mea culpa. i have returned.

Mid-August...
Dukito. (sorry)

I never meant to completely ignore my blog for almost three months. It kind of just happened, out of necessity and in the interest of staying sane. As a result, my mom’s been bugging me to update my blog quite consistently, because apparently people really do read it – thanks, by the way.

I’ve mentioned this to some people but part of the reason that I’m keeping this digital account is purely personal; I rarely get time to write in my journal, so the attempts to keep a written account of my 18 months in Bangladesh are faltering. THEREFORE, before I get swept up in the next big hullabaloo of the Asian University for Women Access Academy, more on those later, I figured I’d write a brief (I swear I’m going to try) synopsis of the last two months…(and obviously, by synopsis I mean the first three major events are written about in rhyme because what else would be better than that?)

On the 19th of June, there was a surprise
We teachers were told to arrange a ride
To the Muslim Hall, not too far away.
And when we arrived, there on the stage
Was a band of punk rockers with a banner behind
With the names of the 8 bands that had felt so inclined
To entertain the crowd of fans through the night
(the crowd was all men, therefore no need to fight
to reach the front of the small group crowded at the stage
the headbangers easily parted – females, apparently, don’t normally engage)
we had a great time, the performances were okay
although it was slightly ironic that most bands chose to play
Creed, an American Christian rock band
In the Muslim hall of Chittagong, an Islamic land.

The next week was my birthday, my golden 23
My students arranged a midnight party during which they happily
Fed me cake, played blind man’s bluff and sang the birthday song…
The next day was their final, so it all felt slightly wrong
Thanks to everyone who left me birthday wishes
I missed being at home in the US, but had a fantastic time nonetheless.

Not 4 days later I was on my way
To Dhaka, then India! With lots of time to play
Katie Trumbull was working on the West Indian coast
Doing research at a hospital, which acted as her host
Mangalore hospital – children’s dental clinic – Bombay
We spent our week together in the most exciting way
A full three days in Mumbai was all the rest I needed
Which worked out well because in the end that’s all that I received.
We saw the Gateway to India, Haj Ali and the hindu temple,
The ghandi museum, the shopping district and the local fabric shops.
It rained three days straight, but it did not get us down
It gave the excuse to stop in coffee shops while we were seeing the town.
Only upon my return to Bangladesh did I realize that
How exhausted and tired my body was from all the overnight rides.

*this is the first time that Katie and I, who have birthdays just two weeks apart, in the five years we’ve known each other, have been together around that time. It’s amazing how life works in mysterious ways – and it was SO nice to see a familiar face, especially of one of my best friends, after months of settling into Chittagong.

Since my return at the beginning of July, the Access Academy, and the AUW in general, has undergone quite a few changes…resulting in a very hectic, very impromptu schedule. We have a new academic dean, our former executive director took a different job under the auspices of the university (versus the access academy) and our new executive director arrived only a few days ago – we’ve been eagerly awaiting her arrival to Chittagong.

July and August seem to be the months of visitors; we had a young girl come to live with the students for a month doing a documentary on the AUW/Access program. Another student from the US has been with us for 5 weeks writing for the AUW Support Foundation newsletter, a woman from Goldman Sachs taught a two week course on effective communication, a Harvard student from Bangladesh has been running an introduction to Model UN for the past month which will culminate in a Model UN full day conference next week, a professional Bangladeshi photographer was visiting for 3 days to do a photo essay on the school and yesterday we had a GRAND event for Marina Mahathir, a Malaysian HIV/AIDS activist who also happens to be the daughter of the prime minister.

If none of that made sense, worry not. I just wanted to illustrate the large number of visitors we’ve had lately. As teachers, it’s getting to the point where we are starting to wish that there was another way to fundraise and increase the knowledge of the AUW to the local and international community without the students missing so much class...there is obviously the need to incorporate guests and make available the students and their talents to eventually attract more international attention, and hopefully funding, for the University itself. Somehow, however, the bulk of the visitors for this term ended up all coming within the same 3-4 week time period…making for some very stressed students. Everyone is looking forward to this weekend because we have a holiday and thus, THREE days we can catch up on sleep, work and grading. More to come later...

punk rock show

backstage at the punk rock show

backstage of the punk rock show

Clothes washers in Mumbai, India

food stalls along the queen's necklace

adorable indian children at a mangalore dental clinic

mosque in mumbai

washers!

mumbai train terminal...we spent a loooong time there.

trumbull and me outside the mosque

pigeon feeding outside the gateway to india

gateway to india

the beach in mumbai

awkward marriage recognition ceremony we were invited to. all the effort to dress up 

in saris and we were there for a total of 30 min...

me and selena. decked out sari style

hey roomie!

oh man...

this is what i'll be wearing tomorrow during our talent show - there are 6 of us teachers performing with some of our Sri Lankan students. let's just say they're not the most flattering...hopefully we'll grace the audience with our dancing and they won't be looking at the particulars of our costumes...

y'all are making me miss home...

So yesterday, Thursday June 12th, I got a package in the mail from one, fabulous, Arion Moser...in it, along with chocolate and music and pictures were FOUR Riley's tshirts...

for the first time in, um, about 23 years i won't be at the bay this summer. Bangladesh will certainly keep me busy and i am definitely starting to find a routine and love my life here, but i miss everyone at home, and at the bay, LOTS and hope this summer is only the greatest one ever. Arion, you're incredible!

foy's lake: round 2

On saturday June 7, my two roommates and i decided to head to Foy's Lake (the crazy ridiculous amusement park in Chittagong) to get out of our building for the early afternoon and take a break from work. Within about 5 and a half seconds of walking into the park we heard, "Miss!! Miss Kate!! Miss Angela!! Miss Mahmuda!! OVER HERE!!"

We'd heard that three students were going to Foy's Lake with another teacher, and had hoped we would run into them, but instead we were faced with about 14 students, the siblings and cousin of one of the Bangladeshi students, no other teachers, however there WERE guards to accompany the group while they went through the park (this one student's father hooked them up while he was in Chittagong, staying next door to Foy's Lake...connections here are endless...). So, we jumped on in...bumper cars was hysterical not only because they operated as if they were approximately 30 year-old-bumper cars, but because most of our students have never driven cars, any type, real or bumper.

We then headed to the water park --- it's a bit hot over here at the moment --- to check it out. meaning we hoped on a boat to be driven through a maze of rivers to eventually end at the bangladeshi/chittagongian version of Sea World...


What's Sea World without it's own ridiculously large sign out front?

None of us had brought a change of clothes (the girls were heading to a nice lunch afterwards and had come dressed in their best to begin with...), but no worries - you can rent tshirts and shorts. too bad they're all probably a girl's size 10 since most bangladeshis are teeny tiny!! In the end we decided not to rent clothes, more because we thought it would be fun to go on the rides fully clothed. 

Here are some of the students riding down the gigantic water slide in the middle of Sea World (which, btw, consists of this yellow water slide, 2 tube slides, 2 'luge-type' slides and a wave pool...not too shabby)

Mahmuda was the only one who didn't go in fully clothed...she opted to stay dry (a decision that would reward her with comfort as we had lunch in an air conditioned room very soon after leaving the waterpark...after about 10 minutes the students, angela and myself were all shivering from being cold).  that didn't save her, however, from getting huge hugs from angela and i when we were getting ready to leave. 

pretty much - foy's lake, as cheesy as it is, is a nice getaway for the afternoon, and i love our students...they had so much fun running around the park.  it's amazing to be with them during so many 'firsts' ... first airplane flights, first time in a different country, first time at the beach, first time seeing a pool, first time on the bumper cars...it definitely makes me appreciate everything a bit more. 

friday night on the town

friday nights are, normally, not a popular night to go out in Chittagong.  in the few places where beer or alcohol is available, friday nights are the only night they will not serve you in a bar, and even some restaurants (as it's the holy day).  most shops, if they are open at all, will not open until early afternoon.  it's a nice, forced relaxation in a way. 

however, 4 of the other teachers and i took the opportunity to try some more of the local fare for dinner and went to a small restaurant, dhaba, that we see everytime we drive away from our building.  we had a lot of fun crossing the major road of traffic, almost getting hit by several rickshaws, CNGs and cars along the way, but were well rewarded for our efforts by the food.  it was really fantastic - amazing nan (tandoori oven baked bread...delicious!) and other traditional dishes (a traditional potato/yoghurt/spices entree is featured below) and had an atmosphere similar to a small, hole-in-the-wall, lively pizza kitchen in nyc...complete with some countertop seating in front of a huge mirror.  can't seem to get away from that setup anywhere. 

after dinner we were attempting to cross the street back and heard music and announcements in bangla being blasted from a speaker...behind the speaker were thousands of white lights directing people to an entrance.  we, of course, thought it was the entrance to a wedding party (which we've been informed are completely crash-able and that we would be welcomed wedding crashers, given our 'foreign status').  we wandered over, thinking we might have the gall to crash a wedding if it was indeed a reception, but alas - no weddings were to be crashed this evening.  however there was a small, month-long outdoor fabric market, apparently in place for a month, until june 17th this year, and we spent a good amount of time wandering through, examining the fabrics and other wares for sale (honey, shoes, sparkly jewelry, etc.).  i was able to find a replacement pair of sunglasses for mine that broke while i was traveling in thailand...i've been wearing them with a gigantic crack in the lens and frame for the past three months.  when i showed selena, one of the other teachers, she said, "finally. you won't have to wear your broken glasses anymore," hinting that maybe i should have chucked them a while ago... 

it feels really good that we're starting to get to know our local neighborhood a little better. it's taking some time, just because we don't get out that much with everything that's already planned for us (plus that whole teaching/work thing)...but i'm sure in the next few months we're going to learn much more about mehedibag (name of our neighborhood). and eventually i'll find a wedding or two to crash. 

aloo tikki (traditional pototo/yoghurt/spices dish)...normally would be eaten with hands only, so obviously this restaurant was a bit more upscale than others...

outdoor fabric market. there were stalls upon stalls upon stalls upon stalls. it could potentially take you days to go through everything. 

sri lankan dancing, guest speakers and lychees

Thursday June 5th

this week's been a little nuts.  not only have classes shifted into high gear (term 1 finals are less than 3 weeks away. yikes!), but we have a talent show next weekend and i'm one of 5 teachers that are taking part in a student act - a Sri Lankan dance performance.  every night we practice for about an hour...and thank goodness because even with all the practice we're going to look incredibly awkward compared to the students. ha. 

Today I also was the 'guest speaker' for our students.  Every thursday, or every other Thursday (depending on availability), the administration arranges for a guest speaker to come for an hour right after classes end.  Our students have had the opportunity to listen to some pretty impressive people so far, some that are rather important in Chittagong and Bangladesh.  Us teachers, however, have pinpointed that our students lack the ability to manage their time effectively - so i put together a 45-min presentation on the basics of time management and study skills.  

while i kept everything simple, and thought i might be insulting some students with just how very basic all my points were, i still had a lot of girls come up to me after the talk and since then in the hallways thanking me.  it's one of those situations that's stopped me in my tracks.  the students i have in class are pretty spectacular, and at times i really don't feel like i'mteaching them anything (just providing some entertainment...because they seem to think my facial expressions and explanations of terms and vocabulary is HYSTERICAL).  Yet simple ideas like 'avoiding procrastination by using a planner' and 'prioritize your tasks and write a to-do list', ARE completely new to them.  So that made me feel pretty good, at least i'll be able to do something for some of these students while i'm here - even if it is just to rub off my organizational skills (or the skills i know i should have/use). 

in other news, and to make sure a picture can go with this post, in our Bangla class yesterday we learned that the season we're in right now (right before the rainy season/at the beginning of the rainy season) is called "modhu maash " in Bangla.  Literally translated it means "honey month"...which pretty much means that every fruit that people love are in season and available EVERYWHERE.  lychees have become my new favorite, and we can pick up 100 of them for 250tk (rip off, white person price...they're usually 200-220tk), which is about $4USD.  most other fruits are cheaper - per pinapple, about 50cents, a kilo of apples, $2.  it's rather fantastic, and as much as i'm looking forward to monsoons, i'll be missing the ridiculous availability of fruit in a few months. 

this is how they sell lychees. in bunches of 50. according to local bangladeshis, you have to count them when you buy them because people WILL jip you. or miscount. 

they're sold at market stands, or off the back of wooden carts on the street. 

teatime!

tea picker. in action.

Friday May 30 - Saturday May 31

This past weekend we got the AMAZING opportunity to go to the karnaphuli tea estate, 60 km outside of Chittagong, that has just recently restarted operations after the dry season (did you know from december through the end of march tea is not processed in bangladesh? well, now you do!) 

On the way to the tea garden (garden, estate, plantation...they're all used interchangeably to describe where tea is grown in vast quantities) we stopped for a picnic lunch alongside the road, where we saw a small pond with steps.  As we should have anticipated, the family that own the land and pond came to introduce themselves and invited us to their home for food and tea.  this is so typical of the hospitality we've been shown in Bangladesh, and the locals tell us that it's the same everywhere throughout the country.  it really is astounding when i think about everything we've been given, and the amazing hospitality we've been shown, just in the three months we've been in Bangladesh.  

The tea estate, Karnaphuli, was recently taken over by BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) and covers 6.5 thousand acres.  There are approximately 7,000 workers that live on the grounds of the estate, and according to the manager on any given day about 2,000 will be working.    When we arrived, i immediately felt like i'd been sent back about 100 years to live on a plantation.  we were staying in the 'guesthouse' which was a huge complex with high ceilings, room after room, and a HUGE veranda.  Of course, within 30 minutes of putting our bags down we had flowers in our hair from local bushes and tea brewed right in front of us - strrrrrong stuff, but really really good. 

Friday afternoon we took a walk once it got a bit cooler and i ended up talking/walking with the director of the Access Academy, who was accompanying us for the weekend.  It was particularly amazing to split off from the group (in actuality they just walked quicker than we did ...) because once we did, our director would speak to the workers on the estate and ask if we could be shown around.  therefore, i was able to see a bunch of the houses that are provided for the workers on the estate, and conversations were translated for me explaining the education level of the children of working families and how things were going.  of course, i spent most of the time taking pictures of cute little kids and playing a version of hide-and-seek with huge groups of children...making them laugh hysterically at me and then promptly run behind their mother's saris.  All the workers are provided with land, shelter and basic amenities (different amounts of food depending on how many people are in the family).  the houses are either mudhuts, tin-roofed, or thatched, and it's luck of the draw when you start working on the estate and which type of housing is available.  

The highlight of Friday, however, was after a fantastic dinner of freshly caught fish, a game of taboo (Mihiri - you're AMAZING!!! thank you for the box of games!!!) and conversation late into the night on the veranda, the heat broke and a huge, crazy thunderstorm started.  as we sat, the storm got so loud we couldn't hear each other speak, and we were all forced to enjoy watching the rain and lightning, and listen to the thunder roll by.  it was simply incredible.  definitely how i would love to pass monsoon season. 

Saturday we got a tour from the BRAC manager of a larger radius of the estate (thanks to their amazing 4-wheel drive vehicles) and then a tour of the production area of the tea leaves after they've been picked.  it was AMAZING.  i still almost can't believe our luck. check out the photos below. pretty incredible. 

the inside of a fresh jackfruit awaiting our arrival :)

teatime! (i mean, what else would you do at a tea estate, really?)

the path in front of the guesthouse leading to the fields

an older woman and her son or grandson walking along the path home (the boy was playing with an empty syringe...)


baby tea plants! (the nursery) when the plants reach a certain height, with enough leaves to be considered healthy, they're moved into the fields

two of the children i met while walking. freaking adorable.

these two ladies are working tea-pickers, carrying the leaves they've picked that morning to another area they need to work on.  while the labor's hard and intensive, there was definitely a camaraderie amongst the workers we met and were able to watch for a short time. 

at the last stage of our tea factory tour we got to see the tasters brewing fresh tea and checking the quality of each grade. pretty incredible.