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The Land of Smiles

2017-09-23

劉思敏

LAU Sze Man

安達拉度假别墅酒店

Andara Resort and Villas

布吉

Phuket

 

Having experienced internships and part-time jobs in Hong Kong, I find the working culture in Thailand is over-whelming and impressive.

They smile at all times, almost. Thai people are very friendly, gentle and polite in general. They always “wai” (a Thai style greeting) each other with a big smile. Kitchen may give the public a notorious impression of foul-mouthed chefs swearing and shouting when it gets hectic. However, this is just not the case here. The Thai chefs would rather calm down and concentrate on the dishes; backing up each other to complete patrons’ orders as soon as possible. Even when there were hiccups, the sous chef would just come and explain the problem and solutions instead of scolding anyone. I see how smiles, gentleness and teamwork solve conflicts and ease tensions here.

Other than that, they are keen on learning Chinese language and Hong Kong culture. I was also taught many Thai dishes names and a couple of Thai phrases for taking transportation and shopping. We had a pleasant time sharing the language and culture of Hong Kong, China and Thailand with each other.

“Everything’s okay?”

“Do you feel alright?”

”Are you happy?”

I was pretty surprised to find these as the questions I heard most frequently in Andara Resort and Villas.

I rarely worked in the food preparation room alone, since it is separate from the kitchen. There was a time I had 400 limes to squeeze there and every chef passed by kept checking if I was alright working alone. They were ready to offer help if I needed. There was even a chef in Western kitchen, constantly offering help to the bustling Thai kitchen whenever she was available. She said she enjoys taking care of others. Being a Hongkonger, living in a concrete jungle where people are mostly self-absorbed and distant from each other, I was just amazed hearing so.

Being a careless person, there were times that I fell asleep in the hotel’s shuttle bus and almost missed the stop when I was returning to my apartment. However, staffs in the other departments whom I did not actually know were so kind to wake me up and remind me to get off. Not sure if it is a corporate culture or Thai culture, staff in Andara are greatly attentive to colleagues’ condition and needs. Being a member of the “Andara family”, I do feel at home, despite being a foreigner here. It is not just at work. People in Phuket are genuinely kind, welcoming and willing to help.  I had received a lot of help like doing translation and giving direction, warm greetings and even free hand drip coffee throughout my journey in Phuket.

This internship is truly fruitful and remarkable. I am taught not only the technical skills and culture, but also a positive attitude at work: to smile and enjoy no matter how tedious the task may be. I am so grateful for this precious opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. I aspire to work overseas in the future to learn about different cultures around the world.