Don't be too serious: A Virtue in Thailand

Yesterday was the first day of my internship with General Motors. During the opening orientation, the slide show had some warnings for Americans working with Thais. "Don't be too serious" was one of the warnings. "That's odd," I thought to myself, "sure, you don't want to be too serious, but it is so important that you need to mention it in the orientation?"

I got home the next day and talked to my Dad who served in Thailand as a missionary. It turns out that Thais really value having a good time. The Thais have adopted the English word 'seriut' (serious pronounced with a Thai accent) and imbued it with their own cultural meaning. While "serious" is a neutral word in English, it has a negative meaning in Thai. In Thailand, the ideal person is someone who can joke, laugh and have a good time while working done. Having worked as an intern where most workers worked 14 hours days in Beijing last summer, I am delighted to see 'fun-loving' as a praised virtue in Thailand.