Scott Eddy Interview - Cracking Thai Fundamentals

Stuart Jay Raj

Sep 17, 2010 — 3 min read

This is a cross post from Catherine Wentworth’s fantastic blog Womenlearnthai.com

### Talking about Stu Jay Raj’s Cracking Thai Fundamentals…

Stu is back in Bangkok with Cracking Thai Fundamentals. You already know my experiences with Stu’s workshop, so to give you another opinion I asked a former student of Stu’s, Scott Eddy, for an interview.

I first heard about Scott from Claudio Sennhauser, a mutual friend (thanks Claudio!) As mentioned, Claudio will be attending Stu’s coming workshop and plans to give an interview as well.

Scott has spent the past few years bouncing around the world, with Thailand drawing him back just recently. So recent, that I made contact with Scott right when he was moving into his new digs in Phuket.

Interviewing Scott Eddy…

How do you learn languages?

Myself personally, I really need to have a teacher. When it comes to learning new languages, I am somewhat lazy, so if I leave it up to books and cd’s, I will do it for a few days, then get bored.

How did you hear about Stuart Jay Raj’s Cracking Thai Fundamentals programme?

I was reading through some forums where people were talking about this “language guru” that was the best in the world. More than looking for a teacher, I have never met a “guru”, so I just wanted to meet him. And after a few classes, we actually became good friends, and started hanging out outside of classes.

What was your Thai level before hooking up with Stu?

My Thai was non-existent.

What is your Thai level now?

When I left Thailand in 2006, after living there many years, my Thai level was pretty good, comprehending 60-70%, maybe more, and speaking 40-50%. Fortunately, I had a Thai girlfriend/fiancée for 3.5 years, so I used to keep my Thai going, even though she is an executive at Chevron and speaks perfect English. And while I was away 4.5 years, 3 years in Barcelona, 6 months in London, and 1 year in Miami, I tried to go eat Thai 2-3 times per week and speak to my Thai friends in Thailand as much as possible. Now that I am back, I am probably comprehending 30-40% and speaking 20-30%.

Can you describe Stuart Jay Ra’s style of teaching? How did Stu help you improve?

His style is unlike any that I have ever seen or heard of. As a religious follower of self improvement motivational speakers, I was immediately drawn into his methods. He uses your body movements in many of his methods, which helps you remember longer than traditional methods. And most of all, his classes are fun, not just about learning the language, you will also learn about the culture and hear about his crazy past, and his dealings with every level of Thailand, from the every day Thai’s that you will meet walking down the street to the Royal level.

Would you recommend other people learning with him? Why?

Everyone that wants to learn Thai I send to him. There are not too many teachers out there with his background and knowledge.

The bottom line is this, being a foreigner in a third world country is hard enough, but it becomes harder if you do not open your eyes and try to learn not only their language, but their culture as well. And, with his background, there is no one better to help you achieve everything you hope to gain in Thailand, than Stu. He takes a special interest in each student, something that you will never find, in any teacher, anywhere in the world!

Scott Eddy
Facebook: MrScottEddy
Twitter: @MrScottEddy