Archive for 'Intermediate'
Emergency Preparedness Kit Vocabulary Posted by palmisano on Oct 28, 2011
As the floods slowly move onto Bangkok, Facebook has been filling up with information about the floods. As I grew up in the US, emergency preparedness was something you learned since childhood. To us, it’s really just common sense. Although massive flooding happens every year in Thailand, Bangkok floods only about once every 10-15 years…
A Flood of Vocabulary Posted by palmisano on Oct 27, 2011
Given the considerable amount of media attention on the very serious flooding that’s going on as I’m writing this, it would be very useful for you to communicate your thoughts on flooding in Thai.
Provinces in Thailand Posted by palmisano on Oct 26, 2011
There are 77 provinces (jung1wat2 จังหวัด) in Thailand . . . actually, considering the large concentrated Thai population in Los Angeles, many joke LA is the 78th province of Thailand.
Election Related Vocab Posted by palmisano on Aug 18, 2011
Not too long ago Thailand had a very important election for the new Prime Minister. It was a very charged/heated election – to put it nicely. If you’re like me, you would be following Thai politics carefully and find yourself trying to explain (impose?) your version of democracy to everyone else. To help you with…
The Stereotypical Thai Gender Roles Posted by palmisano on Aug 10, 2011
In every culture there are stereotypes for guys and stereotypes for girls. Boys like blue, girls like pink. Boys like action figures, girls like Barbies. It is of course only a stereotype, i.e. what the culture assumes and accepts as the truth – whether it is or not. It’s no different in Thailand.
How to say Planking in Thai? Posted by palmisano on Aug 8, 2011
For those who don’t already know, planking is the recent fad that involves a person laying face down with a stiff body. It seems lame/silly, but when you see pictures of planking in amusing situations/places it can be quite fun (as fun as a short-lived fad can be).
Thai Religious Tattoos Posted by palmisano on Jul 15, 2011
If you’ve been to Thailand, you’ve probably ridden a taxi where on the inside roof above the driver are funny little squigglies and wondered what they meant. These are religious protection markings, like a charm or blessing. The markings aren’t really Buddhist, but you’ll see them interconnected with Buddhism due to the superstitious powers they…