Dan's Adventures in Bangkok

2008-05-02T18:34:00.001+07:00

A trip to China.

Longer ago than I'll admit here, I took a trip to Shanghai for 4 days, and subsequently uploaded pictures to blogspot but never actually made a post out of them. Well, as I often tell my students when they wander in sheepishly in the middle of class, better late than never!

My trip to Shanghai was entirely impromptu, the result of having 5 days off in a row and a friend there I wanted to visit. So, I went to Shanghai without knowing almost anything about the city, and was immediately struck by a few things, especially as they compare to Bangkok.

First, the city is HUGE. Wikipedia puts the population at over 18 million, and because the city is concentrated and organized it feels like its population is that high. Spending time downtown, walking on crowded streets surrounded by skyscrapers, the city felt 5 times bigger than the sprawling disorganization that is Bangkok, instead of just double it.

Second, there are bicyles everywhere, while in Bangkok almost no one uses them to get around. (And for good reason- sidewalks are narrow if there even are any, streets are narrow and crowded, Bangkok isn't on a grid, and it's too hot anyway).

What's more, there were people walking everywhere. Of course people also walk in Bangkok, but primarily as means to getting to or from a bus stop or train station, and go through great lengths to avoid it. But in Shanghai, it seemed more the norm and also (relatively speaking) was exponentially more pleasant to walk. I lucked out and experienced weather between about 50 and 70F, and greatly enjoyed wandering around the city for hours by foot.

The most surprising thing to me about Shanghai was how modern, clean, and organized the city is. In other words, there is actual city planning, a concept that does not exist at all in Bangkok. There are wide streets, good sidewalks, nice public squares and parks, and an expansive subway/commuter train system. It reminded me of a much larger Singapore, though not quite so planned.

Many parts of the city are very pretty, again contrasting heavily with Bangkok.

There sure are a lot of Chinese people, though. Shanghai is crowded! For all it's traffic, lack of standing in lines and general chaos, Bangkok never feels as "people crowded" to me as Shanghai did. It's definitely a push-or-be-pushed kind of place at times.

The Oriental Pearl in Pudong (the very recently developed area of Shanghai on the east side of the river) is one of Shanghai's most famous landmarks... and it was exactly what it looks like. A massive, ugly purple tower that tourists flock to because, well, it's a massive, ugly purple tower.

Pudong itself is fascinating though, as almost everything you see in this skyline has been developed in the last ten years. China, despite it's many (many) problems, is developing at an astonishing rate.

The highlight of my trip was going to West Lake for the day. Located in the city of Hangzhou, about a 2 hour train ride from Shanghai, West Lake is sort of a national park area centered around a large lake. It was a fairly touristy area, full of families visiting for the afternoon, but beautiful and peaceful nonetheless.

We actually started the day in a nearby tea village, which was somewhat touristy but interesting and beautiful, requiring a taxi ride up a windy road lined with trees.

We (that's my friend Ned, to whom I must apologize for this picture) had lunch and tea at this little cafe run out of a families home.

The road leading up from the lake to the tea village.

After lunch we wandered back down the hill, hiking down through some fields and past traditional Chinese style temples and other buildings. Again though let me restate the touristy nature of the area, lest you think I travelled anywhere half as exotic as some of this might look. (I mean, just a few miles from this, Ned and I had a snack at a KFC.) But it was still beautiful.

The lake itself really was a stunning sight, and we managed to catch the sun setting there before we went back into town.

Even the last few minutes of my trip were fun because I got to ride on the Maglev, the world's fastest train. See the km/hour figure above? The train runs from southeastern Shanghai directly to the airport, and is capable of exceeding 430km/h. Actually though, cool as it is, this is a great example of what happens with a communist government spending the people's money. This train only goes between this one station and the airport, and the ride takes 7 minutes. The Maglev barely has time to accelerate before it must slow down again. Thus the train could easily have been built using a normal high speed system and still get to the airport in like 10 minutes and not have cost $1.33 billion US.

But then, China couldn't say "LOOK WORLD! I HAVE FASTEST TRAIN!"

Oh and there's even a VIP section, which costs double the regular fare, because nothing says VIP like sitting in a slightly more comfortable chair for 7 minutes.

2008-04-29T15:21:00.004+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 17

April 29, 2008

Months in Thailand: 22

Hours at AUA: ~1500 (Level 5-10)

Reading and Writing: AUA Level 4 (~8 months/~200 hours in class time)

(Not) In Class:

I haven't attended classes at AUA since the end of February. I didn't plan to stop at exactly this point, but as a result of a number of factors (i.e. life outside of AUA), what was meant to be a one week break turned into what is so far a two month one.

By the time I stopped going, I was only attending a few hours of Listening class per week, and doing so mainly out of habit and for their entertainment value. Level 5-10 was, by this time, usually helpful only in providing some specialized or unusual vocabulary, as I would normally understand 99% of the discussion and perhaps 95% or more of the words and grammar used. Additionally of course, classes still continued to give listening exposure, which, even when it is easy, never hurts. But there was little real benefit and I would definitely say that time spent with other sources of exposure- TV, movies, news, conversations, etc.- was by this time vastly more useful to me.

Please note, however, that this is not a criticism of AUA or its methods. Not needing to go anymore was always the goal, and really in terms of Listening class, this had already been the case for 6 months.

Writing:

I took AUA's writing through level 4, and then repeated level 4 (most students do this), though with a number of absences, before I stopped going to class. Levels 4-5 are essentially just daily practice and do not have a linear progression through rules etc. as did levels 1-3, so "repeating" is just a matter of getting more practice. In class itself, Level 4 included reading outloud from (roughly speaking) elementary level passages, learning vocab and grammar from these passages and related excercises, and taking dictation of these passages to practice writing, spelling, etc. Homework involved writing sentences, paragraphs, or very short essays. I was getting lazy during level 4 though and as a rough estimate, only did about 30 mintues of homework per class.

Outside of class, I finished "Mee Why Pua Sap," the book of short stories that I previously mentioned, about 2 months ago. Overall, I was reading faster and with better comprehension as I progressed through it, though this would vary according to the content of the different stories. When I was reading with full attention, I'd say I had the most basic gist 80-90% of the time and understood the majority of the language used, but would still find many sentences and phrases that I didn't understand. And it still took something like 5-10 minutes on average to read a page.

I also read, back in January, a cartoon novel called "Firehead and Bean Sprout" (don't ask). The book had illustrations on every page but also large blocks of text, sometimes whole pages, written at a similar level as "Mee Why Pua Sap" that I mentioned above- so it wasn't really a kids book. Because of the illustrations I could follow this better, rarely losing the most basic gist but still constantly encountering words, phrases, idioms, etc. that I didn't understand.

Beyond these, I've read some magazine articles with varying success, understanding anywhere from 50-90% depending on the topic, style, and vocab. The newspaper though is still more like deciphering a code than "reading." Another interesting benchmark is my speed at reading Thai subtitles for English language movies has vastly increased. I remember typically only being able to read the first one or two words before the words changed, but can now sometimes read half or all of the subtitles before they disappear, dependent of course on the level of vocab and how quickly the text changes.

Out of Class:

Noticing progress from day to day is becoming impossible, but I still often have moments when I realize that I am speaking more fluidly, or more confidently, or just faster than I used to, or using vocab, slang, or structures that I previously didn't. Furthermore, though I can't really quantify it, I think in Thai more often now and in more extended, advanced ways.

I recently hurt a friend's feelings during a serious conversation by using a phrase that, while it had the correct meaning and was not strange to say, was just a little too direct and not exactly what a Thai would typically have said if they wanted to be sensitive about it. The difference really was slight, the sort of slip that occurs all the time with people speaking the same native language simply because someone doesn't think quite carefully enough before speaking, and so I asked her to cut me a little slack since after all, I'm speaking Thai.

In turn, however, she only got more insistent that I can't say things like this if I don't know the exact implication or level of directness implied. Then she told me that if another foreigner had said this, she would not have been upset, but because my Thai is so good she hadn't considered whether or not I had actually intended to be as blunt as I was.

Having said that, the more I hang out in 100% Thai situations in which I'm the only foreigner and no one is adjusting their speech on my behalf, the more I realize I have a long way to go. Just last night I went out with 4 Thai friends, one of whom speaks notoriously fast (his girlfriend doesn't even understand him sometimes), and while I followed some conversation 100% and participated easily, sometimes I was pretty lost. But whenever someone addressed me directly and we talked one-on-one, the confusion always cleared up. It's not even a speed issue actually, because talking one-on-one people who accurately access my Thai don't slow down much or at all. It's more about slang, idioms, and the sort of bad pronunciation that natives (of any language) use when speaking to each other. I mean, I sometimes don't even follow everything being said between two British guys. So in fact, it's parallel to what I see with my better students. I can talk to them directly without much trouble, even joking and speaking quickly, but if I start talking to them as if they were an American friend of mine, they get completely lost.

2007-12-13T15:19:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 16

December 13, 2007
Months in Thailand: 17.5
Hours at AUA: ~1319 (Level 5-10)
Reading and Writing: AUA Level 3 (~4 months/~90 hours in class time)

In Class:

I just went to 2 listening hours for the first time in weeks, and my comprehension was 95-100%. I even knew basically every non-specialized word used. My "Language Acquired" is now rated at 78%, which I feel is low... but then again, AUA classes are totally free after reaching 85%, so they may not be in a hurry to award the last few percentage points.

Writing:

Tomorrow is the last day of Writing Level 3. At this point, I know the entire alphabet, Thai numerals, and all of the "rules" (more like guidelines...) for irregular spellings and pronunciations. Essentially, at this point I have all the needed tools for deciphering written Thai. If, given enough time, I still cannot make sense of something written in Thai, it now comes down to vocabulary, idiom, or cultural references or implications that I don't understand rather than inability with the actual writting system. Here are some examples of attempted reading:

Newspaper: I can get the idea, but newspapers are full of names, royal terms, and language that is too formal for me to really read yet.

Comic Book: About a month ago (a long time given I've only been doing 4 months of writing) I read through a volume of Initial D in Thai. It was very slow going and I needed to look up a few words, but I could really read and follow it. Comprehension ~80-90%... though keep in mind there are lots of pictures! (On a side note, it's very strange to be reading a Japanese comic book, which was later made into an animated series that I have watched in English, translated into Thai.) The 10 volume first series, combined into one paperback with about 200 pages, took me at least 5 hours. It was my first real, extended attempt at reading.

Car magazines: If I slog through every word, 70-80% comprehension, but it's too slow and tedious to enjoy. If I try to read at a faster pace, I lose the gist because the narrative isn't continuous enough; one sentence is about suspension, the next about tires, the next about brakes, and it's all too detail oriented to really absorb.

My first "real" Thai book: I'm reading a book of short stories by an author from Chiang Mai called "Mee Why Pua Saap," which I don't know how to translate. The first short story was 15 pages and took me about 10 hours to read; the second was 25 pages and also took about 10 hours. If the reading were any more difficult, I don't think I could stand it, but I am engaged and following it just well enough to keep going. My understanding of the most basic gist is ~70%, meaning I follow the general story and many of the details, but am often missing the finer points and at times, am confused about certain nuances of the plot. At the sentence level, sometimes I understand every word as well as every implication in a sentence; in other sentences I understand all the words but am not certain about the meaning, and others still I really don't get a thing. Nevertheless, I can follow the narrative at this slow pace and without a dictionary (though I often use one to check words I'm especially curious about or stuck on).

Out of Class:

It's harder and harder to mark progress, but I still feel it. Things continue to get smoother. The most noteworthy recent example is that I was able to explain turbocharging, and a number of other things about cars and engines, to a taxi driver. It was kind of bumpy because I lacked certain specialized terms (names of parts etc.) but I could do it, and he could follow it.

2007-11-11T14:35:00.000+07:00

The Royal Barge Procession (now with videos! see link at the bottom of the post!)

Friday, November 2nd, I went with The British Club of Bangkok to watch the final dress rehearsal for the Royal Barge Procession on the Jaobraya River, Bangkok's main waterway. The real procession was to be held the following Monday in celebration of King Bhumibol's (pronounced closer to Boom-ee-bon) 80th Birthday. The British Club rented an open air , dockside restaurant, and so I had a great view.

The event was quite a spectacle, to say the least. 52 boats and over 2,000 oarsmen take part in the procession, and on Monday tens (or hundreds?) of thousands of people gathered up and down the Jaobraya to watch the real thing. Unfortunately the light made it extremely difficult to take good pictures, but the few here in this post (and the videos below) should give you the idea.

The day to day novelty of living in Bangkok has long since worn off for me, but seeing something like this reminds me of just how different and interesting a city I live in.

For more, see Wikipedia's excellent article here, and please see my youtube videos Video 1 Video 2

2007-10-21T15:47:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 15

October 21, 2007
Months in Thailand: 16
Hours at AUA: ~1280 (Level 5-10)
Reading and Writing: AUA Level 2 (~10 weeks/~50 hours in class time)

In Class:

Nothing much new here... still beneficial but far easier than I need. My understanding is 90-100%.

Out of Class:

Here's why I'm posting.

Last Saturday, as I was leaving work, I walked by the most beautiful woman I've seen in over a year of living in Bangkok. She was striking to the point that I couldn't not talk to her, so stunning that the impossibility of her being interested in me, or my looking like a fool, didn't even factor in, and the only question was what to say.

She was working as a presentor for this credit card promotion going on in the mall, and so I went up and asked her if foreigners could apply for this card, and we started talking just a bit. She asked what I was doing here, and hearing that I taught, mentioned how she'd like to study English again. After a minute other customers came by, and another sales rep started talking to me, so I excused myself and headed home.

But the instant I walked away, I made myself a promise: if she was working again Sunday- very likely since these are usually weekend long events- I was going to ask her out. I knew what would happen if I did, but she was too stunning to forget about. The Thai for this is "dit dah dit jai"- stuck to my eyes, stuck to my heart. Burned into my retinas.

So Sunday, I went back. I walked right up to her, and said, "Hey, how are you? Do you remember me from yesterday?" She smiled and said yes, and, we exchanged a few lines of small talk. And then, I just went for it. "So yesterday you said... oh, you know, I don't know your name yet?" June. "So, June. Yesterday you mentioned wanting to study English again, right?" Yeah, that's right. "Ok, so then, let me take you out to dinner. You can practice your English, and I can practice my Thai. What do you think?"

"Sure, sounds good."

Yes, that's right. She said yes. She said yes, gave me her phone to enter my number, and let me call to my own phone to have hers. The most beautiful woman in the world just gave me her number, and said she'd be pretty free in the coming week. We talked a little longer, I made a silly joke that made her laugh, and I went home, wondering if this sequence of actions might alter the space time continuum and destroy the universe.

Now, before you also start to worry about the end of the universe, I should add that I called two days later, and she said she wasn't free anymore this week or this weekend. It might be true, or I might have gotten blown off, and at any rate I certainly plan to call again. But whatever happens, the important thing is this:

Every word of the above exchanges happened in Thai, and without a hitch.

2007-09-11T18:54:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 14

September 11, 2007
Months in Thailand: 14.5
Hours at AUA: ~1200 (Level 5-10)
Reading and Writing: AUA Level 1 (~5 weeks/~25 hours in class time)

In Class:

It finally happened... I've decided to stop attending so many hours at AUA. It's a little sad, actually, as AUA has become like a home to me, but the fact is that AT5-10 is too easy for me now and I believe that my Thai will improve more quickly through watching TV and movies and interacting with people outside of class. For 2 weeks now I've only gone to a single hour per day of listening class, attending the 12pm news hour because it is more challenging (and also more interesting) than most other hours. (In total though this still means being there 3 hours... one of writing, one spent in the library with writing homework, and News. So while 3 hours/day is definitely less than 5-6, it's still a fair amount of time that I am spending studying Thai.)

As of 2 weeks ago, my Language Aquired was rated at 74%, which again means that according to the teachers, I now have a natural understanding of 74% of everyday, common Thai.

Reading and Writing:

I have just a few days left now in R+W level 1. At this point, I know 28/44 consonants and most of the single character vowels. I can read more and more of what I see around me, and also write some simple sentences if I chose my words carefully.

The most recent assignments for class have been to write things like "Mrs. Ploy is Thai. Mrs. Ploy's husband is Korean. Mrs. Ploy and her husband have 3 sons and 2 daughters."

Also as a gauge for total hours that I am studying reading and writing, I would say I've been spending about 1 hour doing homework and practice for every 1 hour of class, a 1:1 ratio. So up to now I've done about 25 hours in and out of class, about 50 total.

Out of Class:

Yesterday I had a cool experience. I happened upon a clearance sale in the department store inside Paragon mall, and as I was picking out a few things, I chatted a lot with two of the clerks who were working the sale. They ended up inviting me to go out with them after the store closed, and I decided to go along since I was going from there to the gym and would finish at the same time they got off. As it turned out, they didn't have anywhere in mind to go because they usually work at another mall elsewhere in the city and were here just to help with this big clearance, and thus didn't know the area. So in the end, I suggested we go to the food market by my old apartment.

As we were talking over dinner, I realized that for maybe the first time, I was the one in command of a long conversation happening entirely in Thai. I was doing most of the talking, asking most of the questions, and generally leading the conversation for the 2 hours we were there. At times I didn't know the word for something (scar, for instance) or had to repeat myself or restructure a sentence that didn't come out right, but overall it was more natural feeling than awkward. Let me note though that it was mostly everyday topics, things like the US and Thailand, food, weather, cars and motorcycles, teaching and studying. I am lightyears away from playing this role in a discussion about religion or philosophy or anything else nuanced and abstract.

It's hard to quantify, but comparing my conversational skills now to about 4 months ago when I first began to have many regular conversations in Thai, I notice that I am speaking much more quickly, and generally am able to articulate far more than I used to be able to. Conversations can also get much deeper these days, although there still is a long way to go before I can precisely word certain emotions or philosophical abstractions.

I have also watched 2 Thai movies in the last week, and never really lost the gist of what was going on. There was a lot of dialouge though that I didn't fully grasp as both films had far more slang and faster speech than I ever encounter in my day to day life. Even in listening to native Thai-Thai conversations, I usually don't hear speech this fast, improper, or with this much slang.

Despite all this progress, talking on the phone is still really difficult, and sometimes I manage to confuse myself and others pretty thouroughly.

2007-08-10T22:28:00.000+07:00

Vermont, Boston, and back to NY.

Since this is already way past it's prime, I'll just let the pictures do the talking. A brief photo tour of the VT, Boston, and NYC parts of my trip home. Actually it's almost all VT but there are a few from the other places too.

If you want to appreciate a place, you should go somewhere else as far away and as different as possible. Vermont is BEAUTIFUL. I was so happy to be home. Here I am in Burlington with Lake Champlain behind me.

And here are Noah, Gianna, and Devin. Cutest picture ever.

And another. I didn't take many pictures of grown ups... they just aren't as cute!

Also cute? I'll leave that for you to judge. Me at the VT Teddy Bear Factory.

Church Street in Burlington.

Famous Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury.

Dad, Annemarie, Noah, Gianna, and Devin with their souvenirs. See the sign they made? Sawatdee :)

Me and Mom at our house.

SO happy to drive again. Driving is one of the things I miss the most.

Forget Ithaca. Vermont is Gorges.

With friends in Boston. I didn't take a lot of pictures in Boston, but this shouldn't reflect on the people I saw there. In fact, that it rarely crossed my mind is an indication of how engaging the company was.

Random NYC shot. I just took it because it kind of represents the typical feel of busy midtown Manhattan, which interestingly was the only place I went to the in States that even approached the feel of Bangkok. NYC never felt as calm to me as it did during this trip.

I finally bought a Taylor, the only acoustic guitar I've ever really liked, and immediately put it to good work.

Katherine and Emmeline joined me in Manhattan for some good American bbq, which is definitely the food I miss the most.

Look at this! It's beautiful! And I ate almost all of it myself. Im jai mak luhee! (That's something like being really, really, really satisfied. Which I was.)

2007-08-10T17:09:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 13

August 10, 2007
Months in Thailand: 13.5
Hours at AUA: ~1120 (Level 5-10)
Reading and Writing: AUA Level 1 (~2 weeks/~10 hours in class time)

In Class:

As predicted earlier, I have now plateaued in AT 5-10. I typically understand the gist of the classes 99% of the time, and I understand with precision exactly what is being talked about 90% of the time or better. There is still benefit to be had attending classes, but I really wish there was a higher level to move to as my progress is going to be really slow from here on out.

So, this means in less than one year, I've gone from being completely clueless in AT1 to being bored in AT 5-10. This ALG thing really works.

Speaking in class is rockier, but I'm getting more and more articulate, and when giving answers (or cracking jokes...) the teachers seem to get it 80 or 90% of the time. Additionally I can chat with the teachers outside of class now with little trouble.

Reading and Writing:

After 4 months or so in AT 5-10, my work schedule has finally allowed me to enroll in AUAs reading and writing class. Classes are once a day M-F, for 1 hour, and there are 5 levels total, each of which will take one 6 week term to complete. It's going to be a long process, but even after learning just 14 consonants and a few vowels (less than half the alphabet) and none of the complicated rules for irregulars and tones, I can piece together many words that I see around me. Last night I read the name of my favorite cow man gai stand (Cow Man Gai Champ Lok... World Champ Chicken and Rice), and everywhere simple things like some signs (room for rent, emergency exit, etc) are starting to make sense. Also when teachers write on the board now in class I can piece many of the words together since I know what teachers are talking about, if not truly read them. Additionally, just through exposure I can often recognize and guess the role of many of the letters and tone marks that I haven't been taught yet.

Out of Class:

Progress is also slowing outside of class, but it's still quite noticible. Day to day Thai (taxi directions, food orders, chit chat with fruit vendors, etc.) is rarely a problem anymore, and real conversations in Thai are almost a daily occurance now too. Group settings where I am in the middle of a bunch of Thais talking are still a problem, but it's all slowly getting easier.

2007-06-24T23:14:00.000+07:00

Something I wrote while waiting at JFK for my flight back to BKK.

JFK, Terminal 7. Check-in takes away my guitar because it won’t fit in an Airbus 340 cabin, and security my Poland Springs water because Polish water is dangerous unless it costs $3 at shops inside the terminal. Duty free for a friend, a final American coffee served with a bad joke by the kind of girl I never realized I missed. She was beautiful and it was a house coffee. She asked if I wanted anything else with it, like maybe a car, and laughed at me when I said maybe just steamed milk.

Now I’m sitting at Gate 4, waiting for everyone else to board so I don’t have to wait in line, and wondering whether I’m leaving home, or going home…

Maybe it’s a little of both.

2007-06-24T11:19:00.000+07:00

Cornell.

My next stop was Ithaca, NY, a four hour drive upstate, northwest of NYC. Ithaca is the home of Cornell University, and I still have a few good friends out that way I really wanted to visit. If I try to make this post creative I'm never going to finish it... and anyway, I know you all like pictures better. So here you go, photos with minimal comments.

Gimme Coffee: fabulous coffee beans, and cappucinos that actually look and taste like they should.

Where I used to live!

Pizza at the Nine's, with salt shaker for scale. Yep, that's once slice... and I already ate about a third of it before taking the picture! Sometimes I really do miss how ridiculously large American portions are...

And here's a bunch of Cornell.

It's easy to take for granted when you are there, and though I felt funny walking around and taking pictures like a tourist, I have to admit, the campus really is beautiful. It was nice to be back.

Last but not least, the real reason I went to visit. Here I am with Louie, Joey, Nate, and Sasha. Thanks guys, I couldn't have asked for a better 2 days.

Ok, well I guess it looks like I'm doing this in installments.... more soon. Peace.

2007-06-03T12:41:00.000+07:00

Going Home, Going Back, Part I.

I have about 4 months of life in Thailand to catch up on, but for now, I’m jumping ahead to the present.

I’m in America for the first time in 11 months.

When I decided to renew my contract for a second year, I asked for about 3 weeks off to visit home before starting the summer SAT program. After much delay, I finally bought some tickets, and lifted off from Suvarnabhumi (or whatever the ridiculous spelling is… should be "Suwanapoom") at 8:30am, Sunday May 27th. With the time change, I landed at LAX just 3 hours later, at 11:30am the same day.

Before I get to that though, I connected in Hong Kong, and the airport there is AMAZING!

Anyway, although my final destination was NY and the northeast, I stopped for four days in the LA area first to visit two friends and see California for just the second time in my life.

First I met up with Nate (Nate, how did I not take any pictures of you? Sorry!) and we hung out in Pasadena (northern suburb) and downtown Los Angeles.

We did a little hike just a few minutes from Nate’s apt, and then headed to…

Sunset Strip!

Next, we met up with my friend Tiffany (who I was smart enough to take pictures of!) and after some more time downtime, I headed back with her to Santa Barbara, about two hours north of LA. The drive alone, to say nothing of the excellent company, made the entire trip to CA worthwhile.

Wow.

Santa Barbara is awesome in the original, Merriam Webster’s, pre-1980s sense of the word. It is breathtaking, absolutely gorgeous, perhaps the perfect place to live (well, besides the outlandish cost of housing). Drive 5 minutes one way, you are in the hills looking down on the city. Drive 5 minutes in the other direction, you are at the beach. Every day I was there it was 65-75 and sunny, with a breeze. I didn’t want to leave.

Dinner with Tiff’s friends at a hibachi place.

A little 1 hour hike in SB.

The true highlight of my two days in SB though was the two hour run I went on. This was by far the furthest I have ever run, and was the result of a mixture of being overly ambitious, getting a little lost, and running somewhere that isn’t hot, isn’t humid, isn’t polluted, and doesn’t require dodging motorcycles or street dogs.

Tiffany gave me directions to run from her place to the beach, but I got off course early on and decided to give up on finding the left coast in favor of just running aimlessly, exploring whatever parts of beautiful SB I happened upon. After about 40 minutes, I ended up downtown, and then I noticed Las Postitas, the road I was supposed to take to the beach about 25 minutes earlier… and I got ambitious.

I knew it would be a long run, but I started down Las Postitas anyway. I ran, and ran, figuring out how long it would take to run back if I went the right way. If I turn back now and don’t get lost, it will be a 70 minute run. A 75 minute run. An 80 minute run. But despite all my calculating, I never really planned to stop. I had to find the beach.

At a full hour, I found Arroyo Beach, and decided I would just go see the water and turn back. I’d get back to Tiff’s at about 90 minutes total, and this would already be one of the longest runs I’d ever taken. But when I reached the water, I didn’t stop. A charge ran through me, and I started to run even faster. I was Lewis and Clark. I’d found the Pacific. This was the greatest moment of my life.

30 minutes down the beach, 30 minutes cutting back through a private road on the mesa, and I was back at the head of the beach at 2:01. Longest run ever. I sat down at the bus stop, feeling exhausted and exhilarated, and waited to catch a bus back toward Tiff’s. After a few minutes I debated calling a cab instead, but the number wasn’t on the nearby payphone, and anyway, how long could the bus take to come?

Actually I’m still not exactly sure because after 50 minutes, a worried looking Tiffany pulled up and asked if I wanted a ride. I feebly answered that yes, yes I did. I guess since the note I left said I’d be back around 3:30, and it was now after 5, she was starting to wonder if I got hit by a bus or something. (Clearly then she also didn’t know that buses in Santa Barbara never come.)

Tiff dropped me back off in LA, I spent a few more hours with Nate (who I still don't have pictures of... sorry again!), and it was off to Burbank Airport and my Jet Blue flight to JFK.

I left Burbank at 8:50pm and got to JFK at 5:03am. I finally reached my grandparents at 6am but promptly crashed until about 1pm. Ok, this post is too long already, so I’ll let a few pictures do the rest of the talking.

Grandpa and Grandma’s.

My cousin Jack getting his souvenir…

…and scaring his little sister Katie with it.

A visit to my favorite childhood restaurant.

Me and my brother Andrew on his birthday.

Me coming in from my second USA run, this time a mere 63 minutes. It was mid afternoon and probably almost 80F and sunny, but after running in Bangkok this still felt a little bit like heaven.

Tomorrow I’m off to visit Cornell, so that’s it for now. Peace.

2007-06-03T12:31:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 12

June 2, 2007
Months in Thailand: 11
Hours at AUA: ~920 (Level 5-10)
Other study: Just started some writing self study, only about 3 hours so far.

In Class:

Things continue to get easier. In many easier AT5-10 hours, I understand 100% of the gist, though not yet all the vocab. The hardest hour that I attend in the present schedule is Religion, and even in this class I rarely lose the gist of things. I’d say my understanding in this class is 60-80%. However, much of the upper level vocabulary goes in one ear and right out the other, a problem that I think will only be mitigated after I can read and write a bit.

Overall, I am continuing to feel progress in class, and in harder hours I can almost feel my Thai getting better. During easier hours though I wonder how much I am benefiting. I don’t think the plateau is far off…

Oh additionally, I asked for a progress check recently and was surprised to see that my "total language acquired" rated at just 66%, up only 10% from when I started AT5 like 3 months and 250 hours ago. My overall understanding and, especially, my ability to speak, have improved far more than this reflects. Nevertheless, my "average understanding" was rated 87.5%, which I’d say is about right.

Out of Class:

Fluency. It all depends on how you define it, but I think I’ve reached the early stages of fluency. I can now converse quite naturally with people, and I can normally understand regular conversation with me and around me. I get lost on idioms and slang, and if someone speaks very quickly I have trouble following, but typically I get it.

In the last 6 weeks or so, I’ve had a number of long (2+ hour) conversations with one friend that were almost all in Thai, though it should be noted that her English is very good and so if we were stuck in Thai, we could switch to English. I have been talking on the phone much more successfully, though it is still much harder than in person. In fact, a month ago I was woken up by a rather difficult personal call and managed to immediately follow and respond to it, all in Thai.

I also recently went out to dinner with a group of students and told them a story IN THAI, which they all clearly followed because they all burst into laughter at the right moment and, later on, joke about the story with me again. I also happened to get into a very strange, hour long conversation with three people I didn’t know (though as a result of the conversation, they are now friends) in which I was doing most of the speaking, sort of pouring my heart out about something, and doing it in Thai.

I’ve even been finding that in conversation with English speaking Thais, I sometimes want to use a Thai word or phrase because it expresses things better than the equivalent English does. Additionally, even when on paper someone’s English is better than, or even vastly superior to, my Thai, it often seems easier to converse in Thai (or to mix but mostly Thai). I believe this is the result of the ALG method, which has taught me to be very comfortable even when I don’t understand every single word, and made me really good at getting the point and following the gist of things. When speaking English with many Thais, I often feel little or no confidence that they understand me, whereas I think I must usually exude some confidence when listening to Thai that encourages the speaker to give it to me with both barrels. Admittedly, depending on the person speaking this can still be way over my head, but conversations often seem, at least from my end, more comfortable if they are in Thai.

It is still bumpy and limited, but I’m fluent in Thai... Aray wah!?!

2007-04-17T16:10:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 11

April 17, 2007
Months in Thailand: 9.5
Hours at AUA: ~820 (Level 5-10)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class:
No update. AUA closed for Songran back on the 6th, so there is nothing to tell.

Out of Class:
I went to Chiang Mai for Songkran with 6 friends: one other American, a Malay guy who works in Singapore, and four Thais. During the trip (which I will post about soon) there was a lot of English being spoken, but also a great deal of Thai. In particular, when it was just me and some combination of the Thais, it was usually Thai, and I was definitely a part of the conversation. I didn't follow 100%, but I was understanding the gist almost all the time, and following the details the majority of the time. I was speaking quite a bit too and being well understood, though I still can't really express complex or nuanced thoughts very well at all. All told, for the first time I felt that I was fully participating in long, fully Thai conversations, rather than speaking one-on-one with someone who is substantially adjusting their speech for me. Amazing.

2007-04-02T20:37:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 10

April 2, 2007
Months in Thailand: 9
Hours at AUA: ~800 (Level 5-10)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class:

Nothing big, but incremental improvements in AT5-10 understanding. I am going to make a prediction: AT1 and 2 took about 150 hours to plateau, AT3-4 took about 250, and AT5-10 is going to take 400. That is 300 hours from now... it is strange to think that I might be able to stop going to AUA listening classes in the near future. Sad, almost...

Out of Class:

Here is the real reason for my post. Last night, I watched a Thai movie in the theater and I followed it! I had the gist at all times and understood the majority of the dialouge well. My understanding was similar to an average hour of AT5-10, something like 70%! It was definitely an unusually easy movie to understand (just the night before I watched a Korean movie dubbed with spoken Thai, and my understanding was like 20-30%) but nevertheless, this is a real milestone.

A week before, I also noticed that I could follow this one drama (ok, soap opera may be more accurate) on TV. It's not that I get all the vocab or even all the dialouge, but I can follow it between about 60-80%.

I believe I have hit critical mass, reached the point at which I understand enough to learn from things around me. In many cases (like the Korean movie), things are over my head, but I am getting enough to benefit from it.

2007-03-19T14:12:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 9

March 19, 2007
Months in Thailand: 8.5
Hours at AUA: ~750 (Level 5-10)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class Progress:

Every 8 weeks or so at AUA the teaching schedule changes, which means that the teachers get shuffled around to different times and paired up differently, and that for levels 3-10 the subjects/topics/themes for each hour change as well. Anyway, we started a new schedule at the end of February and after a couple of days, I felt that I had reached the same plateau that had occurred towards the end of AT1 and AT2. In other words, I felt bored and that it was time to move on. I went in to the office, and though my "Language Aquired" was currently rated at 57% and usually students move to AT5-10 at 60%, I was told that if I did feel bored and ready to move on it was close enough. Chai yo! Dee jai mak! All told, I spent 283 hours in AT3-4 and moved to AT5-10 at 683 hours total.

It is pretty amazing that the ALG system has resulted in an almost identical progression in each of the three levels I've been through. Leaving aside the first 30 hours or so of AT1 when I didn't know or understand ANY Thai, in each level I've experienced the same process.

For maybe 30 hours, I have felt that the new level ranges from feeling similar to an average to hard hour in the previous level (maybe ~75% comprehension), to noticibly harder but still able to be followed (~50-60%?), to too difficult to follow well (~30%).

After that, the difficultly seems to gradually reduce each week, and I slowly move from struggling to comfortable to confident. Each week things get easier, though obviously it's never a simple, straight line progression. This is the majority of the time I've spent in a level, roughly 30-100 hours in AT1 and AT2, and maybe 30-175 in AT3-4. This is just to give some vague timeframe though... it is impossible to really quantify any of this precisely.

In the next stage, the level feels pretty easy, but I have yet to plateau and still feel that progress is occurring. There are moments of incomplete comprehension (say, 50%) but most of the time it feels like 75% or better. This seems to have lasted from about 100-150 hours in AT1 and AT2, and about 175-225 hours in AT3-4.

The last stage is the plateau. It is hard to quanitify this, but it seems that although I don't understand every word, I always understand what is being talked about, even without focusing. In this stage it has always felt like I am not making any more significant progress. Understanding seems to range from 80%-90% or higher at almost all times. AT1 and AT2 I waited out the 200 hours, so it occurred from 150-200 hours, but by AT3-4 I was familiar with the pattern and knew the plateau had arrived, so I moved up at 283 hours rather than waiting for 400.

I started AT5-10 at the beginning of March and really, all I need to do is refer to the above pattern. The first week was rough, and though now (about 60 hours into it) things are still difficult, they are falling into place. Sometimes my comprehension is 75% or better, even 90% in an easy hour; other times I follow but there are gaps, so it feels like 50%-70%. There is a bit of 30-50% comprehension too when I am pretty confused, but not often. Initially there were also moments of 30% when I was thoroughly lost, but these have just about disappeared. The only exception is "News" class... this is consistently over my head, but other students feel the same way, so I'm not too concerned.

Out of Class:

Many real conversations, with far greater fluidity and depth, and with far fewer bumps than I was having 1-2 months ago. I've also had very encouraging moments in which I've understood 100% of fully native, full speed conversations happenning around me. Additionally, people are understanding me better when I speak, and a few different people who I hadn't seen in a month or two have commented that my Thai has really improved recently, almost going so far as to say that I can genuinely speak now. Thai's like to compliment anyone who can even say a few words in Thai, but these have been honest comments from people I know, and lately around town people have lately been surprised by my Thai and giving me compliments that are not the usual cookie cutter ones. In particular, people lately are commenting that I speak Thai very "chat," which is like accurate or correct, and this is something I had NEVER heard until recently. Granted, I realize it isn't so "chat," but still, this isn't the typical comment that a Thai just trying to be polite or friendly will make.

I've also had moments when I cannot understand a single word coming out of someone's mouth. This seems to happen mostly when someone realizes that I speak Thai and jumps from speaking slowly and with overly simplistic language to letting me have it with both barrels, 100% pure and idiomatic speech. I can deal with this sometimes, but sometimes I'm just clueless... Likewise, I've sometimes tried to express something and been completely misunderstood, or the person listening can't make out at all what I'm saying. So, I'm conversational now, but I'm still miles and miles from fluency. Daung jai yen yen... (I must be patient).

TV: I may have blogged some misleading figures about TV in previous posts because there were moments even some months ago when I could understand a lot, but overall TV is still over my head. An accurate description would be that TV is noticibly harder to follow than AT5-10 classes. Currently I can pick out a lot of words at all times, but the basic gist of things comes and goes. I also cannot understand many utterences at all... we are talking 0%. Nevertheless there is still noticible progress with TV. Things are slowly, slowly, slowly but surely falling into place.

2007-02-11T23:31:00.000+07:00

December.

OK. I'm going to try hard to catch up a bit. December was a great month and there is a lot I should have been blogging about. The irony is that the more there is to post about, the busier I am, and thus the more difficult it becomes to blog. Anyway... I still don't have much time but I'm need to get this post up. It won't be polished, but hey, it's February already! So here we go.

First on the list: English Camp.

One of the most memorable, most fun, and just plain cool experiences I've had so far was helping with Kaplan's annual English Camp which was held back in December. This is an annual promotional event that Kaplan offers for FREE to 30 lucky university students. This year we had over 1,000 applicants and 80 interviews before the final 30 were chosen (and subsequently forced to wear pink life jackets).

That's some stiff competition! But I think you'll see why. First, it's free.

Second, it's held here. I'm guessing you understand the appeal. This is the view looking out from Goh Mun Ork (Island Furthest Out) at sunrise. (By the way, yes, I took this picture, and yes, this means I actually got up to see the sunrise one morning!)

The tiny island is located off the coast of Rayong province, about 3 hours from Bangkok by bus and another hour by ferry from this pier.

From the ferry you take a small boat to the shore.

And you arrive here.

You can see from the above that it is a small little spec of an island. In fact, Thursday afternoon of the managers and I rented kayaks, and we were able to circle the island in about half an hour. I also went running on a path that goes more or less around the outside of the island, and I circled it in just 12 minutes, and 4 times in under an hour. (It was just amazing, by the way, to run somewhere other than Bangkok... there were trees, and inclines, and no motorcycles or soi dogs anywhere! It was a lot like some of the running trails I used to go on with Joey back in Ithaca, or at least remarkably similar given the difference in location.)

We got there on a Wednesday if I can remember right, and stayed until Friday. Besides the scenery, English Camp, as you might imagine, involved different games and activities intended to help students improve their English. I ran a game called "The Tower and the City" and it involved building a domino skyscraper on a map of NYC. Students got dominoes for answering questions right and bonus points for the height of the tower when time ran out.

The real attraction though at Goh Mun Ork was the were peacocks and wild turkeys running around the island, and all the people running after them to take pictures.

Next up: Captain Zim!
Zim also came to visit in December. It was just great to see a familiar face, and have someone to show around to some of the places I've gotten to know. His four days here were over in a flash, and we both wished it could have been longer.

The highlight, at least if you ask me, was his last night here. We went out to dinner with my friend Heren from AUA, and on the way met Alex (the other white guy in the picture). Alex stopped us and told us he had been mugged earlier that night, and although I could already see in his face that he was serious, he also showed us the large, nearly split open bruises on his back to prove it. He'd been to the police but they just wasted his time, and after the run around there it was too late at night for him to go to the Swedish embassy for help. He eyes welled up as he said desperately that he'd asked dozens of people for help, but no one would help him.

I said not to worry, and instead of the restaurant we were walking to, we all got in a cab and went to a hostel near my apartment and I got him a room. Then, despite his protestations, we insisted on dragging him out to dinner with us. It was a fantastic experience and I'm so glad we could help him... and I say this even after Heren and I nearly fell asleep at dinner while Zim and Alex discussed with great passion various forms of air transportation.

Alex my friend, I hope you got home safely.

After dinner, Alex went back to the hostel and Zim, Heren and I headed to the bar at Sirocco for a drink. Sirocco might be my favorite place in the entire city and thus is more than deserving of its own post, so this photo (which really doesn't show much of Sirocco at all) will have to do for now.

Ladies, the line starts over there.

Ok. Last thing. Christmas.

My friend Ned (who's not a vampire, I promise) had the good sense to suggest a small get together for Christmas Day. This was good, because I would otherwise have been eating alone, and it was already weird enough to be spending Christmas in a place with no snow, no presents, and no family.

Nothing here was 100% homemade, but hey, there was ham and mashed potatoes and stuffing. Close enough for me! Plus, I brought some white sangria which actually turned out to be a pretty good Christmas drink since it's pink and festive looking as has lots of cinnamon, which is definitely a Christmasty spice.

Well there you have it. A month in the life of Dan, or at least some of the highlights. I'm out.

2007-02-11T18:13:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 8

February 11, 2007
Months in Thailand: 7.5
Hours at AUA: ~590 (Level 3-4)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class Progress:

Assuming I do the full 400 hours, I'm now just shy of being halfway through AT3-4. Things happen more slowly at this level, but I still feel improvements on a regular basis. There is only one hour that I have real trouble with, and it's kind of a boring subject with difficult names and is taught by teachers that I like, but who are notoriously hard to understand. (This isn't a criticism of the teachers by the way. It's good to get exposure to different styles of speaking, and you can hardly fault a native speaker for speaking, well, like a native.)

In every other hour, I rarely lose the gist of conversation. Overall, if I had to give it a number, I would say I have the gist 90% of the time. A fairly exact grasp of the finer details comes and goes... maybe 50-60% of the time? Hard to estimate.

Overall, it's sufficient to say I am continuing to notice progress in class, and it seems about right that I am halfway through AT3-4. I can definitely envision that as I close in on 800 hours total, my level of understanding of AT3-4 will be comparable to what I had in AT1 or AT2 as I finished those levels.

Out of Class Progress:

Volumes. A week ago I spent the day with a Thai friend who has studied English for years in school, but it was usually easier to communicate in Thai. (I'm not certain this wasn't the case, by the way, when I met her in December, which in itself is a great benchmark). Our conversation was pretty limited and often bumpy, but it was real conversation. Here's the difference between our abilities to communicate: while her English vocabulary is much larger than my Thai, she has a great deal more trouble making sense in English than I do in Thai, at least on easier subjects that I have the words for. She has very, very little grasp of how to say things natively, struggling with even putting the right words together.

It's all about exposure.

Today I listened in as some coworkers talked over lunch, and I was getting a lot of it. I never understand every word, but I was in tune with the most basic gist of it more than I wasn't, and I could often follow quite well. They weren't talking to me or dumbing it down either. To qualify though, the conversation was about simple, day to day stuff.

Lots of other small successes too. It's hard to put numbers to these things or fully quantify them, but it's definitely happening.

I thought of an analogy recently. Although it would be difficult, I think you could learn to play an instrument without any outside instruction, without playing with other people, and even without listening to other music. If you just sat in your basement with a guitar, and played around, given enough time and practice, you could eventually make some cool music. It might be weird and not fit into any existing family of established music, but it would be possible to make music that sounded good to other people.

Languages don't work this way. There is no "sounding good" or "sounding right" with a language outside the context of its native speakers. You cannot just put words together and express what you want to express. Language is convention and a whole lot of arbitrarity, and the only way to learn is to be exposed to native speech and writing. Supplementary study might be necessary if you want to learn, for instance, academic or specialized vocabulary of some sort, but merely studying of the components of language will never get you to fluency. I can see in my students. Those with English exposure (foreign parent(s), international school, exchange program, etc.) understand grammar and reading comprehension much more intuitively, and ones without much exposure sometimes scratch their heads over the simplest things.

I don't know about the finer points of AUA's method or the ALG approach, but based on my own experience with Thai and observation of my students, I'm 100% convinced about the necessity of continuous, saturating exposure if you want to really achieve a comfortable, intuitive fluency in a foreign language.

2007-02-06T22:48:00.000+07:00

Overdue.
(Or, "A Crappy Post With No Pictures Written Hastily at the End of Another Long Day.)

I suppose you’d like to know where I’ve been. Well, here’s the short answer:

Just after Christmas, my old roommate John came out for a week, and we visited Ayuttayha, Chiang Mai, and Mae Hong Sorn- three of Thailand’s 76 provinces. (So yes, this means I’ve finally seen some other parts of Thailand.) He left on January 5th and then I immediately headed into my busiest month yet at work, and also resumed Thai class. For the rest of the month, this meant being out of the house from 6:30am to 9:30pm (or more like 11:30 if I go to the gym after work!) during the week. Weekends were a little freer, but still busy since I had inevitably neglected friends, emails, errands, and most of all sleep, during the week. With all these things to catch up on, blogging just never happened.

Now, lest you start to feel sorry for me (as if…) or imagine that I’m working more than I am, I need to point out that this is all largely my own doing, the result of putting in a lot of hours at AUA. Even when work is busy, if I wasn’t studying Thai I would be as free as anyone working a typical full time job. Thai class is eating up all my free time and making my days very full, but, for the time being at least, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I plan to add another "Attempting to Learn Thai" post soon so I won’t go into the finer details of my progress itself, but basically it is just really freaking cool to be walking around IN THAILAND speaking THAI with people. I’m still months and months away from any semblance of fluency, but there is already so much I can do with the language. A few days ago, for instance, I spent the afternoon and evening with a Thai friend. Although she’s studied English for probably 10 years or more in school, she’s never really used it much (kind of like Americans with French or Spanish), it was actually easier for us to converse in Thai. It’s just cool to be able to do this, and it provides the impetus for getting up at 5:45am to squeeze in as many hours at AUA as possible.

Speaking of which, it’s nearly 11pm… so I better leave off here and get some sleep. Look for some better posts ASAP.

2007-01-12T21:35:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 7

January 12, 2007
Months in Thailand: 6.5
Hours at AUA: 455 (Level 3-4)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class Progress:
I've only put in 24 hours since classes started back up at the beginning of this week, but I'm understanding my AT3-4 classes much better than before the three week break. It's no small difference either... if I had to estimate, my comprehension this week is 25-50% better. This week I've been following the gist of things almost all the time, even in the mixed 8am AT 3-10 class.

This means one of two things, or more likely, both. First, I think due to teacher combinations, subjects, and the impromtu nature of AUA's classes, the classes this week are on the whole at least a bit easier to understand than those before the break. But second, it seems that the three weeks off must have served as something like a germination period, a time when my brain could continue to sort things out and some of the Thai floating around could sink in. The 8am AT 3-10 class is NOT easy, and I've gathered that some of the other AT3-4 students don't follow it as well as I do.

The 7am AT1-10 class is also an interesting benchmark. Because so few students come to AUA at 7am, they just throw everyone in together and the teachers adjust according to the mix on a given day. On Monday, it was just me and another AT3-4 student, so obviously it was an AT3-4 level class. But other days, there have been several AT1 and AT2 students, and it's been a lot easier, something like a hard AT1 class or an easy to average AT2 class. In these classes, it's not really surprising that I've understood the gist of things 99% of the time. But remarkably, I've also understood 95% of the vocabulary! I could translate or explain the meaning of just about every word, despite the fact that I have never studied any of them in an academic or traditional fashion.

Sitting there in easy classes like this, it doesn't seem like anything special that I get just about everything. It's like going back to 1st grade after making it to 3rd. But at the same time, it really is pretty amazing... 4 months ago, I didn't have this level of comprehension in AT1 classes, and 5 months ago, I didn't know ANY Thai except for hello, thank you, and the numbers 1-10.

Out of Class:
Noticible improvements, and a number of impressed Thais during my recent trip to Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Sorn. Also, and yes I know I'm not even supposed to be speaking yet, I seem to be understood 90% of the time or better when I stick to saying what I naturally know how to say. I've even had some phone conversations in Thai that weren't complete disasters.

2006-12-28T13:20:00.000+07:00

Klong Tour. (With Videos! Look for the links!)

A "klong" is a small river or canal used for transportation. There is a system of klongs throughout Bangkok and reaching out into the neighboring provinces, and I recently took a 4 hour boat tour with some friends and some other people they know. We spread out over two long boats.

We started out on the Jabraya River, Bangkok's main waterway, but soon we were into the klong system and heading out of Krungtep (the Thai name for the province of Bangkok).

(My friends Laura and Ned sitting at the front of my boat).

The tour was hot, and smelly, and involved inhaling far too much exhaust from the "what's an exhaust system" non-design of the boats. They literally have car motors with no exhaust system whatsoever powering them.

And, I'm just thrilled that I had the chance to go. The tour provided a very different look at life in Thailand. See, in the same way that Manhattan is NOT representative of New York State, Bangkok is NOT at all representative of Thailand. For example, though by American standards the people in Bangkok are nice, when you get out of town you really see why they call Thailand the "Land of Smiles." It didn't take long before we were outside of Bangkok, and as soon as we were, people started to smile and wave. And smile and wave some more. (Note the remarkable combination of said "wow white people" waving, mobile phones, and extremely modest little wooden house).

In addition to smiling, they also stare. A lot.

Along the klongs, beautiful houses and humble little shacks exist longside each other. (Video!!!)

Mostly, though, there are the latter, with friendly people looking bored.

And bored, friendly looking dogs too.

As much as I love dogs, the highlight was the fish. The water is dirty and dark enough that you wouldn't realize there were many fish in the klongs, but this is what happens if you throw some bread into the water. (Video!!!)

And on that note, I'm outta here.

2006-12-21T22:34:00.000+07:00

Loi Kratong.

Back on November 5th (yeah I know, I'm behind... buthey it's not like anyone knew it was Loi Kratong Day and wondered why I didn't post about it) I went to the pier at Saphan Taksin to check out the Loi Kratong festivities down there.

Loi Kratong is one of the most important Thai holidays. In part it serves as a Thai Valentine's Day, but is much more widely celebrated and holds other significance. The core of the festivities involves putting a small float with candles, called a kratong, into a river, lake, pond, or whatever body of water you can find. Traditionally, it represents giving thanks to the water for all it does for life, and also apologizing for the ways that people (especially here in BKK...) abuse it. One can also put some coins, hair, or fingernails on the kratong for good luck.

Because it is a major pier located on the Jabraya River (Bangkok's main waterway) and easily accessible by public transportation, Saphan Taksin is a complete zoo on Loi Kratong Day. It had a very 4th of July atmosphere, from cheap fried food stands to glow sticks and balloons for kids, and the night even ended with fireworks.

I bought a rather pretty kratong for 20 baht (like $.60) and went out on a riverboat to put it in the water, which looked something like this.

(I should have a photo of myself launching the kratong in a similar fashion, but the guy that took my picture was apparently so enraptured by my blue eyes that he thought it would be better if the photo included only my face. Hmmm.)

All told, it was an interesting experience and I am glad that I went, but it would have been a lot more fun if I had gone with some friends rather than going alone.

Here is wikipedia's brief article on Loi Kratong if you would like to know more.

2006-12-21T17:40:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 6

December 21, 2006
Months in Thailand: 6
Hours at AUA: 431 (Level 3-4)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class Progress:
I started AT3-4 a couple weeks ago at exactly the 400 hour mark, and have put in 31 hours since. Unlike AT1 and AT2, which were completely separate, AT3-4 are the same class, so essentially AT3-4 is one level that will take twice as long as AT1 or AT2.

AT3-4 is MUCH harder than AT2, and moving from AT2 to AT3-4 is an exponentially greater leap than from AT1 to AT2. In my first 31 hours, classes have ranged from something like a difficult AT2 class, where I probably understand 75-90%, to classes where I have only a vague understanding of the discussion and can't be getting more than 20% of the gist of it all. Most classes are in between, with me understanding the big picture but frequently having gaps about smaller details and not understanding certain utterances at all. AT3-4 uses a far greater range of vocabulary, and the teachers speak much more quickly than in lower levels. Additionally, there is far less body language and use of illustration on the board, although these are still certainly used.

I happened to talk to the American who oversees the Thai Studies Dept, and he cautioned me upon my beginning AT3-4 that the next 200 hours will probably be the most difficult and frustrating of the entire process. I can see this being true, but so far I don't find it frustrating... just difficult. I'm excited to see what happens over the next few months. According to AUA's system, around the time that one reaches 800 hours and moves to AT5-10, speech should start to occur naturally... so I am just over halfway there. AUA closes for three weeks between Dec 17th and Jan 7th though, so I won't be learning much Thai for the next three weeks. Nah song sah...

Out of Class:
Slow but steady progress... I have unexpected moments of clarity, and moments when I feel I should understand something but don't. Progress is slow but not imperceptible.

2006-12-04T13:11:00.000+07:00

Lumphini Park.

Just down the street from AUA is Lumphini Park, the biggest park in Bangkok. Most days that I spengo to Thai class, I come here after lunch for a little walk. Central Park it ain't, but its big enough to take at least an hour to walk the perimeter of. There is actually a lot I could say about the park and the interesting people that inhabit it, but I am so far behind in posting about different things that I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Enjoy. (click for photo album)

2006-11-29T21:39:00.000+07:00

Weeks ago, I made a special plan for Thanksgiving: I would walk into McDonald's and order a McTurkey. Oh, the blank stares I would get. It was going to be HILARIOUS. Really it was.

Even the best laid plans... well, there's always next year.

All kidding aside, thanks to the amazing hospitality of a young couple I know from Thai class, I had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner here. If it were held back in the States I would consider it top notch, and so it was absolutely off the charts for Bangkok, by far the best meal I have had in my 5 months here.

I ate, in no particular order, excessive amounts of: turkey (which has to be imported), stuffing, green bean caserole, mashed potatoes, corn, salad, cranberry sauce (with whole cranberries), and probably a few other things I've lost track of.

Then there was dessert: pumpkin pie that, despite being made from Thai pumpkins which are not the same as US pumpkins, was just perfect and topped with homemade whipped cream...

...and this: the best apple pie I have had in my life, at least outside of grandma's house. (The photo doesn't begin to do it justice since I had already attacked the piece before I thought about taking a picture, but trust me, it was good.) Accompanying all this pie was four cups of actual drip (i.e. NON-INSTANT) coffee, which is something of a rarity here.

Special thanks to the Scotts for all of this. Even if you did spoil my original Thanksgiving plans.

2006-11-23T21:39:00.000+07:00

"Hey Wayne..."

2006-11-19T22:47:00.000+07:00

RunNING!

The above picture is not remarkable for its poor focus, or, unbelieveable though it is, for the strikingly handsome subject matter. The photo, taken after I went running outside for 40 minutes, is noteworthy for what is lacks.

Sweat. There is no sweat at all on the front of my shirt, proof that we are finally moving into the "cool" season. Now, lest you mistake Bangkok for a tropical paradise, cool season is still really freaking hot. The highs this week have been over 100F, as hot as it has been since I arrived. However, the humidity has dropped to more tolerable levels, and it makes all the difference.

I already liked it here, even when it was 100% humidity, even when the streets were flooded during rainy season downpours, even when I had to peel plastic stools off of my backside after meals on the street. So it's good that "cool" season weather won't last forever, because if it did, I might never leave.

2006-11-16T23:15:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 5

November 16th, 2006
Months in Thailand: 4.5
Hours at AUA: ~315 (Level 2)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class Progress:

I'm around halfway through AT2 now. Progress in AT2 is slower than AT1, and harder to notice, but I would say that I follow the gist of 80%+ of what is going on, and that my comprehension is noticibly better than when I entered the level. I have also "absorbed" some important words and usages that I was not aware of at the time of my last post. Things are stil filtering in and I don't feel at all ready to move to the next level (85 hours away), but I do feel rather seasoned as an AT2 student and notice very often that I am following things that others are not.

I also give almost all *short* answers in Thai now. For better or worse, it is now automatic for me to agree or disagree or give *very* short answers in Thai. Most AT2 students seem to do this, and the teachers only tell people to stop speaking Thai if they get carried away. Practicing speaking this is NOT. It's just, I think, a very early precursor of natural speaking emmerging from all this listening. Longer answers are still given in English, and the teachers really don't let students get carried away going off in Thai. This might not be following the ALG method to the letter, but it is in keeping with the spirit of it. In class, and out of class, I speak only what I 100% know how to say, and I don't try to force anything. If I can say it without thinking, without translating, I will, and if not, I won't.

Out of Class:

The TV is on now, and I almost follow the basic gist of the silly sitcom that is showing on channel 3. Almost. I can also definitely pick out more words than I could when I was in AT1.

Overall, I feel like some critical mass has been reached and that the pieces are starting to fall together. Thai sounds like Thai now- even if I have no idea what something means and every word spoken is new, and I can't even separate the words from each other, it all sounds... familiar. Thai doesn't sound alien to me anymore, not like it did when I arrived here or like some other language would.

I am now often able to survive conversations with random people if the topics are ones I am familiar with. It's not true back and forth conversing, and I know I miss critical parts of what is being said to me. Nevertheless, I can understand things and reply with things that are understood and somewhat related. So there is comprehension occuring, and ideas are being exchanged... for the Thais, I bet it's like talking to a 2-3 year old.

They talk about a trip they took to Chiang Mai (cooler, mountainous province up north), and I reply with "I like mountains and I like the cold." They ask where I am from, and I say, "America." They say something complicated about Americans and Thailand, and I don't follow, but I catch that they say many Americans like Thailand. So, I say, "I like Thailand. I don't like the heat, but I like Thailand." They ask what I like about it, and I say "Thai food. Thai food is very delicious." Then we talk about food, and I don't understand a lot, but I can agree with things and in an appropriate part of the conversation, mention a few foods that I like. They pick up on the fact that I like spicy food, and I agree "I like it very much, but if food is very spicy, it makes me cry!" They laugh, and say something I don't understand, but I offer some other random statement and it starts a similar go-round.

Exchanges like that. It's not the sort of thing that requires true comprehension, and I know I am very, very far from anything like that. But I think it is encouraging progress for less than 3 months of study.

2006-11-08T22:42:00.000+07:00

ShopPING!

I never go shopping, but, well... I went shopping. I came across a 50% off, end of the season sale and went a little overboard. A serious case of thinking in dollars (very cheap!) rather than baht (not so cheap...). But hey, prior to this, I had bought exactly zero articles of clothing here in Bangkok, so maybe it all averages out...

As for the "ShopPING!", let me explain. One of the bizzare things that happens to English in Thailand is that without fail, with every English word I've come across, the last syllable gets the stress. A very, very enthusiastic stress.

My name at Thai class, until my preference for "Dan" took hold, was "DanIEL." Other students include HanNAH, HeaTHER, RichARD, AllAN, MiCHAEL.

A favorite place to go shopPING is CenTRAL World PlaZA.

Favorite activities of mine include: runNING, walKING, fitNESS, guiTAR, eaTING pizZA, spagetTI, and drinKING cofFEE.

I vacillate between finding this very amusing, slightly endearing, and kitten-claws-on-a-chalkboard grating. And it's not just when Thai's without much exposure to English speak English. This occurs with every single English word that has made it's way into the regular, everyday vernacular of Thais speaking in Thai. Things like fitNESS (word used for gym), tee-SHIRT, pizZA, compuTER, microWAVE, ToyoTA (ok not English but still), taXI, etc...

The truly maddening part of all this is that this doesn't occur with Thai words. I mentioned CenTRAL World PlaZA above, but another mall, is pronounced Siam ParaGON. The Thai word gets a normal stress, but the English word inexplicably gets the last syllable shout.

It's enough to drive you craZY.

2006-11-04T15:37:00.000+07:00

I’m bad at blogging. I don’t post daily, or even weekly, I don’t post enough pictures, and I know that my posts are so long, most people probably don’t read them. I don’t want to put up a personal journal for the world to see, and I never know what to write about my experiences here. It seems banal to post about funny cultural differences (though, since they are funny, I should probably start), and condescending to start describing this the people and culture around me as if I’m some sort of anthropologist. The cardinal sin for any student of history (even a bad one who didn't start studying until 6 years into his undergraduate career) is generalization, and I really hesitate to post about what "the people" are like, or to detail what makes up "their culture". Eventually I’ll post some experiences and observations, but I don’t want to become patronizing.

Anyway, in the spirit of becoming a better blogger (and with absolutely no intention to commit to this pursuit), here is a post that actually relates something about my daily life.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Typical Weekday.

In July, because most high school students were out of school, I was teaching from 10am-5pm, six days a week. But since August, though I’ve still had the same 10-5 schedule on weekends (very, very rarely do I get a weekend off), I’ve had only afternoon and evening classes during the week from Mon-Thurs, and usually had Fridays off. The courses that I teach last only 6, 12, or 14 sessions, and so courses are always ending and sometimes I get a day or half day off in the transition. But, if I had to describe a "typical" weekday, it would look like this for about the past 6 weeks, since mid-September.

I get up at 6:48am. Everyday, without fail, my alarm stubbornly tries to wake me up at 6:40am but I slap it, reducing its shrieking cries to timid whimpers for 8 precious minutes. When, at 6:48am, it gets up the courage to start crying again, I raise my hand threateningly, but, as it stares back at me with those round, tear-soaked digits, guilt sets in and I let my hand fall consolingly on the off button.

I have just enough time to eat some cereal, make myself presentable and, of course, make a latte before I have to head out for Thai class. I must walk out my door by 7:30am to make it to 8:00am Thai class on time. This puts me on the Skytrain that always seems to arrive at 7:33am (yes, life is good when your building is so close to the Skytrain station that you could do a ninja flip out the window and land on the platform, if only your window faced the right direction), and I get to AUA just as class is starting.

The great thing about AUA, though, is that classes are very casual and walking in late is not a problem. Also because classes start every hour, it’s also not a big deal if I don’t go until 9am, but I rarely do this because I want to fit in as many hours as I can. In fact, I’m so used to waking up early that even on my days off or I rarely sleep much past 8am. (Louie, are you still reading? I hope that statement didn’t cause any kind of heart attack.) Today, for example, is a holiday but I got up at 8 anyway. What can I say… people change… I’m still a night owl at heart, though.

I stay for 5 hours straight of class (there are 10 min breaks every hour), and then leave to go teach my 2pm afternoon classes. I usually squeeze in a quick lunch during the 10:50am or 11:50am break, and spend the other breaks trying to wake myself up by walking around the school or buying coffee or Coke Light. AUA isn’t boring at all, it’s usually pretty fun, but 6:48am is really early to wake up and for years now, I’ve always had trouble staying awake during all kinds of classes, lectures, seminars, etc. It’s something about sitting still for so long without much interactivity.

Travel from my apartment to AUA or AUA to work takes 30 minutes if I am not in a hurry and get off at Chitlom Station, or 25-30 minutes if I take the BTS all the way to the station by AUA, which means less walking but an annoying station transfer. I walk almost every time because I like to get the exercise, and usually it makes for a more pleasant journey. I grab some pineapple or watermelon (for the equivalent of 11 cents!), pull out my ipod, and enjoy the walk. Lately, my Mon – Thurs teaching schedule has been one class from 2-5pm, and one from 5:30 – 8:30pm or 6 – 9pm. I might grab a snack before my first class, and I either get dinner during the interim or sometimes order in with my co-workers and eat during one of the 10 minute breaks I give my students.

I usually hit a wall towards the very end of my last class, but my day doesn’t end after work. All this learning and teaching hasn’t left any time for exercise, so I either head to the gym, or I head home but go out for a run. Add in a second dinner (Thai food is too good and too cheap to only eat for 3 meals a day), a bit of email, reading, or prayer time, and there is really nothing more I can fit into a day. All told, I feel very efficient if I can make it to bed by 11pm, and usually it’s more like midnight. Or later.

Long days. Really long days, in fact… but while they are tiring, I wouldn’t change anything. (Well, unless you count earning the same for working fewer hours). I don’t want to attend AUA for fewer hours, and even though it’s nice when I only have an evening class and no afternoon class, I have definitely told my course scheduler that I prefer to teach as many hours as possible. Friday – Sunday things are a bit more relaxed, although still not quiet. Although I have off from work Friday, I still have Thai class and spend the morning and afternoon at AUA. I teach full days both Saturday and Sunday but get off at 5pm and have the rest of the night to get some exercise, see some friends or relax. November should be a lighter month too... it's looking like I'll have only weeknight classes Monday through Thursday, meaning that I won't have afternoon classes and can sleep a bit later, arrive at AUA a bit later, and have a more relaxed day all around. We'll see.

2006-10-23T15:10:00.000+07:00

Coffee Bliss.

Saturday night I finally bought the voltage converter I needed to use the espresso machine and coffee grinder I dragged here from the US. Amazingly, even though I devoted a quarter of my precious suitcase space to smuggling my coffee paraphernalia into Thailand, it took me four months to get around to making the purchase. As I sit in bed, a hint of coffee shop hanging in the air, the crema of my third homemade latte still lingering on my palate, I breath contented breaths and marvel at how I waited so long to reunite with this love of mine.

That the entire rainy season could come and go before I bothered to set up shop here and start making proper espresso drinks is all the more inexplicable given the sad state of coffee here in Bangkok. But that is a subject for another day, worthy of the sort of frustrated rant one can write only after a particularly sweaty day of dodging motorcycles, hurdling soi dogs, and losing patience with constant assaults on the English language. Sitting in a state of latte bliss on a quiet, still-not-dressed-at-eleven morning is no time for complaining.

The voltage converter was quite expensive in local terms, but my hesitation was never really about the money… that was just the reason I hadn’t purchased it on impulse. My life is just so different here that sometimes I don’t know what I should hold on to, what I should leave unplugged for a while, and what I should have left behind.

2006-10-23T12:08:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 4

October 22nd, 2006
Months in Thailand: 4
Hours at AUA: 215 (Level 2)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

In Class Progress:

Last week I passed 200 hours and moved to AT2 (level 2).

Although in my last couple weeks in AT1 I was certainly still noticing improvements in my comprehension, and absorbing new words and structures, I could tell that my progress was slowing. I could follow the teachers 95% of the time, even without focusing very attentively. I could also consistently notice when other students were confused. AUA’s method is not about vocabulary and even in my final AT1 hours I still did NOT understand the majority of the words themselves. But I was following nearly everything, and understanding it intuitively, without any Thai to English translation in my head, and indeed, without any real "effort" at all.

When I went to the office to see about moving to AT2, I was given a progress report based on weekly evaluations from the teachers. I don’t know more precisely how they quantify things, but apparently my "Language Acquisition" at the end of AT1 was 21.5%, meaning that I understand that much of everyday language. The move from AT1 to AT2 is supposed to happen at 20%, so I was a bit ahead and could have moved up a little earlier.

My very first AT2 class was extremely hard to follow, and so I thought that the level might be quite a bit harder than AT1. As it turned out, that class was a bit of an anomaly, and the other 14 hours I have so far spent in AT2 have been easier. It hasn’t been at all like starting over… and if I had to quantify it, I would say I feel like I did when I was about a third to a half through AT1. There are major holes in my understanding in certain stories, and I don’t understand certain words or phrases at all, but overall I’m still following the majority of the discussion. Additionally- and I might be mistaken on this- I almost think at times I am following things better than some of the AT2 students who started the level ahead of me.

There is some difference, however, between the levels. The teachers speak a bit faster in AT2 (note though that even AT1 is not unnaturally slow, it’s just on the very slow end of natural speaking), and they use non-verbal communication a little less. The biggest difference is probably just that the teachers seem to be using an expanded pool of vocabulary and structures, and focus on different words, concepts, and situations than in AT1.

Out of Class:

Progress is very slow outside of class, but still perceptible. Each week, I pick up a tiny fraction more of what is being spoken around me, and it is automatic and intuitive, just like in class. I understand many of the very simple, common questions asked me and can automatically respond a nod or single word answer, without thinking about it or translating.

When I’m forced to try to speak more complex Thai to make requests at a store or ordering food, however, it usually doesn’t go well. This illustrates the value of not trying to force things, because you end up speaking Thai that is unnatural, pronounced incorrectly, or otherwise weird and unintelligible in some way. You have to wait until it’s been naturally absorbed.

2006-09-25T23:27:00.000+07:00

It's the little things.

I am trying hard to follow AUA's "don't speak Thai" rule. They ask students not to speak Thai either in or out of class until they have reached Level 5, which typically represents 800 hours of study. Other than "hello" and "thank you"- which are kind of unavoidable- I do not regularly speak any Thai. With one exception.

There is absolutely no way I am going to let AUA's rule come between me and ordering food. Sure, you can point at things and if you look confused enough, many vendors will offer a reassuring "this chicken" or ask "you want noodle?" I wouldn't starve without speaking Thai, but there just isn't any easy way, either in English or through gestures, to indicate that you want som tom (papaya salad) made only a little spicy and without the small, raw crab that is usually added- and that isn't a complicated order.

At a stir fry stall, Thai is a necessity unless you are going to stick to very basic dishes like noddles with chicken or fried rice with pork. A particular favorite of mine is sen-yai (wide noodles, as opposed to other varieties) pad kee mao (a stir fry with chili and basil as the main spices) talay (mixed seafood, usually shrimp, squid, and whatever else). Try acting that one out. Actually, that isn't even the whole order... I also have to add "pet" (spicy). Pad kee mao is is an inherently spicy dish, but my skin color usually results in very little chili being added unless I say that I want it. Chili is always a condiment at food stalls, so you can add it yourself to the dish after it is served, but it tastes better to me if it is added during cooking.

Anyway, here is what made my night. I went outside my apartment- about 30 feet, to be precise... I love living on Soi 38- to get some cow man gai*. I was really hungry, so I decided to ask if I could pay 40 baht (instead of the usual 30) and be given "a lot" of chicken. My request was met with absolutely no confusion and no asking me to repeat myself... just an enthusiastic "sure!" And more chicken. I am certain my 130 hours at AUA have helped my accent to be intelligible, and although I didn't know the exact gramatical structure for this request, I drew on what I've been hearing at AUA and must have said it correctly, or at least close enough. I was thrilled. Hey, it's the little things.

*Literally, this is just "rice with chicken" but there is more to it than that. The dish is one of my favorites, something I often get when I don't want anything spicy or oily. Steamed white meat chicken is served over a bed of rice that has been cooked in chicken stock and has a very distinct and wonderful taste. A few sliced cucumbers garnish the dish, and a spicy chili peanut sauce is available for those who want to add some heat or complexity to the meal. It is also served with a bowl of chicken broth that may or may not have a bit of chicken or vegetable in it.

For 30 baht, or like 80 cents. Or, in my case, with "chicken a lot" for $1.

2006-09-24T20:19:00.000+07:00

Why is coffee brown?
Why is sunbather brown?
Why is cigar brown?
...why is poop brown?

Plurally-challenged introspection found on a Thai t-shirt.

And on an entirely different note... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvcDPe2kc1k

Don't ask questions. Just watch this.

2006-09-24T19:57:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 3

September 24th, 2006
Months in Thailand: 3
Hours at AUA: ~110 (Level 1)
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

Progress:
Other than missing class on Wednesday (I guess since Thailand never has a snow day, it has to have the occasional coup day to make up for it), I noticed some substantial progress last week. I am understanding increasingly more of what is being talked about in class. I had a few moments when I thought to myself, "wow, I understand every word that was said for about 30 seconds," and I would say that I almost always understand the basic gist of what is happening.

It is also very apparent that I am now understanding more than most other Level 1 students. I notice when other students don't understand a question and give a confused answer, and often it is clear that I am following something that others are not. This is actually a very useful and encouraging benchmark for my progress. I should mention that AUA levels are meant to take 200 hours, so this is not terribly surprising as I am now more than halfway through and have more hours in than newer students.

Outside of class I've had a few breakthrough moments as well. At a party last night, I listened while another American spoke in Thai to answer a question that a native Thai speaker had asked him. He replied with 6 or 8 sentences, and when he was done I realized that I had understood each individual word as well as the meaning of the sentences. Now as you might expect, he was speaking very slowly and using easy vocabulary. It was still exciting though. I am also picking up on more random words and phrases that I hear around me, on tv, etc.

Other:
Still leaving Thai TV on, and I've been to 3 Thai language movies in the last 2 weeks. They all had English subtitles, though, and when you watch a subtitled movie you tend to tune out the language being spoken. The exposure can't hurt though.

2006-09-08T00:58:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai 2

September 7th, 2006
Months in Thailand: 2.5
Hours at AUA: ~60
Other study: None since I started at AUA (before that, some minimal self-study and 6 very poor classes at another school)

Progress: Nothing groundbreaking, but I am definitely understanding a substantial amount more in class than when I started. I would say I follow the gist of the conversation/activity/etc. about 75% of the time. I can't reproduce what I hear, and I certainly don't catch every (or even most) words, but I understand what's going on. (Keep in mind that Level 1 covers very simple topics and the teachers encorporate a great deal of drawing on the board, sound effects, and body language.) In the mixed Level 1+2 class (4pm) I understand substantially less, but again noticibly more than when I started.

I'm sure my vocabulary has not improved by very many words, but that isn't the way AUA works. The small pool of words/phrases/ideas that I would say I've permanently acquired via AUA are now automatic... I don't have to think about what they mean when I hear them. I also find myself thinking these words outside of class at times. For example, "puying suay" (beautiful woman) and buchai law (handsome man) are discussed very often in level one. Last week a rather attractive Thai woman was walking my way on Sukhumvit, and the first- and only- thought to enter my mind was "puying suay." No English in my head, just Thai. The same goes with "have/don't have" which occur very very frequently in Thai. I find myself thinking these words, for example, if a store doesn't have something. "Mai mee."

Other: Still leaving Thai TV on probably 1 hour or so per day. Most of the time I'm not "watching" or even listening actively, but I do notice that I understand more little bits and pieces than I used to. Just words, though, really... unlike AUA classes, I don't get the big picture of any conversations on TV yet.

2006-09-03T22:05:00.000+07:00

Just a quick post today... better than nothing though right?

I took the following videos while going around the ferris wheel at the Night Bazzar located adjacent to Lumphini Park. Lumphini is the largest park here in Bangkok. Central Park it ain't, but it's big enough to contain a 5km running path, a small lake with boats you can rent, and lots of opportunities to people watch. There are always various sports, classes and activities going on. Unforunately I don't live close enough to it to make running there a realistic possibility... instead I just go up and down the side street outside my apartment. It's boring, and you have to dodge the occasional car or motorcycle (really there isn't much traffic on the soi though)... but it's convenient.

Anyway, enjoy the glimpse of Bankok from the top of the Rouge Paris (I think that was the silly French name of the ferris wheel). Hopefully this will give you some idea of just how expansive the city is. It doesn't quite have a highly centralized "downtown" like NY or Chicago, but it is stays dense and fully urban for miles upon miles in every direction... no suburban sprawl here.

Take 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXEgbK47QUM
Take 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hztXgZwi0-s

2006-08-28T22:36:00.000+07:00

My New Home.

(Skip to the bottom if you are really lazy and just want to take the video tour. You should know, however, that this does not reflect well upon you, and that one day you'll be lying on your deathbed, wrinkled and feeble, praying for the end to come so that you will no longer be haunted by two questions:

1) What did Dan say in that Apartment post?

and, 2) What ever happened to that sled of mine?

You have been warned.

Here it is, my room in Sutti Mansion II. 23 square meters (thats only about 12' x 18', if you're counting) of the finest plain-vanilla living $250 a month can buy. This is about it... I really don't have an "apartment" so much as a "room."

It's small. Smaller than the malnourished runt of a litter of quadruplet midget pygmy dwarves.

It's working out though. It's just me, and so far I still only own as much as you could pack into 2 suitcases and a backpack, so I really don't need more space. I do miss having a kitchen, but I really wouldn't be cooking even if I had one... it would just be nice to have some counters and a sink that isn't in the bathroom.
Other than that, just I wish I had a proper desk instead of this ridiculous faux-wood mini-vanity thing, and maybe enough room for a couch and coffee table to have someplace to sit besides my bed.

Also the Thai style shower drives me nuts, but that is the subject for a later post.

What I really wish is that I was living in a big apartment or townhouse with a bunch of people but, it's working out living here in Sutti Mansion II. (See the blue sign?)

Yes, it's SUTTI MANSION *II*. Apparently it's a sequel.

One night I climbed up there and tried to change the sign to SUTTI MANSION II: THE REVENGE! but sadly it wouldn't fit.

B-movie titles notwithstanding, the front entrance is a big reason for my decision to live here. See the escalator? That goes up to the Skytrain station. Yes, it really is that close to my building. Oddly enough I walk to work most days, but it is incredibly convenient to have the BTS stop literally on my doorstep. I use it 5 days a week to get to Thai class, and whenever I'm too lazy to walk to or from work (15 min walk) or the gym (25 min walk). It is fast, airconditioned, and you never wait more than 5 minutes for the next train. During peak times they come within 1-2 minutes of each other! The only flaw (and it's a major one) in Bangkok's public transportation system is that the Skytrain and Subway only service a very limited part of the city. 90% of the city will require use of a taxi (which come in car, tuk-tuk, motorcycle, and boat varieties), bus, and/or boat to get to. I live, work, workout, run, shop, and take Thai classes along the BTS route though, so it works for me.

So the BTS stop is right at my doorstep, but what really makes me happy is out the side entrance of the building. Sweet, sweet Soi 38.

But the wonders of Soi 38 deserve their own post... stay tuned.

And now, as promised, the video tour. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I think a video is often worth 1000 pictures. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Iz7WxG_uXQ

2006-08-27T22:30:00.000+07:00

Attempting to Learn Thai...

Ok, while this isn't a real update, I want to start documenting my progress learning Thai. After a bad experience at a different school, on Wednesday August 23rd, I started Thai classes at American University Alumni Association (AUA). They use a "natural" method which basically involves watching and listening to two teachers interact (i.e. clown around and have conversations about bodily functions and other easy to understand topics). You don't speak in Thai during class, and they ask you also not to speak Thai outside of class either. In fact, classes do not start to encorporate speaking until you have reached level 5, which is supposed to take 600-1000 hours.

Yes, that is a lot of time. If I attend 5 hours a day, 5 days a week as I am hoping, it will still take at least 6 months to start speaking. Wow. Although my opinion might change, I don't think this is crazy. Here is why:

The idea with this method (technically called the Automatic Language Growth Method) is to allow your brain to get around a new language naturally, in the same way that children learn their native language. I don't know if adults can learn exactly like children, but waiting for a long time to speak does has some very clear advantages.

First, you aren't handicapped by hearing yourself, and other beginning students, butcher Thai pronunciations. Think about it. If you attend a typical language class, a great deal of the speaking done is done by students trying to repeat what the teacher says. Yes, you hear the teacher, but you also hear terrible, and downright incorrect, pronunciations over, and over, and over. The same applies to self-study. If you practice speaking at home, the "Thai" speaker that your brain will hear the most is you! And you don't say anything correctly! I can already notice this with "khorb khun khrap," which is (in poor Romanization, anyway) Thai for "thank you." I've definitely heard myself say this phrase more than I have heard Thai speakers say it... I say it when I buy food, when a door is held for me, etc. So the default pronunciation of this phrase stored in my brain is the pronunciation I have come up with... which is, of course, terribly inaccurate.

Second, since students don't talk, there is more "airtime" for the teachers to speak in Thai, and thus for the students to hear Thai. On a related note, the teachers aren't forced to slow down and say words in an artificial manner so that students can attempt to repeat them... so not only are we hearing more Thai/class, it is also correct, naturally spoken Thai.

If someone just wants to learn some "survival" Thai to order food, get around town, etc. this is not going to be an efficient method. But it really makes sense to me, if you are serious about becoming fluent in a language, to invest some time upfront into developing listening skills, and allowing your brain to default to correct pronunciations.

The end result of this method is supposedly that, after all this listening, speaking starts to occur naturally, as it would with children. If you want to express something, the words and phrases will start to just "be there." Or so they say. We'll see. There are definitely articles out there that advise against ALG, but it certainly isn't crazy and it makes a great deal of sense to me.

Anyway, here is what I want to document:

August 27th, 2006
Months in Thailand: 2.0
Hours at AUA: 15
Previous "study": 6 crappy lessons at another school; some very minimal self-study

Progress:
Although it is a very subtle difference, and I still have NO idea what anyone is saying, I noticed today that Thai is beginning to sound more like string of words than completely unbroken garble. I'm sure that AUA has helped this a bit, but I just started there and so I think it likely has as much to do with other exposure, the result of having been here two months.

Other:
When I started at AUA I also started leaving Thai TV on in my apartment sometimes. I don't usually actively watch, but I figure that hearing more Thai can't hurt. Thai commercials are also pretty funny to watch... not that I can understand whatever they are saying.

Ok, that's it for now. I'll try to make a "real" post soon.

2006-07-29T23:33:00.000+07:00

On the Humidity..

33 days, 0 regrets. I love it here.

However, to delay the vicious, bitter jealousy my stories will invariably ignite, I will first talk about the humidity in Bangkok.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say the humidity in Bangkok fluctuates between about a 5 and an its-a-rainforest-in-my-pants-and-everyone's-invited. I am learning to walk around in this humidity and the heat that accompanies it, and really as long as you keep drinking and don't sit down any place where you will leave obvious assprints, it's not a big deal. In fact, I am still going running outside every other day. If you wait until the sun goes down it is tolerable, not unlike one of those nights back home when it never quite cools off. The humidity is annoying, to be sure, but I am dealing with it...

...most of the time. There is one situation in which the humidity is absolutely maddening. Which brings me to Naked Time.

Naked Time, although the name might suggest otherwise, is one of the few unpleasantries of living in Bangkok. Naked Time is the essential period of at least five minutes during which one must remain unclothed after taking a shower. This is the only way to get completely dry on an I'm-steaming-potatoes-in-my-trousers kind of day. No number of towels can replace Naked Time. No amount of rolling around on your bed like a dog with an itch on his back can replace Naked Time. Nothing can replace Naked Time. Nothing.

I learned this today.

It was one of those potato days, but I went running anyway, and then took a shower. When I got out, I realized I was late for a dinner with people from work. After using five (yes, 5) different towels and carrying out several impressive renditions of the Curly Shuffle across my bed, my back was still more a candidate for a squeegee than a shirt. However, I didn't want to be any later, so I skipped Naked Time.

Do not skip Naked Time. Never, ever skip Naked Time. If you skip Naked Time, here is what will happen:

Threads snap as you force your white cotton t-shirt over your dripping torso. You pull on a second shirt which immediately becomes damp to the touch, indicating that your undershirt has already soaked through. With equal speed your boxers become saturated, and by the time you walk out the door your jeans have visible wet spots. They only remain dry at all because most drops of condensation (it's not sweat... yet) manage to run entirely down your legs and into your socks.

As you run to the Skytrain, rivers of perspiration erupt and run down your face and neck. Sweat and condensation take flight with each movement of the arms. Nothing evaporates, and you struggle to climb the stairs to the platform. Usually even a short ride on the air conditioned Skytrain will cool you off, but if you skip Naked Time on a potato day, you will be standing in puddles before the trip is over. Or, if you decided to sit, you will be held responsible when small children drown in the foul pool you leave behind.

Do not skip Naked Time. Never, ever skip Naked Time.

2006-07-27T22:40:00.000+07:00

Takeoffs and Landings.

At 11:45am on Monday June 26, 2006, I sat down in the last row of Thai Airways flight 973, the only direct route flown from JFK to Bangkok.

It is now Thursday, July 27. If you don't count the 11 hours I lost somewhere over the North Pole, today marks the one-month anniversary of my departure. That is, if you go by the calender- but it can hardly be trusted in this case. The second lifetime born on the heatsoaked runway of Bangkok International Airport could never contort itself into a mere July and some leftovers of a June.

Somehow, Time lost track of me during the flight. I bet he tripped and fell hurdling over one of the time zones. He always was more of a distance runner. I know he'll catch up to me eventually... he'll come hobling up, spout something about slow and steady winning the race, and then start complaining about the International Date Line like he always does.

But for now, Time is nowhere in sight, and it's a good thing because it means he can't see how much I'm getting away with. Each day is saturated and bursting with more sights and sounds, more smells and tastes than normally are spread over a year. The people are wonderful, the food is AMAZING, and the few dollars I managed to bring go a long, long way. It's also never cold. Ever.

And, for some strange reason, the girls here seem to find me exotic.

On June 6th, less than three weeks earlier, I had no idea any of this would happen. I thought I was staying in Ithaca for the summer. Summers are "gorges" there, and working for Kaplan was paying the bills (if not much more). Plus, I was about to start teaching the LSAT, which I thought was pretty cool since there is the slightest possibility that maybe someday I'll want to take a real one and I would be getting paid to become an expert at it (although I already scored 174 on the practice test I took to qualify to teach...). I also had some research lined up with Professor Weiss, the WWII prof. who made me rethink academics and conceed that maybe some professors do actually care about their students. Obviously I wasn't thrilled about another summer in Ithaca, but I was quite content with it all.

Until, that is, my boss at Kaplan and I started chatting. He asked me what I wanted to do now that I have graduated, and when I started to answer in terms of the summer, he was like, "No, I mean what do you want to do now that you are done with school? What's next?" So I mentioned the idea of teaching (which I would be doing if TFA hadn't inexplicably turned me down... but I suppose at this point I should thank them!), and then we go off on a tangent about living and working abroad somewhere. I'd always thought this would be amazing to do, but only in an abstract way. He mentioned having seen an ad on the internal Kaplan site for a full-time teaching position in Bangkok, and said he'd send me the link. Sure, ok... really I didn't think much of it.

The link came the next day, Wednesday the 7th, and I decided to send an email and a resume. Within 24 hours I had a VERY interested response, and after a few emails were rapidly exchanged (around midnight for me, noon for them) I agreed to a phone interview, which the center director said she would like to do THE NEXT NIGHT. So, 11pm on Friday I had a phone interview, and around 11:30 I had an unofficial job offer. The real contract arrived in my email box on Sunday morning.

So... I went from no plans to the definite chance to go live literally halfway around the world for a year. And they wanted me to start by July 1st! Yes, in 20 days from the day I go the offer, which would mean leaving in around two weeks. TWO WEEKS! Two weeks to move out of Ithaca (a hard enough task in itself), visit family, sell two cars, and otherwise tie up or neatly pack away every loose end of my American life. Plus, I had to go to NYC for my visa and passport, which are things that cannot be acquired in a single day. Not to mention I still had work commitments in Ithaca until June 21st.

It seemed impossible.

But here I am.