This is the question that I must ask my tutor at least 100 times during the 1 1/2 hour session each day. So far I have learned 20 consonant sounds. The good news is that 14 of those sounds are very similar to sounds in English. The other 6 not so much. Just when I think I might have a sound down my tutor puts it in a word and I just have no idea how to put those sounds together. I feel like a kindergartner learning my sounds for the first time and trying to figure out how to blend them together.
I have also learned 12 vowel sounds. I am really struggling with one of them but the others are not too bad. They of course do not match English at all but they remind me of something that my mouth is familiar with doing. (Just so you know there are 24 vowel sounds so I have only learned half of them)!
I have also learned about 4 of the 5 tones. There is the mid-tone, rising tone, falling tone, and low tone. My tutor actually read 10 words today using different tones and I had to identify which tone he was using. I actually got 7 out of 10 right! Of course that is 70%, which is a barely passing grade in America, but for only 3 days of language I can live with it.
I have learned a few short phrases and questions like: What is your name? My name is ____.
Pleased to meet you. How are you doing? I am doing fine. Thank you and you are welcome. I don't say them all correctly but am working on it. It is hard to remember the sounds and tones in each word. I am thankful that I have a very patient tutor.
Tomorrow I get to go to one of the Univ. campuses!! I am so excited! I can't wait to see what they are like and to meet some students. I guess I could attempt to practice my Thai with them--yikes!! I will try to take some pictures if it fits the situation.
sawat dii kha---"good-bye"
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Things you just learn!
When you enter a new culture there are things you just learn on your own--no one has to tell you--you figure it out yourself!
One of those things is when you walk on the sidewalks or streets you must look down and ahead. You may think it is a religious thing. No-not at all. You look down and ahead while you walk because dogs and cats roam the streets and go to the bathroom everywhere. If you don't look you will step in it! Luckily I learned quickly and didn't have to learn from experience.
Another thing is that the Thai anthem is played at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day and when it comes on you must stand in place. Monday morning I was in the park running with my ipod on and lots of people exercising all around me. Suddenly I realized that everyone froze so I took my ipod out of my ears and realized the anthem was playing and stood still until it finished. I think I was a few seconds late on stopping but will do better next time.
Those are the first 2 things that I have learned on my own. I have learned lots of other things too but won't write about all of them.
Today was my 2nd day of language. I feel a bit overwhelmed but it will all fall into place. There are several sounds that I just can't seem to make my mouth say or when I do say it I wonder if it really is a sound. I am thankful for those basic letter sounds like m, n, s, etc.. that just make the same old sound they make in English--. I am always thankful when a few of those letter sounds are included in the lesson so I won't get everything wrong.
As of 11 p.m. tonight (in 6 hours) I will have been here exactly 1 week. It feels much longer to me. I feel pretty comfortable with getting around and have established somewhat of a routine. 1 week down and many, many, many more to go:)
One of those things is when you walk on the sidewalks or streets you must look down and ahead. You may think it is a religious thing. No-not at all. You look down and ahead while you walk because dogs and cats roam the streets and go to the bathroom everywhere. If you don't look you will step in it! Luckily I learned quickly and didn't have to learn from experience.
Another thing is that the Thai anthem is played at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day and when it comes on you must stand in place. Monday morning I was in the park running with my ipod on and lots of people exercising all around me. Suddenly I realized that everyone froze so I took my ipod out of my ears and realized the anthem was playing and stood still until it finished. I think I was a few seconds late on stopping but will do better next time.
Those are the first 2 things that I have learned on my own. I have learned lots of other things too but won't write about all of them.
Today was my 2nd day of language. I feel a bit overwhelmed but it will all fall into place. There are several sounds that I just can't seem to make my mouth say or when I do say it I wonder if it really is a sound. I am thankful for those basic letter sounds like m, n, s, etc.. that just make the same old sound they make in English--. I am always thankful when a few of those letter sounds are included in the lesson so I won't get everything wrong.
As of 11 p.m. tonight (in 6 hours) I will have been here exactly 1 week. It feels much longer to me. I feel pretty comfortable with getting around and have established somewhat of a routine. 1 week down and many, many, many more to go:)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Morning exercise in Lumphini Park
I have almost been here a week and I now have somewhat of a schedule!! I got up around 7 a.m. this morning and went to Lumphini Park to exercise. I have to walk about 12 min. on this above ground walk way to get there. I will post a few pictures on here but have a whole album on facebook. This park is huge. lots of people go there to exercise or just relax. You can follow a road path around the park in a complete circle which is approx. 1.6 miles. The park is right in the city yet it is quiet and seems separate from the city although you can see the tall skyscrapers all around as you exercise. I love going there to exercise and hope to go there many times just to relax. This is the perfect time of the year to go there because it isn't "hot" yet.
Today I also had my first Thai lesson with my tutor. It was good. I am not sure that I am a very fast learner but I'm trying. I learned 9 vowel sounds today (there are 24) and I learned 7 consonant sounds (there are 44). Some of the sounds I learned today don't exsist in the English language so I am trying to make my tongue move but it doesn't want to do it. I am writing a few things on line and then I will study. I am really excited about learning Thai!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Worship in another language
This morning I got ready for church and then walked to the sky train. On my way to the sky train I listened to praise and worship music on my ipod. I wasn't sure what the service would be like but I wanted to prepare my heart for worship and music always helps.
It took me about 25-30 minutes to get from my apartment to the Thai church that I will be attending. I ride the sky train for quite a while and then walk many blocks to get there. It is a small church called (Canaan Baptist Church) located on a side street that looks more like an alley. The church is made up of mainly young people.
The morning service which starts at 10:45 is mainly made up of young people who recently graduated from college and are working now. Most of them came to know the Lord through a university ministry and now they are rising up in leadership to lead the music and other activities. After the service we all ate lunch. It is very typical here to eat every Sunday after church at the church.
I stayed at the church until the service at 3:45 started. The service at this time has students who are currently university students. This is a younger crowd so there music is different than the earlier service.
Both services were done all in Thai. I didn't understand a thing:) I did know almost all of the music because it is a praise and worship song that we would sing here but they just sang it in Thai. I also had a person that would tell me what Scripture we were reading from the Bible so I could look it up and read it. I didn't understand the messages at all but it was good to see these young people have a passion for the Word of God. It makes me really excited about the work that the Lord sent me here to do!
language study begins tomorrow and that will be my focus for the next 3 months. You can pray for me lots because I am going to need it! This language is hard! You can also begin to pray for great relationships to develop with students that I met today at church. This is the church that I will be attending for my 2 years here in hopes also of growing and planting many more!
It took me about 25-30 minutes to get from my apartment to the Thai church that I will be attending. I ride the sky train for quite a while and then walk many blocks to get there. It is a small church called (Canaan Baptist Church) located on a side street that looks more like an alley. The church is made up of mainly young people.
The morning service which starts at 10:45 is mainly made up of young people who recently graduated from college and are working now. Most of them came to know the Lord through a university ministry and now they are rising up in leadership to lead the music and other activities. After the service we all ate lunch. It is very typical here to eat every Sunday after church at the church.
I stayed at the church until the service at 3:45 started. The service at this time has students who are currently university students. This is a younger crowd so there music is different than the earlier service.
Both services were done all in Thai. I didn't understand a thing:) I did know almost all of the music because it is a praise and worship song that we would sing here but they just sang it in Thai. I also had a person that would tell me what Scripture we were reading from the Bible so I could look it up and read it. I didn't understand the messages at all but it was good to see these young people have a passion for the Word of God. It makes me really excited about the work that the Lord sent me here to do!
language study begins tomorrow and that will be my focus for the next 3 months. You can pray for me lots because I am going to need it! This language is hard! You can also begin to pray for great relationships to develop with students that I met today at church. This is the church that I will be attending for my 2 years here in hopes also of growing and planting many more!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Week-end Market--if you can't find it there it doesn't exsist!
Today I journeyed to a different part of the city. I actually met up with an old friend of mine that I went to elementary school with in Michigan. She and her husband have lived here for a little over a year. She works for a big company that makes hard drives. It is amazing that someone who I went to elem school with in a small town in Michigan lives off of the same road in Bangkok, Thailand!
We met up for lunch today and then they took me to the week-end market. I went on my first subway ride and now have a map so I can figure that system out. Now I can check off 2 transporation systems that I feel comfortable riding---I haven't attempted the bus system yet--yikes!!
How can I describe the week-end market--it is a bunch of outisde stands and then a bunch of stands that is covered with a tent like covering. You go all around and can find just about anything. You can bargain for any of it. They sell flowers, books, music, clothes, pottery, furniture, the list goes on and on---they even sell animals! you can buy fish, birds, snakes, turtles, rabbits, mice, dogs, cats, and these little things that look like baby squirrels. some of the puppies are so cute but don't worry I left the market buying nothing! I really went for the experience. I didn't need anything right now.
I also got to see another great park. I have been to 2 amazing parks so far and there are so many more. The park I went to yesterday is perfect for exercising. It is pretty large and I can run around the full circle and it is 1.6 miles. The atmosphere is so calming also. I will try to get some pictures on here at a later time for you to see. The park that I went to tonight was much smaller but so neat. They all have beautiful fountains.
I will continue to post some pictures on my blog but it is very time consuming to load them on here so if you want to see a lot of pictures of Thailand you need to go on my facebook page. I have a whole album on there. Sorry for those of you who don't have facebook but it takes too much time to load pictures on here.
I guess that is all for now. There are so many fun places to tell about and you will just have to use your imaginations to think about what they would look like because it is so hard to describe.
We met up for lunch today and then they took me to the week-end market. I went on my first subway ride and now have a map so I can figure that system out. Now I can check off 2 transporation systems that I feel comfortable riding---I haven't attempted the bus system yet--yikes!!
How can I describe the week-end market--it is a bunch of outisde stands and then a bunch of stands that is covered with a tent like covering. You go all around and can find just about anything. You can bargain for any of it. They sell flowers, books, music, clothes, pottery, furniture, the list goes on and on---they even sell animals! you can buy fish, birds, snakes, turtles, rabbits, mice, dogs, cats, and these little things that look like baby squirrels. some of the puppies are so cute but don't worry I left the market buying nothing! I really went for the experience. I didn't need anything right now.
I also got to see another great park. I have been to 2 amazing parks so far and there are so many more. The park I went to yesterday is perfect for exercising. It is pretty large and I can run around the full circle and it is 1.6 miles. The atmosphere is so calming also. I will try to get some pictures on here at a later time for you to see. The park that I went to tonight was much smaller but so neat. They all have beautiful fountains.
I will continue to post some pictures on my blog but it is very time consuming to load them on here so if you want to see a lot of pictures of Thailand you need to go on my facebook page. I have a whole album on there. Sorry for those of you who don't have facebook but it takes too much time to load pictures on here.
I guess that is all for now. There are so many fun places to tell about and you will just have to use your imaginations to think about what they would look like because it is so hard to describe.
Friday, January 9, 2009
What do you think of when you hear winter or "cool season"??
Did you answer the question of the day ??? Well in Bangkok right now it is considered their winter or "cool season" and I would say today it was around 90 :) It's all in perspective. I guess there are a few weeks where the weather is only in the 70's or 80's but it has been in the high 80's or 90's every day since I arrived. There is a nice breeze at times though and everything has air conditioning.
Today I went on a journey on the sky train again. I love getting around that way. It is so much fun and I haven't gotten lost yet!!!! I have to walk about 1/2 mile or so to get to the sky train and the weather right now is perfect for that. It might not be so easy to walk that far when the "hot season" arrives:)
I took some more pictures while I was out and about today and will post more of them later.
Today I went on a journey on the sky train again. I love getting around that way. It is so much fun and I haven't gotten lost yet!!!! I have to walk about 1/2 mile or so to get to the sky train and the weather right now is perfect for that. It might not be so easy to walk that far when the "hot season" arrives:)
I took some more pictures while I was out and about today and will post more of them later.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Pictures of my apartment and street!
This big building is at the end of my street. It has a Starbuck's, McDonald's and many other restaurants and stores in it. In the basement is a grocery store.
This picture is the view once I exit my apartment looking down the street. There are several hotels, apartment buildings, and houses along my street.
My cute little kitchen that I haven't cooked in yet--I have to figure out how to work the stove:)
This picture is the view once I exit my apartment looking down the street. There are several hotels, apartment buildings, and houses along my street.
My cute little kitchen that I haven't cooked in yet--I have to figure out how to work the stove:)
My cute sheets and blanket are courtesy of my parents. They make my bedroom look so cute.
My living room. Simple but cute:)
The apartment came furnished with furniture and decorations. Since I will only live here for the first 3 months I won't really make too many changes.
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