Thai Language

I have been blessed by my Heavenly Father to be able to recall much of my Thai Language skills. I have been earnestly studying the language again since August when I retired from the Boeing Company.  You need to know that I was a very good speaker of the Thai language when I departed Thailand 36 years ago.  I was paid the ultimate compliment by a Thai friend (a tailor in Lopburi) who told me one day,  Elder Meeker, when I listen to you speak Thai: if I wasn't looking at you I would not know that you weren't a Thai.  However, you also need to know that I had very little opportunity to speak the Thai language since I left Thailand.  I would occasionally meet a Thai speaker when we were at a Thai restaurant. Therefore, I really lost my ability to speak Thai.  I forgot the Thai script letters and forgot how to read.  My vocabulary became very weak as I no longer used Thai words or "thought" in Thai.  I can say that when I came home form Thailand 36 years ago I did not translate words I simply thought and then spoke in Thai.

The Thai language is tonal language - meaning the same sound spoken with a different tone is a different word and has a different meaning.  There are 5 different tones in Thai.  Low, medium, high, falling and rising.  Example: the word "my" spoken with a low tone means new and rising tone means silk, with a high tone it is a question, with a falling tone means to burn and its also turns things into a negative (no).  So you need to be not tone deaf and be sensitive as to the emphasis and tone you put on the word you are pronouncing.  So it can be a challenge at first.  After a while it becomes comfortable. Another challenge is the new and strange sounds that you are required to make with this beautiful flowing language. There are 44 consonants and36 vowels. The one easy part of the language is that it has a fairly simple grammar structure.... but it is different than English grammar. 

As I started to relearn Thai, many things came back to me.  Words (vocabulary) would magically be there in my mind to simply be recalled.  There were a few challenges.  One was that in the intervening 36 years the Church changed the official translation of the word for Saint.  So that means that the name of the Church in Thai changed.  So the flowing sentence for the name of the church that I used to know is different now.  It took me a while to say the correct name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Thai.

The Church has program for Senior Missionaries to learn the language of the country that they will serve in,  This program starts as soon as the missionary receives their call if they desire. Lois and I took advantage of this resource. It consisted of printed material, audio files and most importantly tutors and volunteers that are available via Skype.  We were skyping as much as 3 hours a week during our preparation time prior to arriving at the MTC.  In addition we took advantage of the opportunity to go to Utah a week early and participate in language immersion where we had face to face time with tutors and volunteers for 4 hours a day for the entire week we went early.


This past Sunday was a watershed moment as I was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting without any prior notice.  Apparently some pre-planned speakers were not available.  So just prior to the meeting the bishop asked that I speak.  I was a little nervous.... as I like to over prepare when I am asked to perform official public speaking.  I spoke for about 10 minutes and for the most part felt very comfortable with my speaking in Thai.  I am so blessed to have the gift of tongues and be able to communicate with the Thai people in their language.

Picture is the Asoke Chapel - 1st church building in Thailand (built in 1974) and the chapel where I spoke on Sunday.  There are now 18 chapels in Thailand.

Muay Thai



Typical Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) - note the use of feet, elbows and knees

Lois and I had the opportunity to visit an international Thai Boxing School on Saturday (our preparation day – in other words - day off).  They gave us a demonstration and then we had dinner there.  The School is owned by the niece of the Counselor in the Mission Presidency.  The counselor "Mani Seangsuwan" is a native Thai returned missionary from my era. After his mission he married and immigrated to the United States.  After raising his children, he and his wife volunteered as Senior Missionaries. He wrote a book entitled "Monk to Mormon Missionary" about his life experiences in order to finance his senior mission.  He and his wife were called to go back to Thailand.  They served here for two years and returned to Utah.  After a short, while they decided to return to Thailand on their own.  President Seangsuwan serves as a counselor to President Senior in the Mission Presidency.  This particular Thai Boxing school caters to foreign students.  Over the weekend they had four foreign students - one from Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.  They charge ~ $40 US Dollars per Day for training and accommodations (2 meals a day with room that has a fan). The building sits on a large lot.  Building is grand looking with two story columns out front.  In the back are two covered boxing rings.

As we were eating a former missionary that was in my group (38 years ago) arrived.  Jeff Rock is a retired US government Foreign Service Worker who is again living in Thailand.  If I remember correctly he has lived in Fiji, China, Tiawan, Thailand and Malaysia.  He also did a 1 year stint in Iraq after which he retired.  He has a business here in Thailand and lives her full time.  He is very comfortable here in Thailand.   We returned to the mass rapid system station in a Taxi with Jeff. We went back into town.  He took a different train and went to his apartment north of the city center. The mass transit system sure makes getting around a lot convenient than it was years ago.

New Digs

We moved in our condominium on the 22nd floor yesterday. It is a very nice place. 

Below is a link to a You tube video of another unit in or building - very close to our configuration. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-kVRWxUel8
The second link is a video tour of the Building including the rooftop swimming pool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dxzb5nHvzxMA
These two videos will give you and idea of the luxury we find ourselves in.

We had an opportunity to Skype with our children and my mother this morning. We enjoyed seeing their faces and hearing their voices. We could not get the simultaneous video to work but we talked to everyone in series. We will work at getting that figured out - we purchased a premium Skype license so it is supposed to work. 

Yesterday was our Preparation day.  Every Saturday we are supposed to get time to prepare for the remainder of the week.  We will attend Church and serve in the Thai Asoke Ward on Sunday. On Monday thru Friday we work in the office during the business hours and then have opportunities to be with the people and do visits/service in the evenings.  Saturday is our day to clean the condo, go shopping, do something fun etc.

Although most things we are doing are fun already.  The experiences are new and exciting.  I got a call from a missionary - who was at the Hospital yesterday in Bangkok. Nothing serious except he came to town from Lopburi (several hours north by bus) without his medical card or enough money to pay his doctor/hospital bill.  So Lois and I went to the office. Lois found a spare picture of him and created a new medical card. I opened the safe and got some petty cash (3000 Baht ~ $100) for him.  We then took a taxi to Bangkok Hospital, about 10 kilometers away. We found him and his companion - gave them what they needed. The rescue was complete.

We took another taxi back to our neighborhood.  I told the doorman at the hospital where we were going and he hailed a taxi for us.  Unfortunately he did not hear me correctly (he told the taxi driver our destination) and we found ourselves getting more of a tour of Bangkok than we intended. As we passed our neighborhood on an elevated roadway I asked the taxi driver - isn't that Soi Asoke (Asoke Street) down there?   After our return, we then had time to go shopping in a neighborhood grocery store. We fixed dinner in the Condo - and of course I had Ice Cream before we went to bed. Yes believe it our not, I still like Ice Cream and they do have it in Thailand.  In fact, Friday for lunch Lois and I went to a nearby mall on an errand and to eat. After lunch, I had Baskin and Robbins Ice Cream.

What life is really like in Thailand

Wow - life is grand and very different.  We can walk from our Hotel (right next door to the condo we move into on Saturday) to the office in about 10 minutes.  But during some times of the day it is really an "adventure".  You get to cross two busy streets.  For the first one - you go to a cross walk and wait for a small break in the traffic in the closest lane. You then step out into the street and stop just short of half way .... hoping to get the eyes of drivers in the opposite lanes.  If you do... you again dart across the remainder of the Street.  Once safely across, you must then weave in and out of pedestrian traffic along the very uneven sidewalk.  You need to be careful not to twist an ankle or poke you head into a metal support which is part of  a sidewalk vendor umbrella.  In addition you need to look out for the motorcycles who insist on using the sidewalk when the street traffic is too slow for them.  I intend to make a video of our going to the office adventure in the near future - stay tuned.

We are truly enjoying our stay here in Thailand.  We are currently staying at a hotel on the 17th floor.  We can look out our window and see the Condo we will be moving into on Saturday.  This morning there was a street market in the courtyard surrounding our Hotel.  This area is an entrance to a major university here in Thailand.  There were hundreds of stalls. Clothing, furnishings, cooked food and fresh fruit's and vegetables were all here.  I was tempted by the fresh hot sugar donuts.  I watched them being made and could not pass them up.  This evening after spending the day at the office, Elder and Sister Manning invited us out to dinner.  They are the Public Affairs Senior Missionary Couple.  They are originally from Houston, Texas but followed their two married children (and associated grandchildren) to Utah almost a decade ago. The Manning's have been in country about 13 months.  We had Thai food and then followed up with Ice Cream - yum  - the best two things in the world to eat.

We move into our Condo on the 22nd floor on Saturday.  The Jone's (Current Office couple) are moving out Saturday morning and then they will be in a hotel for the last few days of their mission.  They leave Thursday the 21st.  Lois and I are looking forward to some normalcy as we have been moving about from home to hotel etc. for about a month now.

Meeker's are now in Thailand - Really

I arrived in Thailand 38 years and 4 days after my first missionary arrival.  Attached is visible proof the Jay and Lois (I mean Elder and Sister Meeker) are actually in Thailand. Note the Thai Airways Sign behind us -- yeah the one that says Lost and Found. President and Sister Senior were getting worried that they had lost us.  We were more than an hour from landing to getting out thru customs.  Essentially one of our five bags did not arrive on the same plane as us. This last bag made the next plane out of Hong Kong it landed less than an hour after us.  We then waited another hour with President and Sister Senior outside Customs for the Airline to collect the bag and bring it to us.  So we and our Bags were lost and then found.

Lois and I were driven to town, experiencing President Senior's driving of the mission van.  He describes himself as an aggressive driver.  I would concur ... he fits right in with most of the Thai drivers that I have observed in the past.

We got into town in time to attend the last 20 minutes of the Asoke Ward Sacrament meeting. Elder Woo an area authority seventy living in Singapore was visiting and was the last speaker. Since he spoke in English, there was a translator there doing it in Thai.  I was pleased as I understood essentially everything that the translator spoke. Of course it really helped that I listened to the talk in English before the translator spoke the words in Thai.   Sister Senior then took Lois to the Hotel room to crash and I went to Sunday School and Priesthood meeting. I did fairly well in following along at the Thai lessons. We were then blessed to have Dinner at President and Sisters Senior's home ( the Mission Home).  Got to know them better.  It will be a pleasure t serve with these fine people. 

I had a good night's rest and I am over the jet lag.  Not so sure about Lois as she is in bed and sleeping at about 8:30 PM. 

President Kaivatana (President of the Bangkok North District) called me at the office today. He is Sister K's father.  Sister K (real name - Benjarin Kaivatana ) is the native Thai Missionary that was assigned to the Lincoln Ward back home.  We were carrying some letters and small gifts from Sister K. President K called to work out the delivery  I ended up delivering the items to Sister Wan who works in our building for the Area Office. She lives upstairs from President K.  President K was very impressed with my Thai Skills.  He said my tones and other pronunciation was very good.  I suppose he expected something a little rougher since I had not spoken Thai for over 36 years on a regular basis.

Elder and Sister Jones were a real treat to get to know in person today,  They provided training in the office, they took us to lunch and we toured some other businesses that they do patronize.

Leaving on Jet Plane

The bags are packed and we are about to embark on a 26 hour journey.  We depart Salt Lake City at 6:30 PM Friday. We arrive in Bangkok at 11:30 AM Sunday accounting for the international Dateline. We travel through Los Angeles and Hong Kong.  Our stay at the MTC was marvelous.  Everything from the food, accommodations, and the people  My typical day started with a treadmill session. After that shower and shave.  Then to the super large cafeteria with a myriad of choices.  Breakfast for me usually consisted of eggs, ham/bacon/sausage, toast and orange juice.   For Lois it was hot cereal, yogurt, granola and fruit.  Lunches and dinners were equally marvelous.  Wednesdays and Sundays the cafeteria served all you can eat BYU Creamery Ice Cream. WOW!!!  This included toppings - hot fudge, hot caramel, marshmallow cream, etc. So no, I have not gone though Ice Cream withdrawals - yet.  Classes started at 8 AM every weekday morning.  We got out for lunch at noon and then started up again at 1:30 PM. Classes usually lasted until about 5 PM.  Then we were free until the next day.  On Tuesday evenings there was a General Authority speaker.  The first week we had Elder Carlos Godoy and the 2nd week we had Elder Craig Zwick both of the Quorum of Seventy. It was an awesome experience.  We were seated early in a reserved Senior Missionary section up front - with soft seats.  The entire congregation sang prelude songs for 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.  Awesome sounding singing.  There are so many missionaries now that the meeting was broadcast to the west campus (about a mile away ... located in the Wyview Park housing area of BYU) and a large meeting room in another part of the MTC.  Very enjoyable atmosphere and the talks were amazing.

Office Specialist Training

 

This week we are staying in the MTC proper as opposed to last week we were housed in the Provo Marriott Hotel.  See the picture of me lounging in our room looking at the website called iMOS (internet Mission Operating System).  It is what we have been training on all week.  I think I got it about down.  However, I should have paid more attention to what our ward financial clerk Tom Gold does when I was in the Bishopric.  Then some of these receipting and journaling concepts would not have been so foreign.



 

We returned to the MTC on Sunday evening in time for the weekly departure devotional (strictly for those in the last week at the MTC)  and the standard Sunday Evening devotional.  A former MTC president and his wife talked.  

 

There are 4 couples taking the Office Specialist training this week.  The Pendley’s are going to the Chile Concepcion Mission.  Elder Pendley served a Spanish Speaking Mission years ago. They have been married for 11 months.  The Birds are going to serve in Mexico City.  They both served a Mission separately to Baja Mexico many years ago.  Their assignment is MLS (Membership Leadership Services) but the Mission President wants them to oversee the office as a part time assignment.  The Pincock’s are going to the Japan Nagoya Mission. Apparently he knows the Japanese Mission President very well and was asked by him to come and serve in his Mission Office. Elder Pincock and his wife have served in Japan together twice already.  Once as a Mission President and once as the President of the Tokoyo MTC.  In addition, he just retired after working in the Church Missionary department for 16 years.  So he is well versed in Mission operations.  Our instructors have spent time teaching us the basics of computers, internet, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.  I did not learn anything new on that day except a few shortcuts.  We are being taught by 6 returned Missionaries (3 during morning session and 3 during afternoon session) who are currently students at BYU.  They have served Missions in Guatemala, Australia, Romania, Florida… several others I forgot.  They are fun to be with.

 

They have spent the rest of this week teaching us the ins and outs of iMOS software.  It is fun to log on and see the actual data from the Thailand Mission (data was two weeks old).  Got to see that Elder Brown (and his wife) who taught me in the MTC 38 years ago is to serve in Thailand starting in February next year.  I also tracked down the names and pictures of the current Missionaries being trained here at the MTC.  Lois and I got to meet them after the Tuesday evening devotional. We coordinated this with the Branch President who is over the Thai Missionaries.  He invited Lois and I to meet with the Thai Missionaries after the Devotional (Elder Zwick and his wife spoke). It was a treat to meet with them and get to know them a little bit. 

 

Lois and I then had an opportunity in a more informal setting to meet with them over dinner today. There are 5 Sisters and 2 elders currently preparing to go to Thailand.  They travel to Thailand next month and arrive on December 18th. There is one exception.  Elder Sukhan from Salt Lake City is leaving a few hours in front of us day after tomorrow (Friday November 8th).  He is on an accelerated schedule because he already speaks Thai.  His mother and father are Native Thai's.  His father happens to be the current Bishop of the Salt Lake 1st Thai/Laotion Ward. The other Elder in the group, Elder Arne has a mother who is native Thai having come to this country when she was 11 years old.  He is spending the full 8 weeks here learning Thai.

 

Senior Missionaries at MTC Week of October 28, 2013

This is a picture of the 94 Senior missionaries who started their Missions the same day as us, 28 October 2013.  There are 46 couples and two senior single sisters.  When we entered the room for our picture to be taken our Senior Missionary coordinator was sorting us.  We found out that he was identifying the couples he thought were more agile (not too old) and would not fall off the stage . He sent those to the hallway in order for us to go around and get on the stage.  You will find Lois and I on the stage just right of center. I guess that means were are more agile than average. 

Listed below is the names along with the mission assignments of our fellow Senior Missionaries. Generally the first two or three letters before the dash is the name of the State or Country followed by an abbreviation of the city where the mission headquarters is located. My nephew Christopher Meeker is married to Telly whose Uncle is the Elder Hiatt going to the Philippines.  My boss when I was a paper boy is Elder Tooley going to the Adriatic South Mission.

Name	Mission
ANDERSEN, ETHEL	FL-TAL
ANDERSEN, KAY E	FL-TAL
ANDERSON, CATHY	CAN-BC
ANDERSON, RICHARD	CAN-BC
BAILEY, CLYDE	DEN-COP
BAILEY, REBECCA LOU	DEN-COP
BALES, BONNIE LYNN	MD-BALT
BALES, RANDLE	MD-BALT
BIRD, CAROLYN	MEX-MCC
BIRD, DAVID PAUL	MEX-MCC
BUSBY, LARRY O'NEIL	PHI-SAN
BUSBY, MARIE MALOY	PHI-SAN
CAMPBELL, JAMES	PHI-CAU
CAMPBELL, JUDITH	PHI-CAU
CRABTREE, CAROLYN	UT-SLCW
CRABTREE, GEORGE	UT-SLCW
DE CARUFEL, PIERRE	CAN-MON
BERUBE, PRISCILLE	CAN-MON
FLANDERS, COLLETT	UT-SLCW
FLANDERS, JAY RALPH	UT-SLCW
FOSTER, RICHARD	CHQ
FOSTER, SHARON M	CHQ
FUNAKI, 'INOKE , SR	TON-NUK
FUNAKI, MALIA NOLINI	TON-NUK
GARNER, DAN J	OH-CLE
GARNER, GENEVA P	OH-CLE
GRIFFITH, CATHY	GA-MAC
GRIFFITH, ROLAND	GA-MAC
HAMILTON, GAIL	SD-RAPI
HAMILTON, RICHARD	SD-RAPI
HARMON, LARAY	JPN-SEN
HARMON, LINDA FAYE	JPN-SEN
HATCH, RIA ELAINE	UT-PRO
HATCH, RONALD LYLE	UT-PRO
HAWKINS, ANTHONY	UKR-DON
HAWKINS, NINA	UKR-DON
HIATT, C. RUSSELL	PHI-MAN
HIATT, SULET	PHI-MAN
HIATT, LEON	KY-LOU
HIATT, SHIRLEY ROSE	KY-LOU
HOSKISSON, ALISON	AST-BRI
HOSKISSON, BRUCE	AST-BRI
HUGHES, JOHN	NEW CALE
HUGHES, VALERIE	NEW CALE
JONES, MONTY	UT-OGD
JONES, LANETTE	UT-OGD
KESSLER, JANICE	GER-BER
MAUERMAN, JENNILYN	NC-RAL
MAUERMAN, KEITH	NC-RAL
MEEKER, JAY LEE	THAI-BAN
MEEKER, LOIS ANN	THAI-BAN
PENDLEY, ELIZABETH	CHI-CONS
PENDLEY, MARTIN	CHI-CONS
PINCOCK, LORIN	JPN-NAG
PINCOCK, VELLIS GAE	JPN-NAG
PORTER, LINDA	KS-WICH
PREECE, ALICE	UKR-DON
PREECE, BOB RONALD	UKR-DON
PULHAM, CLIVE LEROY	MN-MIN
PULHAM, CHRISTINE	MN-MIN
RASMUSSEN, KATHY	NOR-OSL
RASMUSSEN, ROBERT	NOR-OSL
SEVERINSEN, LYNN	FL-TAM
SEVERINSEN, MERVIN	FL-TAM
SHIRLEY, CATHIE	BRA-PAS
SHIRLEY, NEAL ROSS	BRA-PAS
SMITH, MARY LOU	ENG-LEE
SMITH, ROBERT	ENG-LEE
SMYTH, JAMES	FL-TAL
SMYTH, MIGNON	FL-TAL
STURDEVANT, HELEN F	TX-SAN
STURDEVANT, WAYNE	TX-SAN
TEW, GEORGIA	ALP-GER
TEW, RICHARD WAYNE	ALP-GER
THAXTON, ARLUND	KY-LOU
THAXTON, EARLENE P	KY-LOU
TOOLEY, DARLA	ADRTCS
TOOLEY, ROLAND	ADRTCS
WALL, ELWOOD JAY	MRI-MAJ
WALL, SUSAN	MRI-MAJ
WEBER, GARY DEAN	SCOT-IRE
WEBER, KAREN LAURA	SCOT-IRE
WIELAND, GERALD	PHI-CEBU
WIELAND, SHERRIE	PHI-CEBU
WISCOMBE, RICHARD L	SPA-MAL
WISCOMBE, SUSAN	SPA-MAL
WOOD, DARLENE	OR-EUGE
WOOD, EDWIN DWIGHT	OR-EUGE
WOODRUFF, DOUGLAS	PHI-ANG
WOODRUFF, VIVIAN	PHI-ANG
WRIGHT, CHARLEY	FL-TAL
WRIGHT, LANELL KAE	FL-TAL
WRIGHT, KATHRYN A.	GER-BER
WRIGHT, PAUL ALLEN	GER-BER