Thai people crack up at my futile attempts to converse in their mother tongue. I’ll say, ‘Khun suwai’ to a Thai lady, which means ‘You’re beautiful.’ I didn’t realize that ‘Khun suwai’ also translates to ‘Bad luck to you’ if spoken with the wrong intonation.
I was wishing bad luck on little old Thai ladies without realizing it! All because I can’t understand the many tones in the Thai language. Most Thais on the receiving end of my gestures understand my intention and laugh. Others give me a wide-eyed glare. It all makes sense in hind sight.
While it’s easy to poke fun of Thais (or any Asian culture) when they attempt to speak English, the feeling is mutual for them with our feeble attempts. The most important thing is the ability to laugh at oneself. “Mai pen rai,” Thai people say. “It’s all good.”