[DoctorTOneery]

Being socially successful in the rural villages of Isaan is not that complicated; if you are polite, then you will be successful.

In most interactions with people from Thailand the first few minutes of your first conversation can be a little unnerving for a displaced Farang:

"How old are you?"
"Is you mother and father still alive?"
"How much money do you make?"

These types of questions may be a little rude in Western Countries but they are perfectly normal in Thailand.

"How old are you?" is one of the fundamental questions. If you are one minute older than another person, then you will be called pee(your name). If you are one minute younger, then you will be called nong(your name).

One thing is for certain in the village: age has its privileges.

Here is a tip: Whether it is in a house or at a public gathering when you pass between an elderly person and whatever they are looking at or pass next to an elderly person while they are looking at you it is polite to make an effort to place your head lower than theirs.
If they are standing, sitting, or even lying on the floor/ground and you are walking by, then getting your head actually lower is not the point; making the gesture is the point. Bend a little at the knees and drop you chin just a little as you pass and you will be the polite farang that everybody will have something nice to speak about.

Pay attention when you see the Thais interact with elderly people and you will see it comes very naturally; almost unnoticed. Because Farangs are still a novelty in the village they are watched closer and that is an opportunity to show you want to be polite.