The perception back home might be that living in a third world country is more difficult, and filled with hardships. But the reality here in Chiang Mai is quite the reverse. Living in Thailand is in fact more relaxed and easy-going than living in the U.S.
I've been a teacher here now for a full month, and I must say that my work schedule here compared to home is both a breeze and a breath of fresh air. No longer do I fear the work-week and the dreaded Mondays, like I did back at home. The infamous "case of the Mondays" syndrome is now a thing of the past. Here, Monday is now just another day of the week, and just part of the whole enjoyed experience. And while yes, there is still work to be done, and yes, I still work as hard at it as I did before, gone is the constant, imminent pressure to optimize one's output, as well as the perpetual strive toward maximzing efficiency for the sake of quality.
The work place here is also much more social, friendly, and family-like. The Thai model for the work place is to be both a hard worker and a social contributor. Thus, to be a competent and successful leader, one must be balanced; investing both in their work, as well as in their fellow workers.
I just remember always being stressed out about my job back at home, getting home late after rush-hour traffic, and then never getting enough time to do the things I wanted to do in the evenings. Moreover, every weekend was a long-awaited saving grace that never seemed to arrive soon enough, and never stuck around long enough to be a satiable amount. And by the time it hit Sunday morning, I was already beginning to worry about having to prepare and go back to work again the next day.
I still do that here, to some extent, but it's just different....
The major difference, I think, is in the attitude towards work. Here, work is a place to have fun, as much as it is to get done the things that you need to do. At times, you wonder, "well, couldn't we be getting a lot more done if we pushed ourselves a little harder?" But then you sit back and think, "why is that even necessary? if you're going to have to get a little work done in life, you may as well enjoy it."
Not to say that the work place here resembles that of the TV show, the Office. The attitude is still professional and the standards still high, its simply a different philosophy, a different way of life. Why not have more of a balance-- get done the things that you need to do, but do so in a manner in which you can enjoy it :)
And when little problems and stresses ever do occasionally arise, the reaction to that is simply "mai pen rai krap" / don't worry about it ;)
Well, the Milk Shop here is about close. I'm sitting here at a small authentic wood table in one of my favorite places to hang out in Chiang Mai. It's a sizable drink and snack shop right across from campus, where they specialize in sugared-flavored milks (including chocolate Milo's!) as well as Mash Potatoes of all things.... two of my favorites!!
So far, all is well. All is good. 'sa ba dii, sa ba dii' (the same here as it is said in Laos!)
In my next posting-- likely later tonight or tomorrow, I will tell you more about my classes and how teaching here has been going so far.
As always, that's all for now,
Peter
No comments:
Post a Comment