Food, Farewells & Karaoke!
There doesn't appear to be much sign of any Thai lessons starting through work any time soon - I really wish I'd had the thought earlier!
So this week I have learnt to tell the time in Thai. The main reason for this is that I have a daily conversation with Chaiwat, my driver, about what time we need to leave the next day, or when I need to be picked up. He's managed to learn how to tell the time in English and actually since I've known him he's definitely made an effort to learn more English words. I at least need to maintain the same equivalent level of Thai as Chaiwat's level of English - it's just embarrassing otherwise!
Actually, the whole thing is a bit strange and quite difficult for my poor Farang brain to understand. Instead of splitting the 24 hour period into AM and PM, in Thailand it's split into four segments but then there are also variations within them. I won't get into as there's plenty of other websites where you can read how it works and also YouTube videos, which are useful to grasp the all-important tones.
Fortunately, on the day it emerged that I wasn't the only person invited, some of my other Thai colleagues were coming to which really took the pressure off! We set off from work at about 12:30 and obviously, the house was a million miles away so I knew I'd be lucky to return before 2 pm - lunch is always the priority in Thailand.
On the way there was concern that I was hungry, so we bought some donuts from a lady on the side of the road - I have no idea how anyone knew she was selling donuts as she just seemed to be wandering around with a few unmarked carrier bags. This did satisfy my immediate hunger pangs but was unnecessary as at that point we were only a few minutes away from the house.
The house itself was not actually what I expected although on reflection I'm not actually sure what that was. It had a large outdoor Thai kitchen area which wasn't too dissimilar from the various places we go to eat lunch normally. I imagine that it has been run as a restaurant - it seems the sort of thing you can just do on an ad-hoc basis in Thailand. It also seemed to have some sort of beauty salon at the front of the house.
I'd felt obliged to bring a gift, I have no idea whether it's really necessary to do this in Thailand but I just don't feel I can turn up to anyone's house for a meal empty-handed. I went for some posh looking English biscuits and some Earl Grey tea - I wanted to capture the British angle although there's every chance that the family has no idea on what's traditionally British. Anyway, it seemed to be well received.
I also got to meet my colleague's elderly mother whilst she was being fed her lunch. There's not really much to tell here as we were never going to have a scintillating conversation, but she did ask whether I missed my family and also I did tell everyone about my Grandad who was actually going to turn 94 the very next day. I think I just looked like such an alien to her so she mostly just stared at me!
In typical Thai style, there were only 5 of us there for the first hour and that didn't include the person who we were saying farewell to! But we tucked into the food and beer anyway. After a few Changs to loosen up my I hit the karaoke! On previous attempts, I'd been fortunate that the catalogue of English language songs was relatively limited which got me off the hook. This karaoke machine had everything and it seemed that everyone was enjoying my vocal talents so I knocked out 6 songs without interruption!
Thankfully someone else then took over and I could resume clapping along. I got forced into a few more songs, one of my colleagues actually seemed to be well versed in many English language songs so we did a few duets. Then, with my now very hoarse voice, I initiated a session of farewell speech making. Thai people are fantastic public speakers and I always feel quite overshadowed when I listen to everyone else speak after me. It doesn't help that hardly anyone would have understood what I said! Then our leaving colleague said his farewells and actually said a few words to everyone that was there, including me. He said I'd been a great boss which was nice to hear whether it was true or not!
The Basics
But anyway I've decided to try to expand my knowledge of basic, everyday Thai phrases. I quite quickly learned the various greetings, the numbers and how to say left and right, which essentially qualifies me to get a taxi and buy things! Actually, this basic level of Thai has served me well so far, but there are a few more things I'd like to be able to say.So this week I have learnt to tell the time in Thai. The main reason for this is that I have a daily conversation with Chaiwat, my driver, about what time we need to leave the next day, or when I need to be picked up. He's managed to learn how to tell the time in English and actually since I've known him he's definitely made an effort to learn more English words. I at least need to maintain the same equivalent level of Thai as Chaiwat's level of English - it's just embarrassing otherwise!
This Makes No Sense!
My first step was to consult the internet where there are many websites explaining the logic of telling the time in Thai. I'd already got an idea that it was not exactly straightforward from one of my colleagues who told me that 8 pm was 'Song tum' which actually features the number 2 and not the number 8. But I'd just thought this was some sort of colloquial thing and I shouldn't really worry about it.Actually, the whole thing is a bit strange and quite difficult for my poor Farang brain to understand. Instead of splitting the 24 hour period into AM and PM, in Thailand it's split into four segments but then there are also variations within them. I won't get into as there's plenty of other websites where you can read how it works and also YouTube videos, which are useful to grasp the all-important tones.
Practice Makes Perfect
But the greatest thing about trying to learn a language when you live in that country is that you can immediately put it into practice and get instant feedback about how incorrectly you're saying the words! Chaiwat is loving my hilarious attempts at butchering the Thai language but it is working - I've got better as the week has gone on. This shouldn't really come as that much of a shock to me but it is amazing how learning a language literally as you're using it is so effective - it's like the words go into a different part of your brain than if you'd learned them in a classroom.Family Time
The other exciting event this week was the lunch at the house of the sister of one of my colleagues. I feel like this is actually a bit of a milestone, the first invitation to a Thai house. I remember when I was on the cross-cultural management course, one of the Thai guys said it would be quite unusual for a Thai to invite a Farang to their house as they might feel embarrassed by it being messy or not that luxurious. So I was feeling pretty special actually getting the invite.Fortunately, on the day it emerged that I wasn't the only person invited, some of my other Thai colleagues were coming to which really took the pressure off! We set off from work at about 12:30 and obviously, the house was a million miles away so I knew I'd be lucky to return before 2 pm - lunch is always the priority in Thailand.
On the way there was concern that I was hungry, so we bought some donuts from a lady on the side of the road - I have no idea how anyone knew she was selling donuts as she just seemed to be wandering around with a few unmarked carrier bags. This did satisfy my immediate hunger pangs but was unnecessary as at that point we were only a few minutes away from the house.
The house itself was not actually what I expected although on reflection I'm not actually sure what that was. It had a large outdoor Thai kitchen area which wasn't too dissimilar from the various places we go to eat lunch normally. I imagine that it has been run as a restaurant - it seems the sort of thing you can just do on an ad-hoc basis in Thailand. It also seemed to have some sort of beauty salon at the front of the house.
I'd felt obliged to bring a gift, I have no idea whether it's really necessary to do this in Thailand but I just don't feel I can turn up to anyone's house for a meal empty-handed. I went for some posh looking English biscuits and some Earl Grey tea - I wanted to capture the British angle although there's every chance that the family has no idea on what's traditionally British. Anyway, it seemed to be well received.
Im Aroy!
My colleague's sister had prepared a lovely spread including 'Phad Kra Pao Moo' (Thai Basil Pork) and 'Tom Yum Goong' (Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup). It was all delicious or 'Aroy' in Thai. It actually seems as though you can get by at a Thai lunch by just saying 'Aroy Dee' and giving a thumbs up and then throwing in an 'Im Aroy' at the end, which essentially means 'I am full from eating all the delicious food'. This is my favourite Thai phrase.I also got to meet my colleague's elderly mother whilst she was being fed her lunch. There's not really much to tell here as we were never going to have a scintillating conversation, but she did ask whether I missed my family and also I did tell everyone about my Grandad who was actually going to turn 94 the very next day. I think I just looked like such an alien to her so she mostly just stared at me!
Party Time
The week was then finished off with a farewell party for one of my direct reports who has left the company. Farewell parties seem to be quite a regular thing in Thailand - staff seem to move around quite freely. This was actually the second of my direct reports to leave which maybe I should take as feedback? Anyway, I did feel quite sad about the whole thing, this colleague had been very supportive and welcoming towards me despite us having quite different styles. He was also what I would describe as a 'godfather' type figure who commanded a lot of respect so it seemed like quite a sad occasion from quite a few people.In typical Thai style, there were only 5 of us there for the first hour and that didn't include the person who we were saying farewell to! But we tucked into the food and beer anyway. After a few Changs to loosen up my I hit the karaoke! On previous attempts, I'd been fortunate that the catalogue of English language songs was relatively limited which got me off the hook. This karaoke machine had everything and it seemed that everyone was enjoying my vocal talents so I knocked out 6 songs without interruption!
Thankfully someone else then took over and I could resume clapping along. I got forced into a few more songs, one of my colleagues actually seemed to be well versed in many English language songs so we did a few duets. Then, with my now very hoarse voice, I initiated a session of farewell speech making. Thai people are fantastic public speakers and I always feel quite overshadowed when I listen to everyone else speak after me. It doesn't help that hardly anyone would have understood what I said! Then our leaving colleague said his farewells and actually said a few words to everyone that was there, including me. He said I'd been a great boss which was nice to hear whether it was true or not!
Comments
Post a Comment