Wow, I can't believe I've been in Thailand for almost a month! Days seems to flow together effortlessly. So much has happened, and yet it seems like I've been here no time at all. I've already adjusted to much of what seemed so strange at first to me (which I will try to write more about later).
I'm listening to a Thai country song, Noom Bao Sao Parn, that I found in the States. I was psyched to hear it on the radio in Mae Chaem; I told my host mother "I love this song!" and she smiled and turned up the music for me as I danced with Neung Pet, the 2 year old little girl of the family. :)
I'm writing from the common room of my dorm at Payap University, called Paradornparp International House (or as everyone calls it, PIH). The view from my dorm is unspeakably beautiful. I am directly across from the mountain Doi Suthep, and the combination of mist and rain, plus clouds, sky, verdant trees, and mountain is breathtaking. It's raining off and on today as it has almost every day for the last month, which is standard for monsoon season in Northern Thailand. However, this year has been especially wet, and in Central Thailand there are severe flooding problems. :\
This academic semester is divided into two quarters. For the first quarter I have History of Thailand every Tues-Thurs, Thai Language MWF and Globalization of SE Asia Wed-Fri. I have never taken condensed classes before but everything is going well so far. The readings for History and Globalization are often the same as both are taught by the same professor (in Thai, ajarn), which makes the reading more manageable (i.e. 150 pages a week instead of 300).
It is easy to get by here at Payap without knowing Thai (classes are in English and most or all of the Thai students who live with us in PIH know basic English), however, most Thais, especially outside of the university setting, do not know English well. Even here at Payap, you must speak in Thai to communicate with most students who live outside of this international dorm.
I am trying very hard to practice my Thai whenever and wherever I can, which for me is well worth looking and sounding silly (ex. I try to order food in full sentences, which is not how Thais usually do it). But for the most part I am trying to speak as my Thai friends do. My Thai vocabulary and grammar knowledge are very limited. I can introduce myself, describe most basic needs, and haggle, and I know some miscellaneous phrases. I have been told by a few native speakers that my accent is good, but I'm always looking to improve.
I feel very fortunate to have made such wonderful friends here at Payap, from every imaginable background and ethnicity. I am incredibly grateful to my patient Thai friends whom I ask to repeat themselves over and over when they teach me new words, as I pull out my journal and take down an English phonetic equivalent. My bilingual Thai-English friends are very thoughtful to translate for me when I don't understand something, often without any prompting from me. (More about my friends here in another post, I promise)
Many international students in our program have had some trouble practicing Thai outside of the classroom. This is in part because most of the Thais in this dorm are here because they want to practice their English, and we don't know enough Thai to go out into the rest of the campus and carry a conversation beyond basic introductions. Therefore, many of us feel stuck in a catch-22; we're afraid we'll be stuck speaking English forever.
My unsolicited advice to anyone who feels this way, no matter where you're living abroad, is to 1. listen, 2. ask questions, 3. speak in the language you're learning even when people speak to you in English, 4. expect to make mistakes, and 5. write it down
1. Some people are better at imitating sounds than others, but with practice and humility anyone can learn to speak sounds that aren't in their first language. It's essential that you find people who are willing to talk to you in Thai so you can get used to how the language sounds. Listening to music and tv shows also helps, but nothing beats face-to-face interaction.
2. Ask people to repeat themselves, to speak slower, to explain what anything and everything means. You may be afraid that you'll annoy your hosts, but I assure you that such questions generally are considered respectful and make native speakers happy because they show that you are interested in learning their language. The friends I've made here encourage me all the time to ask them questions about Thai, and I reciprocate by answering all their queries about English.
3. This one is still difficult for me because it's so hard not to think in English when prompted with an English question. I do this with my roommate all the time for simple phrases (ex. she says "sweet dreams" to me and I say "fan di kha" to her. I think the more you practice the language, the easier this one will become.
4. You will mess up, but especially if you're here in Thailand, it will be okay. Thais think we're so cute when we try to speak Thai, and most of the time they won't be offended because they know you're learning a new and challenging language. Try to remain humble and don't feel discouraged if someone corrects you or doesn't understand what you're trying to say.
5. Finally, unless you have an eidetic memory for sounds, you won't remember any new words unless you write them down.
And never underestimate how far you can get with a kind smile. :)
Signing off,
Lisa
P.P.S. Wow I didn't realize this post was so long... this is what happens when I don't write here for a month. ^_^;;
P.S. Next time... culture shock?
I'm listening to a Thai country song, Noom Bao Sao Parn, that I found in the States. I was psyched to hear it on the radio in Mae Chaem; I told my host mother "I love this song!" and she smiled and turned up the music for me as I danced with Neung Pet, the 2 year old little girl of the family. :)
I'm writing from the common room of my dorm at Payap University, called Paradornparp International House (or as everyone calls it, PIH). The view from my dorm is unspeakably beautiful. I am directly across from the mountain Doi Suthep, and the combination of mist and rain, plus clouds, sky, verdant trees, and mountain is breathtaking. It's raining off and on today as it has almost every day for the last month, which is standard for monsoon season in Northern Thailand. However, this year has been especially wet, and in Central Thailand there are severe flooding problems. :\
This academic semester is divided into two quarters. For the first quarter I have History of Thailand every Tues-Thurs, Thai Language MWF and Globalization of SE Asia Wed-Fri. I have never taken condensed classes before but everything is going well so far. The readings for History and Globalization are often the same as both are taught by the same professor (in Thai, ajarn), which makes the reading more manageable (i.e. 150 pages a week instead of 300).
It is easy to get by here at Payap without knowing Thai (classes are in English and most or all of the Thai students who live with us in PIH know basic English), however, most Thais, especially outside of the university setting, do not know English well. Even here at Payap, you must speak in Thai to communicate with most students who live outside of this international dorm.
I am trying very hard to practice my Thai whenever and wherever I can, which for me is well worth looking and sounding silly (ex. I try to order food in full sentences, which is not how Thais usually do it). But for the most part I am trying to speak as my Thai friends do. My Thai vocabulary and grammar knowledge are very limited. I can introduce myself, describe most basic needs, and haggle, and I know some miscellaneous phrases. I have been told by a few native speakers that my accent is good, but I'm always looking to improve.
I feel very fortunate to have made such wonderful friends here at Payap, from every imaginable background and ethnicity. I am incredibly grateful to my patient Thai friends whom I ask to repeat themselves over and over when they teach me new words, as I pull out my journal and take down an English phonetic equivalent. My bilingual Thai-English friends are very thoughtful to translate for me when I don't understand something, often without any prompting from me. (More about my friends here in another post, I promise)
Many international students in our program have had some trouble practicing Thai outside of the classroom. This is in part because most of the Thais in this dorm are here because they want to practice their English, and we don't know enough Thai to go out into the rest of the campus and carry a conversation beyond basic introductions. Therefore, many of us feel stuck in a catch-22; we're afraid we'll be stuck speaking English forever.
My unsolicited advice to anyone who feels this way, no matter where you're living abroad, is to 1. listen, 2. ask questions, 3. speak in the language you're learning even when people speak to you in English, 4. expect to make mistakes, and 5. write it down
1. Some people are better at imitating sounds than others, but with practice and humility anyone can learn to speak sounds that aren't in their first language. It's essential that you find people who are willing to talk to you in Thai so you can get used to how the language sounds. Listening to music and tv shows also helps, but nothing beats face-to-face interaction.
2. Ask people to repeat themselves, to speak slower, to explain what anything and everything means. You may be afraid that you'll annoy your hosts, but I assure you that such questions generally are considered respectful and make native speakers happy because they show that you are interested in learning their language. The friends I've made here encourage me all the time to ask them questions about Thai, and I reciprocate by answering all their queries about English.
3. This one is still difficult for me because it's so hard not to think in English when prompted with an English question. I do this with my roommate all the time for simple phrases (ex. she says "sweet dreams" to me and I say "fan di kha" to her. I think the more you practice the language, the easier this one will become.
4. You will mess up, but especially if you're here in Thailand, it will be okay. Thais think we're so cute when we try to speak Thai, and most of the time they won't be offended because they know you're learning a new and challenging language. Try to remain humble and don't feel discouraged if someone corrects you or doesn't understand what you're trying to say.
5. Finally, unless you have an eidetic memory for sounds, you won't remember any new words unless you write them down.
And never underestimate how far you can get with a kind smile. :)
Signing off,
Lisa
P.P.S. Wow I didn't realize this post was so long... this is what happens when I don't write here for a month. ^_^;;
P.S. Next time... culture shock?
LISA DARLING!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving reading about your experience in Thailand, especially your comments about adapting to the new language! It sounds like your approach to the experience is altogether wholesome and positive (as I knew it would be!). I'm trying to picture you wandering the streets of Chiang Mai talking in Thai to the local residents - how does it feel with those new words coming out of your mouth? It sounds like you are very diligently creating your own personal dictionary of new words and phrases. I'm so happy for you that you're enjoying yourself!
Not gonna lie, I miss you a lot and sometimes wish I could just pick up the phone and call you (haha, even though we never actually do this during the semester) but I'll take reading your blog any day.
Love you tons and hope to hear more in the future!
Alex