Sawatdee

When I think about summer, I think about Thailand. I used to go to Thailand over the summer to see my family and to explore the cultural aspects of the country. My last visit to Thailand was during the summer of 2007. Speaking with Thai people was a breeze, but then I was asked repeatedly if I could read or write in Thai. When I was younger, I would refuse to learn because the alphabet consisted of forty-four consonants and fifteen vowel symbols, a very daunting task to say the least.

After that trip, my curiosity grew. However, due to the school year starting, I decided to postpone learning to write in Thai. I finally found the time to start this summer. I had my relatives mail me a children’s book that consisted of writing the alphabet. This book consisted of tracing the alphabet and learning the direction that you are supposed to write each slant and line. I am currently learning how to write the thirteenth consonant, yo ying, which means woman in English. I know learning to write another alphabet system isn’t that appealing to many people, but it’s so interesting to learn how these written characters have some meaning to them. For example, the first and well-known consonant, ko kai, means chicken. If you look at it, the character also looks like a chicken. I know it sounds dorky, but I find it fascinating that someone could take the time to make a character mean more than just a character.

Although I have a long way to go before I learn all of them, I think that learning another alphabet system will help people to appreciate that these letters have a history and mean more than they think.