Women Learning Thai… and some men too ;-)

You are browsing the archives of 2010 February.

A trusted native speaker is essential…. You may have noticed by now that learning Thai takes real effort and discipline. No two ways about it. Expect to put in long hours tweaking your pronunciation, expanding your vocabulary, solidifying your grasp on the grammar. One of the best — and most necessary — language resources you [...]

Tips and suggestions needed… Last week I received an email asking for help: Question: I’m currently an exchange student living in Thailand. I’ve had an issue where I can’t seem to learn any more Thai, and when I try my minds strays and I get tired very quickly. I was just wondering, do you have [...]

Free Download: Thai Reader Project… If your Thai learning adventure has come to a halt due to the lack of intermediate to advanced materials, the University of Wisconsin’s Thai Reader Project could be a fine fit: The authors have attempted to create effective lessons in the reading of Thai that will help learners progress from [...]

Wats are full of turkeys and frogs, and sometimes storks too… If you are an animal lover, one of the first things you notice in Thailand are the decaying dogs laying around scenic Wats. Their scabby bodies make my heart hurt. Yours too? Disregarding the sickly canine and healthy cats – why is that? – [...]

Interviewing Successful Thai Language Learners… Name: Celia Chessin-Yudin Nationality: American Age range: 20-30 Sex: Female Location: Mahachai, Samut Sakhon, Thailand Profession: Working at an NGO What is your Thai level? I would say I am at an advanced Thai level. Though not fluent yet. Do you speak more street Thai, Issan Thai, or professional Thai? [...]

Ten steps to learning Thai… Note: This is dedicated to people like Catherine Wentworth who are working their patooties off trying to grasp this outlandishly difficult language. Good luck to you all. When I started learning Thai I was told that it was one of the hardest for an English speaker to learn. That was [...]

Thai Sex Talk… Before you think I’ve gone all Thai sex-crazed, please let me explain. The well-crafted book, Thai Sex Talk, is not about the smutty side of Thai life. It is a collection of Thai words and expressions that focus on personal relationships. And they are (a given) relationships that include sex and love. [...]

Interviewing Successful Thai Language Learners… Name: Stickman Nationality: New Zealander Age range: 30-40 Sex: Male Location: Bangkok Profession: Teacher Website: StickmanBangkok.com What is your Thai level? I guess I would say I am Advanced. I don’t consider myself fluent because to me that means you can talk about absolutely anything in great detail with anyone. [...]

At last, a proper calendar for Thailand… Awhile back I started chatting on twitter with Andrew from The Bangkok Bugle about the lack of available calendars for Thailand. Andrew compiled some pretty decent resources – Bangkok’s best what’s on magazines – but we all agreed that none 100% fit the bill. Talen from Thailand, Land [...]

David does the Tiger Temple… I could start this post off with something all dramatic like, ‘Temple Tiger Eats East End Expat!’. But I’m lazy. And lying is such a bother. So this is what you get instead… When the Tiger Temple appeared in the news this week, I wrote: Thailand’s Tiger Temple Sues Conservationists. [...]

This Thai learning Thai… Unfortunately there was no mystical transference or osmosis of language from mother to womb. So I am an American born woman who is ironically half Thai and half Chinese. Ironically because my ethnic makeup is very Thai, something I learned when I moved here as an adult. There are many Thai-Chinese [...]

Tiger Temple Sues Conservationists Over Abuse Allegations… Thailand’s Tiger Temple has long been involved in controversy, and the complaints are many: Drugging the tigers. Abusing the tigers. Selling off older tigers. Putting visitors in harms way. Breeding tigers unprofessionally. The complaints go on and on… I’ve been to the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi twice. Both [...]

Interviewing Successful Thai Language Learners… Name: Thomas Lamosse Nationality: American, Edina, Minnesota Age range: 30-40 Sex: Male Location: Bangkok, Chonburi, Edina Minnesota Profession: Teacher/PhD student-Phonology Website/blog: Talk-2-Me-Thai Book/course: Talk-2-me-Thai DVD phrasebook What is your Thai level? I will let you decide. I never boast about my language skills. Do you speak more street Thai, Issaan [...]

The tattoo festival is happening this month… Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival Saturday, 27 February, 2010 5am (starting time) – 9am (main presentation from the head monk) If you visit Wat Bang Phra during a regular week, you can pretty much expect peace and quiet. And as I’m a softly-softly type of gal, that’s what [...]