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!