Tuesday Flooding Update

The factory is no longer accessible without a boat. Water is over the sandbags and entering the parking lot. Sandbags at the plant doors are holding most of the water out for now. The factory floor is also sealed off inside the plant.

6 people are stranded at the factory, unable to leave due to high water. Rescue crew should be there by boat later this afternoon.

The picture below is from Monday afternoon. Water is much higher now.

Flood Update

Here are some pictures from Sunday in and around Rojana Industrial Park. The plant lost power Saturday afternoon. We had just finished putting up sandbags Sunday when the mandatory evacuation order was given for our portion of the industrial park. News reports say the flood walls to the Rojana Industrial Park completely failed last night. As of Monday morning all roads to the plant are now under water.

Sunday on the way to the factory, near Wang Noi

Water is just starting to cross the road

Rice fields are full of water

Villagers are getting there feet wet

The road I'm on here is on top of the levy protecting the industrial park. Water is 30-50 cm higher than on Friday. The water is also now moving quite quickly.

Pictures below show the sandbags and plastic tarps we hope will protect the factory.

If water makes it past this point, things will get rather messy.

Water is nearing the top of the levy directly behind the plant.

A few more shots on the way home.

I still have not heard from my Driver Puk. I'm hoping he's okay.

น้ำ

น้ำ (pronounced "nam") means water in Thai...

We have a problem right now, and น้ำ pretty much sums it up.

Every year it rains in Thailaind, for about 6 months... This year has been exceptionally wet, and I'm afraid things are about to get very soggy in our neck of the woods.

Tonight on TV, I saw Al Jazeera report that "some rice fields in Thailand have been damaged by the flooding." They are well ahead of the western news agencies, and they are at least a week behind what's going on here. 250 are confirmed dead and many more missing. Over 1000 factories are now reported under water in Thailand's industrial areas. HTI is still okay. Flooding is expected to get much worse in the next week.

Pictures below are from my commute home on Friday night.

Sandbags are being filled outside the HTI pland in Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya, Thailand.

The road in the picture below is on top of the levy protecting the Rojana Industrial park. The water level in the canal is about 1 meter above the ground level in the industrial park, out of view to the right.

The water in the fields to the north is even higher than in the canal

I'm concerned I may not be able to make it to work on Monday. My primary route to work, the Asia highway, is now under water. The pictures below are on an alternate route. For those of you who know the area, this is on the road to Saraburi near Wang Noi, close to the MPT factory.

And further south, Phahoyothin road near Thammasat University is also slipping under the water.

The water was high enough that traffic on the Don Muang elevated toll road was being turned around as there was no was no dry ground to the north.

Water in Ayutthaya is expected to rise another 50cm or more, which puts HTI at moderate risk. The primary concern is whether or not the levy's will hold. Tonight dump trucks were bringing in loads of dirt to build up the flood protection.

Bangkok is expected to experience serious flooding within the next week.

If you're the praying type, please pray for my driver "Puk" and his family. Last time I saw him was Wednesday night after work. He was going back to help his family in severely flooded Ayutthaya Thailand. That was 2 days ago. Yesterday on the phone he said he just needed to cry, and he would call to let me know if he would work today (Friday). I haven't heard from him in 36 hours.

We are safe and dry on floor 22 of our condo.

The Hutchinson Shopper

I never minded getting the free weekly shopper (ads mostly) while we lived in Hutchinson. Greg never understood its purpose... until now:

Thanks to Greg's co-worker Caleb who just arrived in Thailand for a short-term assignment, there are now 6, I mean 5, bottles of Summit IPA in our fridge. They all arrived here safely with the help of the weekly shopper!

Grand Final

As you may know from reading this blog or from talking with us, we (Greg especially) has become a fan of Australian Football. Yes, it's own sport. Read here for Greg's posting a few months ago on the game.

This past Saturday we were invited over to our friend Katherine and Ananth's home to watch the championship or Grand Final game. Geelong vs. Collingwood. Katherine is Australian and grew up watching Aussie Rules. Her parents were also in attendance, visiting from Australia to welcome Katherine and Ananth's newborn Sid born just a month ago. Other people included three of her Aussie neighbors and our friends Smitha, Kent, and newborn Jude.  It really felt like getting together to watch the Hawkeyes or Vikings back in the States. There was great food, conversation, and it turned out to be a great game as well. After being down in the first half, Geelong came back to win! Here's some pictures from the day. Not too many of Jude, he was quite fussy during the game and then just fell asleep inside their carrier.

Katherine with Sid and Smith with Jude. Sid is one day older than Jude. 

Sid and his mum watching his first Grand Final! Go Cats!

It was Katherine's birthday as well. Happy Birthday Katherine! Katherine, Ananth, and Sid

Katherine, and I with Sid

All the Aussies chatting Australia politics after the game.  They also wondered if there was anyone as crazy as Sarah Palin  running in the next presidential election.... 

My First Days of Schools

Sorry it has been so long since our last update. I think this is the longest we have gone! Expect a few postings this week....

In the past two months I've had two first days of school. The first was mid-August starting my second year at Mulberry House International Pre-School. Yes, I'm the Rabbit Teacher again, but with a very different class. I have 13 students that keep me busy the entire day. Unlike last year, there are a few who are still learning English. My assistant can help translate the Thai, but Arabic is one that we both don't understand. I have just 2 weeks left of the first half term. I'm looking forward to the week +1 day off, plus my mom comes to visit! Here's some pictures of my new Rabbit Class!

Some random photos from this year so far... From L to R: Morning Meeting, boys building, measuring our bodies with our foot prints, girls getting ready for ballet after school class, partners with the portraits of each other they drew, and boys dressing up during choice time.  

Pictures from one of our cooking projects: Birthday cupcakes

My second first day of school was a few weekends ago. I officially began my master's program through the State University of New York Buffalo here in Bangkok. Go Bulls! (I had to look that up)The program, Multidisciplinary Studies, is a masters for international teachers covering a wide variety of subjects. My coursework should be done by next June with just my final project to complete.

My first day of grad school. Greg got up to take my picture at 8am, bless his heart!

My class, The Holistic Curriculum: Teaching to Both Sides of the Brain, met at big international school about 20 minutes away from home. My fellow classmates come from all over the world. Ireland, Canada, Thailand/India, and the US. Our professor was Russian. Yes, I'm using the past tense because this class is already over. In the first week +1 day we met 6 times for approximately 38 hours. We had the next week for our two written assignments. I just submitted my final assignment. Next class starts next week. Between my two schools, it's going to be a busy year.

Impressions from Thailand

1. Thai spicy trumps American spicy. Our first night in Thailand, Greg and Mary took us to a local (non-touristy) Thai restaurant. They told us there would be spicy food. We thought we understood. David decided to try one of the small chilies since he likes spicy food. After he swallowed it he realized it was a bit hotter than anticipated. A few seconds later he had tears streaming down his cheeks and started eating rice like his life depended on it. Later while in Koh Chang, Emily requested a dish
with “no spicy.” The server pointed to one of the choices and said, “Only sweet, no spice.” False, it was still spicy.

2.When it rains, it pours. From Greg and Mary’s 22^nd floor apartment we had a great view of the city. We could watch where rain storms occurred around the city and see the sheets of rain moving toward us. When out at a restaurant in the evening, the pounding of rain on the roof would almost drown out conversation.

3. You can afford just about anything. You want to ride an elephant for an hour? $15. One hour massage? $7. A three liter tower of Heineken? That’s within your budget. A gorgeous bungalow at a five star hotel on the beach? $30 a night. And that includes breakfast and a ride on the back of pick-up into town, plus free on-demand movies. Enough said.

4. Red fanta is the preferred “blood” sacrifice. Spirit houses are everywhere. These are personal Buddhist temples and pretty much every building has one. People leave offerings at them such as flowers, coins, food, and especially red fanta. We asked our Thai tour guide Pam why people left red fanta and she explained that it was a substitute for animal sacrifices. The red fanta represents the blood from the animal sacrifice.

5. Don’t expect anyone to comment on your sneeze. David sneezes when he sees the sun. We didn’t see a lot of sun in Thailand since it was the rainy season, but the sun peeked out while we were with Pam. Emily blessed David after his sneeze and noticed Pam smiling. So she asked Pam what Thai people say after a sneeze? The response, “We don’t say anything.”

6. Want to get there fast? Take a motor bike. Want to get there alive? Maybe don’t take a motor bike. You’ve never seen traffic like Bangkok traffic. So riding on a motorbike allows you to weave in between stopped cars and go on the sidewalk if need be. At red lights you’ll see a cluster of motorbikes at the front of the light ahead of the cars and more motorbikes arrive constantly seeming to come out of nowhere. Hence, the risk inherent in this speedy transportation. Luckily for us there were many other ways to get around the city: taxi, tuk-tuk, subway, skytrain, ferry, river taxi, and the ever popular walking.

7. Thai people are very proud of their country and culture. Their home is a wonderful place, full of history and beauty. We were privileged to visit southeast Thailand (Koh Chang), and many sites around Bangkok - Wat Po, Wat Arun, the Grand Palace, the flower market, the Emerald Buddha, and the ruins of Ayutthaya. The Thai people we met were pleased to show us these artifacts of their culture, and we were honored to view them.