Learning Thai in Japanese
January 16th, 2006I’ve read all the message boards about Thailand, learned about earplugs, dyed skin, and the tip to pick up a little Thai before you go. Luckily, in my Japanese kanji class there is a Thai guy. I jumped on the opportunity to hear that golden pronunciation straight from the source. I just finished my first official Thai lesson and found it to be a fun, new language with absolutely beautiful writing. The one problem is that Maku-san doesn’t speak much English. This was my first experience learning a new language in a foreign tongue. Halfway through our chat I realized just how far I’d come with my Japanese. I couldn’t believe what I was doing. Languages are a blast!
When I say languages are fun, I can’t overstate this enough. What’s better than talking to people? This is why I am constantly frustrated with my students of English. “Muzukashi”(difficult), is by far the most spoken Japanese word in my classes. So I’ve made a rule. That word is forbidden. Why? Because it’s a stupid thing to say. Of course learning a new language is difficult. Languages are obviously difficult. The focus should not be on how difficult they are, but on the rewards of learning a new skill. And what is more rewarding than sitting down and having an international, cross-cultural conversation? My students who finish a tough lesson and respond by saying “omoshiroi”(interesting), learn English twice as fast as the nay-sayers. Those stuck on the difficulty of the task have already defeated themselves. It goes without saying that I’m in the “interested” camp and don’t plan on moving. Call me stuck up but defeatist thinking pisses me off. Next year we’ll see if I can learn Russian in Thai. I’ll keep you posted.
The trip preparation stage drags on. Three weeks from today I’ll be sitting on a plane to Bangkok!
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