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 WWW.WANDERLUSTMAG.COM