Rionoir

You do not need a degree to register for the Chula course.

You can take their placement exam if you'd like to join in the higher levels, but I might caution you to choose carefully what course you enter... I've got someone in my current class at Chula who skipped a couple levels, and he is very far behind in some areas even though his vocabulary is ok. It might be worth taking a lower level course than you think you can handle, even if it just turns out to be a review... because it's very very hard to play catch up in an intensive language course.

I believe there is a program called "thai typing tutor" that you can download for free... that's what I used and learned the keys in one evening.

eek... it's what I posted right above your question. It's written like 1, but it is just pronounced with siang saaman.

Go for the L... seems most of the Thais do anyway, you'll fit right in.

Wow I've never had this problem, but then again if I'm somewhere that they can speak English I will just let them speak English to me. I assume at a bank they really don't want to take any chances that you make a mistake with your Thai and perform the wrong transaction or something... just a thought. I don't think that's a good place to "try out" your Thai. heh

And I also understand Thais switching to English when my Thai starts to get a little crummy... because I do the same to my friends when their English gets bad. LoL Some of my friends our language levels are about on par with each other, and it's easiest for us to communicate by switching back and forth as necessary since neither of us has perfect command of the other language... (yet!)

Anyway my experience is probably exactly the opposite of yours... maybe you should take some long taxi rides. I swear if you say anything at all to those taxi drivers in Thai they will assume you are fluent and talk your ear off the entire trip!

I just checked with a couple Thai friends on MSN... if you spell it out, you would write ที่หนึ่ง ... but it is usually pronounced นึง (level tone)... I know it was written phonetically in my textbook as the spoken version (นึง), but I bet if I go back and look the thai next to it probably was หนึ่ง.

Isn't it หนึ่งที่ ...but if you put ที่ first the second word is not หนึ่ง it is นึง ... it is not pronounced the same. So you would say ที่นึง with level tone. Small difference but can be noticeable.

If it truly doesn't bother you, then you wouldn't be posting the same comment over and over and over. The fact is, not being certain about sexual orientation really ISN'T a big deal... it may seem like a big deal to a straight guy who is still reeling from his hb being transgenered, but... it's just not. Not even a little... all it means is that she won't be having much sex until she figures it out. And again... why are you taking this as an issue that has anything to do with you? heh Her sex life really isn't your concern man.

Oh, and there are also allllllll kinds of people who sleep with TG individuals... it's not just a freak fetish or something.

Transgender and sexual preference aren't related other than the fact that they are lumped into GLTB. Being gay or straight has to do with who you want to get naked with... but transgender is when someone, a male in this case, feels like he was "supposed to be" a woman, and in his mind he feels like he IS a woman... but he just doesn't have the woman parts on the outside.

This isn't your issue to worry about... why do you say, "if he is bi, that's fine..." ??? That's fine? And what if he likes dudes? What if he likes chicks? It's not in ANY WAY anything that needs your APPROVAL. He needs your SUPPORT regardless of who he decides to sleep with. But just know that that decision is independent of his TG status, and who other TG people sleep with is also irrelevant, as there are gay TG, bi TG, and straight TG.

...and I was being sarcastic, just for the record.

I agree with elkangorito... perhaps you were fired because your online postings aren't formal enough...

Some of you must be a real joy to date when you can "know" so much about a person based on one or two instances...

In English even straight guys sometimes call each other "women" or other such words when they are acting less than masculine... I assume that in Thai they can use these words in the same way? Could be nothing more than that.

Either way it beats having to do an entire degree to get legal.

There is something really wrong with this statement. Unfortunately, forum rules forbid me to go into further detail. Oh, what the heck! Let's legalize all the uneducated and make them teachers! Just what we need to drive down wages (who would pay my salary, when a degreeless person would work for 1/3 of it).

LoL You're on the wrong forum wang... you must've mistyped Ajarn.

Well that sounds great to me, thanks for explaining that. I don't mind doing the culture course at all, I think I might even find it interesting unless it's just really poorly done. Either way it beats having to do an entire degree to get legal.

Well I won't get too excited until it actually works as they say it does, but... it's nice to see something that makes sense coming out in terms of new rules.

Is a teacher's license good for any school one applies for? Or is it employer-specific like a work permit? The way I understand things, being able to get a teacher's license means it SHOULD be easier for a non-degree holder to get a WP, correct?

I think it's possible to congratulate someone else for taking such a big step, even if I wouldn't want to take the step myself. If one of my friends had a sex change operation that they had been saving up for for years, I would congratulate them, even if I don't want an operation myself.

So what if you don't get it... it isn't your decision to get nor do you have to live with the consequences.

I just have to giggle when I read the original post... I think it is those kind of quirks that make dating a thai guy so funny sometimes... even if it is so frustrating at the moment! Hang in there, we all feel for ya.

hahahahaha

No answer for you, but how is Walen going for you?

I agree that an application with bad spelling and grammar is a no no... but could it also be that someone is looking extremely hard for flaws in every application too? Based on what I'm reading lately, you should be grateful to be getting any applicants that have a real bachelors degree.

I am 30 y/o american and I get hit on regularly at DJ by other farang. This is apparently hard for some people to believe, but not all farang are in Thailand to find young BFs... some people actually enjoy the city, and some are there because they have a very good job... whatever the reasons, it is very possible. I would stay stick to DJ to find westerners... Silom isn't just where farang go to find Thai, it is also where farang know they will find other farang.

Good luck!

otherwise why not just start at "A" and keep looking until you reach "Z!" Practicality is right!

I know you are trying to be sarcastic, but why NOT start at A and keep looking until you reach Z??? There's no rule that says you have to date everyone you meet more than one time, and you certainly don't have to bring them all home with you... but the more people you meet the more likely you are to find the right one. I'll tell you what... sometimes the greatest relationships come with those people that you think you are going to have nothing in common with.

PB got it all right... I think if most of us would actually meet the person we would create for ourselves, we'd be bored silly!

Sure Mark, I'll write a letter to whoever you want letting them know that you are in BKK doing volunteer work!