Ro Sak Khru Kha (Wait for a Minute)
Do people get this a lot in Thailand? I called a supposed to be an International Nation wide center the day before yesterday and spoke politely asking if the other person at the end of the line could speak English since the first thing I heard was a very sweet sawatdee ka (Thai greeting). Then with my limited Thai, I understood the next answer was ro sek khru na ka (wait for a minute). Then I heard a tetris ringtone for about 3 minutes and I patiently waited. Tetris ringtone stopped and I expected a "hello ma dam how can I help you?" respond but all I heard was a hung up noise at the other end.
...............okay...what was that supposed to mean???
So I redialed the same number and heard the connected sign ringtone on the phone but nobody was answering at the other side of haven! Not giving up I tried another number but was smacked back with another connected sign followed by a disconnected tone.
Then I decided to call another branch of this center and after a few minutes heard another familiar accent "sawatdee ka bla bla bla..." and again replied the greetings and asked if that person speaks English. Again I got a "roo sak khru" and heard another tetris tone on. Waited, waited and finally a guy answered..."hello ma dam (for madam, read the 'a's as the 'a' in 'car')wat is your problem?" *cough* Ehem...excuse me? My problem Sir?? Hehe...So I told him that I needed certain information about so and so. Then he spoke a little and again put my ear on tetris lullaby! I waited for about 3 minutes and heard another woman went to the phone and said "hello ma dam, you speak English?" Ggggrhh! At this moment I just don't know who has a problem, me or the other end. As soon as I answered "Yes," instead of putting me on tetris lullaby, she put me on on-going conversations (the one that she talks to anybody and that anybody talks to somebody and that somebody talks to everybody and that everybody shut up). Then after I figured that they had figured, then the other line says "ro sak khru" for the last time and past the phone to a supposedly the best English speaker around.
Such equestrian apparel frustrations as trivial as making and answering a telephone call in Thailand has been causing a lot of misunderstandings and confusions every minute here. Why can't big company like such hire a bilingual and solve the lengthy drama once and for all? Or the drama is sugar to them?
