Article: Growing up in Thailand in Two Weeks

I got off the plane in Thailand as a newborn, feasting my eyes on a whole new world, a little uncomfortable with the weather in my new environment, and eager to sleep. Since that day I have gone through several stages of development.
My infant years were collapsed into three days in which everything had to be done for me. Someone had to feed me, secure my shelter, and keep me comfortable. The greatest achievement in this period of my life was the first time I was able to sleep through the night (jet lag). Then I entered the exciting life of a toddler when I slowly learned to do things for myself.
First I learned how to acquire food, which, like a true toddler, entailed quite a bit of pointing at things. Next came the important lessons in manners. For table etiquette, first I had to master the fine motor skills necessary to eat politely which involves using the back of my fork to push food into my spoon which goes in my mouth. I’ve got the basics down but honestly could use a bib.
The next important step was learning the names of everyone around me. I arduously memorized the proper prefixes to address different adults in my life but as for their long multisyllabic names, that is still a work in progress. Just as my older brother was dubbed “kiss” until I could say “Chris”, the people in my life here who have particularly difficult names are getting special made-up names from me. I don’t feel entirely badly since no one can pronounce my name either.
As I get more mature there are a few benefits. At five days old I could be trusted with small amounts of money. While I am often lazy and go to 7-11 to buy necessities because they have a cash register that displays the total (and they have AC) I am now capable of hearing a number and within about 45 seconds producing the right colored currency. In my younger days I paid for everything with 100 baht bills so that I would be guaranteed to overpay and not need to calculate. However, I’m a big kid now, no shortcuts!
The equivalent of my first day at Kindergarten was my first day taking a bus into the city for my Thai Language lessons. It required the same preparations as my first day of school, namely learning my address and memorizing my phone number (but in Thai). However, this time I did not have the help of a little card pinned to my jacket although in retrospect that might have helped.
While buses here are red and not yellow and substantially less safe, the same basic concept applies. You have to tell the driver where you want to go, and there is the added trial of negotiating how much that ride will cost. I basically judge my worth as a human being here by how much I have to pay everyday to take a bus to my Thai Language classes. It varies by how much of a farang (foreigner) I seem like. If I pronounce all the words right and get the right tones associated with each, I can get to class for 15 baht (about 40 cents). On days when I stumble I have to pay twice that. On days when I’m really off, they have no idea where I want to go and drive away.
With Kindergarten comes loads of new knowledge. A major milestone occurred when I learned how to write my name in Thai. I was exceedingly proud of myself for this feat in the same way a child might be when he finally gets all his E’s going in the right direction. I may even hang my name up on my refrigerator; it is that worthy an accomplishment. You see, while in English we have 26 letters to contend with, in Thai there are a whopping 44. None of these letters are easy to draw. English has some letters like “simple circle” or “intersecting lines” but in Thai each letter comes with so much flair! There are swirls and loops and spirals everywhere. Each letter could stand alone as a work of modern art. So the feat of being able to reproduce four consecutively is a great source of pride for me.
And I am not the only one who is proud. Like a regular child I spend most of my time with my parents who teach me scores of vocabulary, facts, and lessons. Except my parents are the 30 coworkers in my office. They are almost as proud of my small feats as I am. However, like most parents, to them I remain their ‘baby’ so they are extra impressed by me yet still fuss over my comfort constantly. Wow, baby Laura just counted to ten! Everybody watch, baby Laura is going to show you how she writes her name! Okay, that’s enough show, baby Laura will get tired, go turn on her air conditioner and get her cold water. American babies cannot tolerate this heat.
I now consider myself a full blown adolescent. Yes, an illiterate one with a speech impediment, but an adolescent none the less. Just like when I was ten years old, I can’t wait to be a teenager! I yearn for semi-independence, the ability to communicate smoothly, and not having to hold someone’s hand when I cross the street.