And so it begins……

I woke up excited. Today I would finally officially start to work in the Café. I had waited for this day for over a month, for 40 days to be exact. I have to tell you, it is not easy to get a work permit in Thailand. To secure my permit, I first needed to leave the country in order to apply for a non-immigrant visa. Once I left Thailand, my employer was able to begin the process with the Ministry of Labour Office. I was not allowed to be in Thailand during the process. However, before I was able to apply for my visa at the Thai Honorary Consulate in Denpasar, I needed one more document. I ended up spending 24 days in Bali, waiting for that one single document to be sent overseas by DHL. But after all, my visa run wasn’t that bad. I spent three days diving in Amed in the North East of Bali, enjoyed surfing the waves in Seminyak, travelled my way through Canggu and Ubud and all the way to Gili Islands. So, like I said, it could have been worse. Lol.

After I returned to Thailand, I waited for two more weeks for the work permit process to conclude. Yes, you calculated right, 14 more days. Eventually, this day came, and I walked out from the Labour Office in Krabi Town, holding the pretty, light-blue work permit in my hand. I was ready to start work, more than ready. I felt excited, but also a little bit nervous. At the end of the day, I would be the only farang (a foreigner) amongst the Thai staff in the Café. I was lucky I was already familiar with some of the staff. I used to spend a lot of time chillaxing in the Café and it was already one of my favourite spots in Ao Nang, had been for several months. For me it seemed like everyone took me in well and were happy to accept me as a part of the gang. Nevertheless, I could sense a certain, weird vibe in the air and felt like I was surrounded by a strange curiosity.

“How old are you?”, seemed to be the question on everyone’s mind. To be honest, I was puzzled by this. Why was it so important for everyone to know my age? Did I look old? Had the sun finally done its job? What?! This certainly was not the question I expected to hear during my first day at work. Back home in Finland the questions amongst my colleagues would circle around one’s educational background or hobbies.

Yet, in Thai culture, age and respect go hand-in-hand. The concept of respect is indeed quite different than one would find in Western culture and this has a lot to do with one’s age.

In Thailand, order is provided by age and it pervades every aspect of daily life. I was asked about my age, because it would have a crucial influence on how the rest of the staff would address me as well as behave towards me. My position as an Assistant Manager, as their superior, would certainly have some weight. Yet, me being older than most of the staff members immediately granted me respect in their eyes. In Thailand, older people are seen as wiser. They deserve respect. Additionally, younger people are expected to listen to what older people have to say, whether they agree with it or not.

How would I be addressed then? Well, I guess that would form by itself in the long run. Usually discussions with older people require the word ‘Pee’, meaning older sister or brother. Senior. A more neutral term ‘Khun’ is often used with foreigners. But for now, I was addressed by my name only, as Saara, and that is how it would be for at least a little while. This was completely fine for me as I would first concentrate to build friendships with everyone. Again, this brings up another fact that separates Thailand from the Western world: Thai people prefer to build friendships over business and might feel offended if their fellow colleagues don’t respond in the same way.

As a farang, I don’t expect my colleagues to address me in any other way than by my name. I am used to working in a more unformal, Western work environment and thus, more likely consider myself as a part of a team, than a wiser, respected senior. I have no idea how things will progress from here, but one thing is certain: working in Thailand will be interesting and at the same time an educational experience. I have left my “old life” behind and this job kicks off a new chapter in my life. As the title indicates: Life is a highway and now I will learn the Thai way. I am ready. Bring it on!