Thai Cultural Differences - Family

I'm back again! This time I am going to go over how different Thai culture is from American based on family and home life. Before I begin, allow me to point out that like all families there are going to be exceptions. If you happen to know more than me and feel something I point out isn't true, then my bad, but that's what I have experienced here for the past eight months. And now that I have that out of the way, let us begin!~

Hierarchy

• Goes in the following order in most cases: Father, other adults in house, children, and then mother
• Generally the one who supports the family financially doesn't have to do housework or other such duties
• For example, when my host father comes home, everyone gets up to make him dinner and make sure everything is done for him
• The children are kind of equal although they have their own pecking order between each other
• The mother is last when it comes to just about everything because it's her duty to put her husband and her children before herself

Family Time

• A lot of Thai people do not travel very much because the adults of the family are always working
• I don't know a single Thai that owns a video game
• Though pretty much everyone has three different kinds of computers LOL
• My host mom and dad like going on day trips, even if it's just to drive somewhere for several hours
• When Thai families get together, they always eat at some point
• Birthdays are not usually a big occasion
• Weddings and monk ceremonies are extremely popular however. Big parties always follow! 8D
• Thai families like to be together, but during the evening they tend to go their separate ways until it's time for bed

Housework

• Usually left for the weekends
• Thais don't care about the cleanliness of their houses as much as Americans
• If there is an important guest though, they make sure to clean up really well
• Some houses have washing machines while others have only basins that you're supposed to scrub your clothes in until they are clean. It just depends, really.
• When doing the laundry, the wet clothes are left to hang in the sun until dry
• I don't even think Thailand has dryers...
• Shoes are taken off before entering any house or building to keep it clean and also for respect
• The one chore I do in Thailand, but not in America is ironing my school uniform
• Thais rinse everything (clothes, dishes, etc) twice to make sure there isn't any soap
• Everyone in the house has their own personal bath towel that they only wash with soap and water about once or twice a week. Normally we just hang it up in our rooms after we take a shower.
• Thais have something against underwear...most families have you wash, hang, fold, and then put away your own underwear

House Layout

• There is no couch anywhere in my house. Everyone just sits on the floor
• Sleeping on floor mats is sometimes a permanent thing (Thankfully not for me)
• Each room has either a fan or an air conditioning system
• The floors are usually marble or other similar rock because it won't rot from excessive rain
• Buddhist images are placed in the house and prayed to on certain days for a blessing
• There is often a Buddhist shrine outside of every house in the backyard that is supposed to house the dead spirits of the family
• Many houses are surrounded by a wall and large gate that can be locked

House Rules

• Always try to save electricity whenever possible
• Don't step over or stand above anything, especially food or Buddhist offerings
• If you are sick, you are not allowed any cold fluids
• Never let your hair get wet or you will get sick
• Don't clip your toenails at night or the ghosts will curse you (this is not in my family, but one of my friends said this is for his)
• Always ask to help the adults, even if they don't tell you to