long time.
Lastly, to have my letter for a change in your column would not be so bad, yes? Readers need vacation, too.
Always,
Thai woman
Dear Thai woman,
How kind of you to write again, even if you can’t remember what it was about (and neither can I, but the advice would have been perfect). Yes, there are many differences between farangs and Thais, and more than just big noses and round eyes. Some of the differences are good, some bad. Foreigners have learned how to use a wrist watch, whilst the Thais think of them as fashion accessories and are still inventing excuses for being late. One day they will fix the traffic in Bangkok and hundreds of people will be without the ‘rot dit’ excuse, and then all we will have left is to blame the six hour clock system.
You are correct where you have noted that foreigners are not afraid to voice their opinions and most remain very proud of their roots, even though they have come to settle down in Thailand. This comes through a different style of education where the child is encouraged to put forward ideas.
However, I must take you to task over your suggesting that Pattaya is the “sin and sex city”. Where did you get that from? Since when did “sex” become a “sin”? Just because there are man-made laws to cover sex for sale, does not necessarily make the act a sin. And honestly, if Pattaya is a “sex and sin city”, what is Bangkok, with its Patpong Road, Soi Nana, Soi Cowboy and 3,596 karaoke bars? Or London, Amsterdam, Munich, Sydney, or Mumbai?
