- Updated post -

Observation [การสังเกต karn sang kaet] Exercise

Individually find a comfortable area, away from your classmates, where you can sit and observe the surroundings. For the following, jot down notes for your blog entry. Supplement at least one written response with a photo. Feel free to add other notable observations and insights.

1. Make note of everyday activities of the people around you. What are people doing? For those who are working, what is their job? For those who are not working, what are they doing, why are they there? Note interesting encounters you observe that you’d likely not see in your home country.

2. Describe something that demonstrates traditional Thai values and/or way of life, something that you would not see in your home country.

3. Describe a product or evidence of “globalization” that surprises you, or that you didn’t expect to see.

4. Document interesting religious expressions you encounter. For example, describe the activities of a monk or other religious expressions displayed by the people around you.

5. Observe communication between at least two people. How do they communicate, through gesture, loud/quiet voices, verbally or non-verbally? Do you perceive a hierarchical status difference between the people communicating? What are some possible indicators of this?

If you have time…

· Do you see any non-Thais (i.e. travelers, expatriates, backpackers)? Describe their behavior and key observations of their appearance. Where do you think they are from? What might they be doing here? How do they communicate with the people around them? How do the local people respond to them and vice versa?

· Go to a magazine/newspaper stand. Decide on a particular magazine or newspaper that interests you. Look for something unique to Thailand. If the shopkeeper doesn’t mind, take a photo of it. What kind of magazine is it? Why does it interest you? What might it reveal about Thai interests?

Next Step | Construct a blog entry of the observations made during this session. Try to illustrate what you saw and explain in as much detail as possible so your readers, whether they are in Thailand, Barbados, the Gambia, or the USA, can envision what you saw. Be creative with this entry as this is a snapshot of your first glimpse into everyday life and activity in Chiang Mai.