You Learn More On The Spot

Our first week of work deemed more beneficial for me in understanding this water system problem than much of the work I did back home. As a person who is interested in our perception of the world around us, I find it really interesting how being in a setting, hands on with a problem, greatly increases the level of understanding. Just on our first day alone, when we were taking measurements and drawing barebones sketches, I learned what an aeration system, backwashing, and polishing filter all were.

Having a professional engineer on site is also incredibly helpful, and necessary. When someone has been inputting information into their minds for so many years about the same types of problems, they have a huge database to draw from when it comes to solving new issues. There is just nothing to be said for the knowledge that life experience gives you, and I believe if young people and older people communicated more we would be able to learn and solve so many other problems.

I am also intrigued and impressed with Thai society and customs. Everyone here is always smiling, patient, and helpful. Things tend to operate more slowly and there is not such a rush to be so “on task,” as it is at home. I would think that I would find this lifestyle slow, boring, and frustrating, but I actually think I have taken a lot from it. My “Type A” personality, which usually is trying to handle, and manage a million things at once has realized the mental benefit and relaxation behind slowing down. There is a whole life to fill with things to do, and I should only be doing those things that really matter to me. The rest is just noise and clutter.

The project itself is going smoothly. We spent the first few days evaluating the system and much of what needs to be done. We also have begun collecting samples of water from various locations to be tested once our testing kit arrives. We have met with the government twice and both times have been very successful. I also spent a day in Chiang Mai (the closest city) with Mr. Kilany and Carole (one of our translators from Warm Heart) and we were successful in finding some of the supplies that are necessary for our implementation trip that is coming this January.

We are making great progress with this project, and I am recognizing not only how our newly acquired knowledge will help these people once we are done, but will also help our chapter of Engineers Without Borders grow when we take on new international projects. There are so many things one doesn’t think about until they are actually in the situation, and now that we have been here, we can share this knowledge to future travelers.

Missing home tremendously, and looking forward to an outstanding semester this fall.

We arrived!!!

After 27 hours on planes and sitting in airports the Rutgers team of Engineers Without Borders finally arrived in Chang Mai. Our team is composed of five engineering students (Dave, James, Jess, Reema, and me) and one professional engineer, Mr. Kilany. As I got off the plane I could feel that I was not in Jersey anymore. Believe it or not, there is a place with much worse humidity. As the taxi drive away from Chaing Mai airport and traveled down the narrow streets to the Top North Guest House my excitement I became more and more excited for my upcoming adventures.

Chang Mai is a wonderful city. It is not busy like New York or Bangkok but has distinct personality and character. On Saturday we walked around the city and explored the Buddhist Temples, or Wats. These temples are like nothing I have ever seen. The four I saw were so well preserved with exquisite artwork and a peaceful atmosphere with which I could really enjoy the Buddha’s. The Thai culture shows so much respect for the temples and for all people which is such a nice change from the competitive American, academic culture that I am used to. As I entered these open air temples I was dazzled. The gold, intricate designs along with the floral offerings and paintings made each temple unique and special.

We also explored the markets and silver district where we could shop for souvenirs. The jewelry stores had beautiful ruby pieces that were all out of my budget range but I found an adorable dress at the market which is now part of my wardrobe. Along with the shopping and fun we ate lunch at a cute vegetarian restaurant and I topped it off with a much needed sweet and refreshing mango shake that defiantly helped make the heat bearable.

My first night in Chiang Mai was concluded with a cultural show performed by the Lanna or local hill tribe and accompanied by a traditional dinner. This was probably my least favorite part of the day and I learned the least about Thai culture. The first part of the show consisted of tribal women dancing in a swaying motion while twirling the hands to show off long fingernails. The next four dances resembled the first one just without fingernails, then with candles, and other tribal outfits. The show concluded with a one man sword dance which had the most character out of the previous performances. The after show seemed to me like a cry for money. It was held outside, no longer around the dinner areas and was an exhibition of their children dancing. Only one child smiled during her performance which was comforting to see but I really felt bad for these children having to perform for foreigners in order to bring money to their families.

So far I think that we all really love it here and I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings!!