Overcoming Multitude of Barriers
The past seven days have been nothing short of challenges. It has been a while since I visited a country which I know little about its language – perhaps just a few lines of basic greetings and internet language which I have seen my Thai friends, from an overseas internship I did a while back, use. For example, “555” is similar to our usage of “lol,” with a more versatile usage whereby the intensity of laughter can be increased by typing more 5s.
The language barrier between participants from UM and NUS, and the local community became strikingly obvious when we embarked on the video filming. Having participated in a field studies module, which focuses on a similar theme of heritage, I was looking forward to talking with the locals in Ban Phantom. I knew by experience that it was the best means to familiarize oneself with the area and even pick up on things that are not cited in official writings. However, with the limited time we had for this field school and the need to gather video materials for film making, I could not help to feel that interaction with the locals were unfortunately kept to the bare minimum. On top of the existing language barrier, the camera lens became another form of barrier, keeping us away from interacting with the locals on a deeper level. Close-ups were captured yet the locals still felt far away.
While awkwardness and feeling out of place in Ban Panthom grew, there was an instance where barriers dissolved for a moment. It was during our second visit to the houses on the afternoon of the 8th instant where a small group of us had a brief conversation with a friendly lady, one of the tenants in the house that we were surveying and recording. It was a simple conversation, prompted by the cute rabbit she had as a pet (she left the naming to us and took up our suggestion of calling cute), which then led to small talks about their daily lives in the very same compound.
The warmth and laughter from a short conversation with her was however short-lived. Barriers, defining the difference between us and them, were now deliberately put up when the other tenants told us that they do not want us around anymore. With the concept of heritage being centred on people and empathy, the entire situation seemed ironic to me. We went in with the intention of learning more about their community, and document their heritage, but in turn intruded on their daily routines and personal space. Their displease was not unfounded and was relatable, highlighting the oversight that many of us had while focusing too much on getting the necessary measurements of the building and less of the sensitivity that is required.
While the incident was unexpected and regretful, it has prompted many of us to think about the ethics in heritage studies as well as the perspectives of different stakeholders. On a personal level, at the very least, some of the barriers are becoming increasingly possible to overcome. From knowing nothing besides greetings, I have learned how to request for things to be unsweetened in Thai, in a confident manner.