A PRESS CONFERENCE: MAI KOW JAI

During my obviously sheltered life in Bangkok I've been fortunate to attend only press conferences where some degree of English has been used. Yet despite my best attempts to ensure I only attend events where I can actually comprehend what's being said, yesterday I ended up at one where I was the only non-Thai attendee, and where no English was used during the presentations.
This was an event for the launch of penthouses at a prestigious condominium complex in Bangkok. Prices here start at 33 million baht - roughly US$ 1 million. The developers own estimates are that half of these sumptuous suites will be purchased by non-Thai buyers, so it seems strange that I was the only representative from the English language media in Thailand.
It was not all bad news though. My lack of Thai meant I got exclusive opportunities after the formal part of the press conference to conduct one-on-one interviews with the key people - something that wasn't afforded to my Thai media colleagues.
And if you're wondering, 'mai kow jai' is a Thai phrase I'm using a little too often at the moment. It means 'I don't understand'.