Note:    This article would be a complementary to the blog post "Do you want to come to Thailand to teach?"

Last summer, I watched the movie, "Nuhin, Inter" (Nuhin, the International).

Wait up, you'll most likely pick something out from this. Sometimes, it's good to unwind from time to time through articles like this. So sit back, relax and...

...set your goals accordingly.

Anyway, Nuhin in the movie, like many other "promdi" Thais had been creating troubles wherever she went. Fearing that the entire village would collapse because of Nuhin, the Chieftain advised her parents to send her to the city, Krungthep, to work as a maid. That way, she would find her potentials useful.

Then off she went to bring hilarious farce and parody to the typical life of her boss and everybody else. just like our lives as Filipinos. Then she reached her dream of getting into America on stop-over en-route to Paris.

Bet you would think that that movie gathered dusts in the movie houses and that seldom you would hear "katching" from the cash register.

Hold your judgements please. 

Going back to the Philippines our beloved, the same type of movies almost all of us patronise, just like the Thais, right?

What?

Yap! We laugh uproariously while holding our stomach and shedding tears of happiness when Dolphy, Tito, Vic & Joey, Ai-ai to name a few take the roles as "promdis," right?

Did their movies gather dusts? Lo and behold, no. 

The same plot, the same life's pictures and reflections.

As many books declared this old line over and over, if you want to know the history of a certain country, read its literature or vice versa, though I believe that some scholars from U.P. would not agree with this. 

Therefore, could it be possible that Filipinos and Thais do have the same Psyche since both nationalities patronise almost the same type of stories?

I would not dig on this topic but there's just a couple of things I would like to say to those who are excited to set foot here.

Check your baggages before you fly off to Thailand. By this, it means not only your personal belongings but also your personal beliefs, attitudes, habits, and  feelings.

1. Travel light. But be sure to have enough bucks while travelling. Do I need to tell you the horrors of scurrying through the airport with too many things to hold?

Simply put, a 7-10 kgs. of personal effects would do. Afterall, you can find those things that you got here. Do not think of packing almost everything in your bag. It would not be the end of the world yet.

Imagine a fellow who was interrogated lengthily at Hongkong international airport just for a small pack of "tawas" by the immigration officers? A teacher at that?

Nail clippers(nailcutter for Pinoys) and the likes even spoon should be left out to Mang badong, the gay barber at the corner of your street.

But a bubble talk with a yellow bulb inside it carries the justification that "I want my life to be convenient when I get there, you know?"

2. Secure your documents first. It is presumed that you have your passports, tickets, NBI, certificates etc. in a  proper place. 

Sometimes, the problem is that long before the passport came, many pinoys have been harboring in their minds horrendous amount of things to bring.

Until such time that the passport has forgotten and other pertinent papers just within a couple of days or even a day before the flight. Worse, the ticket was forgotten at the desk.

Imagine the tension if you went through a hell of a time? What do you think the Thai employer would think and feel the moment to tal? What if the Thai you would met believes in facial physiognomy?

Probable answer? Andyan naman si ate or kuya... Binak up an na nila ko. Good for you.

Need I say more?

Nope. Right.

Because, oftentimes, we do not want others to tell us. We immediately react to "corny things," "common sense na lang yan." etc. until some time, we found ourselves washing dishes for a measly food. Until such time we become the source of destruction of our countyrmen because our minds become idle and found other kababayans as the subject of mock and scorn.

The thoughts before you fly off here are that once our fellows are hired in a school, they immediately develop the savior complex as if they are the only source to where the Thais can get the English facility.

They react to criticisms given by the Thai assistants with matching  smirks on their faces yet so bent on criticizing everything the Thais have.

Result? What do you think would be obvious?

So, how are this related to the movies, the psyche up above that you mentioned? You might ask.

Since we and the Thais don't have much difference in behavioral patterns, attitude, emotions and beliefs, wouldn't it be nice to put this in mind first before we decide to fly? Ponder upon these.

This is the true baggage that we should carry with us wherever we go. Then, ask! Ask anything, everything anybody. Like us. Don't be afraid and intimidated when you ask for info.

Set your goals first. Because when you do, you wouldn't be affected nor tingled by what you will see here not only from the Thais but from some of our compatriots.

If your goal is to be the best that you can be, you won't just get by, you'll persist. You'll become like pop cola, "angat sa iba." Better yet, you can fight off temptations as well. 

And just like Nuhin the International, the Tanging Ina Nyo and so on, you would achieve your goals minus the hassles of bad traits like gossiping.