Learning Thai

Learning the language

The first years I was in Thailand, I was working full time and didn't had time to learn an other language.
But I learned very fast the most words I needed for my daily life. Tell a taxi driver to turn left (leew sai), turn right (leew qua), etc. Also, I learned to order a few kind of food and drinks in Thai.

When the work in Rayong was finished and we moved to Nakhon Ratchasima, alias "Korat" and I married my wife, I wanted to learn more Thai language. I spoke already 6 languages because of my work and learning a 7th language would be nice.

One evening, as we were chatting with my friends about our new company at the "makeshift office", the local "Gayang shop" (Barbecue chicken). My wife was also there, chatting with the wife's of the members of our company. When I ordered food and a drink in Thai, my wife noticed this and looked at me as if I had crossed a line.

Arrived back home, she told me that I didn't need to learn to speak the Thai language. If I would need to speak or read Thai, she would do that for me. No need to waste time on learning to speak Thai.

I am a "Pacifist" and didn't want to start arguing with my wife about this.
To keep the peace in our family, I decided to learn Thai trough the Internet.

There was a website, Paknam web, where they were teaching Thai and I decided to use that website. The website was about "exchanging languages". I would teach a Thai the English language, and in return the other person would teach me the Thai language.

My "Thai teacher" was a Thai language Kindergarten teacher in a school in Ubon Ratchathani.

One day, as we were chatting, I wanted to tell her that she was "cute".
I wrote in Thai language: "นารก".

HELL WAS FREEZING OVER!!!!!

She started to write in English that I was a "filthy foreigner", a bad person, etc.. and blocked me.

I tried to figure out what I did wrong.
Was it because I told er that she was "cute"?

A few days later, on a company meeting, I raised the question to one of the guys who was living already many years in Thailand. But he could not find out why she was acting like that.

A woman who sat at the next table and had been listening to my story asked me to write what I had written to my teacher.
As soon as she saw my writing, she burst in a laugh.
I had written "นวรก (HELL) instead of "นา่รัก (CUTE)".

I decided that day that I would follow the advice of my wife and let the Thai over to her.