A Kid's Life In Thailand

Sometimes people eat a scorpion noodle dish!

Tiger Woods' mom came from Thailand.

Thailand was named Siam until it changed its name in 1939.

Thai is one of the hardest languages in the entire world!

If you were in Thailand you might see someone riding an elephant down the street!

Sawatdi krap (SOW-WAH-DEE KOP) (hello) my name is

Phongpan. I live in Hat Yai, Thailand. Thailand means land of the free. Hat Yai is in southern Thailand in the part called the tail. Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok, and it is also the largest city in our country. Here in Thailand there are three seasons called wet, cool, and a hot. During the wet season, from May to October, we have monsoons. Monsoons are big winds that bring rain. The cool season isn't really that cold. April is the hottest month of the year.

We have school all year except for April and October. We have off in April because it's so hot and in October because there are many holidays. Every morning at school we start with an assembly. At the assembly we have a band play the national anthem. After that we say our prayers. Next we go Buddha start school. Some of the things we study are language, arithmetic, science, and social studies. We also have quiet hour. Quiet hour is when we sit with our eyes closed facing a statue of Buddha. Buddha is the man who founded Buddhism, our main religion. Buddhists believe that people can find peace and happiness by freeing themselves from worldly desires. I have to wear a uniform to school! I also have school on Saturday. In school we have to learn how to grow vegetables, keep bees, and keep cattle. We also take turns cooking lunch.

I am lucky to live in a house made of concrete. Most of the villagers who live in Thailand live in houses that are on stilts. The houses are 7 to 10 feet above the land so that they don't get flooded during the monsoons. My house isn't on stilts.

I like to play, too. I like to play basketball and soccer. Most girls don't like to play those sports. Kickboxing They like to play hopscotch and tag. I like playing video games, too. I think it makes my fingers stronger. I like watching boxing on TV. Muay Thai (Thai boxing) is the most popular sport in our country. It is like kickboxing where opponents fight with their hands and feet. Another popular sport that I love is called takraw. In this sport, the players try to keep a ball made of rattan (woven palm stems) in the air by using their heads, legs, and feet. I am getting pretty good at it. Some of my friends love to go to the fightingfish contests.

Holidays are also fun. Most of our holidays center around Buddhism and full moons or a seasonal change such as the end of the rainy season. The king and queen's birthdays are also national holidays. The king's birthday is Dec. 5th and the queen's is Aug. 12th. Another holiday is when we put candles and flowers on a boat and send it down the river to ask forgiveness for our sins. Holidays are a time to sing, dance, and celebrate.

I love to eat Thai food! Thai food is usually very spicy. We eat rice at almost every meal. I love to eat hot, spicy stews called curries. Sometimes our meals are very artistic. Sometimes the meal is cut into designs on our plates! Or it could be served on banana leaves. Fried rice is very common, as are soup or fish balls are common, too. Actually "have you eaten rice?" is the same as "how do you do?" A dessert could be sticky rice backed in coconut sauce, or fruit, banana fritters or banana in coconut milk, and custards.

Unlike Thai food which is native to our country our cloths are Native Dress mostly western. We don't wear short shorts or sleeveless shirts. Except for the monks. They wear orange cloth that is rapped around their body. And on special festivals people wear native cloths. The native cloths are very colorful and very bright. I think they look cool!

Foreigners who come to Thailand believe our language is very difficult. Actually Thai is one of the hardest languages. Thai is tonal which means words mean different things in a different pitched voice. For example, "cow" can mean rice, white, she, he or they, and the number nine.

So you see Thailand is a great place to live in. I hope you visit us soon!