27%

The country of Thailand has about 67 million people in it.  It is a country in Southeast Asia, that has a mostly homogenous population and a quite vibrant economy that is diversified and growing.  The people of the country have a very nice way about them – polite, friendly and welcoming -  you feel safe, secure and at home wandering around the sights and streets.  And while there it is easy to find one’s way around it is fun to do so in a country where English is not the primary language.  Only 27% of the Thai people speak English and for many of them it is used in a limited way and this is what makes this part of the THPL journey interesting.  Learning is core to our way of life and what we need to learn is how to think differently about the words that we use to communicate our wants, needs and interests.  As one would reflect on even how to ask a question we realize that there is a lot of colloquial use of words that do not carry the same meaning as the dictionary represents.  And so when we engage we have to think more literally about what it is we need.  And thus the question that works better is “how much time will it take to get to my hotel” rather than “ how long will it take”.  It is in these subtleties that we can enjoy and experience that which is different around the globe and it is through a bit of effort that we would put to how we act locally that makes a trip away from home just that much better and the locals that much happier to have us around. 

Loving life when very few around me speak English