Chiang Mai Friends - Meeting Khun Boong
Bridging the cultural gap between expats and Thais
Recently The Northern Rose paid a visit to the founder of Chiang Mai Friends, Miss Boong Chaladam, or Khun Boong as she is known by her friends. We met her in her office not far from Chiang Mai’s famous night bazaar. Khun Boong is a very inspirational person, bridging cultural gaps between the foreign community, the western and Thai culture. She has a unique talent that help in ‘translating’ the cultures between the foreigners that come to live here and their hosts- the citizens of Chiang Mai. Cross culture issues are part of the daily life and needs to be addressed to avoid misunderstandings.
Through Chiang Mai Friends she regularly help organize meetings where people can come and share experiences. Foreigners and Thais speak about their work and lifestyle in Thailand. They both share their experiences around different topics and talk about how they best can benefit Thailand as a country. Its a great way to network, but the main idea is that the local community and that the city of Chiang Mai shall benefit from it. We asked Khun Boong how it all started and she told us that she met many prejudices when she lived in New York. People mistook her for a Taiwanese. Or when speaking about Thailand, prostitution was the the first topic that came up. It’s the same here she explains, many foreigners don't understand what they can and what they can’t do in the Thai culture. The cultural frames are different, they don't know how to behave and how to speak in a polite way. And many Thai people find it hard to understand why foreigners act the way they do. Some examples that she points out for us is that Immigration officers in Chiang Mai strongly reacts when foreigners visit the Immigration office sloppily dressed and then at the same time they are trying to control the situation. Thai people respect uniforms and its still important to dress politely when visiting authorities.
Through Chiang Mai Friends she regularly help organize meetings where people can come and share experiences. Foreigners and Thais speak about their work and lifestyle in Thailand. They both share their experiences around different topics and talk about how they best can benefit Thailand as a country. Its a great way to network, but the main idea is that the local community and that the city of Chiang Mai shall benefit from it. We asked Khun Boong how it all started and she told us that she met many prejudices when she lived in New York. People mistook her for a Taiwanese. Or when speaking about Thailand, prostitution was the the first topic that came up. It’s the same here she explains, many foreigners don't understand what they can and what they can’t do in the Thai culture. The cultural frames are different, they don't know how to behave and how to speak in a polite way. And many Thai people find it hard to understand why foreigners act the way they do. Some examples that she points out for us is that Immigration officers in Chiang Mai strongly reacts when foreigners visit the Immigration office sloppily dressed and then at the same time they are trying to control the situation. Thai people respect uniforms and its still important to dress politely when visiting authorities.
Another example is when someone say; “I have a question for you”! For a Thai person that really means that you need to get something done. According to Khun Boong there is a gentler way to ask, “May I ask you something”? It’s a much more polite and civilized way to ask a Thai person about something. The conclusion is that we all have to get better at communicating with each other and learn from each other to avoid silly mistakes. Finding more and more people that wants to share information and communicate is the way of the future. If you are interested in being a part of reducing the cultural gaps, Chiang Mai friends meet regularly in different locations in Chiang Mai.
You can visit Chiang Mai Friends Group on Facebook or their web site if you wish to have more info and contact them.
© Text Per Sundberg & Photo Jan Friman
