Happy New Years!

Ha, Ha, I got into 2007 first! And what a new years! Instead of being the happening Bangkok we were hoping for, bomb blasts led to all events being pretty much cancelled. We did go to a night club to bring in the new year with bumpin tunes, balloons and lights, but things were much more low key than typical. People are clearing out in droves, and we're going to explore the emptying streets of Bangkok today. Happy New Years to everyone and I hope you have happy and less eventful celebrations than we had here!

Christmas in Thailand

I spent a great Christmas Day getting to the highest point in Thailand followed by an Italian dinner and desert. Not your traditional holiday, but fun nonetheless. Merry Christmas, everyone!

MCC Bangladesh staff

Here's the MCC Bangladesh staff celebrating Thanksgiving on November 10th to make sure we could all make it unhindered by blockades. It was delicious especially green salad, focacia bread and pies...unique treats! I made special (well, as special as can be in a country without easily accessed alcohol) punch with real cranberry juice which is what I managed to splash all over my top if you notice!

shesh korechi!

Today I finished my 3 months of language training! yippee! It feels really good! I'm a bit nervous to go to a more rural place and really have to use Bangla all the time, but I can at least manage the basics, and with time should be able to understand more. I have a number of HIV materials to learn some more technical language, a bible to learn more spiritual language, and Sisimpur, the Bengali version of Sesame Street to learn all those essentials I learned as a kid ("who are the people in your neighborhood..."!) But here's my favourite little paragraph to say when I'm feeling a need to let off steam....bear in mind, although it may sound like words that would result in a good mouth with soap washing out in America, it is completely benign here!

Rastar Facka, khub shit, onek karap. (roads are empty, very cold, really bad)

I am supposed to move to my site on Tuesday but the roads may be closed again so who knows when I'll actually leave. However, I have lots to do here meeting with HIV organizations, gathering materials, and orienting myself to work being done in Bangladesh.

I think this is maybe describes how people here are feeling about the current political situation here. Subject: FW: Mrs. Khaleda Zia, President Iaz Uddin and Mrs. Sheik Hasina


Mrs. Khaleda Zia, President Iaz Uddin and Mrs. Sheik Hasina are flying on
an airplane to find a solution of the existing political crisis. Why in an
airplane?

They wanted to avoid the over enthusiastic media including Munni Shaha and
Talat Mahmud.

Mrs. Khaleda Zia looks at Sheik Hasina and says, "You know, I could throw
a 500 taka note out the window right now and make one person very happy."

Mrs Sheik Hasina shrugs her shoulders and says, "Well, I could throw ten
100 taka notes out the window and make 10 people very happy." President
Iaz Uddin says, "Of course then, I could throw five-hundred 1 taka notes
out the window and make five-hundred people very happy."

At this point, the pilot of the aircraft looks at all of them and says, "I
could throw all of you out the window and make the whole country happy."

Update

Just be aware...I did not take the photos in the preceding entry, nor was I present, nor did I see anything untoward. Yesterday I had a meeting across town, in the rich part of town where all the foreigners live. I took a rickshaw, giving a couple cyclists a bit of a workout, but they seemed happy for a big fare. I did mess up coming back and ended up walking right through a demonstration, but it was peaceful and there were no problems. Overall though, it was easier to travel since for the most part, vehicles have been taken off the road. Ambulances are used to transport people when necessary ie: to pick people up from the airport.

Yes, I said next time. The blockade has been lifted as of this morning and will remain so until Monday. The 14 party coalition is still demanding that the election commission be revamped. They are giving the interim government until Sunday to make do so at which point it will be resumed. At least it will give an opportunity for some things to move through the ports and for supplies to get through to Dhaka. I know fresh foods were becoming a bit scarce.

Local Newspaper views of current situation

Mayhem at peaceful Karwan Bazar
Police truck runs over 14-party men, killing 1 on second day of blockade; rail line uprooted in Mymensingh, train derails injuring 50; sporadic clashes elsewhere
Star Report

An Awami League (AL) activist was killed and 50 others were injured, including one critically, when a police van drove through a group of 14-party coalition activists at Karwan Bazar in the capital on the second day of the countrywide programme of an indefinite blockade by the coalition yesterday.

The activists reigned over the streets across the country to enforce the blockade yesterday to press home their 11-point charter of demands.


The killing, reminiscent of a similar killing of two Dhaka University students at Fulbaria in February 1983, happened a few minutes after police had doused the demonstrators mercilessly with hot water using a water cannon, and beat them up while they were holding a rally peacefully blocking the street at Saarc Fountain intersection.


Police fired teargas shells and also allegedly fired live ammunition as the demonstrators clashed with the law enforcers there, turning the important business hub of the city into a battlefield.


In another clash between demonstrators and police at Tarabo in Narayanganj, police fired teargas shells to disperse a mob, which vandalised vehicles on Kanchpur-Narsingdi road, leaving 20 people injured.


AL-led 14-party activists disrupted road and rail communications by stopping buses and trains and by uprooting railway sleepers at different train stations across the country. At least 50 people were injured when a passenger train was derailed due to uprooting of 126 feet of railway tracks in Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh.


No other major incident of violence occurred in the rest of the capital, and similar reports came from elsewhere in the country while normal life and business activities remained disrupted.


Activities at all courts across the country including the Supreme Court also remained suspended for the second consecutive day yesterday.


Business at Chittagong and Mongla ports and all land ports also remained virtually suspended for the second consecutive day.


Delivery of goods, and container handling inside Chittagong port remained suspended causing 54 vessels, including 23 carrying containers, to sit idle at different jetties and at the outer anchorage of the port.


THE CAPITAL
Residents of the capital woke up to find the entire city blockaded and its streets free of everyday traffic jam yesterday as 14-party activists took to the streets to enforce the blockade.


Blocking the city streets at different points, the activists were singing patriotic songs at intervals of speeches by their leaders to keep the tempo up standing on makeshift podiums.


As the blockade was going ahead peacefully in the capital, unlike other traditional violent political demonstrations, suddenly Karwan Bazar erupted into violence around 11:30am.


Led by AL leader HBM Iqbal, 14-party activists were holding a rally at Saarc Fountain intersection blocking the busy street. The leaders were delivering speeches from a truck used as a makeshift stage.


All of a sudden, a police truck fitted with a water cannon started jetting hot water from the direction of Panthapath on the activists who were singing songs at intervals of the speeches without provoking any violence.


Members of police and Armed Police Battalion started to club the demonstrators mercilessly prompting the demonstrators to retaliate with brickbats.


Dispersed, the demonstrators attacked the law enforcers while police fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to scare the demonstrators away.


As the whole area turned into a battlefield, a police truck from the direction of Farmgate drove through the activists at Saarc Fountain and sped away towards Bangla Motor critically injuring two blockade supporters, one of whom was identified as Waziullah, 40, AL publicity secretary of unit 2 of the party under ward no 37.


Enraged by the incident, the demonstrators set fire to a police van in front of TK Bhaban there.


As the situation gradually calmed down, police took the injured two to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared Waziullah dead.


AL leader HBM Iqbal was taken to Samorita Hospital with injuries.


Leaders of 14-party coalition alleged that police deliberately drove the van through the crowd to create a situation for army deployment.


"It was a totally peaceful rally until police doused us with water, clubbed us and fired teargas canisters at us," said Delwar Hossain, a folk singer who was singing songs on the podium. Several others echoed Delwar.


Talking to The Daily Star yesterday evening, Deputy Commissioner (Tejgaon) Kohinoor Mian admitted to ordering the police to turn water cannon on the demonstrators. "I gave the order to disperse the demonstrators for clearing the busy street after the demonstrators had refused to free the street despite repeated requests," he said.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authorities formed a three-member committee headed by Deputy Commissioner (Motor and Transport) Faruq Ahmed to investigate yesterday's violence at Karwan Bazar and the incident of driving a police van through the crowd.


"Punitive measures will be taken against those responsible for the incident as per the recommendations of the inquiry committee," said a news release issued from the public relations section of the Detective Branch of police.


The release claimed that the two demonstrators were injured when a police truck unintentionally hit them while it was being driven to a safer place towards Bangla Motor from Farmgate area after being attacked during chase and counter chase between police and 'illegal public'.

A case was lodged with Tejgaon police station in this connection, the release added.

In Mirpur, law enforcers and demonstrators locked in a clash at Mirpur-10 roundabout when police charged batons and chased some demonstrators who were vandalising an auto-rickshaw there at 11:00am. The demonstrators threw stones at the law enforcers.


Normalcy was restored in a few minutes after intervention by 14-party leaders and top police officials.


Demonstrators broke windshields of some auto-rickshaws also on Dhaka-Chittagong highway.


In Savar, hundreds of activists gathered at different points. They vandalised 15 vehicles at Savar Bazar bus stop.


COUNTRY
In Narayanganj, at least 20 people were injured when 14-party activists clashed with police on Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Tarabo point under Rupganj upazila around 11:00am.


As police obstructed an AL procession at Tarabo, the pickets threw brickbats, breaking the windshield of the vehicle of Police Superintendent Shahabuddin Khan.


Police clubbed the pickets, lobbed 20 teargas canisters and sprayed 70 rubber bullets, leaving 20 people injured.


In Mymensingh, at least 50 passengers were injured when three compartments along with the engine of Seven-up, a Bahadurabad Ghat bound passenger train from Dhaka, derailed and fell into a roadside ditch at Golabari village between Mashakhali and Kawridh railway stations at 2:15am yesterday.


The train derailed as 126 feet of railway tracks had been uprooted at Golabari, railway sources said.


Fifteen of the injured were rushed to Gafargaon Upazila Health Complex for treatment.


Rescue trains from Dhaka and Mymensingh reached the spot at 8:00am and reinstalled the damaged railway tracks and train compartments at 1:30pm.


In Netrakona, 11 people were injured in two incidents. At Gotora on NetrokonaKalmakanda road, pickets threw stones leaving five injured while six people were wounded as a passenger bus was torched at Razur Bazar.


In Brahmanbaria, pickets threw stones at the Bhoirab bound Balla local train at Poyertala outer signal of Brahmanbaria Railway Station. At about 10:00am, they stopped Dhaka bound Mahanagar Express. Later, all the services were cancelled.


Meanwhile, Akhaura land port remained paralysed.


In Rajshahi, demonstrators stopped Titumir and Modhumoti intercity trains at Arani of Bagha upazila. Goods-laden trucks remained stranded at Sona Mosque land port.


In Sylhet, activists forced Dhaka bound Joyontika Express train to a halt at Longla Station of Kulaura upazila. They vandalised the train until police brought the situation under control.


In Khagrachhari, pickets vandalised a vehicle of a pharmaceutical company at Alutila and beat up the staff. They also vandalised a truck at Bhaibonchhara and later set fire to an effigy of the chief election commissioner.


The blockade programme was observed peacefully in other parts of the country, report our correspondents.


Two bodies lie motionless at the Sonargaon intersection in the capital after a police truck ploughed through 14-party activists yesterday. Awami League activist Waziullah, lying furthest away in the photo, later succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. PHOTO: STAR

And more mayhem

Don't worry mom....it's not my photo! I've only observed peaceful demonstrations...from a safe distance!

Last time Dhaka was under siege I was stranded about 6 hours from home. This time I'm at least home. Since Sunday movement in Bangladesh has come to almost a complete stop, most of the business are closed, imports and exports have come to a standstill.

Bangladesh has a caretaker government for the 3 months preceding the election. This government is supposed to be neutral as is the election commisions. A large party alliance is protesting the current election commissioner and demanding that he step down. He is not doing so. As a result, Dhaka has completely been barricaded, the ports have been stopped, transport has been almost stopped with only the rickshaws allowed to pass through unhindered. Vehicles risk being stoned or set on fire. Our office has remained open, and I walk to the office every day anyway, so it hasn't been too much of a hindrance although I've had to cancel some meetings which is disppointing. I live quite near the opposition leader, so am near the hub of some of the activity, although I haven't observed anything that was not peaceful.

Here's the BBC explanation:

Election protests grip Bangladesh
Thousands of opposition activists are protesting in Bangladesh on the second day of a nationwide blockade to demand electoral reform.
Transport in and around Dhaka has been severely disrupted. One person died when a police van ran into protesters.

The opposition Awami League and its allies called the protest in an attempt to force the administration to sack election officials they accuse of bias.

An interim government is in power ahead of general elections due in January.

On Sunday, all major towns and cities were affected by the blockade, as well as the country's main sea port, Chittagong.

Protesters blocked railway lines and set fire to a train and a bus on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Elsewhere in the city, vehicles which tried to defy the blockade were reportedly set on fire or stoned.

Apart from protesters gathering for rallies, the streets were largely deserted, with many businesses and shops closed, witnesses said.

Disaster warning

Dhaka's police force said on Saturday it had banned "processions, rallies, demonstrations, sieges, sit-ins and blockades", as well as the carrying of potential weapons, the Associated Press news agency reports.


The country's interim government has issued a statement warning of serious consequences if the transport blockade continued.
The action was "anti-constitutional and illegal" and in cutting off the supply of food and medical supplies risked creating a humanitarian disaster, it said.

Business leaders have also urged an end to the blockade, warning it could cost the country millions of dollars a day in lost export earnings.

The 14-party alliance led by the Awami League ordered the protests after Bangladesh's chief electoral commissioner and three deputies refused to resign.

The alliance accuses the officials of planning to rig January's elections in favour of the outgoing government of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The commissioners deny the allegations.

More than 20 people were killed in clashes between rival political camps when Ms Zia's term expired in October.

The country's figurehead president, Iajuddin Ahmed, assumed control of the government after the political parties failed to agree on who should lead the caretaker administration to oversee the vote.

Mayhem

Political mayhem broke out on Saturday all over Bangladesh. I had gone to my
bosses wedding in Chapai Nabagang which is 6 hours from Dhaka and 30 km
from the Indian border. I arrived on Thursday. The wedding was Friday, and I was staying for the event hosted by his family on Saturday and had booked a night bus
for Saturday night. My 4 colleagues (which includes a 1 year old
little girl) were planning on leaving early Saturday morning to get to
a big harvest festival event in their village. Instead there was
rioting all over the country as people protested the caretaker
government that was coming into power while both parties prepare for
elections to be held in January. We rented a van and tried to leave together,
but turned back when we encountered large crowds swinging sticks. Dhaka city was
completely barracaded and all busses and transport (aside from
rickshaws) were shut down. Many people had travelled to their home
villages for the Eid holidays and were stranded. People couldn't get
to work. I think around 24 people died throughout the country and many more were injured. We all expected something like this to happen following EID,
but not until after the work week started on Sunday. Luckily, my bosses parents
were very gracious and we were able to stay there in a nice quiet town
until the opposition party called the protests off and busses resumed service. They are giving the caretaker government until the 3rd to show that they can be
nonpartisan and fair. Since I already had a bus ticket I was able to
get on a bus at 10:30 last night and arrived home at 5 a.m. Things may
erupt again, but at least now I'm safely home and can carry on with my
classes and other programs, have clean clothes, and computer access!
My boss unfortunately didn't manage to get tickets for his planned honeymoon! I'll put pictures and such from the wedding on the blog later this week. Meanwhile, here's a couple shots of our entertainment (or more accurately, us providing the entertainment) while in confinement!

More photos

Career Change

As I've probably mentioned before, the family I stay with has a business with garments and cloth made with natural dyes. They asked me to model some of their things for local ads....so I cam to Bangladesh to do HIV work, but maybe I'll be a fashion model instead. OK, looking at these photos, maybe NOT, but here's some scenes near my home. They are the ones who comb my hair a bit weird in some of the photos...the messy short look doesn't translate.

Celebrity!

It was a rainy weekend at home, but turned out quite eventful afterall. Friday I went to church, worked with my tutor in the afternoon, and then went to house for dinner. Since her father is my Bangla teacher, the pressure was on to use my Bangla skills. It wasn't too bad. They were happy I was trying. Since much of my conversational skills revolve around what I like and don't like, what I eat and don't eat... I found a specially prepared meal of favourites! There were Bangladeshi sweets beforehand, coffee without sugar, then dinner with prawns, beef, vegetables and "rainy day" rice. Afterwards....CHOCOLATE. I was so full, but it was really great. A little embarassing since normally I just eat what's there instead of having my preferances so known.

Yesterday we had planned on going to the Bazaar which sells the clothes made for American shops, but after 4 days of constant rain, and flooded, congested roads, this seemed like a bad idea. I walked to New Market instead for an interesting glimpse of how locals shop and did buy a few things myself. I passed on the goats heads and scrawny pitiful chickens however!

As soon as I arrived home, my hostess asked if I would like to go with them to Gulshan, the posh part of town that I hadn't really been to yet. I said sure, sprayed some perfume to hide that I'd been out in muggy weather and worn the same clothes for two days, wiped the top layer of dirt off my face and put on some make up, and threw on my Keen flip flops. We arrived to the opening of a very glamorous shop which features special designs all in black and white. My hostess supplies the shop with fabric and clothing. We had barely entered, when a photographer asked me (the lone 'bideshi'in the place) to pose looking at some items. Soon there were a slew of photographers asking me to do the same. I was granted a bit of a reprieve when Bengali model became the focus of attention, but later had a few more poses and tv brief (and awkward) interview to conduct. It was definitely a scene to cause mixed emotions. 1) Why does the colour of my skin make me 'special', 2) Photogenic model I am not! 3) I was certainly the grungiest person there 4) I absolutely do NOT have the funds to buy these products like they think I have, causing me to feel quite the imposter. Still, I have to just laugh and enjoy my 7 seconds of fame, which are now used up, I'm afraid!

weekend

our weekends here are on Friday and Saturday, so church is on Friday, and Thursday afternoon is the big rush to travel, shop.... Last Thursday, I joined these masses to go to Mymensingh where there are 2 other newbies studying Bangla, and an old timer, Reba, who has been here a year and serves as our resident expert and guide! I have to say that maneuvering around a place that not only does not speak English but that has even different numbers is a challenge. Since this was my debut, I had someone take me to the bus station and get me on the bus. Hopefully my Bangla will include necessary vocabulary for this next time, but at the moment it's difficult. I have been paying exhorbatant prices for travel and such because I don't really know the numbers they say, can't bargain, and throw money at them until they seem satisfied. Since drivers are more clever than me, they don't get that face until I've paid double the going rate. So, this weekend I'm devoting myself to numbers. BUT, I was still telling you about last weekend!

I eventually arrived around 7 pm...in plenty of time for Cic's birthday party. Her host family was downstairs cooking a special, rice free meal for her, and she had made a cake as a special treat. Dinner here is typically served between 9:30 and 10:30 pm....Yes, you heard me right....dinnertime is what I consider BEDTIME. By the time food comes, I am typically starving, grumpy, and find graciousness to my host difficult. But, with all the special food, mishti (sweets) and fruit with custard, plus the chocolate cake, on the menu, I was able to be a bit pleasant.

The next afternoon (Friday) we took a rickshaw, bus and bike cart to another MCC house. This is a family that has been here 3 years. They have a one year old (well, we celebrate her birthday NEXT week) who can show you "how big"she is in Bangla and English with equal bravado. Their house is a bit remote, in an indiginous area which is really pleasant and beautiful. Of course, this is after much deforestation and banana tree planting so it must have been stunning before. Here Mondi people live. The women traditionally wear skirts instead of the shalwar kamiz (pants and tunic) and they are matriarchal people....which is refreshing coming from typical Bangla communities where women don't have many rights, and in fact, are often hidden away. They do some beautiful weaving there and I got a great bag, wrap skirt fabric (which may more likely serve as a table cloth), and some towels.

Everyone was excited to go swimming, but I said I hadn't been in Bangladesh quite long enough to get in that water. Brown, green, murky.... But as the heat intensified, it did start to look tempting. We had dinner with the priests and sisters at the mission, and spent the evening at the MCC couples house chatting since the power was out making games or such difficult. They mentioned snakes en route so I tried to get a good nights sleep in spite of an overactive imagination. At one point in the night some dogs were snarling at each other. My first thought was that it must be the dogs like the creatures in Lady in the Lake or whatever that movie was that was out this summer. I hadn't given a thought to that movie and wasn't sure why I'd expect supernatural animals over real ones. Cic said perhaps because my whole life is a bit surreal right now, that I've come to expect that.

Saturday we rode "bikes" to a deer reserve and outlook tower. The bikes are Chinese, heavy, and not real great steering capabilities, so manuevering through the mud was a bit interesting. The view from the tower was beautiful. It's too bad I didn't have my computer to show you.

I had planned to leave that afternoon but had to stay due to political activities in the area. they went swimming again while I worked on my Bangla homework. We had dinner with one of the local families, which meant that it came very late, and I was certainly ready to sleep when we finished eating. Mondi people eat pork and although we had our own food - fish cooked over coals in a small pit and mashed potatos ("bideshi"/foreigner food!) they gave us a taste. Very tasty sauce but the "pork"I had was really just fat which I couldn't quite manage. The fish and potatos were sure good!

To get to my class the next morning, Phillip drove me by motorcycle to a nearby town and I rode the bus to Dhaka. I had just enough time for a quick snack and face wash, and was partically coherent for class after a short night and long (4 hour) journey.

For those of you who send me glimpses of your days/weekends, I sure love it!

Bangladesh reading club

It has been quite a week just adjusting to life here, studying language, settling in. I think the highlight is the moments I took from my studying to read The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. I have previously read The Glass Palace which is about Burma. Amitav Ghosh is a wonderful story teller, and one of my favourites. The Hungry Tide was especially relevant since MCC staff will visit the Sunderbans in October. I am hoping to add a tiger viewing to the other majestic animals I have seen. If you want other reading recommendations, let me know.

I'm off to Mymensingh for the weekend. One of the staff is having a birthday. No break from the studies. I can now read Bengali script like a 5 year old! Typically you learn pronunciation and can read anything which makes study a bit easier. I'm finally able to make Bengali flash cards which I hope will help. I have to say I think my Bengali is already better than my IsiNdebele was. For one thing, one language is spoken instead of a combo or 3 or 4. Another, it's at least written even if it does initially look like squiggles! But it is a slow go for me, hence the reduction in blogs. I'll try to have more interesting updates next week!

Home life

I have enjoyed some of your comments and suggestions. Thanks for the language advice. I am coming along a bit, but basically spend most of my day on it...except when I'm emailing/blogging!

Kirsten, I will try to think of behaviour worthy of the undivided attention I receive from the locals. Since nosepicking is fairly well accepted, I may have to be more creative!

Photo 1:
Jahanera...she feeds me and keeps me company when no one else is around. She is the cleaner at the house where I live. She does not speak English but now knows "I don't know" very well (my constant response to whatever she says) and she repeats it with a giggle. She was so pleased when I wrote her name in English and has been copying it.

Photo 2:
Request for view of my orange attire....I'll post a bad picture I tried to take of myself in my room with the camera batteries dying. But you can get an idea of my bed and room and attire!

Photo 3:
Showermate....This lovely was in the shower, and I continued to nonchalantly wash. I thought the spider was stealing soap, but instead it was holding it's egg sac, as I was told by my host. I thought this was all the more reason to kill it immediately, but she didn't seem to have the same response. It had disappeared by morning so I don't know it's fate. I don't think it could have made the journey to my room that fast, so that's ok!

Sirajganj

Maybe a bit of a mouthful, s is pronounced sh if that helps a bit. This will be my home for the majority of the next 3 years so I was pretty excited as was D who will be there for 9 months. I have been saying I was not coming with expectations since it is my experience that that is the best way to approach working in a developing country! As we were getting closer though, I did admit that a scenic river was something I was hoping for. D has been hoping he will be able to have a goat. So, different strokes for different folks I guess! Anyway, as I said before, we were approaching the bridge crossing the Jamuna river just as the sky displayed the pinks of the sunset, which was a really nice time. I believe it was another 10 km or so to the town. Sirajganj has about 80,000 people...small compared to the other places we'd been. Streets are congested with rickshaws (passenger bikes) rather than busses and cars like Dhaka. And the river and surrounding scenery are beautiful! Maybe not quite my pleasant creek in Oregon, but not as bad as some of the hot dusty places where I have also lived.

I was warned that you are always a center of attention as a "bideshi" (foreigner)in Bangladesh. Being in towns, I found there were a lot of stares, but not too troublesome since you are not expected to greet, nor are you touched or propositioned as sometimes happens in Africa. After a nights rest and overview of MCC's PARE program, (Partnership in Agricultural Research), we set off to see a home like where I will live (quite nice - 2 bedroom, 2 bath, kitchen, living area, tile floors, 2 balconies)and then went to the river for a boat ride. They left us on the road while Bengali's went to negotiate a fare without "rich" Badeshi's present. As we stood there waiting, more and more people gathered, just to STARE. They don't talk to you, they don't try to touch you typically, they just gather like it's the best show in town and they want to see it. While very used to attention, this is like nothing I have experienced before. I'll admit I found the attention in Africa exhausting at times, but it is interactive which maybe seems more 'normal'. Later on we were in a village, and the crowds just followed us. Even sitting in the van people just come watch you. One older lady with grey hair, stood right next to the van window looking at us. I would smile at her, she would smile back, and just stay looking. I found it really bizarre, but if anyone reading this has some insight into this, please let me know!

Anyway, we went on the boat ride, which I will post photos of, and later went to see some of the projects PARE works with. I overall thought my house was more luxurious than expected, the town is a reasonable size, and the surrounding beauty I think will make it a nice place to live. To our knowledge D&I will be the only expats in the area, so it looks like my goal to escape the expat culture of Zambia has been accomplished! Also, English is not widely spoken in more rural areas, so the pressure is on to do my homework!

Orientation trip day 3

We started out visiting a paper making trip. The photos show some of the process. For cotton paper they start by cutting t shirt type material into small strips. This is then boiled for 6 hours and disintegrates a bit in the water. It is drained into vats where women stir it vigorously and then begin using screens to pull out one layer at a time. They build up a number of layers with a muslin cloth separating each one, and eventually take it to a hydrolic compressor which was developed some time ago by an MCC service worker. After this, the sheets are placed on large metal frames with hot fire burning underneath. The end products are very nice (they sell to Oxfam and 10,000 Villages so you may have seen them).

We later went to an agricultural project where they are doing research and helping subsistence farmers with things such as increasing the number of female offspring of talipia fish with genetic modification (I got a long technical explanation of this, but since I'm hoping I got that brief summary right, I won't expound), rearing rabbits and introducing them into peoles diets, and raising goats in small pens with suplemented food so they don't eat everything in site and gain weight much more quickly increasing the profit. We visited another MCC couple who is also doing this kind of work and had a wonderful meal of 2 types of greens, dal, pumpkin, chicken....and of course, rice followed by the standard sweet milky tea. I gues I should mention each of these stops involved an elaborate tea presentation, so we certainly have not been going hungry. Apparrantly guests must always be fed, and you won't hear me complaining!

We stopped briefly at the Catholic mission where the father, originally from the US, has been working for around 55 years. They do a lot of work advocating for the indiginous people who have been in danger of having their land and culture completely taken over as well as operating an orphanage and adoption, and working with MCC on the agricultural projects.

After words, it was on to what is to be my home for the next 3 years. My anticipation was growing as we neared Sirajganj, and coming over the large bridge crossing the Jamuna river as sun was setting, things were looking good!

Orientation trip day 2

Wednesday our orientation schedule was slightly interrupted by a "hartel" or strike. People don't go to work and you can't drive motor vehicles. None of us minded a day on foot and rickshaw after the long journey the day before. We first were told about the projects based in Myenmesingh which are primarily in job creation. They are working with projects to develop their products for selling. MCC has been very successful in this. There is a popular shop called Aarong that was started by MCC, and they are in the process of making a marketing/distributing company called Source independent. We visited a place that makes woven and paper mache items first. They provide income for women who are maybe widowed or divorced or underpriveliged in some way. We also visited a project which provides employment for handicapped people. There was a young man drawing with his mouth, a deaf and mute man who does these amazing carvings with such expressions, people unable to use their legs doing weaving or making paper cards. It was really remarkable. I maybe have mentioned 2 others that came with me. Since this is public domain I won't mention names, but they are both in the MCC SALT program which are service opportunities for people 18-27 for one year. They are both studying language in Myenmesingh so they were getting oriented to that. At the end of the 2 months of study, the young woman will stay there and teach English at a Catholic mission, and the young man will go to the area where I will be headed a month later.

Orientation trip

Tuesday morning (just yesterday, but does seem like ages ago now!) we left at 6:30 for our trip north to visit our sites and some of the programs of MCC. Leaving Dhaka, it seemed the city was never ending and I began to fear Bangladesh was a giant suburb. At last we were surrounded by lush green rice fields rather than sky scrapers and congested markets. We bypassed Mynmeshingh, where we would spend the first 2 nights, and drove further north until the India border was in site. Our destination was a Catholic mission which is a recipient of funds from MCC to support the children who live and study there. The air at the mission was hot and thick, but the lush greenery, clear skies, and bright buildings made it a refreshing site. We were warmly welcomed by 2 sisters and ushered in for nescafe instant coffee (a special treat in Bangladesh), coconut crepes, and coconut pie made especially for us. After tea were were welcomed with songs and dances and presented with freshly cut flowers from the children. It was really beautiful, and still feeling a bit sad from all the goodbyes at home, it helped me remember of what a special privelige it is to view and participate in another culture. We had a tour and viewed the place where Christians gather each October for a pilgrimage and services. The sister escorting us expressed how vulnerable they feel as Christians who are such a minority (3%)in a Muslim country. The tour continued and we met the priest and others before being ushered in for a huge lunch. There were two types of chicken, rice, and vegetables followed by bananas and home canned pineapple. They presented Ethel (our Country Rep) with a giant bag of fresh coffee beans, so if any one has any roasting tips, do let us know. It's something to look forward to for sure.

The journey back to Myenmesingh was kind of surreal, so maybe I'll describe it at a later date. I'd just never even seen rice patties(?) before, and suddenly I've seen rice planting and cultivation at all stages. There's like rotatiller thing that goes throught the swamp preparing the soil (muck?), people ankle deep in mud planting the rice plants, and I don't know what else. There were people bathing in large murky ponds. There were congested market areas filled with rickshaws, food, craftspeople, fabrics, everything you can imagine (ok, well, I didn't see any ice cream shops or espresso stands, but the essentials were covered).

We eventually arrived at the MCC office/guest house which is really nice. They are really simple, but have ceiling fans and showers which, like I've said before, just make life good.

A day in the office

Today is Sunday....weekend for you, but in Bangladesh, the beginning of the work week. We started it off with a staff meeting at the MCC office. Everyone here seems really friendly and helpful....a bit of a change from some other places I've worked but I won't expound on that to protect identities. We had orientation to go over finances and policies, lunch at the Shanks, then free time which has allowed me to connect my computer to Broadband, get my cell phone going, and catching up on some other things. One priority I have is to track down Diet Cola! I was craving it so much at 2 am when I had insomnia....I think because I also had a bit of a headache and was slightly nauceous. Nothing has been particularly eventful. I cut Cicely's hair last night and am thinking that could be a back up career for me when I finish this job. I also am thinking all the support and help (people to cook for me, clean for me, wash my clothes....) is going to make me absolutely USELESS!

Tomorrow I will meet the family I will live with for the next 3 months, which I look forward to. Tuesday morning we will leave at 6:30 a.m. for a trip to see some of MCC's projects. We heard about the Arsenic program today. It's pretty amazing....all these tubewell's were put in to give people water and then found out people were getting arsenic poisening. MCC is helping to install rainwater catchalls and also researching alternative models which will be most effective and efficient. I'll tell you more about the programs and post some photos after my little tour. I'll be back by the 2nd, after which I start language study...groan! hope to hear from you!

First impressions

Well, here I am in Dhaka....jet lagged but hanging in there! I have to say, my first impressions are positive. I had heard so much about crowds and getting so much attention, but I am now thinking perhaps those people had not been in Africa! Granted, there are 140,000,000 people in a country the size of Wisconson, and they are prone to staring at the strange white people, but just the fact that they only stare rather than hoot, whistle, grab, or holler "white person" at you, or try to entice you to buy their wares or ride their vehicle just makes it amazingly unbothersome. Now their driving here....absolutely INSANE. Red lights/green lights...MEANINGLESS. I'll expand on that more at a future time.

Today our orientation agenda was for the gals to go shopping and buy fabric and clothes. Cicely and I both tended towards the bright orange, so we'll be two beaming pumpkin looking people perhaps....subtle! The fabrics are FANTASTIC though, and cost so little. We then had lunch at the home of a woman who is in charge of the income generating programs. We ate until we would burst, and then her husband asked if we didn't like it since we weren't eating more....groan! I'm still full several hours later. The food was really good...rice with dhal, beef, chicken, pumpkin and another vegetable fried in batter, and then dessert of a sweet rice dish, sweet (very sweet) yogurt, and two fried patty things, one made of palm and the other of soy. Quite tasty. It is warm but we have showers and ceiling fans which just make life good.

love to hear from you!!!

farewells and hellos

I was able to spend six days travelling around the UK seeing friends, which meant more meals, good laughs, a few more tears....but I was really lucky to be able to spend some really quality time with special people before embarking on my new life. Since a plot was supposedly thwarted to take explosives through Heathrow airport, my travel style (not particularly light) was a bit cramped. Hence, I am currently travelling "Heidi style"....for those not familiar with the Shirley Temple movie, she wears all her clothes on her journey. It was fine through colder climates, but a bit sweaty in Dubai! All in all, I made it through heightened Heathrow security pretty much unscathed....apart from having my lipstick confiscated. No make up, no lipstick, no soap or shampoo, no toothpaste....and no, it's not pretty! I still have about 4 hours before my flight to Bangladesh, so keep posted for my first impressions.

Bangladesh or bust

I am currently preparing to head to Bangladesh. Times are busy with a lot of farewells and preparations. It's difficult to leave, but I am looking forward to immersing in a new culture and starting my work developing HIV programs. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I enjoy my last few days in Oregon and head out across the world to all new languages, food, experiences, and adventures.

Christmas in Malawi

I was debating what to do for Christmas with the office closed for a week, limited funds, and no desire to spend too much time on busses. There are 2 other Crisis Corps Volunteers who did their Peace Corps assignments in Malawi. They invited me to join them for a trip to Malawi. Bill, Meghan and I left Lusaka at 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve to head first to Chipata, still in Zambia, then to take a shared taxi to the border, to take another shared taxi to the nearest town, and then a minibus to Lilongwe. A bit gruelling, but we reached our destination before dark and settled in to the Peace Corps transit house after a Christmas Eve feast of burgers and chips. The house was empty aside from one volunteer whose planned trip to Zambia was postponed due to stomach troubles.

Bill and Meghan had turned in when this other volunteer came in with a wide eyed look and a question of what to do about a certain guest hovering near his backpack. It was a hairy, fat tarantula, probably 4 inches long. I watched to make sure it didn’t make any moves into the backpack, while he went and got a security guard who used his club to bludgeon it to death. Thank goodness for security!

The next morning we hit the road around 7 to head to Senga Bay. This involved taking 2 minibuses packed to the rim with people and goods, then hopping into the back of a pickup truck, followed by a bicycle taxi. This was my first time to experience the latter. Skinny boys with rickety bikes have a padded plank on the back of the bike and they transported us with our packs and all for about a dollar the final kilometres to the lake. I have to admit, I was pretty terrified and felt really bad for the poor guy straining to transport my bulk! Unfortunately, the first place we went to had no rooms available so we had to take the bike taxis one more time. On the sandy potholed roads with speeding cars passing occasionally, I was really not sure we’d reach our destination. This was Meghan’s first time away from home for Christmas but she pointed out it didn’t really feel like Christmas lugging our packs around in sweltering heat. We finally were checked into a room which we were given at a substantial Peace Corps discount, cleaned up a bit, and headed for something to eat.

We apparently had found a very popular place for Malawians to have their Christmas dinner. After 2 hours and multiple enquiries, we finally had something to eat, by which time I was really grumpy! My festive entry was vegetable curry (green bean and potato) with rice. They had no dessert, no chocolate, no ice cream---nothing. IMAGINE! Christmas without sweets!!!! I had a 15 cent box of stale animal crackers for dessert. Talk about not feeling like Christmas!

We walked on the beach for a little while but before long it started to rain so we went back and watched tv in the room….a rare treat although we lost reception through much of the film we were trying to watch due to the storm.

Bill headed back to Lilongwe the next day and Meghan went to her Peace Corps village to see some kids she is supporting to go to boarding school. I went to see about some activities on the lake, particularly hiking and sailing. On my way, I encountered a hotel employee who was so concerned the people would overcharge me for a sailboat. He connected me to a friend who said it was $40 for 3 hours….out of my price range. Instead I went hiking with another friend of his for $8. This is a lot of money in Malawi. Later I found out I was being scammed, but luckily it was just for the $8 and not the $40! I went on a really nice hike in the hills with stunning views of the lake. Bouldering down the hill in the heat wasn’t quite so much fun. The guide took me to his sisters for lunch of nshima (corn meal porridge), fish and beans. What I really wanted….a bowl of ice cream! A hot lake shore without ice cream just didn’t seem right! No diet coke either although soda water sufficed on that one.

I was really tired by the time I got home but did stop and book the one sailboat (catamaran) in the area…which is $10 an hour….for the next day. So Tuesday I went for a quick morning sail before hitching a ride to town to catch a minibus to Blantyre and Mount Mulanje. Also on the bus were two German aid workers who were also headed to Mount Mulanje but a day after me.

I reached Blantyre around 5… a backpacker with a popular bar and good food but really smelly dorm rooms. I shared a room with a chatty Peace Corps Volunteer from Namibia. Despite the smell, I managed to get a good nights sleep before heading to Mount Mulanje.

Some by Train….

Some by fuel truck!

The Tazara Railway runs between a town a couple hours north of Lusaka called Kapiri Mphshi and Dar es Salaam. This is the most popular way people travel to Tanzania and being a bit of a train fan myself, I’d planned on doing this since I came. When it came to actually going, the 24 hour trip by bus sounded better than 2-1/2 days by train….not to mention the people I spoke to who’d spent an extra 23 hours on a broken down train in the middle of nowhere!

Coming back, I did hope to take the train but it only makes the routes on certain days and it would have meant staying in Dar waiting a couple days and I had done what I wanted to do and was ready to return to Zambia. Maura and I thought we were being slick taking a bus from Moshe to a town fairly close to the Zambian and Malawian borders where she was going. We quickly noticed that the bus was travelling the same route we’d came on, just passing a short distance outside of Dar. We did save maybe an hour on the bus, and spending another night in Dar which we weren’t that keen on, so it was ok. We were just disappointed that we didn’t get to see other scenery and the bus was a lot less pleasant than the bus which goes from Dar to Lusaka.

I got to the Zambian border at about 9 the next morning and when I found out that the earliest bus to Lusaka didn’t leave until 6:30 p.m. I decided hitching would be the best way to get home. One little problem…there was very little traffic! The only vehicles that passed were either local, or fuel trucks carrying petrol to meet Zambia’s ongoing fuel crisis. Just when I was going to give up and go to wait for the bus, a fuel truck came by with a driver and his assistant. They agreed to take me on board and the adventure began.

The scenery through northern Zambia was different from what I’d seen before and I was glad I managed to find one of the few ways to actually travel through during daylight hours. It was also one more cultural experience! We stopped very frequently to make sure other truckers parked on the side of the road were ok. Also, not only were most of the people we encountered spoke Swahili. All the way to Kapiri Mposhi it felt more like Tanzania than Zambia. We even ate at a West Africa restaurant in the evening…well, I did. The driver was Muslim and observing Ramadan, so he drove the entire day with no food or drink until about 6 when he had some tea, chipati and samosas.

When it got dark and I couldn’t enjoy the scenery any more, I crawled in back, finished my book, and fell sound asleep on the nice soft bed. They woke me up at about 11 p.m. when we reached the town where they were diverging from my destination. They had met another trucker headed to Lusaka who had agreed to pick me up there. They left me at a restaurant where the owner, again east African, agreed to make sure I was ok. I enjoyed chai tea and chipatis while I waited, waited, and waited. The other driver never arrived, so when the restaurant closed at 2 a.m., they took me to a guest house their family owns. It was a simple room with outhouses in the back and cost less than $3.

The next morning I caught a bus to Lusaka and was home by midday, happy to have enjoyed a great trip, and to have had such an interesting trip home having met some great people who helped me get home safely and securely!

Arusha and Kiliminjaro

As I said in the last entry, we came back from the safari and stayed in Arusha, and woke up to stunning views of Mt. Mehru. Femke had to get to Nairobi to fly back to Holland and Maura and I were going to Moshe that afternoon, so we had a number of things to arrange before we left.

After buying bus tickets, checking email,… we visited the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which is taking place right there in Arusha and open to people who want to observe. You have to go through a security check point and leave your passport. You then have a choice of which trial to listen to. We were advised that the 3 rd floor was a high profile person and would be most interesting, but when we got up there, it was closed to the public. We went downstairs where we were given a headset, and pointed to benches where you can sit an observe through one way mirrors. You could choose which language you wanted to listen to, but the attorney speaking was French. There were a number of people in the courtroom…the UN judges, interpreters, and I don’t know who all. You couldn’t see the man who was testifying as they were behind another one way mirror. The trial we sat in on was for 3 former Senior officials from the Interim government of Rwanda – Edouard Karemera, Mathieu Ngirumpatse, and Joseph Nzirorera. They are charged with seven counts including conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to genocide, genocide, alternatively complicity in genocide, rape and extermination as crimes against humanity, and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions. All three pled not guilty.

The attorney was interviewing someone who had known one of the men before the genocide and was making the point that he had done good things and were these the actions of someone who could commit such crimes against humanity. I think that’s the whole point of the genocide though….people who had been good, who had been friends and neighbours and done good things, went crazy with racism and hatred.

Afterwards, we wandered around town as my friends wanted to do a bit more shopping. Then we went our separate ways, with Femke heading to Nairobi and Maura and I heading to Moshe, the town near Kiliminjaro.

Moshe is probably my favourite town in Africa so far. It’s fairly small, has a variety of shops such as your Indian shops, market stalls, craft shops… It has great Indian food restaurants for a low price. The guesthouse we stayed in was clean with crisp white sheets. You’re in the shadow of Kiliminjaro. Best of all, it’s a lovely cool fresh mountain air climate. Heaven for an Oregon girl stifled by the dusty heat of Africa!

There were some people offering tours around Kili for around $70 but we decided to strike out on our own the next day. Sure, we didn’t get the cute little boxed lunch or a guide to accompany us on the mini bus, but we saved $30 each. Just to get into the park you pay $30. All fees were due to double in the new year. Then you have to hire a guide for $20. We were just going to the first level which wasn’t too strenuous. Unfortunately, cloud cover which later gave way to rain, meant we saw less of the mountain than we saw from town. I had previously wanted to climb the whole mountain, but I’m glad I did a day trip first because it ended any desire to do it. It’s too expensive, it’s too populated, and the views going up don’t seem that remarkable. We met one young woman from the UK who had spent her $800 but got altitude sickness and had to give it up. She said she really hadn’t been prepared for the strenuous nature of the trek. Clearly other people also had little awareness of what they were doing because we saw people with inappropriate gear, porters who had to carry peoples large wheeled suitcases on their head because the hikers obviously didn’t realize that a backpack might be more appropriate for such a journey. When they get to the summit I guess they hike from like 4:30 in the morning. If they reach the top and it is cloudy, they still have to start down to keep to the schedule. Anyway, it’s something great to be able to say you did, but I think it’s one I’ll remove from my list of must do’s. I did enjoy the one day…enjoyed the forest, the mountain air, the singing birds, the unique plants and flowers. Then finishing it off with a nice hot curry in town…perfect!