Dear Sophia,
Thank you so much for your email. I read it this morning, and I really loved the photos you sent me of your friends and family. I would love to come and visit the United States one day!
In your email, you asked me about some of the traditions here in Thailand. Well, the first thing I thought about was that we don’t touch other people’s heads. In the picture of you and your younger brother on the porch, you are ruffling his hair. In Thailand, we consider the head to be an important part of the body, so we wouldn’t do this. Secondly, we have to be careful where we point as well. In Thai culture, we never point a finger at somebody because that would be considered very rude. There is a photo where you are pointing at your friend because he is goofing around. In that case, we would simply use a hand with the palm up instead. I find it very interesting that we have these little differences.
Oh, I forgot to tell you that people in my country like to smile. We smile a lot, sometimes even in situations where a smile is not expected. You told me that you cried when your mom scolded you for not turning in your homework on time. I’d give my mom a sad smile in a similar situation. That’s because we are used to using smiles to communicate different emotions in Thailand. We even got a nickname because of this smiling habit.
I think we have lots of things in common, too. For example, your culture seems very friendly, just like mine. In all your photos I can see that you and your family like having fun together. Family is very important to me, and I actually treat my cousins like they are my brothers and sisters. I can also see in your photos that you take your shoes off when you’re inside someone’s home. We do that in Thai culture, too. For us, it shows respect, and we always remove our shoes in temples and houses.
You mentioned your favorite band, Smashing Tomatoes, in your email and that you have tickets to go and see them next month. You are so lucky. I love them, too, and I recently bought their album.
Come and visit us whenever you like! And as always, thank you for helping me practice my English.
Your friend,
June
