Ears and Samurai — fun with language
The other day we got into groups to create mini-skits that had some values in them. In my skit I was some sort of Zen master and a samurai comes looking for answers. He asks:
“If there is a heaven or hell I want to know them” (the only problem was the Samurai was played by a Brazilian just learning English, so she kept saying “if there is heaven or health I want to know.” In our practices she kept saying it over and over and we’d laughed so much that by the time we performed, even though it wasn’t even that funny, I had to muster all my inner calm to keep my pavlovian reaction under control and not laugh as she said “helllll.” Anyway in the skit the zen master (me) insults the samurai by questioning his legitimacy, which provokes great anger, and just as the samurai draws his sword the master says, referring to the anger “this is your hell” – understanding his error, the samurai prostrates himself infront of the master, at which time the master says, “this is your heaven.” Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked. Mike’s skit was hilarious and involved Yamini being a beautiful women who gets in an accident. Somewhere along the line he is compliment her eyes, which he refers to as “Dew Eyes,” we all laughed as she fluttered her big eyes. A similarly entertaining discussion ensued as I watch Mr. Peru (JC) hold his ears when Ms. Brazil (Maristela) said ears when referring to years which he corrected and said they are pronoucned Jears.
Of course, though I have fun listening to these people, the four of us from the US are the butt of many jokes, besides political (actually those are made by us, and Dr. Jumsai who in almost every lecure ends up apologizing to us). While I’m on the subject of languages, a quick note on the names here. Everyone has nicknames, which even their teachers call them. These include: Mint, Friend, Boom, Pong, James (who is called Jame), Angie (I’m referred to in Thai not as Teacher Lima or Nilima but as Angie’s teacher because she is so attached, well, was, now she just hugs me and moves on), her sister goes by Bianca even though they are half India, half-Thai, but I guess I can’t begrudge them extra-cultural names. Then, my personal favorite nickname: Foremost. Foremost is the brand of the some cartooned milk here, so maybe that’s where they got the name. The other day Loraine got slightly flustered describing these nicknames to us. She said that the kid’s real names are beautiful, spiritual names with meanings like ‘the sun that brings light to the soul” but that the parents then give them nicknames, like Mommen, which means messy (a girl i apparently resemble). Because Thai is a tonal language, Loraine explained, she cannot say these nicknames with any expression in her voice or will change the meaning. For example, if someone’s name was Kevin, in English, if you were annoyed you could say KeVINNN, but to do the equivalent in Thai would be to change the meaning.
Tags: Thailand, Travel
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