August 2007 Archives

For the past five months, I would often click on a web page link only to be given a blank page (or even worse, the infamous green "ICT Ministry" page that told me I was trying to access an illegal site) and would be reminded that YouTube has been banned in Thailand. Quite annoying, to say the least. It's amazing how wide-spread YouTube actually is. You don't realize how much you enjoy something, until it is taken away from you...

Today, I had a very pleasant surprise that a video link I clicked actually went to the YouTube site. The ban has finally been lifted! I know this will be big news in the expat community here. For more on this story, see the Nation's newspaper story: Ban on YouTube lifted after deal. Website to block clips offensive to Thais or that break Thai law

Around the time of the ban, I had started taking some videos with the plans to release them on this site, through YouTube. Those plans were pushed to the side due to the ban, and I threw myself into building the ITS4Thai website full time. And speaking of that, we just released four new vocabulary building games on the site. The list is now:

• Fruits and Vegetables
  
• Twelve Colors
  
• Things Found in a Restaurant
  
• Things Found in the Office
  
• Steak and Ale (Meats and Drinks)

Have you ever wanted to know the Thai names for various fruits from this part of the world? Well now you can learn them, as we have finally released our first free Thai Language lesson to the world. The subject is "Fruits and Vegetables in Thailand".

There are four parts to this lesson:

1) A "Lesson" page that describes the lesson and gives you the entire word list for the lesson

2) A "Word Review" page that allows you to click through the Thai words so that you can study them individually. Each word has a picture and a sound file, to help you learn both the meaning and the pronunciation of the Thai word.

3) A "Word Practice" page that gives you a multiple-choice exercise. Can you match the picture with the correct Thai word?

4) A "Listening Practice" page. Instead of a picture, this will play sound files for you. Are you able to recognize the Thai word when it is spoken?

So why don't you head on over to the Fruits and Vegetables in Thailand lesson page at ITS4Thai and give it a try? I'd love to hear what you think about it.

(And of course, there is much, much more to come!)

Today is the five year anniversary of my move to Bangkok! That's right, August 1, 2002 was my first full day of my new Thai life. It's hard to believe that my life has turned out this way. And it's hard to believe that the one place I have dug the deepest roots is on the other side of the world from where I was born.

Here's hoping that the next five years, where ever they are spent, will be as wonderful as the last five.