kunjet
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Posts posted by kunjet
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i'm getting myself a kindle for xmas and deciding between with or without 3g
i was wondering what people's experiences were with the 3g in thailand to do simple things like check email, facebook, or google maps
also, if you have any experience with the "Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers" please let me know
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an even stronger indicator: good shoes matched to an equally good belt
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Ayudhya, my Thai bank, always charges me 150THB for withdrawls with US banks, and then my US bank charges me what their international fees are ($1.50-$9.50).
I tried getting an international account at Citibank, which has a location on Sathorn, to get away from such fees, only to find out later that international does not mean the bank is international, but that they have banks in many nations. So my USA Citibank account actually charges me more to take money out from a Citibank ATM in Thailand than my non-Citibank account. Lame. The only benefit is that they allow a 30,000 THB withdrawal. I checked with HSBC and they have the same kind of policy. International banks under the same name/logo are considered different banks in different countries.
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I have used Ensogo vouchers many times and I'm still purchasing them regularly. The service has always been the same as if I didn't have a voucher.
I've tried it several times now without a problem (mostly restaurants), though one time they forgot to calculate the voucher out of the bill. But I have one friend who purchased a voucher and the company did not honor it (was for private lessons and they said it could only be used for a class). He contacted ensogo and they would not respond.
My only complaints: sometimes it takes a really long time for them to verify the voucher (like 20 minutes) and my page on ensogo never shows when a voucher is used. All the vouchers I have used, even over a month ago, still show up on my page as available for use, so the sorting feature is of no use and if you don't remember which ones you have used, the site will be of no use. I have no idea what would happen if you showed up with an already used voucher...
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Hi Kunjet
The details you have quoted and Lopburi's reply
are applicable to students studying Thai at Thai Language SCHOOLS.
The Classes are normally just 4 hours a week to qualify for a Visa.
And those schools are saying that the Initial Visa can be extended
every 90 days for up to FIVE years.
Is that YOUR situation?
You say you are studying Thai at Chula
Is Chula a University?
Are you doing a Degree Course?
If so the Immigration Officer you spoke to might have been wrong in your case
I would have expected a Degree Course student to be given an extension of 9 months.
Bill
I studied in the Intensive Thai program at Chula Uni, but it is not a degree program. I found out later that immigration has special rules for ED visas since many students drop out. So you still have to do 90 day check-in/pay for an extension and give them documentation that you are still enrolled in good standing...
@lopburi3. Leaving every 90 days is definitely more expensive, but I felt like I got something out of it rather than just handing over cash for a stamp in the passport. I ended up deciding to make several trips and they were all worthwhile, and i got special deals on airasia to places like taipei for just over 2400THB roundtrip. One time I did a border run to Cambodia for 2000THB. Takes half a day, but with a buffet lunch and duty free purchases, well worth the 100THB more than I would have just handed over to immigration.
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I currently have internet through my apartment building, which absolutely sucks, and they charge 600B/month for it. It constantly is down, never meets the 2mb speed promised, and does not allow download of large files. My last place I used a wireless service called Value WiFi which was 500B for 4mb speed / unlimited.
I also have a Blackberry Bold 9700 which I can use as a tethered modem. I have an unlimited data plan on AIS Thai GSM. But, where I live, in Petchaburi soi 5, near Phaya Thai BTS, I only get EDGE speed, which is slower than the apartment internet. There is no AIS or 3BB hot spot close enough for me to connect into with the phone.
I will be here 3 more months and would like to have a system that can connect to two devices simultaneously.
I've read some posts recently about the huawei sim usb modem on
which says it can connect 5 devices and is fast on the river in bkk. Is this available at Pantip or MBK? Anyone knows about how much it costs and what kinds of sim / plans it can be used with? I previously used an aircard in the USA that fits in the slot on the side of the laptop (verizon) but am not familiar with the huawei MiFi modems.
There have also been posts about 3G unlimited net sim on TOT to use with it http://www.iec3g.com/web/page.php?page=pro_prepaid&prepaid=unlimitedsim
My question is: if I currently am only getting EDGE on my Blackberry, would that be the same speed I get in my area with any of these other devices? Or would other networks like TOT potentially be better?
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What is against culture? If many people are practicing a certain behavior, isn't it culture?
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sorry, the site kept coming up error but ended up posting
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@CaptHaddock: if you want to get in touch with the graduate who did translation (he has since moved back to the states), private message your email to me and I can forward it to him.
Glad my post was helpful and good luck to everyone on learning Thai! Even learning a little bit changes your life in Thailand drastically.
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@CaptHaddock: if you want to get in touch with the graduate who did translation (he has since moved back to the states), private message your email to me and I can forward it to him.
Glad my post was helpful and good luck to everyone on learning Thai! Even learning a little bit changes your life in Thailand drastically.
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@CaptHaddock: if you want to get in touch with the graduate who did translation (he has since moved back to the states), private message your email to me and I can forward it to him.
Glad my post was helpful and good luck to everyone on learning Thai! Even learning a little bit changes your life in Thailand drastically.
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@CaptHaddock: if you want to get in touch with the graduate who did translation (he has since moved back to the states), private message your email to me and I can forward it to him.
Glad my post was helpful and good luck to everyone on learning Thai! Even learning a little bit changes your life in Thailand drastically.
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Does anyone have experience with this website? http://www.ensogo.com/thailand/bangkok/
The post on TV sounds more like an ad: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/442245-ensogo-style-groupon-website/
I keep seeing banner ads for it but have been weary of it because I have never purchased things online in BKK nor used vouchers. Will I be treated differently if I show up somewhere with a voucher from here and they know I paid half the usual price? Has anyone had problems with identity theft/credit card fraud after using a site like this?
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Found this great chart of fruit seasonality in Thailand: http://www.relishthai.com/fruits-season-in-thailand/
Where do you think is the best place to go fruit shopping in Bangkok?
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RE: I am interested in the Chula program as well. How are you doing with the 800 new words per 5 week course? Can you really master 30 new words per day? I have experienced an intensive language course, but we didn't approach that rate of acquiring vocabulary.
I only acquired the vocabulary that I incorporated into my life. I just ignored royal words and most vocabulary that dealt with abstract concepts in religion. The students who spent 4 hours a day doing homework would remember most of them but I was not one of these students. One of the students in my class went to tutoring at SUMAA after class (see below), where they would make flash cards for the vocabulary and go over the readings.
Once you get to Basic 3 class is basically a spelling quiz first thing, then, going over readings that are handed out the previous evening with a vocab list. In Basic 3 the readings are often modified from the stories that the teachers themselves learned with in school (a bit outdated, they are no longer in the Thai curriculum but older Thai folks seem to be very nostalgic about them-e.g. when the canals were clear, when cigarettes and coffee were strange new items in the market). After that the readings are basically xeroxes of modified newspaper articles on a wide variety of topics (e.g. animals, the economy, new inventions) and Thai beliefs (i.e. religion, royalty).
The student who was perhaps best at spelling and vocabulary would re-write the entire readings the night before we did the readings in class. The vocabulary list comes with no definitions, so you have to figure out the definition from context, which is a good practice, but at the same time I think they should give an official definition as well since sometimes we will use the word when another one with a different connotation would be more appropriate. After the basic level classes, such distinctions were up to you to figure out.
I also don't watch Thai TV news or read Thai newspapers, which would have been helpful to retain this vocabulary, but I don't watch TV in general nor read newspapers in general so it doesn't fit with my lifestyle. Also, sometimes when you try out this vocabulary, people give you that "huh" expression, most often because the word is too formal for the situation.
RE: I am especially interested in reading and writing because I think, in the long run, the student learns such things as sentence structure more thoroughly that way and I like to read. However, I am disappointed that their focus on reading & writing comes at the expense of speaking and listening practice. Do you speak Thai in your daily life? Since my wife is Thai, I am wondering if daily conversation with her and her circle would fill in this gap? What is your experience? Also, since I expect to remain in Thailand after the course, I would expect to develop those skills in the long run anyway.
All "formal" teaching, where they give you a book or hand-outs of grammatical structure, ends with Intensive 1. I was told by one of the instructors that there would be more in Intensive 2 but there was not. I had to actually stop after Int 1 because I would miss too many classes in Int 2, so I just bought the materials for that class and asked my friends what was going on. I was planning to take the exam and continue with my cohort but in the end did not feel prepared to take the exam.
Most of the grammar teaching comes as asides when reading material. An instructor will point out a sentence and say: note that…. There is one grammar booklet (which reviews several issues like classifiers that have already been encountered in the readings) they give you in Int 1 and hand-outs, but most of the grammar, like everything else in the program, is taught with bare bones materials. That is, the grammar hand out will not explain anything but rather give some examples, then in class the instructor will explain the form. This was particularly frustrating for me in Basic 2, when all the rules of reading/writing Thai are explained, because when I missed class, there was nothing I could refer to. You either have to ask a classmate or figure it out later in class when it comes up again or buy a real textbook. You cannot learn from the materials they provide without a teacher / classmate explaining it to you. But you get used to Thai grammar from repeatedly encountering it. It is a waste of money if you know you have to miss regularly, which is why I stopped. There are a couple good grammar books you can get at Kinokuniya at Paragon.
After I knew I would not be able to attend Int 2, I started going to SUMAA (www.sumaa.net), which uses a modified and shorter version of the Chula curriculum. It's in Sathorn Soi 1/Soi Goethe, right across from Goethe Insitute. The course cost is the same per hour as Chula, but the individual tutoring is more. Many post-Chula students go there. The curriculum is more up to date, but you won't have a class cohort. I have sent many people there since I think the teachers are strong (I suggest you ask for rotation to get different accents and styles) but the curriculum is flexible. In fact, if you follow their full-time program, you may be the only student, which some people like. I first started by following the Int 2 Chula curriculum but then switched to articles that were of interest to me. This was much better, I thought, for learning since the material was of interest to me and I might actually have a discussion with someone about it. I did this for another 120 hours, but then felt that this method (reading articles and translating them) is really limiting for me. So I stopped. I can read and look up words on my own, though it is always more motivating for me to have a scheduled meeting with someone sitting across the table from you.
For me, using Thai in daily life supplemented with formal instruction and self-study is the best way to learn. From my original Chula cohort of around 45 students, around 6 graduated, a couple other people came in at different times and also graduated. One worked as a translator after. A couple had to graduate because their work for Japanese/Korean companies required it. Two were pursuing graduate studies in anthropology (as I am doing). By the time they graduated, their reading was really good and they could write a short paper in Thai. By contrast, the longest document I've written in Thai is one page and my reading vocabulary is quite limited. But my speaking was much better than most of them because I use Thai in daily life. It seemed especially difficult for the students who came with their partners/families from abroad to incorporate Thai into daily life. I also had to use Thai for some of my educational/research activities. I have given lectures for phd classes at Mahidol on topics like globalization and cultural phenomenology and delivered a conference paper in Thai. On the other hand, my best friend from the cohort who graduated and now works for a Thai company doesn't even speak to me in Thai anymore because she doesn’t use it.
I would suggest you try to speak Thai to your wife as much as possible in everyday life. If this is difficult, maybe you can try an hour without English first. Once you have some basic vocabulary you can always ask in Thai: What is this called? What does this mean? Can you explain the meaning of that word/sentence to me? I think one reason why I do ok is that I’m not afraid of making mistakes. Just try saying something and put it out. If it’s wrong, someone will hopefully correct you or suggest a better way to say it. And, in my experience, no-one ever gets mad at me, even if I saw things that could come off as offensive, since they know I am a foreigner and are happy that I am trying to learn Thai. They always say it is ม่ารักand laugh. I’m Korean (เกาหลี gao lii) and no one has ever gotten upset about things like when I mistakenly called myself a chair (เก้าอี้ gao ii) or an itchy pussy (เกาหี gao hii). With your wife’s friends you can just try to follow their conversations and later get in on them. You can also introduce topics, so you can focus on something, like a holiday, news item, or film. I’ve met many foreigners who have been married in Thailand over 20 years and still cannot string two sentences together. Don’t think you Thai will just improve from immersion, you probably need to supplement it with other kinds of learning. Although most of my friends are foreigners, I try to be in Thai-speaking situations as much as possible. The other day I was in a taxi with two foreigner friends and a Thai. One of my friends suggested we go to a specific bar, and he said: they speak English well there. My response was that I didn’t need to leave America to speak English with Thai people, better to go somewhere else. I also have Thai friends who want to practice English, so I'll do things like: I will speak to you in Thai only and you will speak to me in English only. You could also ask you wife to only respond to requests made in Thai ;p
RE: May I ask why you chose the Chula program? Do you expect to be in Thai academia? As far as I can it, Chula's seems to be the only intensive program in BKK. Is that correct?
I am from the US and received a government grant to study Thai. The Chula program is basically the only one that you can apply for in Thailand. Otherwise, you can take classes at several US universities, the Defense Language Institute, or at the summer FLAS program (a program for lesser taught foreign languages in the US). Chula is the only Thai program in Thailand that many US universities will accept credit for and the one of the few that is recommended by university level Thai teachers and scholars on Thailand (the runner-up is AUA). There are currently two university-level Thai textbooks from the US with Thai Language and Culture for Beginners (Yuphaphann Hoonchamlong 2007 U of Hawaii Press) being the more advanced one.
I don't know about the other 2 program mentioned in the posts above. As far as I know, Chula is the only intensive program in BKK, although one could conceivably create one at many of the other schools. Mahidol requires Thai for their undergraduate inter students and have published a very basic book that is now available in bookstores. Thammasat also has a program but I have not heard anything about it, just seen the banner when I’ve been on campus. I've never been, but the few people I know who have gone, generally did not like the method at Walen, which also offers advanced classes. One of my friends also complained that the students were unmotivated, in that they were just there for ED visas and bar girl talk. In sum, I think that the Chula program has the best reputation and goes to the most advanced level, but it is limited and expensive compared to other programs. Different people also have different learning styles, so creating a balanced plan for learning and finding a good school/personality match I think is the most important.
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Tod-daniels,
I found the program at Srinakharinwirot here: http://www.swu.ac.th...hailanguage.asp But the details are scant. They offer two courses, Level I which is 200 hours and Level II which is 100 hours. They don't indicate the number of hours of classroom time per week. The cost is half of Chula's program, per classroom hour: Chula's fee is 25,000 baht per five week session with 20 hours of class time per week. Srinakharinwirot's fee is 25,000 for the the 200 hours of Level I and 12,500 for the 100 hours of level II.
I was unable to find the Ramkhamhaeng intensive Thai program online. Do you have a link for it or would you post the details?
I assume the level of instruction at Srinakharinwirot is comparable to Chula. The main advantage of the Chula program is its scope: it comprises nine sessions, each five weeks (100 hours) in length. So, the Chula program is 900 hours compared to 300 for the Srinakharinwirot. There is no shortage of introductory Thai courses around. It's the higher level courses that are scarce. My own goal is to achieve the highest level of proficiency in the shortest time possible.
As for the private language schools teaching Thai using their own home-grown, breakthrough (and amateurish) teaching methods, I have no interest. The principles of second language acquisition are well-understood and university programs can be expected to incorporate them. There is no royal road to fluency.
When I visited Chula I spoke with one of the teachers of the intensive Thai program who spoke completely fluent English. (It is unclear from your description who it was that you spoke with, but the English proficiency of the support staff is of zero interest to me in evaluating the program.) From my discussions with this teacher and also from a posting on Thaivisa from an American (sent by the US govt) who completed the whole nine sessions, I understand that many of the students are young Japanese managers sent by their companies to become fluent for their management roles in Thailand. This is an endorsement by the US govt and Japanese companies, for whom the proficiency of their employees matters a lot. The teacher pointed out that the Japanese managers expect to get 100 on every exam. So, these are the kind of highly motivated students with high standards whom I want in the classes with me.
The cost of the Chula program at about USD 7500 for the one year is within the range of those in an American university. It is clearly the surest way to achieve a high degree of proficiency in a year. It might be possible to achieve a comparable result at a lower cost with other means, but I don't see any actual examples of this. If I could not afford the Chula program I would take the Srinakharinwirot program and look around for a way to continue study after that. For me, the Chula cost seems small as a preparation for essential competence in the next phase of my life, retirement in Thailand.
CaptHaddock, sorry for not replying to your question in the previous thread, but I don't go on the forum often. I will answer your Qs here since it is probably more relevant on this thread now.
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Check these two threads if you haven't already:
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it hasn't happened in a while, but there was a period last year where almost every time i ordered a bottle of red (johnnie walker) at a club i got a bottle of black, and the server would uncap it immediately and when i pointed out that it was a bottle of black he would say, sorry, but i can not take it back now that it is open or my manager will be really mad at me if you send it back or they will deduct it from my salary if you send it back...
earlier this year there was a period of about two weeks when it seemed that every taxi ride i took, the driver did something wrong and it always cost me: like when going to RCA from where i live on phetchaburi road, the driver would speed past the small soi that connects to RCA and then say, oh, i am sorry, i passed the entrance, which required a really long loop around different sets of roads to get back to the same spot or required going up to Pra Ram 9 to enter RCA from there, which is exactly what i tell them not to do when i get in the cab since it is must shorter and faster to go through the back entrance...
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i'm looking for charities that accept usable but unwanted clothing and household items in bangkok, preferably one that will pick up as well
i live in the ratchathewi area
please note that i am buddhist and prefer not to donate to christian groups
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I am planning to do some traveling around Songkran time. As far as I know the official dates for Songkran are 13-15 April. I have seen posts that the main dates in Pattaya are 18-19. Are there any other cities with different main dates? Is there a site where this information is easily accessible? Are the dates the same in Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia?
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This is something that has puzzled me about Thai guys who sell sex. They are not hardened like people who sell sex in other parts of the world. Any ideas on this?
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Best wishes, hoping you can spend long lives together and meet again in your next life.
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I have heard that in the Vietnam War era, Thai children who were half American were discriminated against. But when I watch tv or look at models, it seems like half-farang (ลูกครึ่ง) Thai children are considered the most beautiful. Does anyone know of any sources that discuss either issue and the change that occurred?
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just read the post:
i live in petchaburi soi 5
moved to a new apartment which charges 600B/mo for internet
but downloads are limited to 25kb/s and after around 25mb the system cuts you off so i can not download large files like video clips
also, the system does not allow any torrents at all
i was paying much less before for 3mb so kinda frustrated
i am thinking of using an air card instead of paying for the apartment internet, but not sure how good this will be
i had an iphone (until it was stolen last weekend) and the edge on ais was constantly going in and out so the battery would be wiped out overnight doing nothing
any suggestions?
Looking For A Term Or Phrase Similar To Kawaii Or Aegyo In Thai.
in Thai Language
Posted
I know I've run across descriptions on postjung but I can't find them now. I'm looking for a term or phrase similar to the Japanese kawaii or the Korean aegyo. Not cute like น่ารัก but like a syrupy sweet infantalizing cute, where girls wearing big eye contacts make various poses.