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."
1 comment:
Okay, so there is a universal language, thanks for sharing a bit of Bangla. Now that you have extended your time in Dhaka you are free to attend more meetings and make more contacts. I am sure it will be quite a help when you move. I look forward to future postings sharing your new work and experiences.
Love, Mom
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