Jealousy & Gossiping in Thailand
Latdaa does not like gossiping. In some ways she is not typically Thai. She is more independent than most. Her parents divorced when she was very young and she was brought up by her aunt, herself a divorced lady with her own daughter to look after.
Her strong character may be a result of having to fend for herself much of the time. Her aunt supported her as much as she could but Latdaa did not have as much help as others when studying in school and university. She found her first job by her own efforts and is doing well there. After just three years, she has been promoted to supervisor.
She asked the Japanese director of her company if she could visit the head office in Tokyo. That in itself was a pretty unusual request from a Thai. They will drop hints but won’t ask directly. He readily agreed and she spent four days on a tour of the Tokyo offices and factory. It was a very full programme by all accounts. There was a great deal for her to learn and understand about the way the company operated. The Japanese, it seemed, did not mind her plain-speaking approach.
On the final day, Latdaa was allowed to spend her time sightseeing and engaging in the usual tourist activities. She choose to spend her free time with a colleague she had been introduced to in the office. They spent the day together and saw a lot of the city. The two ladies did some window shopping as the prices were too high for Latdaa to contemplate any purchasing. They both enjoyed their day.
Back in Thailand, her day of seeing the sights was the subject of much gossip and jealousy. Probably much was fabricated to make a good story. It annoyed Latdaa a little but, as she said to me, it’s typically Thai to engage in tittle-tattle.
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