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Culture Shock! Thailand from: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company |
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Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 959.3 EAN: 9781558680586 ISBN: 1558680586 Label: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company Manufacturer: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company Number Of Pages: 238 Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company Studio: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company Sales Rank: 464351 Browse for similar items by category:
Customer Reviews
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 Rating: - Culture shock Thailand, or Bangkok?Culture Shock Thailand is very good start for anyone planning to live in or visit Bangkok, less so for those planning to live elsewhere. But it is really only a start. Many of the rules of etiquette given are over simplified but are good guidelines to start from. For example, the book make it appear as if no one ever dares to touch anyone else on the head, if fact they do so quite often. But for someone arriving for the first time or visiting for a short time it's best to follow this guideline. My main complaint about this book is that it's centered around Bangkok. I found large parts of it less than useful for life in the mid-sized northern town where I lived. For the most part, everything outside Bangkok is classed as "Upcountry" ... Read More: Rating:  - A helpful start, but patchy sometimes vague coverageThis book remains the one volume available outside of Thailand that has been written for people who are planning to live, work, or study in that country (several guides of varying utility are available in Thailand). The book provides more info than a typical guidebook about Thai culture and customs, but I have found it not so much outdated as limited in scope. The section on supervising Thai workers does not go beyond putting on a happy face and bringing cream cakes to the office. In practice, one needs a wider repertoire of skills than that. Similarly, the advice on social behavior doesn't go much beyond the stuff that makes people paranoid about offending Thais (e.g., watching where your toes are pointed, not patting people on the head). In ... Read More: Rating:  - Out of date but still usefulIf you're looking for a short read with add-on value, then this book is for you. It has more depth than what you will find in a Fodor's or Lonely Planet. Part of the book tries to appeal to expats moving their families to Thailand, which is a mistake because you just can't cover the complexities of that chore in a small paperback. Unfortunately, the book IS out of date. While originally published in the early 80s, it looks more like the early 70s. If I were the author, I would make a serious attempt at revamping the whole thing. I felt like I was reading an old National Geographic. Rating:  - More than a guidebook, gives an inside look at the ThaisI recently went to Thailand and bought 4 books and Nancy Chandler's map of Bangkok. Of those four books (and the map) this was the most helpful on my trip. It gave me something no other guidebook ever has given me: an inside look at Thai culture and an understanding of my own reactions as a transplant into a totally foreign environment. If you want to go to Thailand and see the tourist attractions, then almost any guidebook will do. But if you want to experience the tradition with an understanding of the history and meaning behind it, or get to know the people on a level closer than just a touristing "farang" [foreigner], this book will open your eyes to the uniquely beautiful ways of the Thais. This is more than just a guidebook, ... Read More: Rating: - A must for people going to ThailandThis is one of the funniest and nicest books I read when I prepared myself four years ago to go to live in Thailand. Thailand is a very special country. It has never been for a long time conquered by alien powers and therefore has developed a unique, own culture. This book gives you a good insight and, much more, it wets your appetite. Going to live in Thailand, with the family, is a big shock in many ways. This book guides you nice and gently and with a lot of humor through your first embarrassing days. I have re-read the book , after four years, whilst now feeling complete at ease in this, indeed sometimes strange society. I still smiled a lot because I recognised so many situations. The information is certainly not ... Read More: |
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