Have You Eaten Rice Yet?

Sewatdee kha! Duan tulaakhom, pay thi Chiang Mai le rian pasathai gup Amanda ti AUA. Lao ga, klap ban ti Mae La Noi le rao paythiaw ti Doi Inthanon.

HELLO! This October, I went to Chiang Mai and learned Thai for a few weeks with Amanda at AUA. Then, we returned to Mae La Noi and travelled to Doi Inthanon.

I don't speak fluent Thai and will never perfect my prononciation of the beautiful Thai tones nor learn to read, but I did get to study Thai for two weeks in Chiang Mai with Amanda in October during Mae La Noi Daroonsik's break. It was intense, and just what we needed. Every day, we studied for four hours in private lessons. Our brains were exhausted each day with new vocabulary, grammar, and insights about how the Thai language might inform the way we teach.

Thai language is like a song. With five tones, the way you speak Thai makes all the difference. In English and Spanish, I speak emphatically. I get excited. In the Thai language, tone differentiates meaning. When we speak with students in English at school, one of the things I've noticed is they say things exactly as they've been taught--same tone, in all contexts. I also noticed a different in the use of subjects in a sentence. Oftentimes, the subjects are assumed in Thai. There is no need to use the pronoun 'I'; in fact even when a subject is used for emphasis the speaker will use their name or nickname in lieu of the pronoun.

One of my favorite tid-bits about the Thai language has to do with the greetings. The 'wai' in itself reveals a lot about the Thai culture of respect, but the accompanying greetings are incredibly endearing. The typical greeting across Mae La Noi is:

(wai)

Sewatdee kha/cup! Sabaidee mai? Kin khao rian?

Greetings! How are you? Have you eaten rice yet?

Rice is a central part of the diet in Thailand and especially in Mae La Noi, considering how many families work on rice farms. People in Mae La Noi are consistently concerned with the well being of all those around them. Asking "kin khao rian?" on top of the standard how are you reflects how deeply their care is rooted. Caring for one another is the norm, and is a part of why the community in Mae La Noi is so spectacular.

I will be moving around every few months after I leave Mae La Noi going from site to site. It will be impossible for me to learn to speak Vietnamese, the Shan language (spoken in the Paw Myar village), Khmer, Tagalog.... but I believe deeply that it's vital to try. It's a matter of respect and appreciation for the communities that are adopting me. Language is a part of culture. It reveals information about the values of those who claim it and allows balanced dialogues to happen. I hope to work with the students at each of the schools at some point and have them create language lessons for one another.

I am thankful for my lessons with Amanda in Chiang Mai and look forward to informally continuing the lessons in Mae La Noi.

On the weekends Amanda and I went on excursions. Here is a picture from our 46 km bike ride and 3 km hike in Chiang Rai. It was my first time on a bike since I was 11 (I learned when I wass 11) and I only fell into a bush once.

We made a new friend at the famous 'White Temple'.