Guenmai's trip report Dec 2007/Jan 2008
Dec 19th, 2007, 01:40 AM
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Guenmai's trip report Dec 2007/Jan 2008
Well folks, I know I'm late starting this report. But, I've been NON-STOP busy.
I left L.A. on the usual non-stop, Thai Air flight which ended up 4 hours late leaving L.A... not a happy camper...as I arrived at the airport at 6PM for a 9:30PM flight that didn't leave until 1:30AM.
When I got to the airport, in BKK, on Sunday, I just got the AOT car service for 850 baht. I told them I wanted the CHEAPEST car and didn't need to see the car selection chart. Just get me into a car and on my way to my serviced apartment building.
I was exhausted as I don't sleep on planes.
Well, as the guy was delivering my luggage to the apartment and I was looking in my wallet to give him a tip, the phone rang. It was one of my best male friends, of 20-plus years, calling. He's American born, but moved to Denmark back in the mid-60s when he was a young man and I was still in elementary school. Smiles.
He had been on a vacation in Europe, back in the 60s, and fell in love with Denmark and packed his bags and moved there and never returned to the States to live. He has duel citizenship.
So, I usually see him in Denmark, where I originally met him through a close Danish friend. But I haven't been there in 3 years and missed him when he came to L.A., in early September, since I was just getting home from BKK. So, he flew here to hook up with me and is in a hotel across town in Sathorn. He'll also stay for 3 weeks.
So,after we had hung up from our brief phone conversation, he immediatedly came over. He jumped in a taxi and was at my building before I could even get out of the shower. I thought he'd flown instead of taxied. He stayed at the aparmtent until 8PM . I cooked up dinner and we ate. That was Sunday, my arrival day.
Then on Monday, I jumped in a taxi to zip over to my Thai language school to meet the director. We'd e-mailed back and forth while I was home in L.A. County. I went to check out the school.
So, the taxi driver was told Sukhumvit, soi 33, in Thai, by the doorman at my building, but he decided to go down soi 31. I was furious, but kept my cool. Then he turned around and we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic. What should have taken 10- 15 minutes and cost max 40 baht, took nearly half an hour and cost 59 baht. When we got into Suk 33, I told him in Thai to "Stop". I had had it and got out of the taxi and decided to look for the school myself. It wasn't easy to find since it was off of 2 sub sois.
As I was cutting through the property of an apartment building, trying to find it, a young, rosy-cheeked British girl said to me," Are you looking for the school?". I answered that I was and was instructed on how to get there. I asked her if she was attending the school and if so was it a good school? She looked at me euphorically and replied,"It's lovely".
As I entered the structure, the director was waiting for me. I was 15 minutes late which is VERY UN- me. But, I apologized and briefly explained the taxi situation. She laughed and said that it was ok.
The secretary, at the school, happens to be from L.A. county which explains the flawless English e-mail responses that I had received. I found out that she lives about 30 minutes down the freeway from me in L.A. County. So we talked and laughed.
I filled out all of the paperwork, asked a lot of questions, and then got a tour of the school. That all took a good hour. I then asked when my lesson was to start and was asked if I'd prefer morning or afternoon. I said morning. I was then told I could choose either 9AM or 10AM to start. Well, anyone who even slightly knows me knows that I'm NOT THAT kind of a morning person. Morning to me is 11:59AM. So, I picked 10AM and requested that the instructor be sent to my apartment...stop laughing guys...I know that's awful as Sukhumvit soi 33 is across the skytrain track from me and two sois down. But that early in the morning I might go sleepwalking down the soi, take a wrong turn, and end up in Cambodia.
So, it was agreed that the instructor would be sent to me. Yesterday was our first day and we got a LOT done...5 tones...all the vowels and consonnants...and I can write some letters...and I also asked her about some expressions that I needed to know like to the taxi driver..."Slow down or I'm going to throw up". Well, she just looked at me in shock and then started laughing hysterically.
So, I have a lot of homework that's due by tomorrow. I've kind of been out in the streets all day as I got out of bed at 4:45AM this morning since Tong was coming between 6:00AM and 6:30AM to pick me up and then go to pick my friend up down in Sathorn. I had booked her as a Christmas gift to him. So, while I was waiting for her, I was studying my Thai and trying to read over my homework while chumping on my Health Valley oatbran cereal and watching CNN. Not easy for me to breathe, not less multi-task at that early hour.
So, I hired Tong for a full day, but I was finished around 1:30PM. I really wanted to get home. I absolutely have to do my homework.
My school course is on a 20-hour a week schedule...10,000 baht for the course that I'm taking. I asked for those 20 hours to be spread out up until the day before I leave BKK since I need some time off. I'm tired. I work at home. So, my course has been spread out.
Oh, today, I went to Baan Bat, which I've been trying to get to for years of trips here, It's the narrow alley where monk bowls are still made by hand. A woman was sitting on the ground and making them over an open fire. I bought a handmade brass one which I was told is rare to find. There were only a few brass ones. The price started at 5,000 baht, for the one I wanted, but finally ended up at 3,000 baht for the medium-sized one that I bought. I had Tong bargain in Thai. I'm the queen of bargaining in English, but can't do it in Thai yet...maybe tomorrow's lesson. So, she was speaking Thai and I English and holding steady that I would not pay 5,000 baht. I even walked away at one point and they were still going at it. I then reappeared and wasn't going to be there forever so a price had to be agreed on and then the price fell to 3,000 baht. I paid and took my bowl and couldn't have been happier.
Well, I'd better go. Tomorrow, after my 2-hour Thai lesson, I have to go over to Cotton House. I dropped off many pounds of fabric there, that I'd brought with me form L.A., on Monday and have to go for my fitting tomorrow.
Escruchy...I have left photos of a few of my garments with Da. You can pick them up when you get there in January since you arrive a few days after I leave. Happy Travels!
I left L.A. on the usual non-stop, Thai Air flight which ended up 4 hours late leaving L.A... not a happy camper...as I arrived at the airport at 6PM for a 9:30PM flight that didn't leave until 1:30AM.
When I got to the airport, in BKK, on Sunday, I just got the AOT car service for 850 baht. I told them I wanted the CHEAPEST car and didn't need to see the car selection chart. Just get me into a car and on my way to my serviced apartment building.
I was exhausted as I don't sleep on planes.
Well, as the guy was delivering my luggage to the apartment and I was looking in my wallet to give him a tip, the phone rang. It was one of my best male friends, of 20-plus years, calling. He's American born, but moved to Denmark back in the mid-60s when he was a young man and I was still in elementary school. Smiles.
He had been on a vacation in Europe, back in the 60s, and fell in love with Denmark and packed his bags and moved there and never returned to the States to live. He has duel citizenship.
So, I usually see him in Denmark, where I originally met him through a close Danish friend. But I haven't been there in 3 years and missed him when he came to L.A., in early September, since I was just getting home from BKK. So, he flew here to hook up with me and is in a hotel across town in Sathorn. He'll also stay for 3 weeks.
So,after we had hung up from our brief phone conversation, he immediatedly came over. He jumped in a taxi and was at my building before I could even get out of the shower. I thought he'd flown instead of taxied. He stayed at the aparmtent until 8PM . I cooked up dinner and we ate. That was Sunday, my arrival day.
Then on Monday, I jumped in a taxi to zip over to my Thai language school to meet the director. We'd e-mailed back and forth while I was home in L.A. County. I went to check out the school.
So, the taxi driver was told Sukhumvit, soi 33, in Thai, by the doorman at my building, but he decided to go down soi 31. I was furious, but kept my cool. Then he turned around and we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic. What should have taken 10- 15 minutes and cost max 40 baht, took nearly half an hour and cost 59 baht. When we got into Suk 33, I told him in Thai to "Stop". I had had it and got out of the taxi and decided to look for the school myself. It wasn't easy to find since it was off of 2 sub sois.
As I was cutting through the property of an apartment building, trying to find it, a young, rosy-cheeked British girl said to me," Are you looking for the school?". I answered that I was and was instructed on how to get there. I asked her if she was attending the school and if so was it a good school? She looked at me euphorically and replied,"It's lovely".
As I entered the structure, the director was waiting for me. I was 15 minutes late which is VERY UN- me. But, I apologized and briefly explained the taxi situation. She laughed and said that it was ok.
The secretary, at the school, happens to be from L.A. county which explains the flawless English e-mail responses that I had received. I found out that she lives about 30 minutes down the freeway from me in L.A. County. So we talked and laughed.
I filled out all of the paperwork, asked a lot of questions, and then got a tour of the school. That all took a good hour. I then asked when my lesson was to start and was asked if I'd prefer morning or afternoon. I said morning. I was then told I could choose either 9AM or 10AM to start. Well, anyone who even slightly knows me knows that I'm NOT THAT kind of a morning person. Morning to me is 11:59AM. So, I picked 10AM and requested that the instructor be sent to my apartment...stop laughing guys...I know that's awful as Sukhumvit soi 33 is across the skytrain track from me and two sois down. But that early in the morning I might go sleepwalking down the soi, take a wrong turn, and end up in Cambodia.
So, it was agreed that the instructor would be sent to me. Yesterday was our first day and we got a LOT done...5 tones...all the vowels and consonnants...and I can write some letters...and I also asked her about some expressions that I needed to know like to the taxi driver..."Slow down or I'm going to throw up". Well, she just looked at me in shock and then started laughing hysterically.
So, I have a lot of homework that's due by tomorrow. I've kind of been out in the streets all day as I got out of bed at 4:45AM this morning since Tong was coming between 6:00AM and 6:30AM to pick me up and then go to pick my friend up down in Sathorn. I had booked her as a Christmas gift to him. So, while I was waiting for her, I was studying my Thai and trying to read over my homework while chumping on my Health Valley oatbran cereal and watching CNN. Not easy for me to breathe, not less multi-task at that early hour.
So, I hired Tong for a full day, but I was finished around 1:30PM. I really wanted to get home. I absolutely have to do my homework.
My school course is on a 20-hour a week schedule...10,000 baht for the course that I'm taking. I asked for those 20 hours to be spread out up until the day before I leave BKK since I need some time off. I'm tired. I work at home. So, my course has been spread out.
Oh, today, I went to Baan Bat, which I've been trying to get to for years of trips here, It's the narrow alley where monk bowls are still made by hand. A woman was sitting on the ground and making them over an open fire. I bought a handmade brass one which I was told is rare to find. There were only a few brass ones. The price started at 5,000 baht, for the one I wanted, but finally ended up at 3,000 baht for the medium-sized one that I bought. I had Tong bargain in Thai. I'm the queen of bargaining in English, but can't do it in Thai yet...maybe tomorrow's lesson. So, she was speaking Thai and I English and holding steady that I would not pay 5,000 baht. I even walked away at one point and they were still going at it. I then reappeared and wasn't going to be there forever so a price had to be agreed on and then the price fell to 3,000 baht. I paid and took my bowl and couldn't have been happier.
Well, I'd better go. Tomorrow, after my 2-hour Thai lesson, I have to go over to Cotton House. I dropped off many pounds of fabric there, that I'd brought with me form L.A., on Monday and have to go for my fitting tomorrow.
Escruchy...I have left photos of a few of my garments with Da. You can pick them up when you get there in January since you arrive a few days after I leave. Happy Travels!
Dec 19th, 2007, 03:00 AM
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Guenmai so great to hear your news! Very impressive that you are taking Thai lessons. Weren't you planning to buy a place there someday??
Many thanks for leaving the pics at Cotton House. I will do my best to get there on Sunday, after a short trip to Chatuchak market...if you happen to think of it, perhaps you could ask them about their hours on Sunday..
Happy travels!! And please keep us all up to date on your escapades.
Many thanks for leaving the pics at Cotton House. I will do my best to get there on Sunday, after a short trip to Chatuchak market...if you happen to think of it, perhaps you could ask them about their hours on Sunday..
Happy travels!! And please keep us all up to date on your escapades.
Dec 19th, 2007, 04:04 AM
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Well good morning, happy traveler!! So nice to see your report on events and goings-on in Bangkok. I hope your Danish friend is happy with his apartment choice. I recall that we discussed Patumwan House, among others, for a moderately priced apartment for his stay.
Is that Hawaii fabric in your stack for Cotton House? What did you decide to make out of it? Wasn't it a skirt and maybe a top? Can't recall exactly...
I was in Europe for two weeks, just getting home last Wednesday. In Zurich, I was shopping at one of my favorite department stores, Globus, and there was SHANGHAI TANG! It was all on sale.. mostly silks, robes, blouses, etc. It was so tempting, but my suitcases were already full, darn, and it was my last day in Europe.
I'm so impressed that you are studying the Thai language during this visit. I'm sure you will do just fine. After all, you've been absorbed in the language for many years, during all those prior visits to BKK.
If you get a chance, do go visit my dear friend Maeng, at her new little place, the Little Kitchen. It is down soi 13, at an apartment building called Sukhumvit Suites (I think). Tell her you are my friend. She will cook for you... just name what you want!! She is a delightful person. Brad, Ken, John, all the fodorites who have met her really do enjoy her so much.
I'll be watching for your reports, so keep them coming!
Carol
Is that Hawaii fabric in your stack for Cotton House? What did you decide to make out of it? Wasn't it a skirt and maybe a top? Can't recall exactly...
I was in Europe for two weeks, just getting home last Wednesday. In Zurich, I was shopping at one of my favorite department stores, Globus, and there was SHANGHAI TANG! It was all on sale.. mostly silks, robes, blouses, etc. It was so tempting, but my suitcases were already full, darn, and it was my last day in Europe.
I'm so impressed that you are studying the Thai language during this visit. I'm sure you will do just fine. After all, you've been absorbed in the language for many years, during all those prior visits to BKK.
If you get a chance, do go visit my dear friend Maeng, at her new little place, the Little Kitchen. It is down soi 13, at an apartment building called Sukhumvit Suites (I think). Tell her you are my friend. She will cook for you... just name what you want!! She is a delightful person. Brad, Ken, John, all the fodorites who have met her really do enjoy her so much.
I'll be watching for your reports, so keep them coming!
Carol
Dec 19th, 2007, 06:51 AM
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G-this report is nowhere near late. It's great to read about your adventures. Only 20 trips to Thailand and you're already studying Thai?
I'll be very interested to read about your impressions of Tong.
I'll be very interested to read about your impressions of Tong.
Dec 19th, 2007, 08:46 AM
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Guen would it have been better to buy Rosettastone and learn at home?
I'm thinking that after you are back you will not have any one to converse with so you may loose what you learn in BKK. In learning a foreign language if you dson't practice it everyday you are likely to loose the benefit from the course?
I'm thinking that after you are back you will not have any one to converse with so you may loose what you learn in BKK. In learning a foreign language if you dson't practice it everyday you are likely to loose the benefit from the course?
Dec 19th, 2007, 11:31 AM
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Hey, Guen!
We will be in BKK a month, beginning next week. On one of your threads you said you bought some flatware. Do you remember where? I think I was reading about Chatuchak -- right?
We're looking forward to being back in the "Land of Smiles," seeing Tong again for several days, and showing our adult daughter and her husband the places and people we really enjoy.
Have fun!
mcbeanie
We will be in BKK a month, beginning next week. On one of your threads you said you bought some flatware. Do you remember where? I think I was reading about Chatuchak -- right?
We're looking forward to being back in the "Land of Smiles," seeing Tong again for several days, and showing our adult daughter and her husband the places and people we really enjoy.
Have fun!
mcbeanie
Dec 19th, 2007, 12:51 PM
#11
Hi Guen! sounds like your trip is off to a very good start!! And Guen speaking wicked Thai is something I will have to hear!!
I was just thinking of you last night....pulled my Pasadena book out to get an address for a friend who'll be there soon. Thanks again for your incredible generosity at the GTG there. It was truly the best ever!
Happy Holidays,
Lucy
I was just thinking of you last night....pulled my Pasadena book out to get an address for a friend who'll be there soon. Thanks again for your incredible generosity at the GTG there. It was truly the best ever!
Happy Holidays,
Lucy
Dec 20th, 2007, 01:29 AM
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Folks...Thanks for all the well wishes. It's always so great to hear from you all.
Anyway, I'm REALLY busy right now, but I promise I'll answer all of your questions tomorrow. Right now it's Thursday, 5:20PM...and I have a hip-hop dance class in the studio of my apartment building at 6:30PM.
It's been a beyond hectic
day....starting with Thai lesson from 10AM-12PM...I set the egg timer so that we don't go over...I've got things to do. So today when the egg timer went off, I said bye to my wonderful instructor, massaged my cheeks from prounouncing all of those trecherous vowels/consonants...and then decided to give Lily a call to send a car for me. I figured after all of that Thai lesson sweating, I deserved a diamond and ruby bracelet. A link is being added and it'll be delivered to me in a week. I know...shameful...absolutely
shameful...Well, I've absolutely GOT to go and put on my workout clothes...dance my behind off...then start up my pile of Thai homework. Oh, Lily sends many greeting to Kathie,Cheryl, Kuranosuke and wife, the Hawaiiantravelers, Carol, and....I hope I haven't left anyone out. She's still talking about the totebag from my GTG. She carries it everyday.She's so sweet. Happy Travels!
Anyway, I'm REALLY busy right now, but I promise I'll answer all of your questions tomorrow. Right now it's Thursday, 5:20PM...and I have a hip-hop dance class in the studio of my apartment building at 6:30PM.
It's been a beyond hectic
day....starting with Thai lesson from 10AM-12PM...I set the egg timer so that we don't go over...I've got things to do. So today when the egg timer went off, I said bye to my wonderful instructor, massaged my cheeks from prounouncing all of those trecherous vowels/consonants...and then decided to give Lily a call to send a car for me. I figured after all of that Thai lesson sweating, I deserved a diamond and ruby bracelet. A link is being added and it'll be delivered to me in a week. I know...shameful...absolutely
shameful...Well, I've absolutely GOT to go and put on my workout clothes...dance my behind off...then start up my pile of Thai homework. Oh, Lily sends many greeting to Kathie,Cheryl, Kuranosuke and wife, the Hawaiiantravelers, Carol, and....I hope I haven't left anyone out. She's still talking about the totebag from my GTG. She carries it everyday.She's so sweet. Happy Travels!
Dec 20th, 2007, 05:00 AM
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Hip-hop??? What happened to that knee of yours. Must be doin' great.
How 'bout giving us all a quickie lesson in Thai... any must-know phrases yet?
Sounds like you are having a really great time.
Carol
How 'bout giving us all a quickie lesson in Thai... any must-know phrases yet?
Sounds like you are having a really great time.
Carol
Dec 20th, 2007, 09:31 PM
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Howdy folks...so now I have some time to type. My Thai instructor just left. Now to reply to your questions and comments...
Lcuy...I forgot to add that Lily sends greetings to you,too. It hit me when I got back up to the apartment that I'd left your name off the list.
Ekscrunchy...I don't know what time Cotton House closes on Sundays. I was there yesterday before I got to the computer. I'll try to remember to call them to find out. My brain is a bit scrambled right now.
Simpson...Yes, the Hawaiian fabric is in the bunch. I had the top made during the summer. Then the fabric I bought when you and I went to the fabric shop is to make skirts out of. One of the skirts will match the top made during the summer....the fabric with the plants and erupting volcano on it, remember?
Today, I think I'll go over to Shanghai Tang at Paragon. There used to be one here in Emporium until when I was here in August/September and noticed that it had moved out. So, now I'll have to travel to it.
I'm having 13 pieces of clothing made at Cotton House for 13,500 baht...33.23 baht/$1.00. I went for a fitting yesterday and my $130. American-bought denim, cargo skirt was copied perfectly for less than 1,000 baht. I took in my own fabric...8 yards of different colored denim which will make 8 of the same skirts since I bought too much fabric. The fabric, at home was only $4.00 a yard.
Kristina....With Tong, we made merit where the disabled monks are, then went to a village outside of Bangkok to watch a train go down a narrow track past an open-air market. The vendors are right alongside of the track and have to pull back the umbrella-style shading before the train can pass. Then we went to a wooden temple and drove around the community and then to benjarong and back to BKK to Wat Po, Baan Bat...monk bowl alley..and then to a hardware store on New Road. Then my friend and I went back to my place and I fixed lunch.
Craig...The plane was supposedly delayed because of mechanical reasons. A Thai friend had the SAME situation a few months ago when the same flight left exactly 4 hours late. Sounds fishy to me.
BillT- As for Rosetta Stone. I'm quite familiar with the series for over the last decade I guess it has been. There's no way to compare being in Bangkok, with a private instructor and surrounded by Thai, to Rosetta Stone. As for forgetting the language, I brought along my mini Sony tape recorder and have her record each page that we do. The book for my course is 110 pages long and we'll probably get through about 45 of them if I'm lucky. That's just for Survivor Thai Level 1. There's also Survivor Thai Level 2, and then separate classes in writing and reading, conversation, and higher levels of Thai. It's a VERY comprehensive program/school.
As for practicing, remember L.A. has the largest population of Thais living outside of Thailand. Thai restaurant owner friends have said to me that when I drop by, for lunch, they'll help me with my lessons. But,what I really need to do is to memorize the pages that I will finish here which I can do by listening to the cassette that we're recording. Plus, I don't have a computer, at home, so Rosetta Stone is of no use to me.
Gpanda...It hasn't been 20 trips to Thailand. Although I try to get here twice a year, Dec/Jan is the only time period that I can have 3 weeks here at one time. The other time of the year ,that I'm here, I have only 7-10 days....not long enough to seriously study a language. And the language program at the wat at home is so disorganized until I got fed up with trying all summer to just get info on when the classes are held. They used to start in July and go continuously. I finally had a Thai friend call them and she said it was a mess even in Thai and that I was told that if I wanted to I could just drop by and a monk could teach me. I need a STRUCTURED program.
Since, I was in Ghana Dec 2003/Jan 2004 and Dec 2004/Jan 2005, it wasn't until after Jan 2005 that I was able to start looking for a language school..which takes TIME. I didn't want to end up at a fly-by-night school which I'm sure there are plenty of....the kind of places that hire native speakers to teach, but the instructors are basically clueless to anything to do with actual TEACHING...methodology, techniques, lingustics, etc...Many schools just train them quickly. Those type of schools might work fine for some learners, but not for me. If I ask the instructor whether or not a sound has a schwa or dipthong, or is voiced or voiceless....etc, I would like him/her to know what I'm talking about.
I ask my instructor all of these types of questions and she can answer them. I found out that she has a university degree in linguistics which is a BIG relief to me.I had classes in linguistics at university as well.
So, I've had to memorize the phonetic symbols that the school uses..mainly the international one...plus some non-international symbols. I haven't used the international system since the late 70s...so I've forgotten some of it. So, I've transcribed the international system into the American phonetic system which I remember although I also haven't used it since back in the 70s when we had final exams on transcribing pages of paragraphs into both the international and American phonetic system. So thank goodness for knowing these systems. It has helped a lot since there's SO much to learn and it's hard enough to have to remember a sentence...the syntax...plus each word having one of 5 tones...and whether or not it's a vowel that's pronounced for a short or longer period of time. Today we did numbers 1- a billion and I had to say different combinations that were written down and in Thai figuring out number combinations is a REALLY bear... Happy Travels!
Lcuy...I forgot to add that Lily sends greetings to you,too. It hit me when I got back up to the apartment that I'd left your name off the list.
Ekscrunchy...I don't know what time Cotton House closes on Sundays. I was there yesterday before I got to the computer. I'll try to remember to call them to find out. My brain is a bit scrambled right now.
Simpson...Yes, the Hawaiian fabric is in the bunch. I had the top made during the summer. Then the fabric I bought when you and I went to the fabric shop is to make skirts out of. One of the skirts will match the top made during the summer....the fabric with the plants and erupting volcano on it, remember?
Today, I think I'll go over to Shanghai Tang at Paragon. There used to be one here in Emporium until when I was here in August/September and noticed that it had moved out. So, now I'll have to travel to it.
I'm having 13 pieces of clothing made at Cotton House for 13,500 baht...33.23 baht/$1.00. I went for a fitting yesterday and my $130. American-bought denim, cargo skirt was copied perfectly for less than 1,000 baht. I took in my own fabric...8 yards of different colored denim which will make 8 of the same skirts since I bought too much fabric. The fabric, at home was only $4.00 a yard.
Kristina....With Tong, we made merit where the disabled monks are, then went to a village outside of Bangkok to watch a train go down a narrow track past an open-air market. The vendors are right alongside of the track and have to pull back the umbrella-style shading before the train can pass. Then we went to a wooden temple and drove around the community and then to benjarong and back to BKK to Wat Po, Baan Bat...monk bowl alley..and then to a hardware store on New Road. Then my friend and I went back to my place and I fixed lunch.
Craig...The plane was supposedly delayed because of mechanical reasons. A Thai friend had the SAME situation a few months ago when the same flight left exactly 4 hours late. Sounds fishy to me.
BillT- As for Rosetta Stone. I'm quite familiar with the series for over the last decade I guess it has been. There's no way to compare being in Bangkok, with a private instructor and surrounded by Thai, to Rosetta Stone. As for forgetting the language, I brought along my mini Sony tape recorder and have her record each page that we do. The book for my course is 110 pages long and we'll probably get through about 45 of them if I'm lucky. That's just for Survivor Thai Level 1. There's also Survivor Thai Level 2, and then separate classes in writing and reading, conversation, and higher levels of Thai. It's a VERY comprehensive program/school.
As for practicing, remember L.A. has the largest population of Thais living outside of Thailand. Thai restaurant owner friends have said to me that when I drop by, for lunch, they'll help me with my lessons. But,what I really need to do is to memorize the pages that I will finish here which I can do by listening to the cassette that we're recording. Plus, I don't have a computer, at home, so Rosetta Stone is of no use to me.
Gpanda...It hasn't been 20 trips to Thailand. Although I try to get here twice a year, Dec/Jan is the only time period that I can have 3 weeks here at one time. The other time of the year ,that I'm here, I have only 7-10 days....not long enough to seriously study a language. And the language program at the wat at home is so disorganized until I got fed up with trying all summer to just get info on when the classes are held. They used to start in July and go continuously. I finally had a Thai friend call them and she said it was a mess even in Thai and that I was told that if I wanted to I could just drop by and a monk could teach me. I need a STRUCTURED program.
Since, I was in Ghana Dec 2003/Jan 2004 and Dec 2004/Jan 2005, it wasn't until after Jan 2005 that I was able to start looking for a language school..which takes TIME. I didn't want to end up at a fly-by-night school which I'm sure there are plenty of....the kind of places that hire native speakers to teach, but the instructors are basically clueless to anything to do with actual TEACHING...methodology, techniques, lingustics, etc...Many schools just train them quickly. Those type of schools might work fine for some learners, but not for me. If I ask the instructor whether or not a sound has a schwa or dipthong, or is voiced or voiceless....etc, I would like him/her to know what I'm talking about.
I ask my instructor all of these types of questions and she can answer them. I found out that she has a university degree in linguistics which is a BIG relief to me.I had classes in linguistics at university as well.
So, I've had to memorize the phonetic symbols that the school uses..mainly the international one...plus some non-international symbols. I haven't used the international system since the late 70s...so I've forgotten some of it. So, I've transcribed the international system into the American phonetic system which I remember although I also haven't used it since back in the 70s when we had final exams on transcribing pages of paragraphs into both the international and American phonetic system. So thank goodness for knowing these systems. It has helped a lot since there's SO much to learn and it's hard enough to have to remember a sentence...the syntax...plus each word having one of 5 tones...and whether or not it's a vowel that's pronounced for a short or longer period of time. Today we did numbers 1- a billion and I had to say different combinations that were written down and in Thai figuring out number combinations is a REALLY bear... Happy Travels!
Dec 20th, 2007, 09:41 PM
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To Kuranosuke/ Hawaiiantraveler... So,I've picked up some more hip hop moves for us to try out at the next Kalakaua street party. Look out Beyonce back up dancers!We'll take them by storm once again.
The hip hop instructor has an American last name. I was told he's half Thai/ half American. Well, class was to start at 6:30, but after 7PM still no instructor. So, then I left to go back up to the apartment. A worker ran after me and said that the substitue instructor had just shown up...a young Thai girl. The instructor had called her to substitute and she was over half an hour late.
We were 3 people in class. One Japanese woman who's lived in the building for two and a half years and goes to the class weekly with the real instructor, and a middle-aged Thai man from Bangkok who I guess just has a gym membership at our building's fitness center since they can be had.
So we talked and laughed a lot and then started dancing and talked and laughed more. The class is once a week.
As for the knee, it still flares up, but I know my limitations...so I hip-hopped a lot on the opposite leg and danced a lot with my arms and hips. Smiles. Happy Travels!
The hip hop instructor has an American last name. I was told he's half Thai/ half American. Well, class was to start at 6:30, but after 7PM still no instructor. So, then I left to go back up to the apartment. A worker ran after me and said that the substitue instructor had just shown up...a young Thai girl. The instructor had called her to substitute and she was over half an hour late.
We were 3 people in class. One Japanese woman who's lived in the building for two and a half years and goes to the class weekly with the real instructor, and a middle-aged Thai man from Bangkok who I guess just has a gym membership at our building's fitness center since they can be had.
So we talked and laughed a lot and then started dancing and talked and laughed more. The class is once a week.
As for the knee, it still flares up, but I know my limitations...so I hip-hopped a lot on the opposite leg and danced a lot with my arms and hips. Smiles. Happy Travels!
