Songkran at Immigration

This is Songkran Week!

Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year. It's the three-day water festival in which everyone who steps outside is fair game to be squirted by water guns, have their faces painted by run-by sandalwood paste-smearing vandals, or have buckets of fragrant floral-scented water dumped upon their heads by passersby! It's a lot of fun when you are participating. Many long-term expats hole themselves up inside their condos during these few days, but I don't mind. Enduring Songkran is just part of the Thai experience!

the Songkran shrine in the nearby metro station

The word Songkran comes from the Sanskrit term saṅkrānti, meaning “movement” or “astrological passage”. The festival signifies the sun’s transition into a new position, marking the beginning of a new year in the traditional Sanskrit calendar.

Beyond the water battles, Songkran is a time in which devout Buddhists pay respect to their elders, make merit at temples, and wash Buddha statues with water as a symbol of purification and renewal. Families will often gather together to pour scented water over the hands of their elder family members, seeking blessings for the year ahead. 

Over the years, this tradition has expanded into a raucous water fight. I've fully participated once before, and I'm sure that once I have kids of my own, I will participate many times again. For now, I'll take after those grumpy old foreigners and hole myself up in my condo for the duration!

water guns, scented oil, sandalwood paste, and floral shirts for sale in my local supermarket

This holiday is not just celebrated in Thailand! It's also observed in nearby Laos (as Pi Mai), Myanmar (as Thingyan), and Cambodia (as Moha Sangkranta).

Unfortunately, I had to spend my Songkran holiday stressing out about my visa. My current visa exemption stamp was due to expire on the 14th (Monday), and the Immigration offices were closed on that day. 

That meant that I had to visit Immigration on the 17th (after the weekend, Songkran holiday, and the makeup holiday on the 16th because the first day of Songkran was on a weekend).

Technically I was overstaying my visa, but because it was on a holiday, I had an exemption. I wasn't so much worried about overstaying as I was about the crazy crowds that I would encounter at the Immigration Department when they finally reopened on Thursday.

It turns out, I was right to worry...

I woke up at 5am, arrived at the office at 6:30, and still found myself facing a massive queue. After being closed for five days in a row, the tiny office located in the upper floor of a semi-abandoned tech mall with terrible air-conditioning was swamped.

For some reason, people on tourist visas, exemption stamps, migrants, and laborer visas are all relegated to this far-flung and dismal office. I never thought that I would miss Chaengwatthana, but there you go. I'll be working on a more long-term visa in the near future.

The Immigration Office opened at 8:30, but by the time I had submitted my documents and received my queue number, it was nearly lunchtime. I have no idea how early I would have had to arrive in order to be first in line!

At least I made a friend. The Aussie woman behind me and I chatted for the entire time that we were in line and waiting for our queue numbers together. It's nice to have someone to grumble with, and it actually made the time go by so much faster.

I was finally able to submit my passport and documents at 11:58, just two minutes before the office closed for lunch. I ended up waiting in the basement food court for an hour, making the best of my bowl of duck noodles (although I wasn't too happy that they included duck blood).

Finally, around 2pm, the officers returned my passport with my extension stamp.

It was such an ordeal! I almost wish I had just overstayed and paid the 500 baht ($15) fine at the airport when I depart soon, but I'd rather not have that on my record.

Anyway... at least I've gotten everything taken care of. My visa extension has been processed, I haven't overstayed, and all is good. It was just a super long, exhausting, and annoying day. And hopefully it's the last time I ever have to go to IT Square!

Happy Songkran to all of my readers! May your year be full of joy, happiness, and blessings.

The Aftermath

Since the earthquake, Pinky and I have been living at her grandma's house here in Bangkok. We are so fortunate that we have a place to stay, as many displaced Thais and foreigners who lived in high-rise condos have been having to sleep in the city's parks until their buildings have been inspected and certified safe.

Yesterday, we were allowed to go back to our condo for a few hours in order to clean up a bit and collect all of our important documents and belongings.

It seems like our building is going to be ok! It's passed the first preliminary inspection, and we are just waiting for the architectural engineer to tell us that it's safe to move in. Since our condo is brand-new, it's up to the government's standards. There's quite a bit of damage, but all of it seems to be superficial.

Tall high-rises like ours are required by the Thai government to be built to withstand at least a 7.0 earthquake. Despite the certifications, it was really disconcerting for me to go up in the elevator the other day, seeing the cracks in the walls of the hallways as I rose upward.

As I was fleeing the building the other day, I heard cracking, which at the time I feared was structural damage. It turns out that most of the cracking was just plaster and was superficial. It should be a really easy fix, although witnessing it is certainly disconcerting.

Our condo is ok. There are several instances of superficial damage. The backsplash that we installed behind the kitchen needs to be replaced, as do the tiles in the shower. Several walls have been cracked and will need to be patched up. The flooring is a tiny bit warped and uneven, but it should be an easy enough repair.

Overall, we got really lucky. I can't imagine how bad things could have been.

More updates to follow.