Source - Bangkok Post Website (Eng)

Tuesday, June 03, 2008  03:30

          The importance of intercultural education

          To ensure Thailand's position as a tourist destination, it is imperative that people from outside Thailand have a good opinion about its people and the country in general

          Recently, I read an article describing the sorry state of Thailand's train service, especially the service to the northeast and the problem of bug infestations. Ten trains were recently put out of action for fifteen days as an intensive clean-up had been ordered.

          What made this article stand out for me was that a transport minister as well as an entomologist explained that this infestation was ''due to foreigners.'' Apparently, some foreigners, including refugees and tourists, do not like to bathe.

          Of course, this caused some foreigners to write to the newspaper and complain about the "uneducated view" of the individuals concerned. I reflected on this situation for a while and was reminded of a quote from Samuel Clemens (more commonly known as Mark Twain) who stated: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Broad, wholesome, charitable views cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth."

          Education takes many forms, whether it is in the classroom or in the home. Travel and an understanding of what others think and how they think, helps society and business, especially in our globalized world. Foreigners are no longer "others," they are business partners, colleagues and in my case, teachers.

          It is still difficult for me to understand how Great Britain was able to live in "splendid isolation" several hundred years ago. However, it may explain why it had a colonial attitude to everyone else later on in its history.

          Sauce for the gander

          At the same time, some other interesting letters appeared in Postbag concerning how one foreigner could not understand why young people were the ones sitting down on a bus and the more elderly freely gave up their seats for them.

          This was something that I read about before I came to Thailand, so I suppose that is why I found the initial letter and follow up explanation interesting. This difference in culture seems strange to visitors to Thailand, but it is up to the visitor to understand the customs of the country they are visiting and not to expect everything to be the same as their country of origin.

          Travel does broaden the mind and some research into the intended destinations will educate potential travelers as to some of the customs they will expect to see on their travels.

          In my opinion, travel plays an important part in education as it opens up new areas for discussion and creates better understanding between peoples of different cultures.

          Perceived loss of identity

          One of the obstacles to learning English in Thailand is that I find that there are some people who consider learning English to be a threat to Thai culture. I have never understood this and have always thought this to be an excuse.

          The 1999 Education Act has pushed the teaching of English and the understanding of different cultures and it is probably this understanding of different cultures that poses the perceived threat.

          To learn a language properly, students must be able to use it. To use it properly there must be an understanding of the culture of the people who use it. It took me a while to understand that when the somtam lady asked me everyday, "Bai Nai?" she was not really interested in where I was going, she was just saying hello.

          Likewise, when my students ask me if I have had lunch yet, they are making conversation in a style transferred from their Thai language. In my culture, asking if I have had lunch yet is an offer to have lunch. If I was to accept every offer of lunch, I would have no time to teach.

          I believe that educating oneself in other peoples' practices will give all of us a greater understanding of each other's cultures, breaking down prejudice and fear and will not erode the rich cultures we already possess. "There is nothing to be gained from splendid isolation."

          Steve Graham is an English language teacher at the Language Center, Udon Thani Rajabhat University in northeast Thailand. If there are any comments or areas for debate you would like to discuss, you may write Steve at shedchelsea