Thailand has been dubbed the land of smiles and it really is true. People here smile A LOT and it is part of what makes the place so friendly and welcoming. There are in fact 13 different types of Thai smile and they all mean different things
1. Yim thang taa: The ‘I’m so happy I am crying’ smile
2. Yim Thak Thaai: The polite smile for someone you barely know
3. Yim Cheun Chom: the ‘I admire you’ smile
4Feun Yim; The stiff smile, also known as the ‘I should laugh at the joke even though I know its not funny’ smile
5. Yim mee lessanai: The smile that masks something wicked in your mind
6. Yin yaw: The teasing or ‘I told you so’ smile
7. Yim yae-yae: The ‘I know things look pretty bad but there is no use crying over spilt milt’ smile
8. Yim sao: the sad smile
9. Yim haeng: the dry smile, also known as the ‘I owe you money but I don’t have it’ smile
10. Yim thsk thaan: the ‘I disagree with you’ smile also known as the ‘you can go ahead and propose it but your idea is no good’ smile
11. Yim cheua cheuan: ‘I am the winner’ smile that the winner gives to the losing competitor
12. yim soo: The ‘smile in the face of an impossible struggle’ smile
13. Yim mai awk: |The ‘I’m trying to smile but I can’t’ smile

Thais smile all the time, even if they are being told off in school or if they have no intention of doing what has just been asked of them. It can be very confusing for a westerner at tie as you think that your team are in agreement with you when you are greeted by a set of beaming faces. But it isn’t always the case.
I am hoping that I can get a photo to upload . It is one of the new teachers (maths),called Doy who is half Thai and who smiles as broadly as this ALL the time. e is a real pleasure to be around. He even smiled through the difficult bits in Zumba – something the rest of us were definitely not doing.

Anyway, today I an add another smile to the list.

Its 14. Yim Toner: the ‘my shipping is going to be delivered this morning ‘smile. Yippee!

At last we will be re-united with our stuff. All those things which we packed 10 weeks ago. It is going to be like Christmas. Finally our apartment will start to look more homely. Hot but homely.

I hope that reading these posts makes you smile as broadly as Doy