This is our school swimming pool (to be). Let's make a rice paddy out of it.
Here are our master farmers, Fifi, Beth and David. In front of them is the rice nursery they just planted... underneath the dead grass.
At the front of the picture is the newly planted nursery. In the distance is the “swimming pool” where we will transplant the rice to.
Another view of the area to be planted. That will have to be drained and weeded first!
Two days after planting, the rice seed is just starting to germinate.
When we went out to check our rice patch, birds were eating our uncovered seed! So we picked up trash to create a makeshift scarecrow.
The rice is starting to emerge.
Macro view of baby rice.
A view out the gate near the rice field.
A few days later we go out again to check out the nursery. Fifi is impressed with how fast it's growing!
Our scarecrow is having problems, but the rice seems to be doing well!
This is the view off the back side of our rice paddy.
After borrowing a pump from a friend to drain out the water, it's time to tackle the weeds. A group of ambitious teachers and students come to help.
We split up into teams and have a competition to see who can hoe up their area the fastest. Hmm... Charity and Molly have a ways to go!
Laura is not quite so sure about this barefoot in the mud thing.
You think THAT is muddy?
David, Rachel and Tiffany come to watch for a little bit.
Don't give up guys! Look how good the rice seedlings are doing!
The guys on this end have it easier than the guys on the dry end!
Molly, Charity and David are having fun.
David makes a trench from the wet side to the dry side to transfer some water.
Yu Chan, a first grader, came to help us!
Jae Young, an 8th grader, decided he wanted to help... using rubber boots. Those didn't last too long!
Jason Phillips brought his kids, Alaina, Levi and Katelynn, to watch us.
Drainage ditches help pull the water on the “deep end” to the dryer end.
That's enough work for a holiday! Nice work team!
The next week, Pak Nandang, our farming consultant, brought in this water buffalo to finish the job. However this particular water buffalo was more interested in eating than working.
So he had to bring in another one.
The rice is looking good!
The first water buffalo is taking it easy. This is the life!
Keep up the good work!
Don't strain yourself. No need to get up and help.
He stays to watch the show.
This is the day we've been waiting for! Transplanting day! first we have to pick all of this rice by hand.
Not everyone got dirty, but everyone helped! Mandy was LOTS of help, loading buckets of rice seedlings to give to those out in the mud.
The rice is bundled to take out to the field for planting.
Another group of kids needs to go out into the field and spread manure.
Caleb heads out across the field with a sack of fertilizer
Kevin insists on wearing boots. Now he's stuck!
And falling down!
Niklaus hauls water.
The rice planters take it easy in the shade, waiting for the field to be ready to plant.
Keep picking!
Keep fertilizing!
Pak Nandang shows the grid makers how to mark the planting rows.
The fertilizing crew is getting mischievous.
Now it's time to start planting.
The fertilizing crew seems to have forgotten their job.
Pak Nandang teaches Brittany how to plant.
The gridmaking crew takes over. Good job! The lines are looking very straight!
The pickers in the background have a ways to go... so do the planters!
When the fertilizing crew finished, Pak Nandang brought out a huge PVC pipe and told them they had to reflatten the field.
Caleb decides it's a one-man job.
Cool! Mrs. LeGrande comes out to help during her planning period!
Never would have thought I'd see Claire this dirty!
WonJin
These kids got SO muddy!
Caleb found a carp in the deep end! I thought they got all those fish out of the field already! Nice catch!
Why are you guys washing up so early? We still have two more hours of work to do!
MinYoung, Julianna and Kelly washing up
Pak Nandang isn't too happy with the rice picking progress, so he comes to help.
Kids who don't want to get dirty help clean up the area around the field.
Clean up for 70 students covered in clay mud with one hose was a lot of work. One of our school guards came out to help the guys. Ha!
Some of the kids decided not to wait in line for the fresh water and opted to start washing up in the mud puddles.
Yes. I was there. No, I did not get very dirty. It was hard work to keep 70 students working! :) The only mud I got on me was when one of my students came to give me a big bear hug!
Me directing operations :)
The seniors: Roshan, Tim, Mooky, and Wil (still working).
The seniors: Rainer, Julianna and Travis
Beth is still happy planting! She has a vested interest in this because she was one of the original planters.
Wil wants to finish this one last row.
The planting crew with Pak Nandang in the front row. Before this day, he had scarcely had contact with foreigners!
This is the rice a few weeks later and after a big rainstorm.
This is NOT the BAIS rice field. This is Pak Nandang's field being harvested next door to BAIS.
His rice field being harvested. Photo taken from my lab.
This lady was pretty excited that we were watching her harvest from our windows at school.
