My time at Woodstock :)

[Goodthaigirl]

I have to rewrite this article again as I lost it on the internet - hell !

 

 

 

As I told several guys on the board last night that it wasn't my intention to show up. But one of the reasons I did is that it is offensive and insulting really that there have been a LOT of people on the board don't beleive that there is a Thai person who has this level of English ability. So my showing up last night was just to verify myself that there IS such a person. Period.

 

 

 

For those of you who would like to know how my time went...here you go...

 

 

 

I arrived there around 7.45 pm. As I was walking towards the bar there was this guy walking in front of me. I was so sure that he was one of the board menbers (Could someone tell me who he is?) And he was !! He went to the innermost table on the left hand side a second before me. I introduced myself to a guy sitting at the table that I was one of the board menbers. He was sort of smile and then turned to talk to the guy walking in front of me instead,leaving me feeling ackward for about 10 min. but it seemed like 10 years. During this time I observed the kitchen and people around me. There was a very big guy sitting at the next table. Could it be Fatbastard33?? If you're reading this please tell me Any ways after the guy finished talking I asked one of the guys where Stickman was. He was kind enough to show me where which was the next table. I turned around and introduced myself to Stick. He was nice (Are you offended - Stick ? Pom Micheal who was sitting at the same table also introduced himself to me then off to shoot pool. I sat down and had a short talk with Stick. He was trying to guess which country I went to study overseas. After that there were several guys coming and introducing themselves to me. They were LONG GUN - you're very nice. It's a shame you could'nt stay longer and some other quys I couldn't remenber now - sorry . If you want please PM me off line to introduce yourselves again please...)

 

 

 

After about half and hour or so I decided to leave. Too many people make me »Ç´ËÑÇ headache I had no intention to stay long anyway. On my "waving" goodbye trip to everybody I met WHOS YOUR DADDAY (You didn't answer my question - shame on you , IT'S ME DAVE (You were great!), and JAI DEE (I love your tan!).

 

 

 

That was it. Over and done with.

 

 

 

All in all it was a good trip. Ackward and nervours of course but still...a good trip

 

 

 

Thank you everybody !

 

 

 

...................

 

 

 

Today is May 30, 2002 and I feel the need to add a little stuff in my little report.

 

 

 

I made several statements telling some people on the board that my going to Woodstock was the MOST STUPID THING I'VE MADE IN MY WHOLE LIFE.

 

 

 

Then a board member refered to this report and told me that my comments are not consistant. So I guess I have to say something here to clarify it.

 

 

 

First, I thought going to Woodstock was interesting like I said in my report. But when time passed I think I made a mistake ! I shouldn't have gone there. It limits my ability to express myself on the board somewhat. Yes, I can register in a different name. But it won't be the same, I guess.

 

 

 

Now you have it

 

 

 

GTG

[Guest]

This is one of the more interesting partsof nanplaza.com that I have experienced , those board members you met must have been some pretty smooth talkers !!!! I would like to apologise to you for not thinking a thai could have such a level of education , I DID think this . I have no problem admitting I was wrong , I have now opened my eyes a bit more , I based my initial impression on the professionals I have met in LOS , doctors , etc, obviously you are much better educated than some of them!! With people like yourself on the board , maybe this false impression will change .

Take care.

[ January 05, 2002: Message edited by: zoot ]

[thalenoi]

Well done GTG

[Guest]

GTG,

great, you caused a few lost farang faces there, one has to figure out who to prepare his hat now (i know, i'm an arsehole, but i just can't help myself )

ROTFLMAO!

[Sukhumvit]

Congratulations to you GTG. You got cojones. (as only English and a little Thai is allowed I'll translate, that means balls in Spanish).

All this nonsense about language proficiency got me thinking about "foreign johnnies" I know and their language skills. I've got a mate, Italian, who learned to speak English only in the last 6 years after coming to the UK. He did a degree here & finished his Phd in the autumn. His English is excellent although still heavily acccented and littered with liberal doses of "tosser" and "motherfucker." He's picked up several other languages on his globetrotting.

I had a Czech girlfriend who, apart from her own lingo, was fluent in English, Polish, Italian, Spanish, French, German and some Russian, (well she told me she was, I wouldn't know what she was saying). She studied some at school, others were apparently similar to her own language and she picked Italian and Spanish up by living there.

There are several Malays who again are totally fluent in English and allegedly several other languages. A Thai Chinese MBA student here has good English, speaks a Chinese dialect and is learning German and Japanese, (he's a Kasestart grad). A Thai girl I know in BKK dropped out of college and hung out with lots of farang travellers on Khao San Road and again is fluent, to the extent of telling genuinely funny jokes, although her accent is still fairly heavy.

So, it's great to generalise, (there are several other examples I could give but hey you get the picture guys), but language ability/proficiency comes down to the individual and their desire to learn. If people just go through the motions of attending English classes as it's the done thing or expected of them but really they're bored stiff then it's no wonder that they're rubbish at the language.

[shygye]

Why no one buy you a Woodstock burger?

[Guest]

but language ability/proficiency comes down to the individual and their desire to learn

Exactly! Thats the reason why my Thai wife speaks better English than me. She spells better too.. I'm always asking her how to spell a word!:-(

In a way, surprise that guys doubted GTG, guys that have met my wife, know that at least in her case, her English, Chinese( 2 dialects)Japanese, and her Thai are excellent. Her Spanish is even better than mine but still on a 3rd grade level.

Bottom line, their are a few excellent English speakers... usally they have studied their masters overseas like GTG or my wife.

TIT... My wife and GTG have never met, but they both have gone into Nana with friends as they were curious.

Not everything in Thailand is black and white!

[CosmicSurfer]

quote:

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Originally posted by Showtime:

...guys that have met my wife, know that ... her English, ... and her Thai are excellent.

---

Showtime... I can attest to that... The Emails (It's all innocent guys } that your wife has sent me have been very fluent and I complimented her on them.

Originally posted by Zoot:

...I based my initial impression on the professionals I have met in LOS , doctors , etc, obviously you are much better educated than some of them![/quote

Zoot... It has nothing to do with education... A person can be highly educated and extremely intellegent, but still have no apptitude for languages... For some of us a foreign language just won't stick in our brains, especially if we don't use it everyday. For others, they can hear a word or phrase once and not only remember it forever, they can even get the tones right... even with little or no "higher" education.

Open Minds are a wonderful thing to have... They let the light shine in and the members of this board shine out.

CS

[Boo Radley]

I quite often chat in Thai chat rooms where Thai chatters chat in English (and Thai sometimes). Their English is as good as GTG's. This level of proficiency is really not unusual at all as some people have suggested.

[CosmicSurfer]

quote:

---

... But one of the reasons I did is that it is offensive and insulting really that there have been a LOT of people on the board don't beleive that there is a Thai person who has this level of English ability. So my showing up last night was just to verify myself that there IS such a person. ... [/QB]

---

GTG... I've enjoyed all your posts and your ability to hold your own against some of the smaller and more closed minds that accosted you. I feel that it was my loss not to be able to meet you in person and I hope that you will continue to be active here so that maybe I'll have the pleasure in the future.

You are exactly the kind of Thai person who can learn to understand truly what this board is about (ie... NOT just about Sex... but about understanding and learning to make our way smoothly through Thai culture and customs without making too many waves.) and maybe you will feel kindly enough towards us/me that, if you were ever to meet my girlfriend you could help make her feel more comfortable about my participation here.

After all, some of us have settled into more permanent relationships and we are not all butterflies. Coming from a person like you will help reinforce her comfort level.

I have been with more than one "Good Thai Girl" that has expressed an interest in seeing the Farang Bar scene and have even suggested that I take them to Nana or Soi Cowboy so they can see it for themselves. Some have even told me that they have gone before with some Thai friends... after all it is a Tourist attraction and even Thais can be tourists in their own town.

So you curiousity doesn't surprise me... much more, it impresses me that you have actually done something about it by joining us and participating. I think we will all benefit by your continued contributions.

Looking forward to hopefully meeting you personally at Woodstock after my permanent move to Thailand in April.

CS