The Word Thai
Some 50 million people live in Thailand. Almost all of these are 'Thai' in the sense that they are citizens of the country, speak Thai, and regard Thailand as their home. However, not all are ethnic Thai; the culture and language of the home of some 12 percent of the population are different to those of the ethnic Thai. The largest minority group is Chinese, about six million, most of whom in in the towns. More than one million Malays live in the southernmost provinces adjoining Malaysia and an estimated half million hill-tribesmen live in the mountains in the north. (Culture Shock, Cooper)
Climate
Thailand is largely tropical, so it's hot and humid all year around with temperatures in the range of 82-95°F, a degree of relief provided only in the mountains in the far north of Thailand. (Wiki)
Politics
Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, with the king as a very highly respected and revered Head of State. The Thai parliament is bicameral, consisting of a Senate, of which about half are directly elected with each province electing one member, and the other half being appointed by a committee, as well as a lower house which is directly elected by the people. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government, and is usually the leader of the party with the most seats in the lower house.
In practice, the king's role is largely ceremonial, with the Prime Minister holding the most authority in government. However, the king and the royal family are still protected by strict lèse majesté laws, which stipulate long jail terms for anybody convicted of insulting the king or any other members of the royal family. (Wiki)
Religion
There is no official state religion in the Thai constitution, which guarantees religious freedom for all Thai citizens, though the king is required by law to be Buddhist. According to the last census (2000) 94.6% of Thais are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand at 4.6%.[1][2] Thailand's southernmost provinces - Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of Songkhla Chumphon have dominant Muslim populations, consisting of both ethnic Thai and Malay. The southern tip of Thailand is mostly ethnic Malays. Christians, mainly Catholics, represent 0.7% of the population. A small but influential community of Sikhs in Thailand and some Hindus also live in the country's cities, and are heavily engaged in retail commerce. There is also a small Jewish community in Thailand, dating back to the 17th century. (Wikipedia)When talking to the Rabbi Yossi, the Chabad Rabbi at DU, I found out there *is* a Chabad in Chiang Mai. He apparently knows the Rabbi there well, so I'm expected to visit there at least once. Apparently, if I mention Rabbi Yossi's name, I'll get the royal treatment.
Language
The Thai language uses a phonemic alphabet of 44 consonants and fifteen basic vowel graphemes. Thai is a tonal language. The use of tones in Thai is lexical, meaning that each word has a certain pitch characteristic with which it must be spoken to be properly understood. The Thai language uses five tones: mid, low, high, rising and falling.
I'm a bit terrified of going to a country where I don't speak the language, so I've been trying to learn a bit on my own. I've been using this This language learning website to learn the alphabet and The Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook to learn a bit of grammar. It's been interesting as I begin to study the language. I can already say a few basic phrases.
