Buk Nut
Senior Member
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The White man Marches on
Posts: 441
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Age: 35
Awards: 2
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If I marry a Hmong girl I will definitely have BAD culture shock because I am not Hmong, I don't really speak Hmong (I learned a couple phrases) and I don't know what's appropriate to do in Hmong culture. One possible way to get around this would be to live with the Hmong people for several years and learn about their way of life. If they don't marry outside their own race, then that is very good on them for wanting to preserve their culture and legacy. I'm sure if I spoke their language I would be able to impress them and they might accept me as one of their own. Don't expect this with Thais, though. They will always call you "farang" this "farang" that no matter how much Thai you can speak, read or write.
If I marry a regular Lao girl I will not experience culture shock to the same degree. I might experience a little, but I have lived with Lao people before for several years and I can understand them better. I understand most Lao customs, though definitely not all. I guess I would have some "baby shocks" to deal with if I married a Lao girl.
Even though Thais seem very westernized/modernized their culture still remains, and anyone marrying them who is not familiar with Thai culture will also experience culture shock. I think this reigns true for all Asians, whether it be Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Lao or Hmong.
The tricky part is that what is acceptable to one group could be considered offensive to the next, so you have to change your act depending on who you talk to. Overall, it's a great learning experience to live with other cultures.
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