It made my Xmas Day.

An old Thai man walked up to me and in regular speed, regular Thai asked:"The bus stop is over there but you're standing over here. There's nobody over there... Is this where the bus stops...?"

I answered him and he contendly waited for the bus. He didn't act surprised, he didn't compliment my Thai, he just .... Understood.

Bliss. No forethought, no pretend-to-not-understand-farang-so-i-can-practice-English.... Just an everyday chat.

When are your moments of language bliss?

Very, very nice!

One day i gave a bum(real bum ) a B1000 note because i felt doing this made me feel better.

While being distracted by his own amazement he managed to give me a wai and i understood him.

That was my thai language bliss.

My first one was when I was at a Thai restaurant in the US waiting near the counter for my order to go. The guy at the counter dropped the pen and it fell behind a little statue on the counter. The phone rang and a different guy picked it up, looked for the pen to take the order, then turned to the back and asked in Thai where the pen was so I picked it up and handed to him and replied "นี่ครับ". I wish I could have taken a picture of the dumbstruck look on the guys face.

My level of Thai was really low at the time but I was was able to understand him and give the correct reply.

Pointing to the menu where the real price was in Thai.

The first time you understood a Thai calling you 'it' while talking about you to another Thai?

Dont know if it was blissful, more like a pain in the ass.

I was supposed to meet a friend, we were talking on the phone about where he was waiting for me.

He told me he was under a sign that said USA, me like an idiot start looking for signs saying USA, back on the phone again, where are you exactly, under the USA sign, well I cant see any, tell me another sign, cant read Thai dont know.

When I eventually found him, this is what he was standing under,

I like an idiot read it as Breeze.

Very, very nice!

One day i gave a bum(real bum ) a B1000 note because i felt doing this made me feel better.

While being distracted by his own amazement he managed to give me a wai and i understood him.

That was my thai language bliss.

Where do you live ? l will dig out my old holed Levi's and T shirt.

Very, very nice!

One day i gave a bum(real bum ) a B1000 note because i felt doing this made me feel better.

While being distracted by his own amazement he managed to give me a wai and i understood him.

That was my thai language bliss.

Where do you live ? l will dig out my old holed Levi's and T shirt.

Naah, you'd probably look too good

Very, very nice!

One day i gave a bum(real bum ) a B1000 note because i felt doing this made me feel better.

While being distracted by his own amazement he managed to give me a wai and i understood him.

That was my thai language bliss.

Where do you live ? l will dig out my old holed Levi's and T shirt.

Naah, you'd probably look too good

Nooooo, l wear the Levi's as a hat and the T as under pants, noooooooooo troooooooousers.

Very, very nice!

One day i gave a bum(real bum ) a B1000 note because i felt doing this made me feel better.

While being distracted by his own amazement he managed to give me a wai and i understood him.

That was my thai language bliss.

Where do you live ? l will dig out my old holed Levi's and T shirt.

Naah, you'd probably look too good

Nooooo, l wear the Levi's as a hat and the T as under pants, noooooooooo troooooooousers.

Thats worth B1000 to me right there.

Pointing to the menu where the real price was in Thai.

The first time you understood a Thai calling you 'it' while talking about you to another Thai?

Realizing how childish it is to live with chips like this on your shoulder.