The alternative to connecting with others around language is body language, noises, acting, use of a smartphone and whatever else one might have at their disposal. Of course, people don’t bother going through all of this hassle unless they have a good reason. For us, my wife, friend Ting Ho and I that good reason was dried shrimp. We wanted 5KG of it. If you want to see the video of the trip chick here. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, but my Ting Ho was pretty familiar with the market and the process. He also had an idea of what the price should be. He was armed with a smartphone calculator, the price he wanted and some money. The first several places we went to said no, but Ting Ho was not discouraged. We were buying shrimp without Thai. Eventually we would find a shop that would work with us.
We Didn’t Know What We Were Doing
As you can see from the video, we really didn’t know what we were doing. We were at the mercy of the boss, who thankfully turned out to be an honest individual. Getting your physical or for that matter emotional needs met without a common language can be a scary and humbling task. For tourists like us who come and go, sure it makes sense. Why not have some fun with it? All we had to loose was some money. We wanted the shrimp but we didn’t need it for our survival. Therefore, I would say it was pretty relaxed for us. But what about those who have to work with others who speak a different language day in and day out?
Language Makes Our Lives Easier
After finishing with the shrimp my friend decided to buy some handicraft Thai bags. At first, I thought it would be relatively simple. The prices were marked on the bags and they were cheap. But then my friend said he wanted 10 bags and for all of them to be different colors. The seller looked at him with confusion written all over her face. By that time, I had had enough. I said good buy to them and went back to the hotel room. Still, I wonder how long they went on in an awkward state of confusion trying to express the idea of different colors. Some simple knowledge of the Thai or Myanmar language would have really helped. You might be asking yourself Is Studying a Language Worth it?
Experience Raw Culture
Of course, in both instances with the dried shrimp and with the bags, we could have gone to some more touristy shops where the sellers spoke English and avoided all of the awkwardness. I’m sure a lot of people do that, but we chose to go off the beaten path and to interact with the locals and the refugees. Yes, I think part of it was to save money, but I also think part of it was to experience the people and their culture in raw form.
Support Locals
With modernization and AI, a lot family/ mom and pop shops are being threatened. They can’t always compete with the bigger more modern stores and chains, but they deserve the right to try. Is it hard? Is it frustrating for them? Yes, but this is their livelihood and it shouldn’t be taken away from them. They deserve the right to try to make a living.
