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The Royal Thai Embassy and the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) jointly organized the public l e c t u r e , e n t i t l e d “ K i n g Chulalongkorn and Singapore” on 22 March 2011 at the National University of Singapore. This event was held to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the demise of King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V).

The panel of respected speakers included Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri, historian and former Rector of Thammasat University, A/P Bruce Lockhart, Assistant Dean and Deputy Head of the History Department, NUS, Datin Patricia Lim and Dr. Tej Bunnag, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand as Moderator.

It was most informative to learn about King Chulalongkorn's 1871 visit to Singapore, the first foreign country visited by a Thai monarch, and his subsequent visits to Europe w h i c h c o n t r i b u t e d t o adminis t ra t ive re forms and modernization of Siam during his long reign from 1868-1910 and served as a foundation for friendly relations between Thailand and Singapore.

It was also interesting to learn that besides the present location occupied by the Royal Thai Embassy that belongs to Thailand, the “Hurricane House” located in Draycott Estate once belonged to the King and was used as his residence during his trip to Singapore as well.

สวัสดีคะ (ครับ)☺

Welcome to the second issue of ไทย

ไทย We hope you found our inaugural issue interesting and informative.

Included in this issue are a number of happenings like our very own annual “Wet 'N Wild” Songkran Celebration on A p r i l 9 w i t h g r e a t f o o d a n d entertainment by the Thai musicians, dancers and our dedicated Thai student “Entertainers”!; a recap of the seminar on King Chulalongkorn, transporting us back to a century ago; the Thai 1 student's cultural workshop adding variety and richness to your learning experience; the Thai 2 Songkran presentation, a meaningful and in-depth research into the various aspects of one of the most important festivals celebrated in Thailand; and finally, there are good reasons why students should learn the Thai language. Let’s read from the sharing of previous years’ students.

After having experienced Thai lessons yourself, we do hope that you have been inspired enough to become more inclined to progress to the higher level next semester (and also help to encourage your friends to start taking Thai lessons too♡♡).

In order for our newsletter to serve as a bond between students and teachers, any contribution of articles, comments or suggestions are welcome. Send them a c r o s s t o u s v i a e m a i l ThaiThainews@gmail.com We hope to receive messages from you.

Editor

ไทย ไทย Thai Thai

NUS Thai language program newsletter Volume 2 May 2011

KING CHULALONGKORN AND SINGAPOREA Glimpse into the PAST...

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In order to enhance language learning, Thai culture and tradition is incorporated in the module allowing students to have a glimpse of Thai lifestyle and customs.

For this semester, students in Thai 2 were expected to do a presentation on 31 March about the Songkran Festival. Students were free to focus their research on any aspect related to the Festival. Some of the most popular topics were history of Songkran, customs and practices during Songkran festival, dishes enjoyed during Songkran and Thephii Songkran contests.

In addition to using slides in their p r e s e n t a t i o n s , s t u d e n t s a l s o employed various presentation styles and techniques like role play, live demonstrations and power point presentations. We believe that b e s i d e s l e a r n i n g f r o m t h i s presentation, the camaraderie among our students has grown as a result.

The usually formal classroom was transformed into a mini-theatre and the lesson was filled with laughter and smiles. One of our students was heard saying, “Cultural presentations should be continued because it's useful and fun for us, even though the presentation score is negligible”.

BRAVO Thai 2 For The Songkran PresentationA thoroughly fun-filled and informative sharing

Thai 1 - SEM2 AY2010-11’s Grand Finalé - The Cultural WorkshopA big round of applause to Thai 1 students for their impressive, creative and fun presentations! Students have

learnt a lot from one another about Thailand and her rich culture. They have made it possible to visit ‘THAILAND IN A DAY’!

Deeper understanding of

Thai culture

know other students

better

Entertaining! Funny!

Fulfilling!

The most fun module

Greater appreciation of

the King

Good way of sharing Thai culture

Widen my knowledge about

Thailand

ดีมาก

สนุกมากIncrease my interest in the

language

Good end to the module & the academic year

Interesting! Informative!

Had fun learning, preparing & presenting

Effective way of getting

to know Thailand

Interactive! Insightful! Engaging!

Meaningful!Awesome! Enriching!

[3]

So Wet, So Wild, So Wonderful @ NUS - SONGKRAN 2011

Songkran 2011@ NUS on April 9 was a blast! Students and guest artists had great fun putting on their best performances, while the audience enjoyed themselves thoroughly. First in line were regional dances presented by the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. The elegant and beautiful performances wowed the audience as a wonderful opening of the festival. Students from the SE3221 Traditional Music in A Southeast Asian Country module sang the Elephant song with harmonious dance moves. Thai 4 students captivated the audience with an energetic Thai Music Ensemble Long Drum Dance. Whilst the Thai 5 students shared the Legend of Songkran. A hilarious skit -

The Restaurant Incident - by Thai 6 delved into the pitfalls of mispronouncing Thai words amidst humorous punches. Thai 3’s melodic rendition of Thai songs was full of great almost Siam gusto! Thai 1 & 2 enchanted everyone with a sweet love song phîi sǎaw khráp. And the extravagant Thai folk piece - Lûuk Thûŋ - by Rajabhat Songkhla University musicians memorably wrapped up the eventful Songkran celebrations! Everyone was greeted with sumptuous authentic Thai food before they indulged in the climax of the water festival. Revelers were not only immersed and ‘soaked’ in the charming Thai culture, but also thoroughly drenched in festive water-splashing fun! And that was the spirit of Songkran!

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Because Thai is lovely and our Thai teachers

(Ajarns) are awesome ♥So that I can get a language allowance at work!

To impress the in-laws.

The very same reason why someone would learn

English.For the fun and laughter in class with our lovely

Ajarns. ♥Because translations are never perfect.So that you can watch Thai movies and dramas

and appreciate them better, and of course listen

to Thai songs and enjoy them too!!!

More varieties of songs to sing in KTV.

So that you’d be able to meet like-minded, fun-loving people and feel at home whenever you’re

with them:D

One of my Ajarns once said, “When you start

dreaming in Thai (or when the characters in your

dream start speaking Thai) that’s when the language becomes an integral part of your life.”

Indeed, it has become such an important part of

my life and this is all thanks to my lovely Ajarns

and friends for making the process of learning

Thai so enjoyable! ♥Because Thai culture is one of a kind, awesome.

Because our Ajarns are wonderful people. ♥Because we can act in Thai productions.

Because Thai lessons are life-changing!

Because COOL PEOPLE SPEAK THAI AND ARE

ALL SABAI SABAI =D (To take it easy!).

It helps to understand the culture better.

Because I love Thailand very much.

So that you can go to Bangkok and buy all the nice Thai literature and be able to read

them.

Because Thai lessons are so fun!

It was fun and memorable.

Be romantically involved with a Thai and realize that it’s your best and sweetest relationship

ever:)

Do research work in Thailand and be able to use

Thai sources and conduct interviews in Thai.

Because it’s the kind of module where you will never want to, nor will be able to, forget what

you learn.

Learning Thai is also good for economic and

romantic reasons...

Because the teachers create a wonderful learning environment, a place to unwind and

relax amidst the hustle and bustle of the

undergrad life.♥To love the many Thai tutors who give such

wonderful lessons of life through the language.

To understand the jokes in Thai horror movies!

So that you can listen to wonderful music and

understand the many dimensions behind the lyrics!

So that you can join in the activities organized by

Sawatdii Club.

So that you can get prices for Thais rather than

prices for tourists when shopping in Thailand.Ajarns play an important role to keep the passion

and love going. Thank you for your efforts,

patience, awesomeness and always keeping the

class entertained.

Reasons To Take Thai As The Language Of Your Choice Can’t decide which language to take next semester! Hesitate no more! Check out what

your NUS friends who have taken Thai language modules have to say!

Editorial Team: ! Editorial Advisors:!A/Prof. Titima Suthiwan; Sasiwimol Klayklueng! ! Editor/Writer: ! Weena Ruangpanyapot ! ! Writer/Photographer:Adisorn Prathoomthin! ! Writer/Layout: ! Suwanna Chuanromanee! ! Guest Writers:! Part-Time Thai Language Tutors

Share your comments, feedbacks and suggestions with us at: <ThaiThaiNews@gmail.com>