24 Chula Visit for Construction, July 2008

We were here again at the construction site of Baan Leam Tong International Community Resource Center. During 16-22 July, 23 of us, 16 students from Faculty of Architecture Chulalongkorn University (10 INDA students, 6 fifth year students, 3 architects from my office working as my TA. (Sor, Namkhang and Pan), Khun Pu Jantima from American Red Cross, Khun Chol from UNICEF and our beloved cook, P'Som were there to work on the construction site, continuing from what the Regent team had completed last month.

This was the stage of the construction site when we arrived. Sor, Namkhang and Pan surveyed the site before the students began to work.


Waiting for our first meeting at the site. We all enjoyed the cool breeze after the rains...


The first meeting: we divided into 3 groups, everyday 2 groups worked on the construction, the other worked on the public relation of the project in the area - the duty also including cooking and serving drinks to those who worked on the construction site. We began with already some fun as you can see here :)



Our tasks were to mold 22 columns in the site.. Our super contractor, Nirat, already prepare some of the molding and reinforced steel... so our first day... we began with mixing concrete. The students had to carry million bags of the mixtures (sand, stones and cement) to the site. :O



Then we began pouring concrete mixture into the column molds. Although it was raining once in a while, it was good so that the weather was not too bad.



Joe was already tired, while Nam and Pear were still super strong - super girls...



After few days of mixing and pouring concrete in the rains, we finished. But we couldn't take off all the molds yet, had to wait for at least 24 hours. So we had another job to do: digging around the site prepare for the retaining walls.



The day before last day, we finally took away the molds of all the colums..


This was the condition of the site when we left. :-) we were quite proud of our little selves of doing so.... The next step is to build the retaining wall and install the water storage... We have to wait for further funding - hope to be very soon.



Speaking about funding, this time, we did some public relation around the site - with the hotels around and the people in the village. Strange enough, all the hotels around did not know the existance of the project, some staffs of the hotels did not even know the existance of the school - very strange indeed. The students went around to the hotels (Phi Phi Natural Resort, Zevola, Phi Phi Erawan Resort and Holiday Inns Resort), asked the hotels to hand out our PR materials to the guests who might be interested in supporting the project. Pam and Chompu who could not make it this time, made a very cute postcard as handout and three boards to exhibit at the construction site


Ta proudly presented the postcards in the setting they brought to each hotel for the guests. It should be put in the lobby.

Khun Pu Jantima who was in charge of all our well-being organized a grilling party for us one night. Joe was the best boy scout who made the fire, with the support from the three girls here. :-)


Grilled fish. The fish were from our contractor, Nirat. Gigantic indeed. Thanks a lot ka.


Not to mention that everyday, we got fed by P'Som's food. The diet plan in Phi Phi never works. We got back to Bangkok FAT & TAN. :( But happy and full.


Looking forward to going back there again soon... we began to feel like another home there... :-)