Apr 29 2008 / An American's Journey to a YES Country and a Land of Smiles

by Dionel Rodriguez, USA to Thailand 2007

On my first day of Thai High school, I had to wear the school uniform. “It doesn’t look bad," I said, trying to make myself feel good. I was wearing knee high dressing pants, white knee high socks, black shoes and a purple button down shirt. I looked like a clown. If any of my friends from New York were there to see that, they would have laughed to death. The whole week in Thailand made me feel stupid. I had to wear that uniform plus, I couldn’t communicate with anyone; not with the teachers, not other students and certainly not with my family.

It was not just in Thailand that my lack of communication skills affected me in the shape of an obstacle. When I was nine years old, I migrated from the Dominican Republic. My inability to speak English was something that became a big factor. I wasn’t able to interact with many English native speakers. I was put in bilingual class all the way through my third year of high school and most of my friends were Spanish too. That same year I earned a scholarship to study abroad in Thailand with AFS.

Back in Thailand ,the language boundary served as a way for me to be more isolated. I didn’t understand anything my host parents said, especially my host father. He didn’t speak English so I hardly ever spoke to him. My mother spoke some English, but it was still hard for me to understand. Every morning she woke me up by saying, “Kali!!! Khun bpy mah tah yom.” Eventually I figured out it meant, “wake up you are going to be late for your school," but I still felt uncomfortable because I couldn’t express myself. The only way for me to be who I wanted in Thailand was to learn their language, not make them learn mine.

After my first week I had already made some friends in school. They spoke clearer English than my host parents did and they helped me out a lot. Happily I would stay in school for fun even after the school day was over; just to be with my new friends. That is when my experience began to shift.

In my third week in Thailand, I found out that my mother, who was a teacher, had planned a trip to the beach in Bangkok and asked me to go. On the bus one of the guys who I had seen in my class pulled me down next to him and asked me some questions about America and how to say things in English. I took the time to also gain some ground in my Thai language.

My mom later came and pointed me into a seat, next to a girl. She said, “Kali, she want to talk with you.” The girl said, “Sa wat dee kaa, chan suu Liw.” I said, "Sa wat dee khap.” I was really getting it, my communication skills had gone up. She started to ask me if I liked Thailand and what I liked about it. I responded in Thai. Conversation was headed to something like a good friendship.

We arrived at the beach and my mom along with the other teachers started teasing me in a funny way. “Kali has girlfriend… Kali has girlfriend.” The whole class settled along the beach, but I didn’t want to get into the water. My hair was braided back then, and I was not planning to get it wet. Instead, I walked along the shore for some sight-seeing. Liw caught up to me and asked me why I wasn’t in the water. Of course it took me a while for me to understand what she was saying, but I got it, although I couldn’t explain my reason.

After a few hours we get back home, and I decided to sit with my mother on the bus. I realized that if I tried speaking English at a slower pace she wouldn’t have a hard time trying to understand me. We talked about life in America; how I had always had a hard time communicating and expressing myself because the lack of my English skills. We talked about what we both can do to be more united as a new family. We planned trips to temples around Thailand. She taught me about her customs and beliefs, which involved the humanism in Buddhism. That moment made me feel so comfortable. Our relationship changed so much once I was able to communicate more with her.

After that journey to Thailand, I came back to America with a whole new mentality.
I love to speak the English language, and I do more frequently. I try to include it in everything I do. Back at home, my sister and my brother seem very surprised that I have not spoken much Spanish in a while. Every time I was asked I would tell them that it is for my benefit. English is the international language and I have to be great at it.