Progress continues on house renovation

Today, we went to DOHOME, the home supply place that is 3 times the size of a Home Depot.   After picking up supplies, we went to the safe house under renovation.   The carpenter who is also doing the painting is making good progress with his wife putting on the primer coat of paint on the lower part of the house.    

The painter was on the 2nd floor preparing any rotten wood and sanding areas that need to be cleaned before the upstairs section can be painted.  He will need scaffolding to paint the left side of the house.    Painting the second floor is not easy with the metal roof around the front, one side and rear of the house.   The painter was watching where he stepped today to be sure he was walking on the beams.  Painting around the numerous windows will be tedious work.

He has installed the grid for the drop ceiling in the kitchen and has that job about completed.    I noticed that there are two different kinds of tiles in the kitchen and dining areas.   

Ron and TG are getting the exterminator to come tomorrow to get rid of termites.   

The electrician says we have to upgrade to a 3-phase electrical system as the old wiring is inadequate for the house now.  He will begin work soon as they have to get the meter installed and the electrical supplies purchased. This will a major expense. as he has to rewire the entire house. 

Unfortunately, the lines will have to put in a conduit installed on the wall as he cannot rewire the house with lines in the framework as done originally.   The conduit is painted along with the walls.  

This is commonly done in Asia.

Ron explained to the translator what has to be done to the drainage around the house to prevent flooding.  

The thin concrete walkway along the back and side of the house will be broken up, a ditch dug and a French drain system installed to take the water that falls from the roof to the drainage area at the street.  This will take time and skill as more concrete will be poured on an angle and drainage ditches slanted for maximum drainage purposes.  There is a drainage pipe on the left side of the house near the wall.  It is apparently stopped up with debris so it will need to be opened and cleaned out.   

The flooding and electrical problems are the really major things that need to be done.   The house outside will be painted, and two coats of paint will be put on the inside walls after the electrician finishes rewiring the house. 

Some more pictures of the housemother's room, office area, bath and door to carport view.  

We discussed removing the wrought iron window guard from the backside windows upstairs in case the girls need another way out of the house in case of fire.   It the stairwell is filled with smoke, and they cannot get downstairs, they will go out the upstairs windows and go down the metal roof.   TG showed me a ladder they can install on top of the roof from the windows on one side.  The girls can go down it and drop off the roof which is not too high on the back.   Thanks to our son, Ronald, who mentioned having bars on the upstairs windows could be a fire hazard for the girls to escape.    

We came back to the condo for Ron and TG to go over materials needed and things they must do next.  I prepared lunch for us and began on my own computer work and the day is almost over.

Wishing all of our family and friends a HAPPY THANKSGIVING on Thursday.

Additional information and pictures of the new safe house

 

Here are more pictures of the safe house in Udon.  I forgot to mention that a suspended ceiling will be installed in the kitchen where only the tin roof and beams are now exposed.   They will install good lighting as the kitchen is now very dark and dreary.   The large dining room area is part of this large kitchen space so the girls will have plenty of room to prepare food and eat in this nice area of the house.

There are at least three banana bunches growing but still green.   I hope some of the workers will not cut and take home a bunch so they will be ripe by the time we get girls living in the house.   There is one coconut tree that is a problem because it is too tall to harvest the coconuts and they could fall on someone’s head.   When they were clearing off the area, many old coconut shells from this tree had to be put in garbage sacks to haul off.   There are five mango trees that are not in season to produce fruit at this time, but they will provide delicious fruit for the girls.   Ron intends for them to plant papaya trees as they will produce in a few years and are very delicious and nutritious.  

There is a lot of garden space.  At the safe houses where they grow vegetables and have fruit, our cost is much less.   The girls also eat better having more variety in their diet.   It is good to teach girls how to plant and take care of plants in a garden for their own future use.    No one has to be hungry when times are bad if there is land to grow food.   In past years as we traveled in China, we saw that they planted vegetables all along the banks of the highways.   No land went to waste that could be used to grow food.

This is the left side of the house.   The girls' rooms are all upstairs and the house mother's room is downstairs at the end of the carport.  The house will be painted white inside and outside.   It will give a fresh new look to the house.   The block wall around the property will be painted, if we do not run out of money on this project.   That will be the last thing to do.   It would also freshen up the entire property. 

The gate will be locked at night for security.  Here is the narrow street in front of the house.   The school and shopping areas are only a few blocks away from the house.  

When we finish the house and have it ready for girls, the house mother will need to be trained on how to find and interview girls for acceptance.   She will need to k now how to care for them, establishing rules and a regular routine.  We are preparing the job description now in order to help her provide a good home and a great opportunity for the girls who will come to live here.  She will need to know how to send reports to us for the sponsors, how to maintain a budget and provide a balanced petty cash report each month.

I really hope TG will accept the job.   She is learning now how to secure the best prices for items needed to remodel and furnish the house.   She is maintaining a computer itemization of things purchased and the cost, so she is learning the business side of running a home now.   

She is very skilled in technology so she can teach the girls how to use the cell phone to their advantage as well as computers.   The future depends on everyone having good skills in technology and these poor girls would never have an opportunity to learn these things without the advantage of an education.

One of the church leaders is a very good Bible teacher.   He and his wife would be considered for the houseparents’ job if TG does not accept it    Within the past year, this brother fell from the roof of either the church building or his house.  He is now paralyzed.   He in a wheelchair but continues to lead in teaching classes and preaching.    He would be limited as a housefather and most of the work would fall on his wife’s shoulders.   She would really have to depend on the older girls helping with the housework and garden work.  In any event, he will be good to teach the Bible to the girls.

There is no need for heat or air conditioning.   Some nights are cool, but a comforter is enough to sleep warmly.   The windows all have screens so they can sleep with windows open and not worry about mosquitoes.   There is a rainy season in our early spring in the U.S.   When we were in Mukdahan, Thailand three years ago, I think they told us they had rain in April and May.    

People dress modestly here even in 90-degree weather.   Many ride motorbikes so they wear jackets or long-sleeved t-shirts.   Everyone is clean and dressed nicely.   We mostly see young people.  I guess old people mostly stay at home.   We do not see anyone out that is close to our age.   Everyone has a cell phone and those with cars have the latest models.   People do not appear to be suffering economically here, but yet there must be poor people as in every country.   We mostly see the people going to jobs and shopping.   

There are few taxis and not many of the local type of motorcycle with seats' taxis.    Uber is the way to go.  It is easy by downloading it on your phone to call them.   Ron set up an account and they charge our credit card for each trip.  He does have to have the right change to pay drivers.   He types in where we want to go, and they can tell from the call where we are located.   He gets a message back saying how long the wait will be and the type of car and tag number.   I saw a message on his phone saying if the wait was more than 10 minutes, a free coupon would be given.  When we get in the car, the driver already has his cell phone GPS set for our destination.   It is very inexpensive and quick.   Most speak a little English or use the translator on their phone to ask a question.    Modern technology has certainly made trips to foreign countries much easier for us.   

I will keep posting blogs about interesting things about Thailand.   If you are only interested in the progress on the house, you can simply look at the pictures I post.

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving.    I will surely miss this holiday but hope you have a great one.   May God bless all of you.

 

New safe house under renovation for girls in Udon

Yesterday, I went to the house to take pictures.    Our translator TG (Tao Gieo), took pictures and sent them to Ron's phone.  Ron will never find time to download them and forward them to my email, so I decided to take my own for the blog.  It was in the 90's yesterday (as it is every day).  There is one plastic lawn chair there so Ron and I took turns sharing it when we got tired of standing or walking around.   

I will describe the house first and then add the best pictures.  The house is 40 years old.   It has a metal (tin) roof, and it is in excellent condition with a leak in one area.   The neighbor says the house floods during the rainy season as it is low and flat.   With a concrete block wall all around, there is nowhere for the water to drain.   The neighbor has a tractor and other equipment, and he will work with Ron to create a drainage ditch around the property so they can direct the water from the house to a drainage area.   Ron sees some termite damage and it will be treated by a termite specialist.  The electrical system is very old and perhaps needs more voltage.   An electrician will be working to restore it to a safe condition.  

The house has tile floors in the entire main level.   It is not the color or the tile I would have chosen, but it is in good condition.   The wood stairwell and floors on the 2nd floor which will be bedrooms for the girls, are wooden and lacquered and in good condition.   The walls are concrete.   The windows have screens and wrought iron safety guards on all of the windows (even on some upstairs 2nd floor windows).

Under the eve of the house, the wood has rotted on the backside of the house.   It is being replaced and all of the exposed wood around the roof edge and the beans underneath the carport area will be painted.

The carpenter is already working on these things and some women are cleaning windows and areas that will be painted.  The entire house will be painted on the outside and inside.   

The kitchen needs shelving or cabinets above the sink and countertop to hold dishes and staple foods.

Some doors need to be replaced and one door facing in the kitchen has rotted and has to be rebuilt.    

Ron and TG have priced the various materials at home supply stores and compared for the best savings.  They are picking up supplies for the workers.   Large things will be delivered.  They have priced and will choose furniture for the living room, dining room, housemother's room and bunk beds for the girls' rooms.  A fridge, cooking burners, and many kitchen items will need to be purchased along with bedding and towels. There is a lot of expense in just the furnishing of a house that will be comfortable for 20 girls and a housemother.

TG is 36-years old, single and a strong Christian girl.    She knows our workers in Laos and the minister in Bangkok.   She has been working as an UBER driver, but she's devoted all of her time now to helping Ron with this house renovation.   She is an excellent driver.  Driving is on the left side here, but everyone drives slowly and courteously.  There are many motorbikes, but they don't even lock them when parking.  TG is very smart, and her English is better than average.  She and Ron use their phones with the translation app, and they do very well together.  She does not know construction materials and that takes time for Ron to explain what they need to price and purchase.  It is rather complicated to someone who has never dealt with these items.  She helps him with the banking and currency, setting up accounts at the stores to get discounts, etc.  Since we have not heard much English spoken here, certainly much less than in the other cities of Thailand, TG is greatly needed and appreciated.

I am not concerned about Ron with TG helping as she is very caring and takes good care of him.  She knows what to do.  She is communicating well with Ron to carry out the duties of supervising the work. She has expressed some interest in becoming the housemother for the girls and we are in favor of that.  With this possibility in mind, I think she is paying a lot of attention to the work and knows exactly what is needed in the house.   I believe she does an excellent job of whatever she chooses to do.

If anyone has questions, please send me an email to patbrown10@gmail.com.

Here are the main photos.   I will post more in upcoming blog posts.   It will be interesting to see how this house looks when completed.    I should have posted in reverse order as the front of the house is the last phone.    I think you can see what a spacious and good house this will be when painted and cleaned.

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Settled into a small apartment in Udon, Thailand

We finally arrived in Udon after another flight was cancelled.   We spent six hours in the Bangkok airport waiting for the 2nd flight to Udon.    TG, our translator met us at the airport.    We spent one night in the room recommended by Patinya, the minister in Bangkok.    The room was clean, but it was small and impossible for us to prepare any meals there.    The resort was simply rented rooms off the highway and not near markets or restaurants.    TG helped us locate a small apartment further into the city.  They call them condos, but it is like a hotel with apartments for rent (or for sale).    The one-bedroom is about the size of our RV when the sliders were out.   Counting the tile floor, I think it is about 16' x 16' square, divided into small entrance with futon, TV and cabinet, bedroom with queen size bed, make-up cabinet and closet, bath and small kitchen.     There is a very small balcony with a rack for drying clothes.  The building is secure, with guard, cards for outside door and key code card for the door to the apartment.  We are on the 2nd floor with the garage under us.    It is relatively quiet.   I hear some noise above us, but it is not disturbing.    There is a 7-11 market across the street and in a short distance, there is an open market where we should be able to buy fruits and vegetables.   We have not had time to check it out yet.  Here are pictures of our apartment/condo.   It is only about $10 per night unless they surprise us with a utility bill at the end of the month.    Ron just told me they have an exercise room downstairs and a laundry room where they will do the laundry, or we can use coin operated machines.   It is very convenient, and we will be fine living here for a few months.    We had to buy bedding, towels and some cooking utensils, but the expense was very minor.    There is a TV but we didn't have them connect it as it is in Thai.   We will use our computer for all communication/entertainment except Ron is using his cell phone for translation to communicate with everyone here as very little English is spoken.

More will follow in reports about the house as I get some pictures and Ron starts work on it.   

Arrived in Bangkok

 After two long days and nights of travel, we arrived in Bangkok and slept 9 hours last night.   We feel rested.   We have a short trip to Udon, Thailand today.  Our final destination is Udon so when we are settled into a rented room, I will post more details.  The main thing about this post is to let everyone know we are well and almost to Udon with the hardest part of the trip behind us.

Have a great day.   Thankful to God for our blessings

As Solomon said, there is a time and season for everything under the sun....

We are finishing up everything we need to do today to be ready for our flight tomorrow night.   Ron put timers on two lamps to come and go off at different times.   The house is almost clean, and things are in order to leave.   Sunday morning after we get showers, Ron will turn off the water and drain the water heater and pipes so we will not need to leave heat on to prevent pipes from freezing during the winter months.   Preparing a house to leave for six months is almost as bad as moving.   Well, maybe not!  I counted that we have moved 19 times in our 64 years of marriage.   That doesn't include moving in and out of several different RV's during the 12 years we lived in and traveled in an RV    I hoped moving into this house in Woodstock would be our last move, but the last chapter of our lives has not closed yet.   

Ron says he has made more than 60 trips to Asia since the first trip to China in 1998.   I have made more than a dozen trips.  This may be our last one, so we'll try to enjoy the experience and take in all of the fun things like trying to read labels and shopping in the supermarket.    We will soak up the sun since the weather will be warm the entire time we are there.   The monsoon season of rain usually comes in May or June and if all goes well, we will be back in North Georgia before then.

The minister in Bangkok said the house that has been purchased for the next girl's home needs a good bit of work.   Ron will spend the next several months with contractors and workers to renovate the rooms to make this house accommodations a good place to live for as many girls as the house will hold.  We do not know the extent of the work or how long it will take to accomplish the remodeling until we get there.  Ron will have to deal with the language barrier as he tries to communicate with workers.   He uses his cell phone translator, and it works pretty well.  

The people who sold the house and property also own a resort nearby.   We will rent a room there while Ron is working on the house.   They are going to reduce the cost of the room for us down to $11 per night.   We have no idea what the resort is like; whether pretty nice or down to less than 1 on the scale of desirability.     We don't need a pool, exercise room or other amenities but we do need a good bed and enough furniture for me to do my computer work.    If we have to buy a desk and office chair, it will eventually go to the safe house.     We will need a small fridge and microwave and then we can make it just fine.

Once the house is completed, we will furnish the house and move to a room there.  Ron will interview and hire house parents and begin to train them.   Our time with them will take at least a month to go over everything.   Ron may go with them to interview potential girls to come to live at the safe house.

As the work unfolds, I will post pictures and progress so anyone who reads my blog can keep up with our life and work in Udon, Thailand.

After we arrive and can connect to an internet server, I will post that we have safely arrived.

Again, thanks to everyone for your love and concern for us.   May God be with us all.

The Count Down

We have 6 days until we leave for Thailand.    Each day this week, I have things planned to accomplish.   If plans go well, I will be ready early and can relax and rest some.   

Bags are 99% packed.    I washed clothes after the trip to TX and spread out the things I planned to take to Asia.    Yesterday, I decided which items of clothing would mix and match and wash and dry easily.   I have one bag with clothes and shoes with some miscellaneous items weighing 35#.   I will have a small carry-on with medications, toiletries and miscellaneous items.   I will probably check the carry-on bag, if possible.   I don't like having to deal with luggage through busy airports.    I will carry a large handbag that will hold my small laptop computer, a book to read on the plane and some pj's for the one night we will stay in the Qatar airport hotel.    Ron is also packed except for last minute items, such as his computer and toiletries.   

We both like to pack early so we have some days to think of things we should include   It is better to do that now than after we leave.    I'm sure there will be some things I would like to have but we learned many years ago, it is better to pack wisely and light rather than deal with heavy bags and take things we will never use.   There are many malls in Thailand and most things are available there without a problem.

We have beautiful weather today, but rain is coming tomorrow night.    We washed the car and cleaned out the garage today.   We had no time to do that upon our return trip from Texas two weeks ago. 

The yard service got our yard clean this weekend, but many leaves have fallen again.   My good neighbors will oversee the yard work and they assure us that we have nothing to worry about.   They will watch the house for us.  She will drive us to the MARTA subway station Sunday afternoon, and we will arrive at the airport ahead of time.    Ron is still trying to upgrade our seats, but we are told the flight is full.

When we reach our destination in Udon, Thailand and have internet service, I will post a segment to say we have arrived.   I hope my blog will describe a good trip with pleasant experiences for each of the three flights.    I read about so many incidents on planes these days with unruly passengers, I hope we will have all good passengers and a smooth flight.

Thank you all for checking in to keep up with us.   I am grateful for all of our family and friends that keep on encouraging us as we make these long and hard trips.

God bless you all.    With love, Pat