First week of life on the beach – and language lessons – lunch time at Mr. Ghandi’s
Pai Nai?
Of all the questions asked, this must be the question that can be both the easiest to answer and the most frustratingly invasive. Where are you going? And the level of interest by the questioner in the reply lies in the tone with which this question is asked. There is the tone of total and dismissive disinterest, and then there is the imperious ‘you-better-give-me-the-right-answer-or-else-your-ass-is-sooo-fried’ tone. I would eventually learn all the different levels of intensity behind this question, but the first level was soon discovered, when after a week of country living I went off for language training over a 4-week period in what at that time was one of the most beautiful places in Thailand. Here was the first bonus of leaving Canada. Four weeks on a beautiful beach in a tropical paradise; Hua Hin. I use the term ‘was’, as unfortunately this wonderful little town has undergone such a drastic change over the last 3 decades that it is hardly recognizable, and much of that change has been for the worse. What is even more unfortunate is that there have been numerous other examples of towns and cities which, with a little bit of planning, could have been maintained and still offer all the amenities necessary for an influx of tourists, but for any variety of reasons, were allowed to be developed in an uncontrolled and rapacious manner, and the lessons were never learned.
Life on the beach, but the language lessons…..
With every 100th word or so in English, I sat bemused and started reconsidering my choice of getting on a plane and going to somewhere on the other side of the globe.
The time spent here was one of the most interesting periods in my life, yet it was also one of the most frustrating. Yes, the beach was white sand, and the water was absolutely beautiful and clean, except for the odd jellyfish or two, and the accommodations were just what you would dream of if you’re going on a holiday – two storey bungalows with a wide verandah on the second floor, the hammock, and other amenities for being lazy, and a large area on the ground floor for relaxing bar-b-ques, and hanging out. (The bungalows are still there, and I have visited them a few times over the years, and each visit brings back different memories of a time when I felt that life couldn’t get much better.) Then the first day of language classes started and life was turned upside down once again. Here we were in this tropical paradise, and here we were having to master a language that ranks among the most difficult in the world – life just isn’t fair. For the first few hours the grand total of English words could be counted pretty much on the fingers of two hands – talk about being thrown in at the deep end. We were divided into two groups, and each group had 2 teachers. With every 100th word or so in English, I sat bemused and started reconsidering my choice of getting on a plane and going to somewhere on the other side of the globe. After all, if I had wanted to learn a different language and experience a bit of a culture shock I could have moved to Quebec instead of Thailand. The end of the day just couldn’t come quick enough for me, and it was at this point where we actually heard the very first full sentence in English: “If you want to have dinner, you will have to go to the market in Hua Hin and buy it there.” I had the temerity to ask if any of the teachers would accompany us on our foraging trip, as this would negate the need for us to speak Thai, but as reply I received a pleasant smile with a slow shake of the head. It’s a good thing I hadn’t yet learned that there are so many different smiles…
Food in the market; after a week of chicken and rice, I really wanted some pork and rice.
No more!!
Somehow we made it to the market by flagging down a ‘song-tew’ or pick-up truck with a dual row of benches mounted in the bed of the truck, with a roof to provide protection against the sun, or rain. After the first week I swore I would never eat Khao Man Gai (literally rice and chicken) again, ever! It was only through pointing at a somewhat fatty, slimy-looking boiled chicken suspended from a vicious-looking hook in a glass-enclosure that I managed to get a piece of it put on some rice. That was to be dinner for the next week. By the end of the week, however, I was fluent in the Gai (chicken) and managed to get them to understand that NO! I didn’t want Gai, I want Moo! (pork).
Finding the right answer
After that first day’s exchange, a regular ritual started. At 5pm, we as a collective, would start moving toward the gate of the compound, hoping we would not be asked anything too difficult that day. Yet as though on cue, from somewhere in the bungalow nearest the gate, one voice or another would pipe up and throw out the question “Pai Nai?” (Where are you going?) The first time this occurred, we stopped dead in our tracks, and a discussion ensued as to what exactly had been said or asked. We concluded, collectively, that we were being asked our destination. Having learned the very first day about the market, we decided that “Talad” (Market) would be our best and easiest answer, as it was a nice, simple, short word to cover just about any contingency, because it was in or near the market we could find just about anything and everything. And so our evenings became a ritualized chorus session with questions and answers. I have subsequently heard many different versions of this same question, not during our stint as language students, but in situations where one person or another wished to go out, but was stopped dead in his or her tracks by the withering onslaught of those 2 simple words, ‘Pai nai!!!!?’ But those are tales for another time. After the initial introduction to this question, we soon found different answers: beach (talay), a walk (duen len), sleep (non), and soon felt rather proud of how well we had been doing; that is, until the question changed: “Ja pai tam arai?” (What will you do?) and we were back to a huddle trying to find the easiest answer: “Gin Khao” (go eat).
