Culture Shock at it's Finest

Respect is a concept that differs from culture to culture. One of the challenges of working in Korea is the conflict between the expectations of respectfulness from Western societies and the demands of politeness in Eastern cultures. However, there are differences between various Eastern cultures. My Korean students and I learned this when we went to visit Thailand, and specifically when we went to visit the Grand Palace, which is the residence of the King of Thailand. Korean culture shows respect primarily through language, while Thailand seems to place a higher emphasis on showing respect through actions. I went to the Grand Palace in Bangkok with my students. On October 14th, 2016, King Bhumibol Adulyadei of Thailand died 3 months previously, and the official state funeral will last an entire year. Before leaving, I had to explain to my loud students that while we were in any temple or royal residence in Thailand, we needed to keep our talking to a low volume. Fortunately, my students are usually good at obeying directions. Usually.

Our entrance into the palace grounds was delayed as we waited for a funeral procession to pass. After about 20 minutes, we were able to enter the front gate. Well, most of us were able to enter. The Thais have a dress protocol for showing respect at Buddhist shrines and royal palaces, including no tank tops, shorts, or sleeveless shirts. One of my girls had a tear in her jeans, and the police at the gate did not allow her to enter. Oops. There are also locations where taking pictures is prohibited. I reminded my students of this as we entered the temple of the Emerald Buddha. My kids are generally obedient and respectful, but one of them had his phone taken away because he was playing a game on it inside the temple itself. The phone in question was returned as we exited the temple. These two incidents served as a lesson to my students that not all countries and cultures have the expectations for behavior. Fortunately, we were not in a country with more extreme forms of punishment for disrespectfulness.

Out of all the temples and palaces that I have visited here in Asia, the Grand Palace has the most expertly carved statues and the intricate designs of the walls and buildings are the most artistic that I have seen. The Thai monarchy is rated as one of the wealthiest in the world, and this wealth is evidence while touring their official residence.If you ever have the chance to visit Bangkok, I would recommend visiting here.

#Thailand #GrandPalace #Respect #Funeral #Bangkok