It was a different world when I taught English in Thailand for 10 months decades ago, but like today, food and music offered opportunities for cultural exchange between the East and West. I was lucky enough to be invited to people’s homes for dinner. It took some time for me to appreciate the strange odors that wafted from my hosts’ kitchens, but gradually I did learn to savor the exotic flavors. Today, I’m proud to say I prepare spring rolls and Thai curry at home in Hawaii.
While learning about the Thai people and culture, I also made time for Western music. A Thai prince, who was a cousin to the King of Thailand, loaned me one of his violins and invited me to play in the Pro Musica Orchestra. There we were — Americans, Thais, Europeans and Australians — all communicating the same message through music.
It’s a lucky thing that music is a universal language, because words and gestures often mean different things in different countries. I was sitting in an open-air restaurant one morning eating my breakfast, when I saw a couple of my students across the street. They looked in my direction and smiled. In turn, I waved hello — hand up, palm facing them, and four fingers moving up and down. Little did I realize that this simple gesture meant “come here.” My students ran across the street to my table and said, “Yes, Miss Chung?”
I remember one hot summer day, Thai friends took me to the Songkran Festival in Prapadang. The festival custom is to sprinkle water on passers-by in a mutual prayer for rain. But the fun got out of hand when we were there. I almost drowned when men dumped huge bucketfuls of water from the canals upon my head.
Like other cultures around the world, the Thais have adopted many Americanisms — fast food, rock and roll, and jazz — but somehow they’ve managed to hold onto their unique way of life. Thailand is an unforgettable place. One of these days, I’ll return to that wonderful country — hopefully to speak the universal languages of food and music with my friends. — gigi
