One in the Bag
Last Friday, we completed our first month of language school. So, that’s one down and at least 5 more to go. I really think that we are getting the hang of this language, and it seems (right now, at least) to be getting easier to learn the more we do it. These first two modules (the second of which we started today) focus purely on speaking the language. We are learning Thai, right now, through an effective English phonetic system that helps us understand how to pronounce the various Thai consonant and vowels, as well as the different tones (high, low, mid, raising and falling). If you’d like to be throughly confused even more about the language, check out this link.
We’ve also finished our fifth Saturday teaching English at Somprasong 4. Our number of students, as of late, are dwindling a little bit, but that was expected. Typically, as we start to teach, there is a good bit of excitement from those who want to come and learn. But as the lessons progress, we’ve noticed that the ones who really put in an effort are the ones who stay around until the end. I estimate that by the end of this first 3 month session, we’ll still have about 50% of the students still coming regularly; still a really nice amount of people.
This coming Saturday, we’re not holding class. In fact, this entire week we’ve pretty much got this place to ourselves, as most of the young Christians left Sunday evening to attend a Bible camp together in one of the southern providences. They’ll be gone all week, coming back late on Saturday. We’d already scheduled a break in the lessons, thinking that we would be going with them this week, but now that we’re attending language school every weekday, we decided to stay. It’ll be nice to finally have a day where we don’t have to be learning a language (M-F), teaching a language (Sat), or trying to translate a language (Sun). I think we’re planning on going to the zoo.
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Thanks for the update, Neale. Sounds like things are progressing well. Glad you’re getting a little bit of a break.
Hope you got to go to the zoo. Are you understanding more when you’re out in public? Our recent experience in Spain demonstrated to me how bewildering and tiring it is to be constantly bombarded by a language you don’t understand. So glad you’re spending the time to learn the language, even though it sounds really difficult.
Love to you both.