A parcel was left overnight near the door of the building, but no one took it–this is the gist shared by Val Roman Sena on his Facebook wall expressing his appreciation for Thai honesty.
With almost three years of staying in Thailand as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), Val admires how he commonly feels safe living in a foreign country.
Aside from his experience with the parcel, Val mentioned other cases that compliment his high regard for Thai honesty, generally speaking. Val added that there is no need for him to carry his bag in front of him while walking in the streets of Bangkok. He has never experienced being robbed nor pickpocketed. Walking with an expensive phone does not bring fear to him.
It is also a custom in Thailand to leave shoes outside the door before entering an establishment. They have a space near the door to put shoes, expensive or casual ones. As with any item put outside, it can be easily taken by passersby, and yet this custom still continues especially in the rural areas. Although this practice is slowly fading in the cities as establishments are modernized, it is still a piece of good information for any newcomer in Thailand.
Val is also aware of the negative stories happening elsewhere in Thailand adding that “no country is perfect anyway”. But the almost three years of staying in Thailand without significant bad street experiences is enough for him to enjoy the safety and peace of mind it brings to his life.
Thank you, Val, for sharing your experience with us. Indeed, good practices need to be acknowledged as it brings positivity, and hopefully will linger in the community we live in.
What drives Thai people to hold this virtue of honesty according to Val? Let us hear it from him:
I just want to share my thoughts about the honesty of Thais. I ordered a set of books last week and it’s supposed to arrive earlier this week. However, I made a mistake with my phone number and the Kerry courier wasn’t able to contact me within the past few days.
After following up yesterday I was told it will be delivered urgently. I waited till the afternoon but no calls were made to me neither any information about it. When I checked the online platform this morning. It said that my parcel has been delivered. I was worried because our lobby was closed yesterday and the office staff of the building was not around also.
Where would they put my parcel?
And so I thought of going outside our building to find my parcel out there. It was just placed near the door of our building, sitting there the whole night (I should have taken a photo of it but I forgot to bring my phone when I went there to take my item). A lot of chances were there if anyone wanted to steal it.
Nevertheless, it’s almost 3 years of me staying here in the Kingdom of Thailand. I never experienced being pickpocketed, neither had the need to put my bag in front of me while walking or taking the public transportation. I never had the fear that I will be robbed in the supermarket while I leave my bag unattended and casually buy food. To me, walking along the streets of Bangkok even with an expensive or cheap phone doesn’t matter because no one bats an eye.
In Thailand, they say what they want. The belief of Karma made the Thais more compassionate about other people, avoiding all sorts of harms towards one another. On top of that, they are well compensated by the government. There are many options for them to get support and loan without the tedious background check and discriminatory attitude from those in position of power.
Why steal in the first place if they are richer and have more options to get what they want whether gadgets or even houses and lots.
There may be numerous cases of negativity here in The Kingdom of Thailand. No country is perfect anyway. But as long as I am here, I will enjoy the safety and peace of mind.
#diaryofawimpykid
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