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Thai expats celebrate King's birthday at consulate in Dubai

Dubai - The Royal Thai Consulate General in Dubai also opened its doors to expats of various nationalities.

The 66th birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun of Thailand was celebrated by the Thai expats in Dubai on Saturday.
Thai consul-general Unnop Buranasate led the consular officials, who were all wearing an all-white civil service uniform, in wishing their king good health and blessings. Thai expats and guests, meanwhile, wore yellow - the colour for the king's birthday - which fell on Monday, July 28, 1952. (In Thailand, a specific colour is assigned to the day of birth).
Sharing the Thai culture, the Royal Thai Consulate General in Dubai also opened its doors to expats of various nationalities, giving free lessons on authentic Thai massage, Thai cooking, fruits and vegetable cooking, traditional Thai dance and Thai-style football.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Prapavadee Boonchuaykuakool, Thai consul for economic and cultural affairs, said they wanted to share Thai culture with other nationalities in Dubai.
"We have volunteers who are experts in their respective fields giving free classes in authentic Thai massage, cooking, food carving and traditional dance. We are not just promoting Thai culture but healthy living and wellness as well," Prapavadee said.
"The knowledge they (expats) can learn from our free classes on massage can be shared with their family and friends. Our trainers come from top wellness training centres in Thailand and were certified by our Ministry of Public Health," she added.
Prapavadee also said the interaction will also erase the wrong connotation on Thai massage. "Massage promotes wellness and by learning the proper techniques, one can live and share a healthy life," she underlined.
Dutch expat Robert Paul van Tol, who is also the vice-chairman of the Netherlands Business Council in Dubai, said "it was very fruitful to learn and get closer to Thai culture."
Van Tol, a resident of Dubai for 23 years, attended a food and vegetable carving session and said it was "very relaxing and rewarding".
"It's not everyday that you learn about the Thai culture and it was my first time to try food carving. The Thai chefs were very skillful in handling the knives and it took me quite some time to carve vegetable but it was very satisfying when you see the final product."
Polish expat Marcin Jedrowiak for his part tried his hands on Thai cooking. He learned how to make an authentic shrimp and crab roll. Having been in Thailand several times, Jedrowiak said he has been hooked by Thai hospitality and cuisines.
"Now I can confidently say that I can make a Thai dish. The secret is in the sauce and it's great all Thai ingredients are available at big supermarkets in Dubai," Jedrowiak said.
Thai expats for their part said they are happy to share their culture in a diverse and welcoming city like Dubai. Thai expat Sirin Satthatips, 24, a hotelier in Dubai, said sharing Thai culture is her patriotic duty.
"I represent Thailand. Sometimes I bring Thai snacks to work and my colleagues would ask me and I explain to them what they are. In that way, I'm able to share my culture with them," she concluded.
angel@khaleejtimes.com