Thai Class

I had my first Thai language class today. Afterwards I bought paper to make flashcards because it will simply be a matter of practicing vocabulary. There is hardly any grammar in the Thai language. No conjugation of verbs, no present or past or future tenses, no plurals, just a lot of guessing contexts I guess. We practiced asking each other's names and when the teacher asked my mine, I told her my name is Mia in Thai, but she heard me say 'I am wife.' (Mia means 'wife' in Thai). She frowned and said no. I said yes, my name is Mia. She laughed and explained to the rest of the class why this is funny to her, and everyone else laughed. She suggested that when I tell people my name I say it separating the vowels. Like Mee. Aah.

Overall the first class was helpful, she went over some new phrases and telling us to be careful with words that we might screw up. I guess 'having a stomachache' and 'being pregnant' sound very similar (ha), so ladies should be especially careful throwing those phrases around. She also talked about the word 'to buy,' which is 'seu'. Then there was an odd moment when she looked directly at me and said, I'm sure you've heard that a lot, Mia. Seu...Mee. Ahhh. I think she was making a reference about purchasing a wife? Mail-order brides? Not sure. I gave an awkward laugh.