Hello everyone, This is Leon. First of all, happy new year! I wish you all a good year ahead! In this chance, I would like to share my story back in Thailand again, held around last year’s November, as we revisited my master thesis’s study case location for a follow up interview activity.
This interview was a bit different from what has been done from the previous survey (please refer to my blog dated in February 2023). This time, we did not collect any quantitative data and focused more on listening to the story of different economic stratum of people in the areas, both flooded and non-flooded, trying to gain better insight by listening directly to their voices. The discussion was long and thorough with an average time of about 1.5-2 hours in each house. I personally think that this survey could generate valuable results as we are able to validate many things through this activity. One thing is obvious - the most vulnerable people’s life is not made easy by the repeating flood.
It was beyond my imagination how someone could stay inside a house with flood water reaching almost a-half of the house. Ironically, this imagination is realistically lived by people around the flooded areas. Difficult mobility and even absence from school and work, saving less money due to floods, health issues, and worries about the future are common traits found in the family, especially the poor. The Following image is an illustration of the flood’s height that occurred last year in 2022, compared to my body height of 181 cm.
As the sun set, and our work finished, we tried the Thai’s cuisine around our stay. The authenticity of Thai cuisine’s spice and fragrance has never bored me. I also attached several food pictures I ate during the trip in this blog. The taste was all savory! Please see the picture I took below ;). The color was exquisite, wasn't it?
As always, thank you for reading my story. Looking forward sharing more interesting story to you all.
Lets keep in touch.
Warmly,
Leon
