In
life’s journey down the road towards ‘enlightenment’, some
of us are closer to the universal truth than others. One such is
Jitraporn Satamaya, resort general manager at the River House in
Chiang Rai. She is a person whose real worth was recognised by
the man who interviewed her for her first job in Bangkok, and
who finally talked her into this position in Chiang Rai.
Jitraporn was born in Chiang Mai, the fourth
child in a family of seven to a government officer and his
teacher wife (who had to give up teaching to look after the
brood of seven). Her initial schooling was done in Chiang Mai,
but when it came to tertiary education she went to Bangkok. “I
wanted to see more of the world and to further my study of
poetry.”
To this end, she passed the entrance
qualifications to Silpakorn University and entered the faculty
of Arts. With seven children this was a struggle for her family.
“It was a hard time for my parents. My eldest sister was
working and assisted my parents financially.”
She worked assiduously and her grades were
such that she won a scholarship for the second and subsequent
years, emerging after four years with a Bachelor of Arts,
majoring in poetry. I asked Jitraporn if this was just Thai
poetry (which incidentally her father used to read to his
children in the evenings) or western as well. “It was both
Thai and western. The structure is different, but the way the
poet thinks is not different. It’s about life. One word can
cover many meanings.”
One would have imagined, with this artistic
leaning, her future would then have been in the hallowed halls
of academia, but it was not. “What I learned at university was
just background, a back-up of knowledge. Poetry is (still)
something I like.” But it was not her future.
She passed by the Thai Farmer’s Bank
building, something ‘clicked’ and she said, “I will work
in the bank!” And she did. There was a vacancy in the
International Department, and she was interviewed and began
immediately.
She proved her worth in the Thai Farmer’s
Bank, staying there for 15 years in Bangkok, only to leave after
her immediate superior asked her to come and assist him in his
family investment company. This she did for two years, but left
to return to Chiang Mai as she wanted to start her own business,
and wanted to get away from Bangkok traffic! Later in the
interview she did say that she enjoyed personal freedom, and was
happy to work on her own, so this venture fitted well with that
too.
Her own business was in handicrafts. “I
designed and made samples, using cotton fabrics to make
household items. These were to be sold through gift shops in
Bangkok.” This was another very successful period in her life.
Working from home, she ended up with a labour force of 10
full-time workers and 15 part-timers. This she did for 11 years,
and in fact, the business is still going - the hallmark of any
successful entrepreneurship.
However, the bank officer who had carried out
her first interview with the Thai Farmer’s Bank, so many years
before, contacted her to say he was going to build a resort in
Chiang Rai (The River House) and wanted her to be the general
manager! He had watched her progress, both within the bank and
afterwards, and just as he had spotted her talent many years
previously, was still sure that the talent was there.
But this was to be quite a decision. Stay in
her own business where she was solely in charge, or join The
River House Resort organization, working in a field that she did
not know? Jitraporn rationalized her decision thus, “He is a
very nice man who helped me all along in the Thai Farmer’s
Bank. It was my chance to repay him. My dream had been to work
in Chiang Mai in my own business, and I had done that. I knew
that The River House was his dream, and I wanted to make his
dream come true.”
So she threw herself into someone else’s
dream. The resort was under construction and she would come up
every month to review the progress. She became involved in the
interior design and went for a course in hotel management at the
Dusit Thani in Bangkok. She was not really coming from a base of
experience, but coming from a background of a strong work ethic.
“I try my best,” said Jitraporn. “I just want to be
successful in everything I do.”
So now she is the GM of a resort that has
been open for 18 months. She lives in Chiang Rai, in the resort,
and knows just how demanding this type of career can be.
“It’s really hard work. It’s a small resort (36 rooms),
and the job takes all of my time. I cannot get away without
worrying about the place. But I am single, and I like to
work.”
She does have a hobby to offset the stresses
of work and this turns out to be more than a hobby. It is bird
watching. “I have been a bird watcher for 15 years. First of
all in Bangkok, it was just to get away (from the city) and to
understand nature. But then I found that it helped me to
understand myself, and then (to understand) other people as
well.”
That hobby and quest for personal
understanding has taken her to Australia, which she described as
a paradise for bird watchers, and Russia. She likes to travel,
“To anywhere in the world for bird watching!” She has even
taught the staff at the River House to identify the Chinese and
Russian winter visitors (birds, not tourists!).
Jitraporn is a wonderfully composed and serene woman, and
undoubtedly an asset to The River House Resort in many, many
ways. That’s why she was chosen for the position!
