By the way, in 10 years in Thailand I have so far not ever felt discriminated against although I am sure it can happen here and anywhere. And I agree with you, Thailand is by no means a bastion of discrimination compared with many other places and situations on this planet. Thanks for your input.

My own daughter who is of mixed descent from the West Indies is telling how in thailand she is looked at with either admiration or curiosity…. not to mention the questions I too have to answer as per her origins…. and she is only 7 yrs old and people almost laugh at her sight sometimes in the BTS or the MRT. Laugh with a sense of leasure of course. but still to make her feel unconfortable. Her difference is the focus. Woaw…. so many categories… when actually we are all one!

keep up the good intentions.

I’d like to add that if we are aware that our understanding about different cultures and behaviors is very limited and biased
by our own personal history, conditioning and view of the world, living in Thailand with its unique culture (and that would
be true for any other country, too) is a fascinating journey. It provides us with endless opportunities to review carefully
our opinions and life models which we’ve built throughout our life.
It can be a challenge at times, as we all know, and your experiences described in your article give a little taste of it. Nonetheless it is always an invitation to embrace all those people of different cultures and backgrounds, no matter how foreign their behaviors seem to us – we may or may not understand. We all share this journey to eventually open our heart and mind.
What a great opportunity for each of us, especially us who live abroad.
Thanks for posting your articles, Shama.

I can’t though agree with the statement that thai women only look for foreigners but for sure the label of Thailand as the land of the smiles for men is real.

In Africa there also are women on the look out for foreign men for many reasons, but there also are foreign women with local men. Which is here in thailand still a very rare commodity.

There are many aspects of Thai society which are very pleasant and the rest is only culture which needs to grow and change and it will becuse allthese little kids born out of mied relationships will make it for them. The key is yes humbleness and NO expectations.

Racial relations are very sensitive anywhere in the world. Drop the ego and all is solved easily. That is the lesson for the Asian society thailand is part of… Good to have you here Shama…

It is very common for foreign women to label foreign men in thailand as in search of a thai heart…. It is so much of a stereotype confirmed by evidence. It is very nice to meet foreign men who spend time with thai women and are still able to communicate with non thai women.
Oh well the world is changing transition will hit thailand as well. No exceptions.

As living in Bangkok for a year now, and having visited Thailand many times since the first time I ever came in 1981, but also as comparing with the other 35 coutries i lived and worked, I can say easily that thailand is a cool place to be, and for sure a different place to experience as a tourist. ‘Thai-ness is not to experience it is not a shared value. Hence all our experiences in thailand are different and women maybe more than men. Woman smiling down the Soi will get smiles from other women walking down the Soi. Asian men do not look at women. A totally different experience than walkng down the “piazza’ in Rome or Athens. There is shyness it is true but in far too many cases shyness has become an excuse for non -committing or not-intereacting. I see in Bangkok 9 men over 10 walking with Thai women. I see thai women smiling at foreigners and I ponder… What type of future is in store… Twenty five years ago it was like this, the present seem unchanged… Thai women do not give citizenship, Thai men married with thai women have to show up at police station even after 20years of marriage or proof by DNA test that these childrens are theirs. I find this a bit surrealistic but the stories I hear are fascinating.
It happens that one my daughter’s friend is a girl aged 8 years old whose mother is UK and the father originally from Koh Chang. It took me 5 years of knowing them to get to have a conversation with him and even teach him how to move around Bkk and avoid traffic!. I guess this is one of kind exception.

Please also read a post on my blog where I relate of a synchronicity which occured to me 2 weeks ago at a local starbucks outlet in a mall in Bangkok! http://thehealingmudras.blogspot.com/2009/11/synchronicity-at-work-at-starbucks.html

I do hope this is GOOD omen for the future of Thailand because the world is changing all around so better open than closed!