CHATROOM

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Letter of The Week

FAMILY MATTERS

I have a problem to tell you about. You see, my family is rather unhappy. My parents are gardeners and I am an English teacher at a private school in Yala. I am very sad that my family is not as happy as other people�s families. We all live and stay all together at home, but we are never happy because my parents don�t get along with each other.

I try to make them get along as best I can, but it�s so difficult to make them understand each other. They never listen to me and often ignore my advice. Furthermore, they do not understand my feelings when talking with me.

There are nine members in my family. Most are young and not yet married, so everybody seems to have a problem, especially my son who is just 4 years old. I feel sorry whenever I stay with him because my mom scolds him even though he is not wrong. What can I do?

Nanthasan Tohsae, Yala

Well, Nanthasan, it really wouldn�t be appropriate for me to advise you on family matters, as I don�t know the full story. You really should seek professional advice or encourage your parents to do so. However, there seems to be a stigma in Thai society about admitting that you have a problem, so your parents may not agree. Do you have any other senior members in your family you could consult? If not, you could try the Teen Hotline on 02 275 6993-4. � Editor

TOP MARKS

My name is Tanyawan Prasertkitphan and I�m 12 years old. I study at Bodindecha 2 School where we use Student Weekly in our English classes every week. I�ve been reading Student Weekly for two months now and my favourite subject is English because it�s very interesting. Last week I had an English exam that was about Student Weekly No. 32. It was very difficult because the questions were in small columns, but I got 10 out of 10. This week, I have another exam about reading. This letter is my first letter to Student Weekly, so I hope you answer me!

Tanyawan Prasertkitpha
Bangkok

Hi Tanyawan. I do try to answer all letters, whether they are full of praise or otherwise. It�s weird to think of Student Weekly being used as an exam subject, but as you got full marks we must be doing something right. Best of luck for your reading exam. � Editor

JUST SAY NO

The problem of drug addiction is very significant in Thailand. It may be caused by our environment or society and even family, friends and colleagues. But all drug dealers cheat us because they just want to sell their drugs. However, we do have strong laws against both the sellers and the consumers of illegal drugs. For the drug addict, they can try to change their way of thinking and apply to be a member of the �To Be Number One� campaign. I think this is the best project to help addicts recover from drug addiction.

Naswa Pathan
Pattani

I agree that the problem of drug addiction has many causes, Naswa. It also has many solutions, one of which is the one you mention. Also, getting addicts to recover and work rather than simply jailing them should also be part of the solution. � Editor

BACK IN BANGKOK

Dear Editor. When I was 10 years old, I came to Bangkok with my father. It was the first time that I had been to the city and I was excited when I realised I would be flying. We got on the plane at Hat Yai airport, and when the plane took off, it was great. �How do you feel?� my father asked. �It�s very exciting,� I answered. About 10 minutes later, an air hostess explained how to use the parachute and then she served food and drink. I thought she had a beautiful smile. It took about an hour and a half to fly from Hat Yai to Bangkok. When my father and I got off the plane, we went to my uncle�s home. I was very tired, so I went to bed early.

The next day, my father and I went to visit many interesting places in Bangkok such as Wat Pra Kaew, Sanam Luang, Victory Monument and Dusit Zoo. Wat Pra Kaew is a beautiful famous temple and tourists really like to visit it. Sanam Luang is a large outdoor park. There are many kinds of animals at Dusit Zoo, including birds, monkeys, giraffes and zebras. I took loads of photographs because I wanted to show them to my mother and my sisters. Although this was many years ago, I still remember it well.

Thaninee Chansuwan, Bangkok

Hey, Thaninee. Well, I recently went to Krabi for a short break. It was great down there, although I did get extremely sunburned. However, on the return to Bangkok, I realised that I had missed the city. There�s nothing like a break away from somewhere or something to make you realise you miss it. � Editor

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Vocabulary

praise (n): words that show approval of or admiration for somebody/something
scold (v): to speak angrily to somebody, especially a child, because they have done something wrong
appropriate (adj): suitable, acceptable or correct for the particular circumstances
stigma (n): feelings of disapproval that people have about particular illnesses or ways of behaving
parachute (n): a device that is attached to people or objects to make them fall slowly and safely when they are dropped from an aircraft