Thread: The customary newbie introduction post!

Hello! Joined this forum a couple of weeks ago, just got around to making a post. I'm currently a student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, two years left to go for my MA. Whoopee! That said, I travelled around Thailand before I started uni back in 2010, and has been back every year since. Decided I want to become a teacher myself, so I'll be taking a CELTA course at IH Bangkok next year. Anyone else had experience of taking the course at that particular school? I met one of the teachers running the place to ask some questions about the course, lovely man.

Will be a great challenge considering I'm hearing impaired, but my life has always been about proving people's preconceptions of me to be misguided. Anyway, wish me luck, and say hello! I'm planning to live and work in Bangkok, amazing city despite the homicidal drivers and touts targeting me as though I was a new farang.

Hi Jamie and welcome. I like your story and I think you'll do well in BKK. As for being hearing impaired, no worries there, Bangkok is very noisy and loud! I can't answer on that school as I don't have any experience with them. I'm sure other posters will be along soon to help you out.

I had a cochlear implant put in two years ago. Essentially artificial hearing, it's been a massive help. Not perfect, but like anything else in life, it just takes time and everyone who has one develops hearing at different rates. It shouldn't impact too much on language teaching, the challenge mainly lies in picking up the wide variety of accents I'll come across, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Eventually I want to teach at schools for the deaf here, just have to go through the same process as everyone else to become a teacher in the first place.

Being able to just switch off my hearing at will is going to be useful if I want to find a cheap apartment, noise simply isn't an issue when I take my hearing device off! 555

Glasgow--you wouldn't happen to know Juulia, would you?

I think you'll do well in Bangkok. What are your goals in living in Thailand?

There could be tones--maybe they sign at head level, neck level, and chest level.

Goals? I'm planning to settle down here, far away from the lifestyle of Scotland. Growing up I always had dreams of living in tropical Asia, determined to make it a reality. Riches and glory isn't important to me, just happiness and wellbeing as well as never having to don winter boots and wobble haphazardously through ice except on holidays.

My deaf friends here have taught me a little bit of Thai sign language. They use a mixture of American signs taught by missionaries and their own to develop an unique system. Tones doesn't matter because each sign is equivalent to a word. Tones are only useful when finger spelling to a Thai person. I was taught how to spell out my name when I wrote it in Thai (เจมมี่) and there are signs for the tone markers like that above the letter อี่ here. The grammar structure seem to differ as well, from what I've seen.

Lastly, Thai people who have met lots of foreigners (like my friend working on Khaosan) have picked up on the international sign language system used by Europeans and other developed nationals to communicate regardless of difference in vocabulary. Using international sign is useful, it's not a full language, syntax does vary depending on local languages, but it works.

Sorry, I do get carried away when talking about this sometimes. I'd be happy to explain more if asked. I had a chat with some students signing in MBK once, friendly lot. Some do have difficult lives, but they have a strong community spirit and support each other. Nice to see.

Hi Jamie,

Best of luck to you.

I took the CELTA course at IH Bangkok and made a few comments on it on this thread:
http://www.ajarnforum.net/vb/the-new...ferrerid=20020 (Two Questions)

godspeed. suffer for it, and it will work out

Welcome! I am also a newbie here.

Thanks, A.Merlin. That thread you posted was very useful, some of the issues raised there were just as the convener I met in the school warned me about. Should be fine, got a year to prep myself for the course.