more on language

since my resolution in the beginning of 2009 to learn German, I’ve become semi-obsessed with the practice of language learning.  Being in Thailand seemed an opportune time to learn an asian, tonal, language with a different alphabet.

I did learn to speak, read and write German last year, without any immersion.  I am, by no means, fluent, and have a rather crummy accent, but I can converse about practically any non-abstract topic-  you know, things done, food, going places, movies, books.  Philosophical and conceptual would be beyond my reach.  And, when speaking with German people, I definitely need them to be speaking to me. Following others’ overheard conversations is too difficult as of yet.

My approach, during the first six months, was to write in German for about an hour a day (in a journal, good for practicing tenses), study using an SRS (spaced repetition system, i.e. software that functions as build-your-own flashcards-  I use Mnemosyne)-  usually fifteen minutes a day-  and converse for an hour or two a week.

I learn by writing, or by doing.  Audio and auditory learning has never been my strong suit. (I also don’t process my thoughts out loud, which is a product of being very introverted on the Meyers Briggs scoring…)  I ought to practice more conversationally and out-loud, but, since it’s not personally as enjoyable or interesting…it doesn’t happen as frequently.

Thai, being tonal with five tones (low, middle, high, rising, falling) requires listening and speaking to achieve any practical use.  I have trouble even hearing most of the tones (rising and falling are pretty easy to hear, but the others are much trickier for me.)

So, I started by learning to read since I don’t know how to teach myself without being literate. This has evolved into pages and pages of handwriting practice, followed by learning to use keyboard inputs so I can add words to Mnemosyne or look them up online…

learning to read the tones has proved the most challenging. I expected it to be fairly straightforward, but it is, instead, a complicated formula that involves memorizing the base tone of all the consonants (41?), the vowels (45), whether a vowel is short or long, the tone marks (4), shortening & muting marks (3), consonant irregularities, and then the formula that relates all these variables to provide the syllable tone.

but I keep reminding myself, at least I don’t have to learn 3000 kanji to be literate!

(Renee’s photo of our of our typical hotel evenings.)

February 22, 2010 | brook
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on packing

i could have brought so much less stuff.  As it was, I did pack light; everything I needed fit in the yellow backpack (osprey talon 22 liters) but I brought a mostly empty suitcase to carry home things I bought (fabric, buttons, thai fisherman pants, etc.)

The green purse was great for day to day, and big enough to fit my asus eee netbook.

Things I would bring next time that I forgot or didn’t bring enough of:

  • my headlamp
  • vitamin C
  • echinacia
  • probiotics (even here, where the food is pretty clean, I got food poisoning, exacerbated by motion sickness)
  • more lightweight wool clothing ( I like icebreaker’s fabric, I need to figure out where to source something similar.)
  • a fork and spoon

Things I definitely didn’t need to bring:

  • jeans/ pants (I wore leggings, dresses, or shorts all the time.)
  • books (well, at least as many as I brought.)
  • a sweater (I brought it for the plane, but it was really bulky the entire trip in my suitcase.)

Next trip, I know I only need to bring a few each of:

  • lightweight wool underwear and a long-sleeve shirt (icebreaker, etc)
  • light shorts
  • loose shirt dress
  • scarf (for plane)
  • shell jacket (for plane-  from nau)
  • leggings
  • light anorak (shown stuffed inside its pocket, orange, from nau )
  • a few light tank tops and tank dresses (the ones I wore I bought here-  they dried super-quick after washing in the sink)
  • chuck-taylor type sneakers and light wool socks, ankle and calf height

I brought other stuff this trip…but it was all unused.  better to have quick-drying wool and extra-lightweight cotton pieces than anything extra.  I always get really, really cold on the airplanes, and need special clothing for the travel portion.

most of the electronics I brought were perfect. I am so happy with the size of the asus eee, I’m overlooking the inconvenience of using windows.  also was happy I brought the lightweight camping towel, and my homemade silk sleep sack (why spend $65 when I have piles of scrap silk in my studio…so i have a patchwork sleepsack-  black, black & white polkadot, and purple…)

I’d also bring enough regular toothpaste so I don’t need to buy some suspect brand where the ingredients are all in thai!

and the things I overpacked…if I’d been traveling alone I probably would have read more, but as it was, I only read two books. and then I bought piles of blank books, and colored pencils and paper and sketching materials…which were used, to be sure.

so, the plan for next trip-  pack lighter, and plan to buy stuff in situ.  it’s hard to predict what will feel right, stylistically or functionally, in a new environment.  I could have stayed 3 months with only this small yellow backpack and the list above, and I wonder at the backpackers I see who are carrying packs that tower above their heads!

February 21, 2010 | brook
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new glasses


I had this mistaken idea that Thailand would be, you know, sort of third world compared to the US.  While there are elements of that, when viewed in full, the comfort and conveniences, as well as the modernity and cleanliness far exceed what I expect when traveling in american cities.  It’s just all for about 1/5th of the price of the US and the weather is perfect.

For example… my new glasses.  we walk by a shop, fall in love with a pair of frames.  I decide I want them, and the owner takes the prescription glasses I’m wearing, puts them in a little machine, reads the prescription, and within five minutes hands me my finished new glasses.  All for $140.

 

 

February 16, 2010 | brook
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street cat


caught on the streets of Bangkok…there are many semi-stray cats and dogs here…they are skinny and friendly, appear to be fed and, as in this case, decorated, but living on the streets.

February 16, 2010 | brook
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strange dessert


haven’t quite figured out what this is.  it’s a gelatineous thing made from a chinese plant and and it has an herbal flavor.  it’s served with ice cubes and brown sugar in all the markets.

February 10, 2010 | brook
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puppets


from the Chiang Mai sunday market.

February 10, 2010 | brook
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Chiang Mai Flower Festival

endless floats of  intricate sculptures completely covered in flowers.  More photos on flickr.

February 7, 2010 | brook
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big city

Bangkok is like a whirlwind; just crossing the road you’ve got to get into the flow.  The taxis are pink, green, and bright blue, and everywhere the little for-hire motorbikes and wagons are streaming. On every corner are food carts, with savories or fresh fruit.  All the fruit is amazing.

Shopping in the city ranged from intensely local street markets, like this amulet market, to metropolitan malls as stylish as any I’ve seen in the west, and filled with all the same brand names (from Hermes, Chanel, Gucci to Abercrombie & Fitch or Starbucks.)

The amulet market was a section of the city, a few blocks, devoted to selling small charms, deity figures, buddhas, and the like.  Technically, Buddhas can’t be sold, they can only be rented for religious purposes.

Inside the malls in the other part of town, prices are still lower than urban western cities, but only by about 30%.  Renee and I visited a grocery store within one of those giant mall complexes, and it was more elaborate and beautiful than any Whole Foods I’ve ever visited in america:  we walked around for an hour marveling at the variety (and entire aisle labeled “Chips, Cuttlefish, and Peas”?  how specific) , the piles of mysterious giant and colorful fruits, and the endless sweet samples provided on toothpick by smiling employees.

Renee has the food in Bangkok down to a science, and I like predictability, so we ate every morning at Ricky’s, a french/vietnamese/thai styled place that served western food, good coffee, and fresh fruit.  Every lunch and dinner was at one of the two Mai KaiDee locations.  Mai KaiDee, the owner, runs a fully vegetarian business, and when she heard from Renee that I was coming to town and mostly ate raw, she was excited to try out new raw dishes with us.  So, despite my plan to be flexible about food in Thailand, raw vegan has proved readily available, and amazingly delicious.

Mai KaiDee, who also does classic thai dances, impromptu, during dinner, may be opening up a location in the US-  if so, it will be incredible.  Her version of thai vegetarian is better than any I’ve ever tried in america.

February 6, 2010 | brook
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bangkok- and food.

despite quite a bit of travel anxiety, the trip itself, all 37 hours, was smooth and not over-tiring. eleven hours on a plane (LHR-BKK) passes fairly quickly, when one has good books and movies on demand.

Traveling with Renee, who knows the country quite well, is a treat.  She likes to eat the same way I do, and my twelve hours or so here have been nicely bracketed by excellent meals, all within a minute walk of the guest house.

it’s very sweet here.

eating vegan is easy in Bangkok, and I’m not worrying about eating raw (as my typical, I don’t trust raw food in restaurants most of the time.)  there is fresh fruit on every corner, and everything is soooo inexpensive.

We had an incredible dinner for two last night-  eight dollars. all vegan-  hot & sour soup, maki rolls with peanut sauce, veggie rolls with cashew sauce, mint tea, thai tea….

and calling the US only costs 3 cents per minute!

February 3, 2010 | brook
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