Dear Hillary,
You are always telling people that they should learn Thai if they are living here for some time, and I agree with your sentiments. I have retired here, but at my age (70), I find it very difficult to learn a new language at my time in life. Is there any quick way of doing this, or do you have any special tips for people trying to learn this Thai language?
Alex
Dear Alex,
It is a problem I know, but if you are retired and not working, then there is one quick (but none of them are easy) way to learn. It’s called Total Immersion and my language teacher friends all tell me it is the quickest, and has been proved to work all over the world. What you have to do is to go and stay in a village up country in a little local hotel and put yourself into the situation that you have to speak Thai or starve! Do not go to the areas which cater for tourists and 70 year old retirees. I am told that in six weeks you will have picked up reasonable Thai and you are on your way to complete mastery of the tongue. You will also probably have picked up a small language teacher. Lots of luck and “Chok dii, Kha”.
