Learning Thai

I enrolled in a class to study the Thai language.  Now, I haven’t studied a language since college which was a long, long time ago.  Needless to say, I was a little bit nervous but I knew I had the time to devote to studying and learning it as well as the desire to be able to communicate with all the people around me.  Many people in Thailand can speak English to varying degrees but I feel that to not learn the language of the country that I am staying in would be disrespectful and serve only to isolate me from so many people and experiences here.

A friend from my TEFL class had researched a bunch of language schools in Bangkok and Bill recommended Unity Thai Learning School (UTL). Thai Unity Language School . Bill’s friend Dave said that Bill does not commit to anything without doing extensive research and that if Bill thought UTL was the best school; Dave thought that it’s a safe bet that it would be.

Each “module” lasts a month and class is Monday-Friday, 1pm to 4pm.  So, this was no easy undertaking.  Sixty hours of in-class study each month is about what a semester-long class would be in college.  This first three months are spent learning conversational Thai while months four and five focus on reading and writing. 

As it turned out, the class has been extremely good and entertaining as well.  The students are a mix of ages, cultures and personalities but all fun people, striving (and some, like me, struggling) to learn a new language.  Most of the students in my classes have been Japanese of Korean with a smattering of other Asian ethnicities and the rare farang (Thai word for white foreigner).  Some of my new friends include Khun Hata, Khun Meena A and Khun Toni.  

Hata is a Japanese guy who has become my partner in crime in Thailand.  He's funny and a really good guy.  Hata does not speak much English.  I don't speak any Japanese.  So, when we hang out, we practice our Thai!.

Meena A is a wonderful, stunningly beautiful Korean woman.  Her husband is working in Bangkok and she is biding her time with Thai studies.

Tony is of Laos descent but was raised in France.  He speaks great Thai and French and English.  Tony owned a clothing store in Bangkok with his Thai girlfriend.

Why does Hata keep showing up in every photo...hmmmm??????

The teachers are understanding, patient and good-natured….oh, and not so hard on the eyes also.  Khruu Kitiya and Khruu Suwajee are my two favorites.  Khruu Kitiya was even kind enough to invite me to her wedding in December.  More on that to follow.  :-)  Khruu Suwajee has become a good, dear friend.  She's an awesome gal and just received a visa to teach Thai at a Thai wat in America in, of all places, Houston!  Good luck, cowgirl.  :-)

This is Khruu Kitiya.  :-)

And, this is Khruu Suwajee.

The school has been a good way of helping to integrate myself into the Bangkok community and meeting a few good friends along the way. Our class also went out to dinner to celebrate the end of one of the courses at the Oriental Hotel on the Chao Praya River.

Beautiful hotel with a great dinner and some traditional Thai dancing for entertainment.  (I said "Traditional" Thai dancing, folks)

I  don't think I would be having nearly as good of a time if I hadn't decided to study Thai.  Stay tuned for the next update....it should be a good one!

Finally...A new blog update...catching up is hard to do...

How do I write about everything that has happened in the past ten months?  Well, I guess first by letting you all know that I will update this blog monthly from here on out.  I feel that it is important to keep you updated but more important to put my thoughts down so I don’t forget to remember how lucky I am to be able to experience this time of my life in a place like South East Asia.

My good friend from California, Brian White, visited me in July.  Having travelled the world extensively, Brian has been to Asia before so I was not worried about his acclamation to the culture.  Brian landed in Bangkok during the tail-end of the World Cup tournament and I made sure that he and I had a good place to watch it in along with the company of some of my good Thai friends.  Funny though, the Thai girls we were hanging out with, Ning and Am, wanted to watch the games in an English pub while Brian and I were looking for more of a Thai experience.  Alas, the smiles of the girls won out.

When the World Cup was over Brian and I enjoyed some down time on the beaches on Koh Samui before getting packed up and heading off to Cambodia to visit (again) the temples of Angkor Wat.  

This place amazes me every time I visit because just the time of day and the sunlight filtering over the century-old ruins changes the feeling and the look of the site.  

We engaged Mr. Sen and Mr. Leung, tourguide and tuk tuk driver, respectively, to be our guides.  Brian and I enjoyed the sunset from atop the temples with only a few hundred other people.  (If I have one gripe about this place, it is that it has become just too popular.)

Next stop was Laos.  I had to go for a visa run and Brian wanted to see Luang Prabang.  We spent a couple of days together in Vientiane, Laos, basically riding bicycles around the city, going to the gym and overdosing on the French-inspired baguette sandwiches.  Vientiane was pretty uneventful, but I realized that it was nice to be travelling with my good friend especially since he and I like a lot of the same things including eating and exercising.  Way to go, B-Dub! After a couple of days in Vientiane, Brian headed off to Luang Prabang while I headed back to Thailand to Chiang Mai where Brian would meet me again.  I LOVE Chiang Mai.  The city is small and old.  Bicycle friendly, too!  The weather is cool compared to the rest of Thailand.  The food is amazing too.

 Brian and I spent three days there just riding bikes around, hanging out with friends like Fon, James and Gan who I had met on previous trips there.  It turned out that Gan and his wife are pregnant and Brian and I got to go to dinner with the two of them and James and Fon.  A fantastic Thai BBQ buffet restaurant where you just sit and eat until your heart’s (and stomach’s) content!  

Finally, back to Bangkok where I said farewell and “Until next year” to my good friend Brian.

Next posting...Time to immerse myself in the country by enrolling in Thai Language School.  Take care everyone!

From this...to this....BOS-SFO-BKK

From this...

To this....

Has much really changed except for the scenery?

Where do I begin...made it to Bangkok with virtual ease.  Stepping out of the airport, any airport really for me, brings a great sense of wonder, adventure and nervousness.  Though I have been through the Suvarnabbhumi Airport many times, this time was different.  I was not coming as a tourist but instead to as a new resident.  Maybe not of Bangkok or Thailand even, but someplace in this vast area called Southwest Asia.  Pardon my French, but fucking crazy!  I know my family loves me but I also know they must think I'm nuts.  Who would have thought that the youngest of the six kids reared by Tom and Mary Beatty would bounce from West Roxbury, Massachusetts to San Francisco, California to Southeast Asia?  And why, I often ask myself, do I continue to move on?  Running away from something or running to something?  I guess only time will tell.

After a night in Hua Hin, a little beach town two hours south of Bangkok, with my friend Sunee and her family, we all got into her sister Meow's (I know...I know) car and drove to Chomburn to catch the ferry to the serene island of Koh Tao for the weekend.

After lazing on the beach for a couple of days, Sunee (in green) and her family went home while I stayed on to catch up on some reading (Crime and Punishment), some swimming and some sun and seafood.

Five days later, I took the ferry to Koh Samui for a night.  That day, I watched online as my beloved Celtics lost to those damn Lakers.  Grrr....but it was pretty cool watching live.  The only thing that was missing was my cooking and my friends since we all would have been at Casa De Cornwall for the big game.

From Ko Samui, I flew back to Bangkok, probably one of my favorite cities in the world.  There is always just so much activity, diversity, delicious food and generally just unpredictable craziness.  And, with FIFA World Cup 2010 in full swing, I knew it might be trouble.  The games here start at 9 PM and 1:30 am.  Yikes!  And I want to live here?

The past two weeks or so have been hectic and fun all-in-one.  Amazing street food for about a buck a plate, great people, new friends, fervent Thai soccer fans, condo hunting, job hunting, and Thai language school searching.

31 baht (less then 1 USD) bowl of fresh noodle soup with sprouts and basil

I have not yet decided that Bangkok will be my home but since I have time, I want to make sure I do my due diligence.   Cambodia is itching at me and I will satisfy that itch when my good friend B-dub shows up on this continent on 8 July.

But, I have signed a short-term lease on a one bedroom condo in Bangkok.

 I have also enrolled in a three-month long Thai class so I can better communicate with my new peeps.  :-)

Until then, take care, my friends and Happy Fourth of July.  You all deserve to relax and enjoy your friends and family.  I only wish I was there to enjoy the festivities and my dear friends.

Back in the States but Flying Tomorrow

Well, I have returned to the United States until 9 June.  As much as I love this wonderful city, San Francisco no longer feels like home.  I  have been counting the days until I return to Asia and find a teaching position.

In March, I completed the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL:) certification course in the small beach town of Ban Phe, Thailand.   After traveling throughout Southeast Asia for two months, the transition to school was not an easy one.  Two weeks of 8-4 instructional classes followed by two weeks of actual teaching in Thai classrooms to kids ranging from the age of 9-18 was exciting and challenging.  Writing lesson plans every night for presentation on the next day was time consuming but time well spent.  Our teaching class had 12 other individuals from all over the world.  One other American, one guy from the Phillipines, girls from Belgium and England, guys from Kenya, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The students are amazingly respectful and well-mannered.  Each class is opened up by the students standing and saying "Good Morning, Teacher" (my new ringtone for my cell).  The students display an enthusiasm and an appreciation for learning that I have never seen before.  It's just really encouraging to go into that type of environment and to feel like you can make a difference in these kids' lives.

After completing the course, a friend asked if I would help out her friend who runs a school for musically-gifted Thai children.  Sangtein opens up her home during the school vacation and invites 15 children to live with her and practice their music, singing and dance for one month.  I was asked to come in for two hours every morning and afternoon and help the children improve their English skills.  In return, I was given a four bedroom house in which to live as well as breakfast. lunch and dinner every day.  Not bad!

I think the greatest pleasure of teaching at what I coined the "Thai Summer Arts Workshop" was getting to know the kids and being able to enjoy their interpretations of Thai culture.

From Ban Phe, I journeyed on to Cambodia to volunteer at the Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC), an NGO in Siem Reap where I volunteered two months earlier.  The Cambodian children have smiles that can light up any room.  My first day at JWOC, I was asked to help with the Sunday arts class.  Seems easy, right?  Try corralling 64 Cambodian kids and helping them make Easter baskets and participate in an Easter egg hunt.  As difficult as it was, it was absolutely hilarious.

After Siem Reap, I traveled back to BKK but the political turmoil led me to decide to head back to some beaches.  I selected Ko Lipe, a small island in the Ko Turatao National Marine Park.   The 14 hour train ride followed by a van ride and a 90 minute ferry actually proved incredibly worth it once I arrived on the island with my friend Archy.

We found a bungalow on the beach for 500 baht per night (or $17 USD), ate fresh seafood each night at a quaint little place on the small road that leads from the beach.  A whole fresh seabass, grilled with Thai herbs and spices for 200 baht.  Mmmmm...and, BYOB!

Some of the best snorkeling I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing sits among the various small islands surrounding Koh Lipe.

One of the small islands is inhabited by thai monkeys.  As soon as a boat pulls ashore, they come scampering out to see what's going on.

I flew back to the States on 29 April.  Since then, it has been a happy and busy time though I have been longing to return since I got off the plane.  Activities this past month have included a trip home to Boston to celebrate the college graduation of two of my sweet nieces,

attended the obligatory Giants game at Pac Bell Park with my good friends Ted and Joe

went snow camping and backpacking in Yosemite with my BFFs

celebrated my birthday

and went white-water rafting on the South Fork of the American River.

And, I got to see my wonderful ex-wife's new baby girl, Betty.  :-)  Congrats, Linda and Justin. You will be wonderful parents.

All in all, an enjoyable trip back, but now it is time to finish packing for my flight to Bangkok tomorrow.  Two more months of traveling before going to Cambodia to shop my teaching resume around to secure a teaching job hopefully in Siem Reap.  If not there, Thailand here I come to teach.

Thanks to all who shared their time with me this month.  And, my sincerest apologies to those of you who I didn't have a chance to see.  I will travel abroad with all of you in my heart.

Hsan - Take care of my apartment and don't throw too many parties.
B-Dub - See you in five weeks.
My family - I love you dearly.
My friends - Come visit me.

Goodbye and see you again.
Lia Sunh Haoy (Cambodian)
Laew phob gan mai (Thai)
Tam biet (Vietnamese)

Bangkok Red Shirt Protest UPDATE

Because I have received many emails about the current political situation in Bangkok, I thought I would pen a quick blog telling you my thoughts.

I just spent the last five days in Bangkok April 6-12.  During this time, the anti-government red shirt protesters stormed the Parliament, lost control of and then regained control of their supporting television station, caused a lot of tourists and Bangkokians to be inconvenienced by closed shopping malls and the shut down of public transportation stations, but also were involved in a violent push back by the government on Saturday night when 21 people were killed and 80 people injured.  

The red shirts, composed mostly of poor Thais from the rural areas of Northern Thailand, are protesting the control of the current government supported by the "yellow shirts", often described as being the Bangkok "elite".  In 2006, the "yellow shirts" staged protests leading to a non-violent takeover of the government by the military while then Prime Minister Thaksin was overseas on a trip to New York.  After a year of military rule, the yellow shirts were surprised when Thaksin's  supporters regained power in Parliament after nationwide elections.  In 2008, Parliament decreed that the 2006 elections were wrought with fraud and appointed the current, yellow shirt supported government.  Since that time, the Parliament has found Thaksin guilty of major corruption and seized billions of dollars in his and his family's assets.  Now, I don't pretend to know everything yet about the Thai government, but if one believes in conspiracy theories, the theory that the government (or is it the military?)  is manipulating things (i.e. installing a government, calling elections fraudulent because they do not produce the desired outcome, finding the PM guilty of corruption), all would warrant further investigation.  Personally, I don't believe it.  Thaksin is a crook who pays for votes and embezzled billions of baht while prime minister.  Period.  End of story!  Most people agree that he is bankrolling the current protests to the tune of 1,000 baht per day per person.  Now, what does that mean?  Well, I am in the uppermost reaches of northern Thailand right now.  My friend's family owns a nice Thai restaurant and her staff, all smart, friendly and skilled, make 3,000 baht per month.  They work hard and they are happy with the work and the pay.  They think this is good money.  Thaksin, while on the lam, is paying unskilled farm workers 10 times this just to have them agree to be trucked down to Bangkok, fed small plastic baggies of rice and pork and stir up the situation on his behalf.

Now, I understand that the right to peaceful protests is an important part of the democratic process.  But most of these people have little idea what the protests are all about.  They are blinded by hero worship, food and cash and support Thaksin and the red shirt cause blindly and without comprehension.  

Most of the activity has been extremely isolated.  I actually went in search of some action and only on one day (Saturday before the violence erupted) was I even able to locate anything and that was merely about 200 red shirts all standing around listening to one of the leaders speak from the top of a truck while alternating with taped broadcasts of previous speeches while he has a cold towel and a smokebreak.

I don;t blame the government for finally getting frustrated at being badly embarrassed by the red shirts, but there also seems to be apathy among the ranks of the police and soldiers.

Why else would the soldiers leave there tanks behind after retreating from the violence on Saturday?  It just seems so weird and utterly unusual, but maybe they know something that I don't.

Well, time to leave Bangkok on Monday and head up to the northern town of Chiang Rai to celebrate the Thai New Year festival of Songkran.  Thais celebrate this holiday by going off to their villages, spending time with their families and throwing water on each other.