Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand August / September 2015 - Art & Education Issue | Page 26
Education
I
have always loved languages. I seem to have an ear for
them, perhaps because of early childhood influences.
I recall sitting on my aunt’s lap as a child, forcing her to
say phrases to me in different languages. My aunt, who is
extremely well-traveled due to her husband’s job, speaks
about seven languages. I was in awe of her then, and I still
am today. At over 60 years old now, her language of the
moment is Japanese. Her husband, pushing 70 years old,
keeps himself busy learning Arabic.
Inspired by my polyglot relatives, each time I visited a
country — no matter how briefly — I would always carry
a phrase book to try out sentences, so eager was I to
converse. Other languages fascinated me and sounded
exotic. I wanted to understand and be understood.
MY FIRST THAI LESSON
When my partner and I came to Thailand, I sought things
to do off the beaten path. Most tourists come to Thailand
to discover the beaches, but we had spent plenty of time
on the coast during previous visits. Looking for something
new, I enrolled in a two-week, intensive “Learn to Speak
Thai” course in Phuket.
As I came out of the school after my first 4-hour
session, a tuk-tuk driver waiting outside asked me in
Thai if I wanted a tuk-tuk. Pumped from the new words
swimming around in my head, I bravely took a deep
breath and told him politely, also in Thai, “No, thanks. I
like walking.” He beamed a huge smile at me, gave me
a thumbs-up, thanked me, and then left me to walk. I
was astonished that I had understood him and he had
understood me. This incident marked the start of my
ongoing Thai language journey.
WHY LEARN THAI?
Over the years, I have queried others about their reasons
for learning Thai. Some feel, as expats who have chosen to
live here, that they should simply make the effort. Others
shame themselves and say they should know more than
26 WANDERLUST
“sawadee kah” and “khup kum kah,” especially after several
years of living in Thailand. Retired friends say it’s to keep
their brains active—it is held that learning a language
helps fight Alzheimer’s and dementia, after all. One man
told me he wanted to learn enough to be able to chat up
the girls. At least he was honest!
There are many reasons I wanted to learn Thai: to get
into the thick of it; to be able to chat with the locals; to
better negotiate prices; to order my food and drinks with
ease; to be less frustrated in daily life; to prove that not all
British people only speak English. (Sorry, fellow Brits, but
compared to the rest of Europe, our use and knowledge of
other languages is poor.)
Learning Thai enabled me to do all of the above with
a few added bonuses. Because Thailand is a bit of a men’s
playground, I’ve been shown a certain amount of respect
for being a young female living here who can speak the
language. Speaking Thai as a foreigner narrows the ‘Them
vs. Us’ gap within seconds as well, allowing you to enter
the world of the locals. I have had secrets and stories
shared with me that I would never have been told did I
not speak the language.
The main unexpected joy that speaking Thai has given
me is the randomness of situations that have occurred
purely as a result of conversing. I call these my ‘Thai
moments.’ People often ask me why these strange, funny,
or weird situations always happen to me. It’s not luck
or chance. I am convinced it is only because I generally
interact more with the locals than other farang do.
Language is the key to getting beneath the surface-level
existence in Thailand most commonly known to expats.
REACTIONS
Reactions from locals when I speak Thai never cease to
make me giggle. Usually the scenario is shock or surprise,
followed by total joy and lots of quick fire questions.
Sometimes their surprise is such that all they can do is
burst out laughing. On occasions, I get a horrified shriek.
Other times, I get a huge sigh of relief from them that they
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