ภาษาไทยเรียนไปทำไม?

I first became interested in going to Thailand when I was living in Taiwan in 2007. Some of my fellow English teachers had traveled to Thailand and came back absolutely glowing, raving on about how wonderful it is. How beautiful it is, how good the food is, how nice the people are. They were so enthusiastic about it that it made me want to go myself. Even after that, I continued to meet people who sang praises of the "land of smiles", as it's called. Apparently there's something about Thailand that draws people to it.

So I decided that I would definitely visit Thailand one day. And about a year and a half ago, just for fun really, I decided to try learning a few basic phrases in Thai. Little did I know that I would fall completely in love with the language and end up studying it seriously. I learned the alphabet, and started trying to read it, and I just kept going. I didn't really know why I was learning Thai. I had no immediate practical use for it. But I just couldn't stop. I guess it was meant to be, because I've kept up my study of Thai to this day (admittedly with a few breaks along the way), and I've reached what I'd call a solid intermediate level. (I've been spending a lot of time watching Disney movies dubbed in Thai, among other things.) =D I'm pretty sure I can have a basic conversation and understand at least the gist of what people say.

Now I'll finally get to try it out for real, because I'm leaving for Thailand on August 2nd and will be staying for two weeks. I plan on exploring Bangkok and volunteering at an elephant park in Chiangmai. (I've always wanted to meet an elephant!) Other than that, I don't have any specific plans. I prefer to go with the flow and figure things out when I get there.

I bet someone is thinking, though, "You're so weird, Jana. Why on earth would you learn Thai?" The only reason you might really need it is if you were going to live in Thailand. (Though you could argue otherwise, considering that some people actually live in a foreign country for years and never learn to speak the language!) Knowing Thai isn't really necessary if you're just going to travel (though obviously it would help). None of the people I know who traveled to Thailand could speak a word of it beyond simple greetings. Thai isn't a major world language or the language of an economically advanced country, so it wouldn't give you much of an advantage career-wise. There aren't many Thais living abroad either, and those who are probably speak the local language. Practically speaking, it just doesn't seem to make sense.

But honestly, I've never been a fan of doing things just because they're practical. "Practical" is a word for people who are comfortable keeping things just the way they are and staying on the path everyone else expects them to take, and who never feel the need to do anything different. But I want different. I need different. Forget practical. Practical makes me bored out of my mind!

Really, the same person who asks why anyone would learn Thai might just as well ask, "Why did you bother to learn Japanese, anyway?" Japanese may seem more "practical" than Thai, but it's not that much different if you think about it. I grew up in a small town in the United States. There were no Japanese people around me, or at least none who weren't completely Americanized. I had no interest in going into business in the automobile or technology industry, or any other field in which Japanese might be particularly useful. I didn't even want to teach English in Japan, really (though I ended up doing so anyway as a means of coming here). I didn't "need" to know Japanese at all. There are a million other paths I could have taken, many of which society would see as more practical choices.

But I wanted to know Japanese. I didn't need a reason. I never asked myself why-- it just made sense. I wanted to know Japanese so badly that I just had to learn it. And so I just did. Then I came to Japan, and I made Japanese a part of my life, a part of my very soul. By doing so, I made it "practical" for myself in every way that matters. And I don't regret it one little bit.

Though to this day, people still ask me why I learned Japanese or why I wanted to come to Japan, and I still have trouble answering that question. People expect me to say that I like anime or Japanese food or karate. I mean, sure, I do like those things. But none of them are the reason why I learned Japanese. There is no reason.

I think people these days are too hung up on finding a reason for everything. They're too hung up on so-called practicality. If you tell them there's no reason, they get lost and confused. But let me tell you something. (shh, it's a secret!) You don't have to do something because you can make money from it. Or because your parents want you to do it. Or because your boyfriend/ girlfriend wants you to. Or because anyone wants you to. Or because it will make you look good. You only have to do something when you want it more than anything, because you know it will make you happy. And if you're happy and fulfilled doing something you love, you'll be contributing to the good of the world in the best way you know how. Don't ask yourself why-- just do it. It will make sense eventually.