BRAVE NEW WORLD Baan Mankong in Bangkok So, we came back.

. From the land of smiles and food on sticks. Bangkok is not necessarily a place where jay yen yen ( Thai phrase meaning: keep calm) is easily applicable: the city is constantly awake, having a lot to offer. Streets full of venders, walls flashing with colors, cables hanging over ones head all this makes a promise of connectivity and efficiency. This dream is carried along with the construction of flyovers- overshadowing the city with their monstrous presence do not necessarily serving their purpose. It seems that always- smiling Bangkok citizens did not allow themselves to frown thinking about the possibility and consequences of the urban sprawl. After we got over the jetlag it was hard to believe that we spent in Thailand more than two weeks. Various questioning started. Some more comprehensive than other. Reading fragments of few dialogues will give an accurate image of how our work is perceived by people directly involved and those completely disconnected from the project. Person: Stefan Assanowicz ( father, civil engineer). Time: middle of the field trip Stefan: Child, I havent heard from you since a week. I am getting worried, is everything ok? What are you doing there? Me: Sorry Dad, broken charger, loads of work, things to see, eat, comprehend. But you would love it here: they have endless amounts of flyovers! S: Yes, I am dying to see them. How is work? Me: Weve spent a week talking to governments, banks, stakeholders. Not so thrilling. Plus the slum is not a slum. S: haha, are you disappointed? You will realize, that reality is much different from what you read And easy solutions are there- people just make it complicated. You know very well: money + power. Bozena Assanowicz ( mother, economist) Time: during the field trip Bozena: How are you feeling? I bet it is really hot. Me: yes, I am red constantly. Its like an ongoing joke B: Put some cucumber on your face Me: yes Mum, in the middle of the meeting with the community. Great idea. B: Are you tired? Are you drinking enough water? Me: Muuuuummmmm, yes. Tired too. But its not that bad as in London. I think everyone is more relaxed. B: yes, the heat makes everything slower. Try to send me emails. Leonie Gavrias (MA cultural & creative industries, a firend) Time: 2 days after landing in London. Leonie: Mag, you are ALIVE! Re, how was the slum? Me: Maan, slum was like nothing you would imagine. They had bigger collections of

DVDs than me ever in my life. L: So what, did you change the world? Me: Hardly, just put my foot in the nest of whole new world of issues. L: kala, good experience, no? you have to cook something for me now. And you are a bit tanned. Well done re! Stefan Baker ( cousin, social worker) Time: 2 hours after landing in London Stefan: How long did you go for exactly? Your bagp ack is huge. Me: come on, I was gone for almost 3 weeks. I am ex-hau-sted! S: I have no idea why you are getting yourself into situations like this. First, you fly there for like 12 hours. Who on earth would like to do that. Second, you see nothingtry to evaluate a project that needs much more time than 2 weeks. What you get is like licking an ice cream: you know a bit how it tastes like and its cold. And then nothing. Me: yeah, its a bit like this. But come on, it was amazing! I actually learned how to communicate without knowing a foreign language. S: Ha, thats gonna be useful. Will Tennant ( Stefans friend, screenplay writer) Will: I heard you went to Thailand with your course. Nice one. What did you do exactly? Me: Well, you know, there is this slum upgrading program we were evaluating how it goes. W: Any success? Me: I think so, we got a bigger picture of the whole story. W: So what, work work and no holiday? Me: Naah, only 2 days at the beach. Pretty intense. W: Yeah, seems like it. You look quite relaxed though. Me: haha, Thai massage. Wait few days- London is gonna change it. This trip was a great experience on many scales in space and time. Unforgettable. For more, please go to report of BUDD GROUP D.