Wai Not?

Thailand is a very respectful country. The most common way of showing respect is by wai-ing to one another. “Wai” is when you bow slightly to someone with your hands pressed together in front of you (like praying hands, but the height at which you hold them denotes differing levels of respect, so your hands are held higher for figures such as monks, The King, and Buddha). At school, all the teachers wai to one another out of mutual respect, and our students wai to us to show respect for their elders. While wai-ing is a kind gesture, it’s also something of a cultural requirement, so Thai people go to extreme lengths to make sure they get their respectable wai in, this results in hilarious varying kinds of wais. For example: 

The One-Handed Wai:

Often times around campus teachers will be carrying papers or coffee or something with one hand, but then they see another teacher they haven’t yet seen that day, so they’re required to wai. In this scenario, they just lift the one free hand and pretend the other one is there, like an invisible place holder. 

The Umbrella Wai:

The other day it was pouring down rain in the morning, so everyone was clutching tight to their umbrellas. This did not hinder the immense number of morning wais. Teachers either opted to do a one handed wai, or they struggled to balance an umbrella between their respectful gesturing hands.  

The Driving Wai: 

A lot of the teachers drive to school in the morning and park on campus. In order to get to the parking lot, they must drive through the gate where all the students walk and where two teachers stand for gate duty. Despite the need to navigate through the narrow gate area & avoid hitting students, the driving teachers always manage to take their hansd off of the steering wheel and wai. Dangerous? Yes. Culturally unavoidable? Also yes. 

The My-Hands-Are-Full-Of-Heavy-Things Wai: 

Even when teachers’ hands are full of boxes, papers, storage containers, small children, what have you, they still feel the need to wai...sort of. This is the laziest of all wais. It’s more of a head bob and shoulder shrug to mimic the other body elements needed to wai, minus the actual hand motion. 

The Group Wai: 

This particular wai happens to me a lot. I often climb the multiple levels of stairs in order to get to my 4/5, 4/6, and 4/7 classes six times a week. On each level, there are teachers’ desks. And, of course, I must wai each and every one of the teachers occupying the desks. On the very top level, there are several teachers who are constantly eating a large spread of food. This naturally attracts more teachers to the area. When I approach that level, I adjust my papers & pens and get my hands in optimal wai-ing position for a big group wai. This consists of me wai-ing and holding it for the duration of my walk through the eating area. As I hold one constant wai, the women each wai me and utter a low moaning sound until I pass. It’s a good time for everyone. 

Sometimes when I approach campus in the morning and think of all the wai-ing that’s about to occur it seems scarily daunting. Then I think I’ll only be a teacher in Thailand once in my life, so wai not?