Don’t Assume!

“Assumptions are dangerous things to make”

Marking the first official day of our trip, we headed to Chiang Rai to begin our research. This was the day that it struck me that, well, don’t ever make assumptions. As what some might say, ‘assume’ makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’.

I have had experiences in doing guest research for Universal Studios Singapore, and part of my job was to conduct 15-20 minute all-encompassing interviews with guests to learn more about their experience in Universal Studios. Of course, with such an experience under my belt, I naturally volunteered to conduct the research interview with our first subject, a general practitioner from Chiang Rai. It should be a breeze~

This led to,

Assumption one: I was adept in interviewing.

The first crucial lesson hit me hard, and rather painfully – humility. It was such a reality check. The interview started off pretty well, but soon I realised that the trajectory of the interview was skewed way off of what I had expected, and I was caught off guard. Before the conversation, I thought that I had my interview skills in check, stemming from my ability to hold a conversation with guests for a prolonged period of time whilst ensuring that they enjoyed it. All of a sudden, it struck me that it was more so because the answers of the guests were somewhat much along similar themes. I was so used to getting somewhat the same answers with the same questions that I had falsely assumed that I was adept at interviewing. It was such a wake-up call that perhaps I might be overconfident in areas that actually needed attention, re-evaluation and work. Perhaps it is time for me to get critical of myself.

Assumption two: Chiang Rai is underdeveloped

Before I stepped into Chiang Rai (and Chiang Mai for that matter), I had envisioned (very wrongly) the cities to be highly underdeveloped. My mind was filled with images of litter being strewn indiscriminately, beggars rife, and haphazard electrical wirings. To my very pleasant surprise, my mental image was completely shattered and Chiang Rai turned out to be this pleasant, quaint city.

Assumption three: If planned properly, everything will be smooth-sailing

“Sorry, no filming, no camera.”

We were aghast. We had prepared extensively for interview questions, and even went to the extent of buying packets of potato chips and having the locals tell the difference. We barely managed to get an interview before we were told off sternly that there were to be no photography of any kind. Of course, frustration set in, but I do understand that the guards were only trying to do their job. I could only take solace in the fact that, yes, even with extensive planning and preparation, there are some circumstances that might derail even the most elaborate of plans. What then, was to remain positive and just cruise on to the next alternative, hoping that it will be better.

It was as though lessons in life crammed back to back in a single sitting as our next destination reinforced the saying of “the shine after the rain”. Our next destination proved to be insightful as we managed to extract crucial data from a key demographical segment of elderly housewives. We were actually pretty amazed that they actually do have quite an extensive knowledge of nutritional information! The healthier alternative was consistently picked. It seems like Thai people seem relatively knowledgeable about their labels~

The day couldn’t have ended better as we journeyed to the ASEAN tulip festival. The sweet, bliss-inducing aroma of the lilies wafting in the air was unforgettable and marked the end of a rather hectic day.

-Day 1