
Since I was a principal in Bangkok for a number of years I learned a number of words in Thai, but words only, not tones. There are six tones in Thai and if you go up instead of down or sideways the word has a totally different meaning. When I became a principal in Singapore, a Thai family wanted their son to gain entrance to my school. We had every intention of accepting him but I wanted him to know that he was going to have to work hard because he had very little English. I looked at him sternly and told him if we let him into the school he was going to have to "thangann" "thangann" "thangann" which I thought meant he was going to have to work and work and then work some more! I was so proud of myself to be able to speak Thai to him. When I saw his mother turning red and his aunt stifling a huge laugh I knew I said something wrong. I apparently was telling him if he was accepted into the school he would have to have sex, have sex, have sex. Hey, he couldn't wait to start.

