The Importance Of Friends In Thailands

Improved Essays
I find it easier and more comfortable to be around the friends that I’ve made here in Thailand than those that I’ve made in the Philippines. I think it’s due to the fact that I grew up and spent more time with my friends here. (I. Amurao, personal communication, 10 December 2014)
Paulo showed the opposite sentiments, however, when he said that he is still adjusting to making friends in Thailand, at the same time still feeling close to friends he had left behind in the Philippines.
It was awkward and was quite difficult for me to interact with Thais in a normal conversation due to language barriers… my friends in the Philippines are easier to interact with as I did not face a language barrier and they are much easier to understand and socialized
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Yes, for example, whenever I go to a mall in the Philippines I would feel different compared to when I go to a mall in Thailand. (P. Amurao, personal communication, 9 December 2014)
Even though she is still in her teenage years, Isabelle now engages in transnational activities (from below). For one thing, she always asks her mother to buy for her Philippine snack food and canned goods that are sold in Philippine stores in Bangkok or in groceries in the Philippines whenever her mother or father visits their passport country.
She also said that she likes attending gatherings of Filipinos in Thailand like birthday parties or Christmas parties. At the same time, she said she feels awkward most of the time especially if she only knows a few of the people she meets in the party. Like his sister, Paulo also likes eating snacks and other food from his passport country. He also enjoys the company of other Filipinos during social gatherings.
Yes (I attend parties of Filipinos), if possible, because it is one of the few that could remind me about my home country and its culture. (P. Amurao, personal communication, 9 December
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They do not display yet the characteristics of a full TCK and show the development of their own identity:
Isabelle, for one, situates herself in the middle:
I feel more Filipino than Thai because of my preferences in things such as food. In addition to this, I speak Tagalog more than Thai. However, because I grew up with several Thai friends, there is a part of me which feels Thai. (I. Amurao, personal communication, 10 December 2014)
And in a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how do they measure their being a Filipino? This is what Isabelle said:
I would say 7 because even though I’ve spent more years here in Thailand than in the Philippines, I still feel a sense of home whenever I visit the Philippines. (I. Amurao, personal communication, 10 December 2014)
For Paulo, he is at a stage when his cultural identity is in the midst of development.
[In a scale of 1-10] around 5-6 as I can speak Tagalog but it is rudimentary. Also, my knowledge about Philippine culture keeps me out of the loop. Thus, it makes it hard for me to make myself believe that I am a full-fledged

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