Hello Hello!! Odds are if you are reading this blog, then you are a family or friend who has heard a lot about the WHAT of our project, so we thought we would give y’all some information on the WHERE of our project! We will be working at the Tup Louang School in Don Khang, which is in the central/western part of Thailand. I have included some basic information about the country of Thailand below: National Language: Thai Religion: 93% Buddhist Per Capita GDP: $5,901 Rural Population: 55% Access to Clean Water: 98% Don Khang is located in the Suphan Buri Province of Thailand. During the summer the weather is dry and hot, so definitely catch us stocking up on the sunscreen and staying hydrated! As I was researching information about Thailand, I happened upon some fun facts and I have included some of my favorite:
Tune in next week for a project update!!(: - Julie P.S. 60 days until we arrive in Thailand!!!
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Hi Everyone!! We are officially back from spring break, feeling rejuvenated, and ready to kick it into high gear once again. Because it has been a little while since you have heard from us, we thought we would let y'all know what we have been up to. Two weeks before spring break the team participated in a two-day concrete lab where we put our skills to the test by mixing concrete, laying it, and finally laying cinder blocks to form our structure. We started out by measuring out the correct amounts of cement, water, fine aggregate, and course aggregate… and let me be the first to say it is A LOT heavier than it looks. After weighing all the materials to make sure it was the exact amount, we added them to the mixer. First went the course aggregate, fine aggregate, and half the water. Then after some mixing, we added the cement. Finally, we poured the concrete into the mold and poked and prodded it in many different ways to ensure that it was even and didn't have any air pockets. We let it dry for the next two days and then came back ready for round two! Now that we had laid the foundation, it was time to add some height to our structure. The next order of business would be mixing the mortar that would hold the cinder blocks together. Since we were doing it by hand this time, I gladly let Trey and Sai take the lead! The last step was to set the cinder blocks and place the mortar so they would stay in place. We were told that it was like icing a cake, which is not one of my strengths (just ask my mom) so I gladly let Pooja and the boys takeover after a few failed attempts on my part. Overall the workshop was extremely successful for our team! It was a great team building experience, and a great opportunity for some hands-on experience. Since I know y’all are probably wondering… yes, of course we would be willing to build a custom wall for each and everyone one of y’all!! The next week, on the Wednesday before spring break, the team presented our milestone 3 project. This involved many late nights and the occasional trip to taco bell (shout out to Aleem for knowing the best things to order)!
Ultimately all of our hard work paid off because… drumroll please… WE WERE CLEARED FOR TRAVEL!!!! This is exciting because it means we can finally start buying our flights and preparing all of our travel accommodations and logistics!! Lastly, I would just like to give my wonderful team a shout out. They have been absolutely amazing and blow me away everyday! For the past few months, I have witnessed how difficult engineering can be, but they have yet to step down from any challenge thrown our way. They are absolute rockstars and I am ecstatic to travel to Don Kang with them in just 67 days!! Bye for now, Julie Hi friends and family!!
Today is officially 87 days until we arrive in Thailand, and we couldn't possibly be more excited! Channeling the excitement for the upcoming months,we have been attempting to learn some Thai which has been slightly harder than expected(: Some of our staple phrases have included: hello- S̄wạs̄dī my name is- Chụ̄̀x k̄hxng c̄hạn khụ̄x Nice to meet you- Yindī thī̀ dị̂ phb khuṇ We are definitely looking forward to seeing our growth throughout the following few months, and can't wait to be pro's by the time we leave for Thailand! We are also super excited to spend some more time as a group. There has been some talk about a potential camping trip (the boys love the idea... girls not so much)! Thanks for tuning in, make sure to check back next week for a more technical update! - Julie |
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