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Learning Thai: Language and Discipline Outside of Cybersecurity

Why Thai?

I’ve been training Muay Thai for about a year. At some point between getting kicked in the head and learning proper stance, I realized I should probably get more out it if I could meet the coaches in the middle and learn Thai to match their English. Then, they can yell “jab, jab, teep” in two languages. Bonus!

So, I started learning Thai.

First Attempt: LingoDeer Speed Run

I blasted through the entire LingoDeer course once. Felt good about myself. Then, I tried to read a menu in Thaitown and realized I retained basically nothing. Whoops.

Turns out cramming doesn’t work for language learning any better than it works for OSCP. Who knew?

Second Attempt: Actually Learning This Time

So I’m doing a second pass, but slower:

No romanization this time. Thai script only.
Creating Anki flashcards as I go (spaced repetition actually works).
Using the Ling app for variety and different sentence structures.
Actually reviewing instead of just clicking “Next.”

Basically, I’m applying the same lesson I learned from OSCP Version 1 vs Version 2: chase understanding, not just completion.

Goals

Short term:

Hold basic conversations with my Muay Thai coaches (instructions, feedback, small talk).
Order food and shop in Thaitown.

Long term (maybe):

Live and train in Thailand for 3-6 months while working remotely.

We’ll see. One tone mark at a time.

Thai Script = Regex for Your Brain

Learning Thai script has been surprisingly similar to learning technical stuff:

Everything looks like gibberish at first.
You start noticing patterns (vowels, tone markers, consonant classes).
Patterns become recognizable chunks.
Chunks become readable sentences.
Suddenly you can read a menu and know what you’re ordering.

It’s the same pattern recognition process as reading network logs or reverse engineering binaries. Just with more vowels and tones instead of hex dumps.

Why I’m Writing About This

This is a cybersecurity portfolio, so why am I talking about Thai?

Because learning languages uses the same skills as learning security:

Pattern recognition - Spotting repeating structures
Iteration - Try, fail, adjust, repeat
Discipline - Showing up consistently even when progress feels slow
Humility - Being okay with sucking at something for a while

Plus, it’s nice to work on something where:

There’s no exam deadline.
Nobody’s grading me.
The only metric is “can I understand more than yesterday?”
Failure just means I mispronounced a word, not that I failed an engagement.

Direct Security Parallels I’ve Noticed

Thai Tones ≈ Network Protocols
Five tones that change meaning entirely. Miss one, the whole sentence breaks. Just like how one wrong flag in a TCP packet breaks the connection.

Thai Script ≈ Malware Analysis
No spaces between words, vowels can appear before/after/above/below consonants. You have to understand the structure to parse it. Same as understanding assembly without source code.

Spaced Repetition ≈ Security Fundamentals
Anki flashcards work for Thai vocabulary and security concepts. You can’t cram language fluency, and you can’t cram security expertise. Both require consistent, repeated exposure over time.

Takeaway

If you’re in cybersecurity and feeling burned out, try learning something completely unrelated. Language, music, art, cooking, whatever.

It reminds you what it feels like to be a beginner again. And honestly? That’s a useful perspective to maintain.

Keep grinding it out. (But in Thai this time: สู้ๆ)

Tools I’m using:

LingoDeer (main course)
Ling app (supplemental practice)
Anki (spaced repetition flashcards)
YouTube (Thai language channels)
My Muay Thai coaches (patient test subjects)