Weathering the Storm(s)

Hi all, sorry for the hiatus but I have good reason. Since I wrote this entry about a week ago, I am happy to report that the flooding has not caused as dire of effects as I originally thought. I would compare it to a flood in the corn fields of Iowa, later to recede, absorb, and still manage to produce a relatively decent crop. My house has also escaped the grips of the flood waters!

Weathering the Storm(s)
We’ve considered ourselves lucky to be on the cusp and not in the heart all the recent natural disasters in South Asia—cyclones in Vietnam, flooding in Cambodia, typhoons in the Philippines, and the most recent earthquake in Indonesia. I say on the cusp in the sense that people’s homes are for the most part still inhabitable, people have food, shelter, and water and can go about their days with at least partial normality. This isn’t to say we haven’t felt any effects. Before the storm even hit, we had some significant flooding—some roads leading to my sub-district were completely underwater. Apparently, it is normal to have 1 or 2 annual floods, which usually retreat within a few days.

It’s taken a few days of incessant rains to really see the damage of the most current wave of natures wrath. The ripple effect is now starting to set in. I would estimate about 30-40% of the sub-districts rice fields are flooded. Even after the rains’ halt, we’ve been hit with the repercussion of those areas hit harder. Flood waters from the high cliffs of the Cambodian Border and from the Eastern-most provinces of Thailand continue to flow through streams and rivers and creep into our streets and alleyways. Only time will tell what the final effects will be. Even as I speak, water continues to rise up the street on which I live, inching closer and closer to my doorstep. Last night I went to bed with a dry street front and woke to find a stream of water flowing steadily by, covering the front awning of my house. I joked with my neighbors last night that if the waters rose to my bedroom, I’d have to climb up my house and sleep with the birds on my tin roof. However funny the image, it’s not so far fetching.

I never went to New Orleans when Katrina struck. At the time, I was a sophomore in college and I did what I could—supporting the Red Cross and students going to aid and rescue. I can only say from what I’ve seen and heard that it must have been a horrible calamity for so many. Growing up in Iowa near the Missouri River, we had our fair share of flooding—primarily the great flood of ’93. The most recent bout of flooding last year, deemed 89% of counties in Iowa as flood zones. Being in Bolivia at the time, I could only watch from the news and hear in stories from back home. These are the closest personal accounts I’ve come to flooding disasters. Until now, of course.
Like I said, about 30- 40% of the area rice fields were flooded. This, in addition to many homes and important roads. So, what does this mean for my friends and neighbors who subside off rice farming and live in flood zones? At the very least, it’s definitely a hindrance that inundates their homes, tarnishes their food source, and makes day-to-day life more of a struggle. I can only imagine the strife of those in other areas who were hit harder, already living below the poverty line. The years’ rice crop in some areas faces a tumultuous future. I hear far and wide the phrase, “kaao sia” which translates roughly as “ruined rice”. With the harvest season approaching in the next 1-2 months, we can only hope that the rice is still salvageable. It not, some villagers face taking a loss of virtually a whole year’s income. This effects the whole community. People will be working to repair damages for months to come, assuming things don’t get worse. This all makes my job as a community developer ever more complicated. How can people be thinking about recycling and making organic compost when they don’t even have a safe place to call home? It’s possible the nature of my work and projects here may have to shift in light of recent circumstances. We shall see.

In spite of everything, I am amazed (yet once again) at the spirit of Thai people and how they deal with misfortune and tragedy. True, people are stressed. But, they are in good spirits. I went to visit some neighbors whose house had become engulfed knee-deep in water. So many of their belongings had been ruined, they had lost power, the ability to cook over a stove, and even to sleep in their beds. I was astonished to see them hiding their burdens behind smiling faces, looking down at their 7-year-old as he rode his bicycle playfully through the lesser-flooded areas. Seems to me they were happy to have life, a healthy family, generous neighbors, enough food to get by, and a house that was still standing. In the distance, I heard drums and music of the “Awk Pansa” celebrations. Awk Pansa marks the end of the Buddhist rain retreat season (see previous post) that some refer to as Buddhist lent. Life continues no matter the hurdles that are placed in the way. People persist. And for the time being, that’s all they can do.

The Sky’s Not Falling Yet
The waterlogged, impermeable grounds have prompted critters of all sorts to creep out of the fields, cracks and crevices. I’ve seen more lizards, snakes, rodents, and random insects in the past few days than I’d care to share. In my case, the critters have come out of the woodwork, quite literally. Whether related or not, the most effect I personally have felt from the flood is a massive case of termites in my home. To be fair, they have been hanging around for a couple months, unbeknownst to me until just recently. However, in light of recent events, their presences glares me in the face—consequently commanding my full attention. I live in a concrete house with a tin roof and a wooden frame. A paradise of opportunity for termites. My best defense is a can of deadly chemicals promising to exterminate not only termites but an array of equally pesky insects. My landlord claims he’s never had this problem before. Though, I have my suspicions. Really? During San Dton Dta, he came by with his right hand man to fumigate the place. I took a long bike ride. But, since the massive rains and flooding, the termites have resurged efforts in taking the high ground and decided to make the wooden frame of my house their permanent home. Okay, not the most fun situation to find yourself in; my house could tumble to the ground. But, despite it all, I’ve found it somewhat...ironic. Being in a Buddhist country and studying Buddhist principles, I’ve tried to be more tolerable and nonchalant about my co-existence with what would otherwise be considered annoying, scary, and burdensome creatures. I keep my house pretty clean but it’s inevitable I’ll always be sharing it with cockroaches, spiders, beetles, geckos, ants, and on the rare occasion, scorpions. I’ve gotten used to it, resolving to not stress but allow these living things to be. Although, there was the time I smashed a gargantuan spider with a broom. It was in my bedroom! Other than that and bouts of mitigating the spider webs, I’ve become much more accepting of our co-existence. Considering my growth in tolerance of this newfound coexistence, it’s peculiar, then, that I should be taking such an active role in exterminating these termites. Which has led to conclude that I do have a threshold. And that threshold is the threat of my house crumbling while I’m inside it.