Some exciting developments

I’ve woken up to two very exciting developments:

  • I’ve just started contributing to a blog called Language on the Move and my first post has been published. I’ve written about the fact that many foreigners here don’t learn how to read Thai and what that means. I have lots of other ideas relating to my observations about Thai and the way English is used in Thailand, so watch this space.
  • TEDxDoiSuthep has been approved! TED finally granted me a license last night. I haven’t mentioned this before now but for quite a few months I have been involved with organising a TEDx event, which will be the first one ever in Chiang Mai. It’ll happen on 22 May 2011. A large group of us have been regularly meeting the past few months and we’ve got some really exciting ideas for speakers and performances. Very excited.

I actually have lots of other news too but I’ll get to all that in due course. But this such a great way to start the weekend after a very eventful week with lots of friends visiting — and more about that soon too.

5 thoughts on “Some exciting developments”

  1. Hi Sheila

    I enjoyed your article on learning Thai , and the feedback.

    You are right about tones – I worked in Thailand for a month and never managed to correctly say the number of my room or even ask for my key. Each night the desk staff would correct me politely and laugh.

    A piece of graffiti in Melbourne that I found humoruos said
    Monolingualism in curable

    And thanks for the calendar – it’s sitting on my desk as I write.

    1. Hi Charlie, glad you got the calendar ok, thought you might like it! Haha, monolingualism IS curable…but it really does take English speakers a lot of work to cure themselves given how easy it is to just rely on English to get by.

  2. Dear Sheila – I read your post with great interest too. It has always struck me as very rude not to at least speak a few words and polite phrases in the country where one is staying. I feel quite ignorant being fairly monolingual (though I can ‘get by’ reading French and Italian). Probably this is the first year I felt I might have time, courage and energy to learn a language. I know if I lived for more than a month in any country I would definitely make a big effort to speak and read the language – otherwise one does not really LIVE at all as part of the country. As ever, Imelda

    1. Hi Imelda, very true. If I didn’t have the Thai that I do — which I feel is very basic — I certainly wouldn’t be getting the experience that I am getting now. A lot more makes sense when you can read signs and understand what people are saying to you. Another reason why I’ve started learning French again…I’ll tell you why in my email to you, which I’ll get to shortly :-)

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