My wife, Jack (Supranee), came to Canada on May 10, 2006. We wanted her to get a feel for what life would be like here before committing to bring her two sons over.

And I have to admit to selfishly hoping that maybe she wouldn’t like it enough to want to make any kind of life here. You see, I wanted to be able to Retire at 60, and go over there to live on my sub-$1,700 per month Pension. I’d never be able to Retire at 60 if it meant remaining here.

But Jack adapted very well to the West — even the very narrow World that I live in. So we proceeded to apply for Visas for her two sons.

With that in progress the year after her arrival, Jack got some alarming news in the Spring that her mother — living in the family home by herself — had apparently climbed up on something in the living room, and fallen down and struck her head hard upon the tile floor. Someone passing by at some point noticed her lying there.

She required some hospitalization, but she would recover. However, it made Jack anxious to go home. And since we were awaiting word that her two boys would be receiving their Visas, Jack felt it needful for her to take the lead and go back to Thailand to be there for her Mother, and to be available to get things rolling once the boys were cleared to come here.

That visit was to last about three months, and maybe a bit more. It was hard for me initially — very hard.

Unfortunately for Jack, we were to learn that she broke an Immigration rule by leaving Canada during the Visa application process. Doing so was all the excuse Immigration required to declare her unsuitable to be a sponsor — she was disqualified. And since only a parent could serve to sponsor a child, I had always been out of the running.

Consequently, we were separated for those months basically for nothing. And it meant that we would lose about a year in getting her sons here.

Anyway, while Jack was back home, she of course took many photos, and some video. This video of parade day for Nong Soong’s Bun Bang Fai, or Rocket Festival, was taken on June 9, 2007. Jack managed to get some interesting footage of local people carrying on as the parade approached, and she continued with that theme throughout the progress of the parade.

Alas, though, she has admitted to wanting to celebrate with friends, so she too often turned the camera over to her sons. The result is such a dizzying and unfocused sweep of the parade that I’ve been tempted to just junk the scenes. But unfortunately, there would really be very little footage of the actual parade left. Thus, for better or worse, I’ve left most of it intact.

Also annoying are some occasions when Jack or her sons have forgotten that the camera is still operating, and we are presented with views of the floor or ground, and people upside down.

Be that as it may, and with apologies made, here is her collection of various perspectives of parade day, Bun Bang Fai.

Note: Jack believes that this may well have been the final Bun Bang Fai her village and the local area would be celebrating, for a stop was being placed upon it by the authorities due to the disruption and threats posed by fireworks – specifically the rockets — that are traditionally fired on this occasion. The Udon Thani International Airport complained that the rockets were a jeopardy for flights into and out of the airport.

This clip is long and large, so if you try to open it, be prepared to wait!

Bun Bang Fai Parade Day

Bun Bang Fai Parade Day (June 9, 2007)
Bun Bang Fai Parade Day (June 9, 2007)

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