How Did You Get Started When You First Came Here?

[HouseHunter]

Just wondering how you get settled here when you first arrived.

New place, don't speak the language, it's all wierding me out a bit. I can head to a main restaurant, but kinda nervous about even going in a small one since I might not be able to actually order anything if someone doesn't apeak english =P

Did you learn thai fairly quick when you got here? If not, how did you actually figure out how to do stuff like finding nice cheap food, shopping centres, transport (probably should learn to ride a motor bike - but finding a place to learn will be a mission in itself) , a gym (yeah, i know there's a thread, but i have no idea about location and how far away any of them are to my aptmnt), etc.

Any tips on getting through the "no idea how to do anything" phase?

[Ulysses G.]

When many of us first came here, there were no gyms, shopping centers, decent foreign food, Go-Go bars, McDonalds, sushi joints.

You durn young whippersnappers are spoiled rotten!

[swain]

Just wondering how you get settled here when you first arrived.

New place, don't speak the language, it's all wierding me out a bit. I can head to a main restaurant, but kinda nervous about even going in a small one since I might not be able to actually order anything if someone doesn't apeak english =P

Did you learn thai fairly quick when you got here? If not, how did you actually figure out how to do stuff like finding nice cheap food, shopping centres, transport (probably should learn to ride a motor bike - but finding a place to learn will be a mission in itself) , a gym (yeah, i know there's a thread, but i have no idea about location and how far away any of them are to my aptmnt), etc.

Any tips on getting through the "no idea how to do anything" phase?

I hooked up with a hot university student who spoke english and knew her way around Chiang Mai. As she had a car, transport wasnt an issue. So find yourself a hot uni student with a car that speaks English and your wired.

I love Chiang Mai!!!!

[Blinky Bill]

Just wondering how you get settled here when you first arrived.

New place, don't speak the language, it's all wierding me out a bit. I can head to a main restaurant, but kinda nervous about even going in a small one since I might not be able to actually order anything if someone doesn't apeak english =P

Did you learn thai fairly quick when you got here? If not, how did you actually figure out how to do stuff like finding nice cheap food, shopping centres, transport (probably should learn to ride a motor bike - but finding a place to learn will be a mission in itself) , a gym (yeah, i know there's a thread, but i have no idea about location and how far away any of them are to my aptmnt), etc.

Any tips on getting through the "no idea how to do anything" phase?

I came on a 2 year contract back in the early 80's, didn't even know where Thailand was back then. I have continued to work here ever since along with a lot of work in the region and various other parts of the world.

Back then I met a local lady and fell madly in love (for 5 years anyway), seems to be a common affliction in Thailand, she knew her way around obviously. My work took me to many provinces throughout from east to west and north to south. Chiang Mai wasn't so bad but out in the sticks no-one spoke English. I made friends with a group of vintage motorcycle enthusiasts in Phitsanuloke, none of them spoke english, so began my lessons in Thai, although I have never taken formal Thai language lessons I am now considered to be quite fluent in the language.

As Ulysses said, back then there were no gyms, shopping centers, decent foreign food, Go-Go bars, McDonalds, sushi joints. You durn young whippersnappers are spoiled rotten! Too true.

Make an attempt to learn the language and don't be shy to use it. The Thai people will not be offended or hold it against you if you make mistakes. It's the best way to learn. Go into any of the small joints that tickle your fancy. You will come out again in one piece as long as you don't try to be a smart-ar_se.

Enjoy. It was and still is a great country.

[WaiWai]

A very useful site to get you started with Thai food is http://chanchao.fotopages.com/ .

It includes a Thai-English menu you can print out and take to restaurants.

Happy eating.

[meadish_sweetball]

Yep, I agree. Get cracking on the language and dont be shy.

[earlofwindermere]

My wife and I arrived here a year and a half ago not knowing anybody or the language. Our suggestions are the following:

1. Start language classes as soon as possible. This not only helps you feel more confident but it helps you meet people as well.

2. Join a club (like Hash House Harriers or the expats club), a church, a gym, etc so that you can meet other people.

3. Subscribe to the Chiang Mai Mail and the CityLife. While they may not be as good as newspapers back home, they help you get connected to what's happening.

4. Someone recommended us to visit the Raintree Resource Center. They have a green book that they give away that tells you how to do some of the basic things here (like where to pay your bills, how to get a driver's licence, who are good doctors, etc). I still have my copy and use it all the time.

Good luck. If we can make it, I'm sure you can as well.

[higgy88]

Basically you are just going to have to jump in and start swimming. If you find that you sink to the bottom and can't seem to get your head above water than maybe life here isn't for you. If/when you can start swimming then it gets much easier. The first thing that is an absolute necessity is to learn Thai numbers so you can deal with the money. As far as food goes, I prefered the places where the food was exposed so I could just point to what looked good. I also looked at what others were eating and tried to politely point to something that looked good. I still mostly communicate with sign language as I can understand Thai pretty well now but when I try to talk I just get a lot of blank looks. Pay very close attention to what others are doing and try to do the same. As far as transportation goes, I got a good map that showed the bus routes, and did my homework and studied it before I went somewhere. It is very difficult trying to tell a mini bus (converted pick-up aka songtaw) where you want to go, and I found the tuk-tuks to be too expensive. It was and still is a great adventure.

[Cyberstar]

Take your time ... Don't plan to do anything, but "hang around" for minimum 2-3 months ... Change hotel/guesthouse frequently to get a feel of various areas ... Don't hurry ... And - most importantly - Don't start to "invest" until you are sufficiently familiar with this country, to not have worries about entering small restaurants (or any other small Thai business) ... Not untill you've found some confidence in how to make your way around, should you fix your mind on Thailand as a permanent place to live ...

[john b good]

AUA (American Alumni Association) was an excellent place to learn the rudiments of speaking Thai.

As in everything it comes down to the teacher and their ability to impart the subject. And the make up of the class participants also has an influence.

As was mentioned earlier learning the numbering system (and the time system) is very helpful.

If you are not bringing any baggage (a wife) you can do a whole lot worse than sitting in a bar chatting to one (or all) of the young ladies just waiting therein for your attention.

If you want to take a pee she will tell you where the "hong naam" (the bathroom is)

If she says "ik krung ning" she will be telling you that she wants it one more time.

In no time at all you will be communicating like a native (well not quite perhaps)

[adjan jb]

When many of us first came here, there were no joints.

I have different memories.

[adjan jb]

a car that speaks English

[Ulysses G.]

Back then I met a local lady and fell madly in love (for 5 years anyway),

I used to think that she was really hot until someone introduced me to Blinky and I saw his size. After that, I was very good at restraining any amourous ideas I might have had previously!

[WaiWai]

Where's the American UA school ? Do they start with a heavy focus on phonology ? (I prefer not.)

Any recommendations for good schools near/in the city centre ?

[WaiWai]

If you are not bringing any baggage (a wife) you can do a whole lot worse than sitting in a bar chatting to one (or all) of the young ladies just waiting therein for your attention.

If you want to take a pee she will tell you where the "hong naam" (the bathroom is)

If she says "ik krung ning" she will be telling you that she wants it one more time.

Assuming the poster is a particular type of heterosexual male or homosexual female... ?

Otherwise, the "advice" is somewhat gratutitous.

[Blinky Bill]

Where's the American UA school ? Do they start with a heavy focus on phonology ? (I prefer not.)

Any recommendations for good schools near/in the city centre ?

American University Alumni (AUA)

73 Rajadamnern Road, Muang, Chiang Mai 50200

Tel: 278407

Fax: 211973

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://www.auathailand.org/chiangmai/

Best way to learn Thai is get amoung the locals....not necessarily bars as the staff there more often want to practise their english. Start with somewhere like AUA for the basics.

[john b good]

Where's the American UA school ? Do they start with a heavy focus on phonology ? (I prefer not.)

Any recommendations for good schools near/in the city centre ?

AUA is on Ratchadamnoen Road about 100 metres from Thapae Gate. You won't get anything much more central.

They have schools in a number of areas of Thailand and they use a very good syllabus.

If you progress through their books (one per six weeks, five days a week, two hours a day) and providing you have a good teacher (when I went it was Khun Malee for the first six weeks and then Khun Pimonwan) Both were excellent with quite different styles.

A very good place to start.

And don't forget the "homework" with a demimondame

[higgy88]

I took two classes at AUA. The first class was excellent and it was quite obvious that the teacher was really interested in trying to help us learn Thai. With my positive experience I signed up for the second class. That class sucked and it was quite obvious that the teacher would have really prefered to be doing something else. After that I never went back.

[HouseHunter]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I'll look around for language classes. That does seem the best way (short of finding a hot uni babe that is).

Also, thanks WaiWai for the thai-english menu. Huge help - now I can eat =)

[WaiWai]

And were the beginner classes heavy on phonology (working through the sounds of Thai, one by one ?). I prefer to get into communicative language early on, and can learn sounds by listening to a good model.

[WaiWai]

Also, thanks WaiWai for the thai-english menu. Huge help - now I can eat =)

I found it a great help, too, but am not the author. That's "chanchao", who posts in this forum - so you can thank him directly.

[meadish_sweetball]

And were the beginner classes heavy on phonology (working through the sounds of Thai, one by one ?). I prefer to get into communicative language early on, and can learn sounds by listening to a good model.

Unless you have been studying other East Asian languages successfully before, you might want to reconsider your approach with Thai.

Nobody thinks phonology is fun, but it really is crucial to make yourself understood here in Thailand, much more so than if you were learning Swedish, German, Greek or Portuguese, say from a French or English starting point.

The tone system and the vowel lengths and values are all phonemic and *very* important to get right if you want to be able to use the Thai words you learn.

Case in point:

บาร์ /baa/ (mid tone) = bar

บ้า /bâa/ (falling tone) = crazy

ป่า /pàa/ (low tone, unaspirated initial consonant) = jungle, forest

ป้า /pâa/ (falling tone, unaspirated initial consonant [the sound is like a hard b]) = aunt

พา /phaa/ (mid tone, aspirated initial consonant) = to bring/take (a person) with you

ผ้า /phâa/ (falling tone, aspirated initial consonant) = textiles, cloth

It will be possible to do it your preferred way too, but then you will only be able to communicate with people who have an excellent ability to listen through all the mistakes you'll make, until you sooner or later give up and realize you have to do phonology as well. Lots of foreigners do not bother with any kind of phonetics, and of those, the vast majority find it very difficult to talk to Thais on anything but a very basic level, using catch phrases. Some have the ear required to make sense of the phonology without a teacher, but most don't.

[WaiWai]

Understand what you are saying, meadish s, but that order just doesn't work for me. I know my optimal language learning ways well.

I need to have the satisfaction of making some sort of meaningful sentences, and some interation, FOLLOWED by correction, or I lose all motivation. I do also have the luck of a good ear, which does much of the phonological stuff automatically, if I have good listening models.

We're all different, particularly with a complex animal like language.

[HouseHunter]

Can anyone let me know where Rajadamnern Road, Muang is in one of these maps?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...ost&id=7224

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...ost&id=7225

[Blinky Bill]

Can anyone let me know where Rajadamnern Road, Muang is in one of these maps?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...ost&id=7224

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?ac...ost&id=7225

It's the one that runs into Thapae Gate if you are travelling from west to east. Montri Hotel is on the corner with Moon Muang Rd.

[earlofwindermere]

The first map actually has AUA on it.

The main horizontal road inside the pink square is Rajadamnern. The road starts at Tha Pae Gate. If you look closely, you'll see AUA on the road as well.

It's an interesting map - where did you get it? It uses la lot of andmarks (ie restaurants, schools, etc) that I've never seen listed on others (even though they're there).

[Cyberstar]

... Yes, adds a bit to (at least my) history knowledge ... E.g. the map tells which of the Tesco Lotus'er came first.

//edit: I'll bet there are posters around, who can date the map precisely (by the year) merely by studying it's details?

[binnsy]

get out and have a few beers chat to farang and get yourself a woman but watch your money or you may end up speaking thai and being skint at the same time

[john b good]

get out and have a few beers chat to farang and get yourself a woman but watch your money or you may end up speaking thai and being skint at the same time

"get yourself a woman" and you will be skint. Thats as sure as taxes and death,

[HouseHunter]

Cool, that's pretty close. Thanks.

Just for future reference, how would I go about finding where streets are?