Sanuk

Thais love a little fun. Sanuk is what they call it. If it can be made fun it should be. My students are always goofing off at their desks, giggling behind their hands, gaming on their smart phones. No job in Thailand should be boring or tedious. Everything should be fun. Thai people turn even uninteresting, unpleasant, tasks into something enjoyable. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Well coming from a culture where “work” and “play” are two very different things, where the former, most certainly, comes before the latter, Sanuk can be frustrating. Because of the “fun and games” of Thai students, I have found myself teaching some very non-engaging lessons. Power point with notes, then answer questions at the end. But I can’t control the class otherwise. Cooperative learning strategies lead to chaos. Hands-on activities lead to madness. Discussions lead to unruliness. I am baffled at what to do. While sanuk can drive the ajan farang up a wall (What does this English idiom mean class? Angreeeeeee, tea-SHAAA), sanuk is the very thing that makes Thai people so likeable in the first place. The constant smiles and laughter can make anyone fall in love with this country. So what’s a girl to do? After a bang-your-head-against-the-wall type class, the very same students who sat at the back talking and laughing and playing, still greet you with the utmost respect the next day by bowing and chanting, “Gooooood MORninggggggg Tea-SHAAAA” with the biggest smiles on their faces.

Photo: Students at their morning assembly. On Fridays they wear colorful shirts representing their class. Notice the sanuk.