Andew Big

If you don’t live in Thailand you may not know who he is, but he is arguably the most famous farang living in the Land of Smiles.

When I first came to Thailand and people asked me where I came from I would answer “Australia” and as often as not I’d be greeted with a shout of “Andew Big!” My puzzled expression would draw a puzzled look in return and the Thai person would ask me, “You don’t know Andew Big!?”

No, I would assure them, I did not.

Of course they were talking about Andrew Biggs, and — being Australian — they assumed that he was as famous in Australia as he is in Thailand. But his fame is really based on one thing — he speaks Thai. He certainly speaks well – as well as a native for all I know. He’s lived here nearly 20 years, and spent much of that time appearing on Television. But unless I missed a memo somewhere, Andrew never achieved fame in his home country for his facility with the Thai language.

I’m tall and my head is often shaved clean. I guess to the average Thai person Andrew and I would look a lot alike, though I suspect he weighs only about half as much as I do. I have often had Thais comment to me that I look like Andrew Biggs. Once I’d seen him on TV I felt a bit unhappy about it… I thought he looked ten years older than me.

I have since found out that I am, indeed, 2 years older than him. I guess my self image needs to be adjusted.

Andrew is highly successful here in the Land of Smiles. Here’s an excerpt from his Wikipedia entry:

Andrew Biggs (born 1962) is an Australian journalist and author and television personality in Thailand. He has written several books, appears daily on Thai television’s Channel 3, and runs his own language school.

For nine years he hosted the morning TV program Talk Of The Town and for three years he hosted Weekend News (เรื่องเล่าเสาร์อาทิตย์) on the weekends on Channel 3. He often co-hosts programs with conservative wheelchair-bound Thai journalist Krissana Chaiyarat, in which they both argue with each other.

In July 2007 on Thai Language Day, the Thai Government’s Ministry of Culture awarded him Excellent User of the Thai Language. It was the first time the award had been given to a foreigner, and it attracted a lot of attention.

It seems unusual to achieve fame for learning a foreign language, but AB has certainly parlayed it into an exceptional life. After three years here, I have never to the best of my knowledge, actually seen Andrew Biggs in person. This likely means that he doesn’t frequent the same go go bars that I do.

I thought I’d see what other people had to say about AB and Googled his name. One of the entries that came back was the ajarn forum where these two interesting entries appeared:

So I have this Sundays gig at the Andrew Biggs Academy which I think is a fine little school down on Rama the Fourth. The materials are fun and the students are motivated and bright. The atmosphere is casual and as laid back as a new language school scrambling to get everything together prolly can be.

So I set up in my class and met my students and got started. They’ve got one area with a huge room that can be divided into three with sliding folding room divider thingies. They do funny aerobics stuff with the kids when they open it up.

So I’m teaching in one of these half-rooms. Not five minutes into my lesson it becomes clear that I’m being overshadowed, somehow. I become intensely self-aware…what a boring class!…move it along!….if I could only translate this word into perfect thai!…why aren’t they lovingly laughing at everything I’m saying…they’re quiet!….etc.

I quickly realize that the class next door is being taught by none other than our famous bald-headed ajarn dynamo Mr. Biggs himself, and you can pretty much hear everything that’s going on over there. And it’s a rollicking success, as I’m sure all his classes are. The Thais love him, and jump at the chance to speak to, with, or near him. This means his class had that electric buzz of completely engaged, enthused, aroused students volleying the English language around on their tongues like some kind of jamaican bobsled team. Lovely.

Yes, it’s all lovely and good. Except for the fact that I, along with my own precious would be English olympians, could hear it all. And I’m not the competitive type per se, but this situation tested me. I began feeling like a real loser, trudging along a in CELTA-Pass type fashion. So class was alright, but how can I compare with the fete next door? Teaching next to Andrew Biggs was a bit of a brow sweat for this newbie teacher.

I suppose everything turned out fine in the end. Perhaps the test is to see how many show up this week? Could they have compared me with Andrew Himself and decided I don’t fill the bill?

Anyhoo, just though I’d share my little story. If there is any moral to it, it would probably be “don’t think teaching is about you” anyway. There *should* be no ego in it at all. However…

Ever worked at a school with a superstar teacher who showed you up and made you get your shit together (or not)? Or were you that teacher.

I have experienced the Bigg’s envy. The students love my classes. They have a good time. I am not degreed in education, but find nothing that suits my palette more that teaching. I can teach just about anything but higher level maths. C+ in college was the best I could manage. Learned later from a good math teacher here that if I had had a better teacher things might have turned out different. Anyways, some teachers, who have observed me, complimented me well afterwards and asked questions. It felt nice to be appreciated by my peers. I did however have one chap who was completely hated by his students for not being fun—the key ingredient to teaching in Thailand. He always complained that my classes were too noisy. “Raise the roof!”….and they’ll come screaming back for more.
Mathew….. I would have been very intimidated. But, would have just rolled along as you did. Next time you hear him yell, “Ma nee!” go to the door and say, “yes?”

I have watched his commercials….the students goof around speaking Thai then say one or two words in English about what ever they’re showing…….not much difference than any language school I have seen in the represented age group. he is successful and more power to him. I wish my Thai was that good. And I’m bald too!

With eleven books in the past decade, a successful television career and his own language school he seems to have built an enviable life in Thailand.

One good argument for learning Thai.