Journeys

Horay!!!

2011-03-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! We received our registration from Joint Stock Registry and are moving through one more phase to becoming a bona fide company! And a more visual celebration, the previous tenants have moved out of the flat we have rented for Hand and Cloth and it is being cleaned and painted for us to move in next week. Here are the before photos. Stay tuned for after!

New beginnings

2011-03-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

Change is never easy. As someone who thrives on change and loves the thrill of a new place, I simultaneously dread it and find I tend to react with migraines, insomnia, or other physical problems that indicate that I'm not adapting as well as I think. I'll admit the past 7 months of preparing for starting a business in Bangladesh have had many of those moments, and yet have given me multiple opportunities to see God's gentle reminders that he is going before me and working everything out. From linking with Hand and Cloth, to having SCORE volunteers helping me with business plans, to meeting up with people looking for products, to participating in Marketplace Theology courses at Regent, I am awed at how obvious it is that Hand and Cloth is God's business and I am along for the ride!

The first Monday after returning to Bangladesh, I made my first visit to the Children's Uplift Program (CUP) in Dhaka. CUP’s vision is to see children and mothers who have been in street situations living in society, helping each other, understanding God’s love and developing holistically. They provide emergency shelter, health services, social support, literacy and skill training, subsidized training, and social support, working in partnership with women and children to empower them and offer them opportunities to improve their own lives.

These opportunities include employment with Hand and Cloth. I am renting a space in the same building, so as they transition from CUP's training program to full time employment with Hand and Cloth they actually just have to move upstairs! Not too much change, you would think, but when your life has so drastically changed as the women have experienced during their time at CUP, it obviously is a big move into the unknown.

After lunch, we all sat down together to discuss some of these fears and thoughts. Thirteen women have been selected to transition to Hand and Cloth starting part time in mid April and full time in May. The faces looking back at me at the meeting were a mix of curiosity, fear, excitement, concern... Many of the women had young children clinging to them. All of them were attentive and eager to hear from this person who they had previously just seen in passing. One woman avoided my eyes and was dressed quite shabby; actually, a bit dirty. When asked why she dressed so, she admitted, she was hoping she could discourage me from selecting her to work with Hand and Cloth. This was in contrast to a woman with bright eyes wearing a bejeweled sari, more typical for a bride! She obviously wanted to make a great impression!

So pray for these 13 women as they prepare to leave the safety of the known, to step into employment. Pray for me to find a good mix of compassion and professionalism so that together we develop Hand and Cloth into a business that is effective, profitable and fun!

zig zagging along

2010-11-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

This evening I spoke to a group of students from my alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene University, about my path of ministry. As I wrapped up my bachelors degree and headed off to inner city Philadelphia to work with youth, I certainly never would have imagined the places I'd go. Child Protection? Peace Corps? HIV awareness? Public Health? I was pretty committed to a life in inner city America for the rest of my life. I was pretty sure I wanted to be involved in ministry full time. You'd never look at the career trajectory and see the Masters hand leading me, guiding me. In fact, it looks more like confusion and chaos. Maybe that's why I love Ephesians 2:10 so much, "For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which he prepared beforehand that we should walk in him." BEFOREHAND. Though it looks confused and unguided to the outside observer I can look back and remember how at each intersection I could look back and see clearly God's guidance. And He knew beforehand. And he was guiding me and will continue to guide me.

Glimpses

2010-10-29T05:42:00.000-07:00

Shapla* was ten years old when she met a woman who promised her domestic work with a family. She traveled to Dhaka, full of anticipation, only to be locked in a hotel for eight consecutive days while men were being brought in to her. Having already been "spoilt" n the eyes of society, she was trapped in prostitution for ten years before she was given a place in Pobitra, Mennonite Central Committee's training program, where she received weekly wages and an opportunity for a new life. In April of 2010 she began working for MCC to develop new products. Shapla's sorrow was tangible when we first met her but now her smile lights up a room.

Badhon’s* mom died when she was 11. Her father remarried and arranged a marriage for her just before her 12^th birthday. She was 14 when she gave birth to her daughter. Her husband left her shortly after her daughter’s birth. Desperate to provide for her daughter, she turned to prostitution when she was sixteen. Now twenty one, Badhon has been out of prostitution for a year and a half and the sparkle in her eyes and proud stature reveal her newfound sense of dignity. Badhon has a job making Sacred Mark soap. She budgets carefully to send her daughter to school and ensure she has the opportunities Badhon herself never had.

Fresh start

These are just a couple stories coming from MCC’s training program which gives these women a chance at a new life. Each year twenty women are selected to participate in the program. Their entry into the program is marked by a new life celebration complete with birthday cake, gifts, and a pledge to live a different life. They are provided a stipend as they learn to read, write and develop life and work skills needed to succeed in normal life. Not everyone manages to complete the training program, but for those who do, the transformation is remarkable. Upon completion of approximately eight months of training women are provided employment. A very similar program started by Serving in Mission provides the same opportunities for women who have been living on the streets of Dhaka. You can read more about both programs at http://mcc.org/stories/news/mcc-teaches-new-job-skills-former-sex-workers-bangladesh and http://www.sim.org/index.php/project/98336.

It is estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 women and children are trafficked in Bangladesh each year. While many will be taken to Pakistan, India or the Middle East, many women are forced into prostitution right in their own country. This statistic doesn’t even include the women who are forced into prostitution through financial desperation, being “ruined” in the eyes of society through rape, or being unprotected following the death of a husband or father. In Bangladesh, there are an estimated 60,000 -100,000 people in prostitution. Thousands of these are young pre teen and teen girls. Few, if any, chose this life.

Futures

While many of these women have resigned themselves to their fate, thousands more are desperate for new opportunities. Creating jobs not only gives women a livelihood and dignity, it gives them a chance to discover their God given potential. It gives us a chance to be Jesus’ hands and feet and serve him humbly. It provides a demonstration of God’s grace in the midst of injustice, cruelty and evil.

Let me tell you a bit more about myself. I grew up in Oregon but since 1989 have lived and worked in South Central Los Angeles, United Kingdom, South Africa, Zambia, and Bangladesh. My activities have ranged from missionary work with youth in Los Angeles to HIV prevention in South Africa to developing programs for AIDS orphans in Zambia to overseeing various relief and development activities in Bangladesh. I have a BA from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Masters in Public Health from Oregon State University. I have now completed a four year term with Mennonite Central Committee during which time I worked with staff to develop the Pobitra Training Program. I will return to Bangladesh in March 2011 independently to start a business which will develop, produce, and distribute high quality handicrafts. There are already forty women participating in job training who will need work within the next six months. I will return to Bangladesh in March with the organization Hand and Cloth (please see handandcloth.org). I am in need of your support to make this a success.

If you are interested in being part of creating jobs which give women a life of dignity and respect here's where your money could go:

$1000 per month salary needed for Robin to go to Bangladesh as an investor starting a business. This will cover a simple lifestyle as well as flights, health insurance, student loans and may even leave some extra to go back into the business operations budget.

$9 per week subsidizes one woman's salary until her business becomes profitable.

$55 subsidizes a full month of one child's day care expenses and helps break the cycle of poverty by ensuring each young child has a good meal, a head start on education, and stimulating play.

$100 purchase one sewing machine to help develop a women's cooperative business

$221 purchase one serger to help develop a women's cooperative business

$294 purchase one embroidery machine to help develop a woman's cooperative business

$412 purchase on industrial strength washing mashine to help develop a women's cooperative business

Make a donation by going to handandcloth.org, specify Bangladesh in the note section or send your contribution to 4742 Liberty Road South, #193, Salem, Oregon 97302. Please make checks payable to Evergreen Church, specify Bangladesh in the memo, and include your address if you want a tax deduction.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Hospital visit

2010-06-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

I had finished my workout, taken a shower, and just settled down to my evening treat of vegetables and a bowl of popcorn for dinner and a comedy episode when the phone rang. One of our girls from the 2008 job training program was in very serious condition in the hospital. I grudgingly put my dinner aside and headed to the hospital.

The local hospital is always an experience. First of all, there are so many rows of buildings and floors, finding the ward you need is the first challenge. En route you see so many people hobbling in on the arms of loved ones, being wheeled on a cot, or other visitors like you trying to find their patient.

This time I was looking for the operation theatre of the maternity ward. I was told the wrong building and the wrong floor first but eventually ended up in the right place. She was in a room where another woman's cesarean was happening so we had to wait outside in the muggy cement room without a chair or sign of welcome until after the baby boy emerged. The doctor sent my colleague to see if it was possible to get a test done that night or if they should wait until morning. When she returned to say they could go immediately the doctor had decided she needed to stabilize more first. They had us wheel her to a different ward where she had to share a bed. She did have a bed though... many patients are sleeping on a blanket on the cement floor.

Gradually more and more of the story emerged. Her husband had kicked her the day before. She had bled some but the next day at work began to bleed profusely. She said she was not aware of being pregnant but tests revealed she was actually four months along.

They had her husband donate blood for her, and had my colleague by some medicine and supplies (it's very much a self service place which I guess makes sense with that many people. At the same time, I wonder what happens to those who don't have someone to bring them medicine, food, wheel them to tests...). One doctor decided they didn't need the blood right away and it should be taken to the blood bank. Half an hour later they sent me back to the blood bank to bring it back. Back through the winding, confusing corridors! At the blood bank, the gloveless lab technician flicked blood with his bare finger before collecting the bag for me to carry back to the patient.

Then I needed to get more supplies as my colleague had taken them to her house so they wouldn't be stolen. When I returned, I started to sit on the edge of the bed which she now had to herself. As I did, I noticed blood everywhere. I jumped up quickly and found out it was blood that spilled when they were setting up the transfusion. Yeah, I don't want to sit in that really. Universal Precautions anybody?

Behind a curtain, babies were being born. The first one I didn't get to close too not wanting to be a nuisance, but on the second one I decided to take advantage of the fact that they probably wouldn't send the white lady away and edged closer. The mom seemed limp and was hardly making noise. The doctor seemed to be pulling with all her might to get the baby out. As they carried her over by us, the baby still was a greenish colour, sludgy and making no sound. They suctioned her out using equipment which looks like what you've maybe seen at a medical museum, and finally the soft cry came, eventually turning to a much welcome scream!

There was a family member staying with my friend so I decided to head home at midnight in spite of all the exciting happenings, including two more babies on the way. She was now more awake than she had been before, so, in my halting Bangla I told her about the woman with the years of bleeding who in faith touched Jesus and was healed. Not only is the physical healing needed; her broken violent family needs the touch of God. Please pray for her, her two children, and her husband, that somehow from this God will be glorified.

Tala waterlogging

2009-11-21T23:07:00.002-08:00

Coming back into town we past some public areas crammed with people living in temporary camps. We stopped and met a few people. First is Babu Ram. He and his family have been in this temporary camp for three months. The road to their house is under water and their porch has turned to mud.

Walking further down the road we came to another camp. People came quickly to meet us. Here are some of the faces I saw.

And last but not least.... here is baby Bona... meaning flood. She is so named because she was born into this camp during the flood. You may notice her mom looks like she should be playing with dolls rather than having a baby. Unfortunately, natural disasters exacerbate social problems such as early marriage, child labour, ... as families often don't have the resources to provide for their children any other way.

Floodlands Shatkira Bangladesh 2009

2009-11-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

Makeshift houses along roadside

Toilet serves the community

Mango trees dying from being submerged

Kids playing in spite of the hardships

A bridge to the road

This highschool is not operational due flooding

This is the road to the primary school, now underwater

Tala Upazilla of Shatkira district in Bangladesh was once a place where people could grow rice, pulses, vegetables, and have fruit trees. For the past four plus years the rivers have become increasingly clogged and water can't flow out into the sea, leaving people waterlogged for up to seven months of the year. The people's homes are typically made of mud, which become engorged with water and collapse. Some who are able to build their houses on higher foundations or use cement or bricks, are perhaps able to stay in their homes, but larger numbers are forced to relocate to temporary shelters on the roadside or in public areas such as school grounds. Obviously there are health and safety issues, not to mention the pain and stress of having your livelihood, your home, your food sources... being wiped out year after year after year. We are working with a local NGO to put in tubewells that will be raised above flood levels so that they will be accessible and remain uncontaminated year round.

Return to Bangladesh

2009-11-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

I scribbled notes in my little book when I first arrived back in Bangladesh. As the newness wore off, I thought maybe they didn't still apply, but I think it does. So here you go, scribbled out 15 October and making it to a posting 8 November:

So I'm back in Bangladesh and what can I say.... One comfort on my return was that I was to arrive at midnight, to slip back discreetly into the quiet and coolness of night. The storm in the Pacific Nothwest, the mad dash to catch my flight in San Francisco after a delay from Portland, the taxi to the runway only to sit for 3-1/2 hours watching the fierce winds blow water in sheets along the pavement, the eventual return to the gate accruing ultimately a 13 hour late arrival into Bangladesh... all meant that I was instead thrown immediately into the steamy heat of the early afternoon, the weaving traffic, the skinny boys indicating they want food, the limbless men waving their stubs seeking a donation, a woman vomiting from a bus, a rickshaw wallah straining with a massive load stacked way above his head. And you may be asking, how does it feel to be back. And what can I say? I would love for the warm days of an Oregon summer to linger forever. To continue spending time with my family, watching my nieces and nephew grow, riding my bike, floating down the river in my kayak. No amount of relaxation can last long once thrown back to the throbbing mass, the sooty humid air, the constant disparity between the arrogant rich and the desperate poor. But there's something here that is gritty and real, that will break your heart and heal it up again, that will teach you what hope and love really is. And I wish I could show you this place because there is something about it that feels like home.

The “who needs a bed (or shower)” tour of Rajasthan day 2 - 4

2009-04-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

So a noisy train doesn’t seem like the best preparation for 3 days on a camel, but time limitations didn’t allow for a break in between. Guess we slept well enough as we were all woken by someone banging on the train windows at 5:30 am at Jasailmer station. The man from Ganesh travels was waiting to take us for breakfast and a shower before we needed to get to our camels. We were in their guest house which is inside the fort… an ecological no no according to Lonely Planet but boy it was nice to eat breakfast as we watched the sun rise over the fort and temple walls. A cup of coffee and a shower and I was ready for whatever came my way.
They drove us out into the desert about an hour where our camels were waiting. I was introduced to Sunday, my travel companion for the next 3 days. Sunday was typically the leader of the group and was taken to fairs and such to show off his talents such as to put his head cutely down on the ground upon demand. He had some stomach issues which didn’t make him hugely popular with those following closely behind (sorry Sarah). I’m not sure what my compatriots meant when they say we all had the camel most suited to their personality. Jodi had the naughty one… I see that. Dave’s Papaya just followed along but once in a while got a bit more adventurous ie: trying to snuggle up to Sarah and running away for a night of feasting on the second night; Sarah’s regal and steady; and mine… slow and steady leader with particularly bad smells? Does that fit?

Overall I feel my preparation of kicks and squats courtesy of Billy Blanks Bootcamp prepared me as much as possible for 3 days on a camel, but really, how do you prepare for 3 days on a camel? When we stopped for lunch I was pretty surprised my legs could still hold me up. I loved the simple meals of whole grain chapatti’s and vegetables always preceded by tea. We had hours of siesta which did get long as suddenly the heat became really intense and sticky. Around 3 it cooled off a bit and it was time to climb back up on the camels and carry on. It was really relaxing to travel through the desert seeing the plants, wildlife (deer and mice), birds and just enjoying life. Just when I was about ready to really STOP enjoying life, these children came running out of the desert like a mirage carrying water soaked jute bags full of semi cold sodas. It was the most amazing think I have put in my mouth! It was also time for the camels to have a drink from a well, and a short hike later we were making camp on a beautiful sand dune, settling in first to watch the sunset and then to see the most amazing display of stars I have seen for a long time.

My response to the sand beetles was not exactly what one would refer to as stoic. The Camel Guide’s assistant, in his limited English, assured me they would not hurt me and would only give “beetle kiss”. O but how much I did not WANT beetle kisses. The first night they seemed like they liked Dave best but night two, perhaps as my hair smelt more like camel dung, they seemed to be drawn to me as well. As were some wild dogs trying to befriend Sarah during the night. Regardless, sleeping on the sand dunes and waking to a big cup of tea being put by your bedding in the morning was pretty fabulous.

Our camel guide was a character as well. He’s 28 and got married at 23 when his wife was 10. He only saw her that one day and will not live with her for another 5 years. He’s illiterate but has picked up some pretty hilarious sayings from tourists all over the world. He referred to himself as “bloody camel man” and regaled us with his camel man rendition of “I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world” (“I’m a camel man, in a camel world”) and tales of people he’s taken on safari. One he swears went sleepwalking for miles but didn’t want to have to end her camel trek early so had him tie her down like a camel. Another was offended when he referred to her “grandfather” which was in fact her husband but later she admitted she would take his money when he died, “like a vulture,” according to Shajan, our leader and story teller extraordinaire. We attempted to teach him a good American line since the majority seemed more Australian or British, but found it difficult to explain what our chosen phrase, “Here’s a quarter, find someone who cares,” means. Come to think of it, that’s already becoming obsolete in the US as well, isn’t it. Shame… it’s such a great line.
The desert is full of windmills, according to our guide to give water to the villages. According to the audio tour we did later, to provide power to the armed forces on the border. Hopefully Shajan’s version is true as well.
I was perhaps the only one of our team sad to see the trek come to an end. Everyone else was feeling sore and tired but I definitely felt less sore the third day. I also had a chance to rinse off 3 days of sweat and dryness which gave me a whole new lease on life. But all things must end and it was time to return to Jasailmer town and explore by foot. PS… no one is exaggerating the tales of camel flatulence… it’s rough, but otherwise they are amazing animals PSS… Saw one snake trail but no snakes which made it a GOOD trip! PSS Never changed clothed or bathed on this trip aside from some wet wipes but seriously, I smell so much worse after a day walking around in Bangladesh than I did after 3 days in dry desert heat on a smelly camel. Go figure!

The “who needs a bed” tour of Rajasthan 2009 Day 1

2009-04-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

Sarah and I had started planning our next holiday while we were still in Kerala, but took some time to decide on a destination. I had camel treks in Rajasthan on my mind for a long time but was surprised she was interested as well. Sarah is transferring from Kolkata to the Middle East so it was our last big hurrah before she goes. Two others from MCC Bangladesh decided to join the camel brigade as well, and we had a team.
My trips to India always start with the overnight 13 hour bus ride from Dhaka to Kolkata as this is the $12 option rather than the $150-200 but o so pleasant (I’m imagining) flight. So I arrived in Kolkata at 8:30 am, going through customs very quickly as foreigner lines are short! I got to Kolkata in time for an afternoon meeting which ended up being postponed until evening but was still productive. I was meeting with a lady who does dance therapy with people, which I think will be ideal for Bengali women coming from trafficking/prostitution who have experienced unimaginable trauma but for whom a therapist’s couch is too foreign and traumatic in and of itself.
A few hours in a bed were welcome but it was a 4:30 am trip to the airport for Sarah and I to fly to Jodhpur. There we were to meet Jodi and Dave and although I imagined any numbers of complications, it worked like a dream. We hurried to the Mehrangarh Fort…. Wait, I actually took notes of this one… I know, I’m a nerd…. Or just pragmatically aware of the limitations of my memory!
So the Maharaj here no longer have power of state but they are developing the trust to keep the heritage alive in the area… and to keep themselves in the manner to which they are accustomed, I presume! The current Maharaj was just four when he was crowned after his father’s death in an air crash in 1952. He said he doesn’t clearly remember other than being a solemn and important occasion, but an onlooker told a story of how, as people passed, they gave him money as tokens of their esteem. As they did so, he began to give the money received to the next person and they saw this as a sign that he would be a great leader.
As with some of the other forts, the entry way has a sharp turn so elephants could not gain momentum to storm the gates. Next to this gate are handprints of women who performed Sathi. This is when a widow throws herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. This proved to be a common thing among the Rajput rulers… When they died, their women went with them. When they knew that defeat was imminent, the women would prepare themselves all night and go into the fire in the morning, after which the soldiers would ride into the enemy troops to their death. This way, the castle was never stormed and they were never taken by the enemy. They also felt the sword was chivalrous while guns showed weakness. Needless to say, a massacre eventually ensued by those feeling otherwise.
The tradition was for women to keep purda (not showing their face) so there are ornate women’s quarters with specially carved wooden screens so the women can watch the goings on but not be seen. The grandmother of the current Raj kept purda, and, when she once visited London, the journalists, quite intrigued, were all after a picture of her. They never saw her face, but someone did get a picture of her ankle. The Jodhpur contingent was so riled, they reportedly bought every issue of the paper in which the photo appeared.
The women would play polo, believe it or not, and this is where Jodhpur’s (riding trousers) and they had these dumbbells the women would use to keep in shape! There was a gallery of Marwar Miniature Painting which is amazingly intricate. I would have bought some samples but didn’t fancy dragging anything extra along on a camel trek!
Jodhpur is an especially picturesque town as the Brahmin caste traditionally paints their houses a lovely indigo blue. Now it’s not restricted only to Brahmin, and the hills are littered with these lovely houses. There is also a palace in the distance where the Maharajah and his family live and where people not restricting themselves to the budget accommodation section of the lonely planet can also stay!
After the fort we had saffron lassi’s which were incredibly rich and refreshing and nothing like what we call a lassi in Bangladesh or the US. Seriously, amazing. This was followed by me going on a quest for a functional ATM (I’d found 4 previously that were not functional), and then to discover why it is essential to destroy your outdated cards so you don’t inadvertently use the old one and curse the bank when it doesn’t work, when in fact, you are the idiot. Luckily I had some dollars to exchange which tided me over until I could recognize my folly and try again with a current card.
After a dinner on a guest house roof it was time to pack up and head to the train and on to the next day. photos: view of a woman in purda/ Mehrangarh Fort

Blessings in disguise

2009-04-02T03:51:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a week. For our alternative employment program, we have been working with an NGO that provides support and empowerment to street based sex workers to ensure their human rights and promote their health and safety. There are more than 500 women who are members of this NGO. We took 26 women last year, and gave them training and an a way out of the trade. As it's not easy to develop work for people, we started with only 10 new women this month. We selected criteria to prioritize who we would take... women who were the wage earners of their families, widows, women without options. Unfortunately, some less than respectable people decided to try to profit from the situation and took money from women saying they could get them in, and then tried to threaten our staff to get their way. There were threats and scenes throughout the week, and at one point we went to the police and had them come to address the issue.

The training center where they meet is right in their community and has some issues like poor ventilation, flooding, dampness, lack of light... but as they could not find anyone else locally who would rent to a project like this we had just the week before decided to make the best of it and make a few alterations to try to solve these problems. As the troubles erupted, the ladies with fear in their faces said they wanted the center to be moved out of the area, and with concerns for safety, we decided to look for a new building. The one we found is ideal; very secure, midway between the slum where most of the women are coming from and the MCC office, has space to start our childcare program and have a separate office and maybe even a showroom, is clean and dry and well ventilated. My colleague was giddy with excitement and said, "God is always on our side." I think he really is and hope I can remember that next time everything seems to be a disaster. I'm still saddened though at how many women are living these tragic lives with no options. Ten women is such a drop in the bucket and so many could be spared the daily horrors if more jobs could be created. Please pray that these women will quickly become employable (they are admittedly crude when they start the program), and that jobs will open up for them so we can take in more women as soon as possibe.

Back in the desh

2009-01-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I was able to go home this Christmas thanks to collected and donated frequent flier miles. As my sister had a new daughter in October, and her elder 3 are growing like weeds, it means a lot to see them as much as I can. This trip home was different than any other Christmas in Oregon as we were blanketed in snow, then ice, then more snow. It meant that instead of Christmas programs, shopping trips and seeing the Nutcracker, we pretty much snuggled up on the couch and watched movies as the snow fell... and fell… and fell… and fell. And even when it started to get old, I found myself thinking, really, can you ever get tired of curling up on the couch with a niece in each arm watching Enchanted? (The correct answer is no, by the way!)

But now I’m back in Bangladesh, busy trying to figure out a new position while winding up last years programs and getting prepared for next year. I wasn’t able to visit the Alternative Employment project until today. I arrived carrying some large bags, but instead of helping me, the woman who met me at the door went racing back inside to excitedly tell everyone that I had arrived. They flocked to me, hugged me, asked me if I missed them, told me they thought of me on Christmas, held my hands, told me I looked beautiful (due to my Oregon pallor!), told me I looked thinner (come on, I just spent 3 weeks in the US eating every thing in sight!), gave me some gifts, and just showered me with love. They had made posters welcoming me "from your 26 daughters.”

I often feel sad thinking about how much I’m missing at home, how much my nieces and nephews grow up while I’m gone, how I miss their performances and their milestones… But I’d sure hate to miss this too… getting a chance to see people given opportunities to improve their lives, feed their families, and to be empowered. It’s a special gift.

Christmas 08

2008-12-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Bangladesh is lacking the cold, evergreen trees, not to mention the lack of public excitement in a Muslim country, but we had a fun pre Christmas dinner with some family friends. Veronika made a wonderful dinner of rice, chicken and fish so Bengali's didn't have to feel that they weren't fed. We made cookies and I think at first they wondered why I was making them help with their food but I think they figured out it's actually a kind of fun activity with tasty results. You may describe this as a Charlie Brown Christmas tree but I have raised it from a small sapling and I think it's pretty cute!

New opportunities

2008-06-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

2008 has been really busy, if you've noticed my blog entries becoming increasingly scarce! MCC has 3 programs in Bangladesh, one is agriculture research and extension, where I have primarily been working up until this year, one is Health and Education which supports children in schools, orphanages,... and Job Creation, which works with organizations that develop the kinds of products you see in 10,000 Villages (you do shop there, right?!). This year we have been working with a local NGO that serves to promote the human rights, health, and safety of floating (street or hotel based as opposed to brothel based) sex workers to identify women who wish to leave sex work to make fair trade products. There was a lot of interest, but we had to narrow our initial selection to 26. Well, we said 20, but when it came down to it, couldn't exclude those last few! They are now coming daily for training in everything from life skills, to communication, to leadership, to literacy, to math, and I'm working on their English. You should hear them sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and "The Hokey Pokey", the pain life has given them disipates and they sing their new English words with reckless abandon. We had a new life celebration for them last week which was really special. For the past five days I was away with other programs, so coming back today, I was amazed at the change I saw. Back when I came for the final interviews in May, while their features were attractive, there was a deadness in their eyes, even the young ones, that was alarming. I walked in today on a group of women that can play with abandon like children, who have smiles rather than tragedy in their eyes, who are lovely, giving women so enthusiastic to make the most of an opportunity that they have, that so many need.

In Bangladesh, there is so much poverty, and in spite of the facade of religious fervour, Bangladeshi sex workers are the busiest in the world. At the same time, they are completely shunned by society. For those whose families are aware they lived that life, even if they were kidnapped or sold into it, they can never go back home. And it's a life no one enters willingly. I have yet to find someone in Bangladesh who chose this profession... everyone I have met has a story of a father dying, a husband leaving, being raped, being manipulated, being coerced, or living in debilitating poverty. In Bangladesh, such a woman is "spoiled" and no redemption is available. Of course, we disagree!

These women will work with an enterprise MCC is developing which will produce soap. I'll keep you posted on their continued transformation and eventual production! It's not an easy road... Please keep them in your prayers!

biye

2008-05-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

Marriage (biye) in Bangladesh is critical. In our initial HIV pilot project baseline survey almost everyone, male and female, answered "yes" to the statement "marriage is essential to a happy life." When I see what marriage involves, especially for rural girls/women, I really don't understand that view, but Bangladesh is not a place where nonconformity is valued. Still, it made me sad this morning to talk to the lady who cleans my friends house and hear her family situation. I knew one sister had been married a couple years ago at a very young age... 13. She also had a baby recently. So I was surprised when she said her other sister is 22 yet unmarried. She said this sister is "kalo" or black, and therefore the family cannot afford a dowry for her as more money would be needed to find a husband for a woman, who in this culture, is deemed undesirable by the shade of her skin. She said her sister, unlike her, can read and write, and can do beautiful Kantha, the traditional Bengali sewing/embroidery. But she's dark and poor and therefore can't getting married, feeling sad watching all her friends marry and have kids. As someone who thinks dark skin is so beautiful, I don't understand, nor do I understand determining a persons worth by such arbitrary criteria.

Oregon visitor

2008-03-23T00:43:00.000-07:00

I just had my first Oregon visitor in Bangladesh, Stanley. Flat Stanley that is. I think he had rather a good time and hope he will tell others what an interesting place Bangladesh is. Here he is riding a rickshaw in Dhaka.

snow in Piegacha

2008-02-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

my sister sent some gifts for the family of the woman who works in my house. I was visiting her village to attend a wedding and this is the fun we had with the unique toys from the US. One of the things was "snow", seen for the first time in Piergacha I'm sure!

Not quite Barnum and Bailey

2008-01-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I took a break from my "spring cleaning" (although it's winter here, it's spring temperatures) to take my friend and her son to the fair. Thinking we'd make a fairly quick getaway, I inwardly groaned when we discovered the circus would start in half an hours time. I decided that this was actually a cultural experience not to be missed. Bengali's of all times, wealthy, poor, Bhurka clad, sari wearing, young and old.

the circus began with some Bengali songs and I thought the two hours of high pitched singing would not be so bearable. then things began to pick up. Girls did cartwheels and flips dressed in tights and t shirts with bloomers. "little people"played clowns mimicking them (I guess it's more dignified than begging on the streets ...I don't know). a goat walked on planks. A woman threw knives at another spinning woman. a motorcycle went upside down within a large circular cage. Although missing the bearded lady, I'd guess pretty similar to circuses of hundred years ago. As usual it
was just fun to live in a place that is in so many ways like time travel to a simpler time with simpler pleasures. The grand finale was an elephant kicking a football. I think my nieces could actually come be Bengali circus stars with their gymnastic abilities but doubt it's a well payed career, and from what I understand, rather scandelous. Although the prestigious people watch the circus, they wouldn't accept the performers in
proper society.
Which is one of the painful things about living here, the hierarchy and the
societal limitations placed on groups of people. Still, a fun day, a fun time,
and a joy to see the young son of my friend (seen in the picture of my blog on my lap)
with eyes as big as saucers!

Pilgrimage

2008-01-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

Above is a link for a pilgrimage under way in Bangladesh at the moment. Unfortunately it is the same weekend I chose to come to Dhaka for some meetings and to see some friends. We'll see if I'll be able to get home tomorrow. May be a long trip to get back the same time 3-5 million pilgrimage takers are heading out of Dhaka/Bangladesh. Wish me luck!

Victoria Falls

2007-12-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

It may be dry season, but Vic Falls is still an amazing place. Try to catch the rainy season though!

zambia

2007-11-17T02:50:00.001-08:00

Culture shock begins at gate 17

2007-11-17T02:40:00.000-08:00

I have spent the past nearly 4 weeks traveling to Swaziland, Zambia and Uganda assisting with a documentary about youth involved in HIV prevention. My role was to ask the questions while Shawn, an MCC employee, ran around coordinating and filming everything. I’m not quite Katie Couric, (lacking the stiletto heels, blonded hair, and talent), but stumbled along, and enjoyed meeting many interesting young people.

I had been looking forward to returning to Africa since Africa and African people have a special place in my heart and I am still trying to figure out what I miss so much in Bangladesh. African people just have a vibrancy maybe that I’m drawn to. I certainly love the wild nature that can be found there.

Each place we visited was different. Swaziland was young adults who visit churches to do a drama and music program and help establish support clubs to promote abstinence among unmarried and faithfulness in marriage. It was a group of young people really talented (a number of them could take American Idol, I’m telling you) who were really committed to their cause and really fervent in their faith. It was fun to meet them and join them for some of their activities. I was able to go visit a friend in South Africa who has married and moved there permanently. Having added 2 little daughters to her family since my last visit, it was great to see her. I realized I had been to her house in 2001, 2003, 2005 and now 2007, so this trip was destiny, I’m sure of it.

The next stop was Zambia, where we spent the first night with the MCC reps, Sigi and Lois, who are responsible for me joining MCC in the first place. They fed us cappuccino’s topped with dark chocolate, shortcake and fruit (nectarines…. After 15 months with no sign of a peach or nectarine, what a treat!), later dinner of Sigi’s spaetzle, and we were sent off to Choma (about 4 hours from Lusaka towards Victoria Falls) for the project. We were looking at a youth peer educator program at the Brethren in Christ school (Brethren in Christ is part of the Anabaptist group and fairly connected to MCC). The youth were really well spoken and especially animated when discussing in a small group about the issues they are facing. We took a day trip to Vic Falls which is impressive even if it is lacking water at the moment. The morning before we left I went to my old workplace and saw my former boss and current friend, Reberiah. I was really pleased to hear that the things I was working on there are still going forward like the schools I worked with are using the radio program which walks the teacher through a set of lessons improving the quality. One of the schools that my aunt has been raising money for is gradually being built and should be finished with the latest installment. Home based care groups are growing and have more resources now.

Final stop, Uganda, and although I didn’t have any friends to connect with here, I was excited to go somewhere I’d never been. In Uganda we were visiting a project called AEGY which trains peer educators in schools and has care and support programs for people living with HIV/AIDS and for orphans. This project was fun because we got to visit communities and people. One thing I was amazed by was people’s openness about being HIV positive. There is still stigma, but at least people participating in AEGY’s programs are bold and active in their support groups. We visited some homes, interviewing a couple who were both positive and leaders of a support group, as well as meeting some children. I have been a bit haunted by a few children I met who are living with HIV. One is a young girl…by size you’d guess she’s 2, but the expression on her face of wizened sadness, makes me think she’s probably quite a bit older. I don’t believe she’s on ARV’s (AIDS medication), and certainly looks like she could use them. Another girl is only 18 years old, and has been scarred and crippled with HIV and herpes. She also had given birth to a still born baby. I kept saying that any youth who saw what had happened to her would surely be turned off casual sexual relationships.

In Uganda I was reminded what it’s like in Africa constantly being greeted with the local word for white person( in this case, “mzungu”) which DOES get old…although maybe not as creepy as the unabashed stares of Bangladesh villagers. As we drove back to Kampala we stopped and saw some falls on the Nile River…that was a treat! I also relished a bacon and avocado salad before heading back to a country without much of either!

I heard about the cyclone headed toward Bangladesh that evening, and it seems we (the cyclone and I) were scheduled to hit near the same time. Sure enough, it hit Dhaka right when I was supposed to be boarding my flight. So instead I managed to score a lounge chair in the “quiet lounge” (aside from the loudspeaker directly ahead announcing each flight loading) of Dubai airport, and arrived in Dhaka about 12 hours late….little to pay in light of all the loss of lives that has been experienced here. My friends’ colleague was flooded in the previous blight, and now had a tree land on their house. Getting it from all directions, but again, Bengali’s are used to suffering and calamity and take it with resignation and grace.

I was pleased to finally head to gate 17 for boarding, and this is when you leave the normal planet and enter the “Bangladesh Zone”. I doubt I can describe this in a way you can truly understand until you yourself make the journey, as it’s like nothing else you’ve experienced. You reach the gate, and instead of the wide range of families, tourists, backpackers… it’s men. Bengali men. Lots of Bengali men. Maybe a few women, clothed in Bhurka’s or a sari, perhaps also a child or two, but a heavy majority, men. The call for pre boarding in not the usual quiet group of people in wheelchairs and families with strollers and young children….it is hundreds of men crowding into the gate, ever pushing forward even before the gate is open. The people needing the extra time and assistance to board haven’t a chance and resign themselves to moving aside until the hordes have moved through.

Once on the plane, things don’t really calm down. Trying to keep people in their seats, wearing their seatbelts, with their cellphones off. Few of the stewards speak any Bangla, and 95% of their passengers are speaking no English. There are always multiple reminders not to smoke in the bathroom as people are caught doing so. As soon as the plane touches ground and is hurtling down the runway, people are up and grabbing their bags from above. Comical if it wasn’t so indicative that you are arriving in a place where your normal mode of operandi is suddenly topsi turvey!

flood update 3, 14 March

2007-08-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

I'm heading to the beaches of Sri Lanka (OK, most ofmy time will be sitting in conferences, but will see the beaches too I hope!) so won't have much info fromthe flood zone for a while. Most of you have seennews now of the floods, and people do continue tosuffer. There are still many, many people living onthe sides of the roads in make shift houses, made moreunpleasant by ongoing rains. Not one prone to usinglittle sayings, I still have to say, "when life givesyou lemons, make lemonade" is one that Bengali's havecertainly taken to heart. The PARE program of MCC that I work with has been busydistributing relief supplies. For people who areliving in the makeshift house without cookingsupplies, they are receiving food that can be eaten asis as well as water treatment items. People able tocook food are receiving rice, oil, salt, lentils, oralrehydration salts and water treatment. There is always concern that the food gets to theright people, and this is always a challenge. Thereare always people who didn't receive it with obviousneed. At the same time, looking at the peoplecollecting the food, it's obviously they could haveused more food before the flood as well.

Riverfront property...written 30 July

2007-08-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here's some photos of my riverfront property! I have ten people staying in my house right now -- 2 of whom are babies and think I'm the scariest thing they've ever seen.....get hysterical if I come within 10 feet. People are sleeping on the stairwell, on the roof, everywhere really, but many more are continueing to evacuate. Luckily have a stash of drinking water and a gas cannister to tide us over and the electricity is still working for the most part, as well as the phone line obviousely. In the next hours MCC will decide if we're doing some relief work or just need relief ourselves!

The River (written July 30th, 2007)

2007-08-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

If you remember my first visit to my current home, I was pretty excited to be a couple miles from the beautiful Jamuna River. This river is now nearly waist deep at my house. I live on the second floor, and my office is a 3 storey building, so I am safe (able to wade between the two places at least for now) with water and food, but I am certainly an exception here. Please pray for my neighbors who are sufferring greatly right now. The rain has stopped, but this is water flowing from the floods in India and Nepal, so who knows how long it will continue. MCC is currently considering relief efforts, but there is a lot involved and it means suspension of other work for some time. The amazing thing is how good natured people are. A little girl started talking to me this morning. She greeted me, asked me where I was going. I asked her how her house was. With a big smile she said, "It has water, but we caught two fish." So there you go....the Bengali look on the bright side attitude. The longer people are marooned, and as water and food become more scarce, the situation will be more devestating.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers

Here you go, Cis

2007-07-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

I was "tagged" and told to post 8 things people may not know about me...and since I don't want whatever dire consequences would come from failing to do so, here we go....

I think I can eat popcorn with parmesan cheese and brewers yeast every day of my life and be perfectly happy!

I like to pray when I go for my walks so I don't get distracted by my need to organize my sock drawer or dust under the bed. I also haven't noticed people being particularly alarmed by me talking or singing under my breath.

I think people are more beautiful the darker they are....opposite of what darker people tend to think. I really wish they would stop buying "Fair and Lovely" whitening cream and be happy with themselves.....or trade me.

I've always been scared of spiders, and stuffed that fear a big until I saw how massive they can be in Bangladesh. Now I'm terrified again.

My favourite holidays are active....hiking, canoeing, snorkelling, cycling....

I try to be intellectual and choose good movies and books, but truth be known....nothing beats a good romance! Please don't knock a Meg Ryan film in my presence!

hmmmm....i'm at 6 now...2 more.

My favourite colours are orange and purple...not necessarily togehter, but sometimes....sure!

When I get scared I tend to utter words which can't be repeated here.....so you think I'm a nice, calm person until you almost run into me with your car or swerve in front of my motorcycle....then you'll maybe be surprised a nice girl likes me knows those kinds of words.

Was that ok, Cis? hope so!!!

Wheels!

2007-06-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

I finally got my motorcycle learners permit and motorcycle. It still is hard to get my head around after the years with Peace Corps knowing I would be sent home immediately if I ever rode on a motorcycle. Still, I was surprised how excited I was to have my own wheels. My first day out and about in my town, I ended up heading across the bridge to the Jamuna Resort, where I just couldn't resist jumping in the pool for a swim, clothes and all. Mind you, for most Bengali's, this is the typical swimming attire! Even at the beach, swimming (for women) involves wearing shalwar camisse which includes baggy trousers, top, and large scarf. It does feel as if one may drown swimming this way! Anyway, regardless of the attire, the swim was nice, and even more so, the freedom. Now the not so fun part has come.... passing a written test (passed on my second 3-1/2 hour trip to Dhaka), a verbal test, and coming next week, the figure 8 test. Wish me luck!

Life after Nepal

2007-05-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Nepal was fabulous, but there has been a rather hectic and crazy life after Nepal and I just haven't had time to sit down and write. The HIV pilot program was pretty much wrapped up on the 29th, and now we rapidly have to try to figure out what should be duplicated with 3 different partner organizations, get the staff trained, and get going on it. I'll tell you more about the whole program soon, but also wanted to let you know that MCC's Commonplace Magazine, which is free and sent 6 times a year, will feature our program in the next issue.

Hopefully I'll get back to you tomorrow to tell you about my travels in India, and maybe a bit more about the work we've been doing. Also, I really appreciate hearing from you, so if you actually read this blog, could you comment or send a brief email...it would really make my day!

Words

2007-03-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

Nepal....majestic mountain range...often hidden from view and you'd never even imagine they could be there....and then...just a brief break in the clouds and there they are in all their glory. Wheat fields of different shades of maturity. Women drying the ripened grains in the sun. Wrinkled old woman asking about my bracelets and if they signify marriage as theirs do. A Nepali woman giving me a seat out of the hail storm while demonstrating the traditional Gorung bag she is in the process of weaving. Watching storm after storm roll across the mountains as they disappear under dark clouds and re-emerge. Listening to stories of life as a Bhutan refugee, whose family was kicked out of Bhutan for being Nepalese, yet not given rights in Nepal, and still longing to go home after 16 years, turning down opportunities for an American visa. Resting at a Nepali farm house and being told I look and laugh like the younger sister. In my travels I have met many wonderful people, but never so many who made me feel so welcome and who gave me such an authentic view of their lives in an area that sees many passing by. And why may I never be able to reintegrate into the US.... $6 for a nights accommodation, 2 meals, 4 cups of milky tea, and I think that's a bit pricey!

Himalaya's

2007-03-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

Our MCC retreat, for MCC ex pat staff from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and Bangladesh, with some guests from different places joining us as well, was held in Phokara. Phokara is a town nestles by a lake surrounded by the Himalaya's Annapurna range. During our 4 day retreat, however, you would not know this was the case. They were almost completely hidden until most people had returned to Kathmandu, and only those of us who stayed on a bit were able to truly see their glory! (you've got a few photos that aren't so great because it's not uploading the right ones....TECHNOLOGY....sometimes NOT my friend!)

A picture's worth...

2007-03-18T02:25:00.000-07:00

I have 364 photos, which will probably convey the idea that I LOVE NEPAL!!! I had a really wonderful time visiting MCC's HIV partners, touring Kathmandu, hanging out in Phokara, and doing a 2 day trek (all I could fit in). O, yeah, and with the MCC retreat, my real reason for being there, as well. I definitely want to go back for more, and for those of you planning your holidays, put Nepal on the list. Rather than waffling on, look at what I saw!

NEPAL!!!

2007-03-10T03:15:00.000-08:00

Working with MCC in Bangladesh doesn't have a lot of the extravagent perks you'd get with a lot of international organizations (that darn adherence to MCC value of simplicity of lifestyle) but a staff retreat in Nepal is certainly a treat! I arrived on Tuesday afternoon with a few extra days to visit HIV projects of MCC Nepal. My schedule had to be changed due to some political disruption and fuel crisis, but I was still able to visit a few sites...one with an interesting van ride up a steep mountain (hill in these parts, but to me, a mountain!) to see a very well organized peer educator program in what I would consider the middle of nowhere! Kids climb mountains for 2 or 3 hours to get to school, and how they bring in food and such is a mystery to me. It gave me good inspiration for MCC Bangladesh's newly emerging peer education program! Thursday night I had dinner with a colleague I'd worked with in Zambia and his wife which was really a nice treat (ate a massive, juicy steak...num!). With the change in program I ended up with a day to explore Kathmandu yesterday, which was interesting. I went to an ancient square of religious monuments, hit the local shops, ate organic veggie full lunch, and then visited Boudha...a place of Tibetan pilgrimage....all very interesting. Now I'm in Phokara and our retreat will begin shortly. I'm hoping to arrange a day or two of trekking before leave but won't have much time. Photos and more tales shortly!

Beaches

2007-01-27T07:51:00.001-08:00

Another 6 hours on a bus, and we were suddenly seeing sparkling waters. We took a ferry ride to the island of Koh Chang, a ferry ride, and then trekked until we found the “o so cool hippy hangout” described by Lonely Planet. Seeing that everyone else also reads Lonely Planet, it was full, but eventually we did find a nearby place of similar coolness and price range (about $4 for a small primitive hut with a bed big enough we figured the 3 of us could sleep). The best part was having dinner right on the water…a setting that would be out of our price range in most countries.

The first place we went had a new place which was described as the last remote beach in Koh Chang, so we decided to go there the next morning. It was about a 2 hour drive, the last bit of which did convince we certainly were at least making a good attempt to “get away from it all.” Once again we had a primitive hut with a bed which we decided really wasn’t big enough for the 3 of us, but we didn’t decide that until after 2 rather cramped nights. We swam, laid on the beach, read, and spent the evening sitting around tables eating and relaxing listening to the waves. Our second day we had booked a snorkeling trip, and since we were a bit remote, the 3 of us were picked up by a small motor boat and taken to the large boat with everyone else. Wielding our cameras, passports… we were shocked as choppy waters began splashing into the boat…by the time we reached the large boat we were completely drenched and had had a few rather harrowing moments, not to mention that our camera’s were barely dry. We dried off in the sun until we reached the snorkeling/diving destination which was really beautiful. Brightly coloured fish, interesting coral…it was really beautiful. After lunch we did a second excursion to national park waters where we could swim around a small island and see a wide range of underwater scenery. This was to be my highlight of the whole trip.

Planning our trip back to Bangkok in time for New Years eve, I discovered that we were a day ahead of ourselves when I went to book the bus ticket. We debated but decided to go ahead and head back to Bangkok and spend our “bonus” day there. It was lucky we did because after that everything was closed for the holiday so we wouldn’t have been able to see any of the attractions otherwise.

Rather than the government Mercedes bus we took to Koh Chang, our return boat was a tourist wonder….double decker bus, wild painting on the outside, hot pink interior, with films such as Mission Impossible and Snakes on the Plane for our viewing pleasure. The swaying bus made me a bit sick, but the laughs at such a gaudy display was worth it.

Birthday

2007-01-27T02:34:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to skip this one, since as some as you know, it's a rather large number we're reaching this year. So my plan was to just let it skip by unnoticed and pretend it didn't happen. But MCC staff weren't about to let that happen! Rebecca talked me into coming to Dhaka for the weekend and have lunch with them after church. Shortly after we arrived the rest of the expat staff showed up to suprise me with a birthday lunch of really wonderful Indian food. After a great meal and me alienating a few people with predictions of where they'd be when they were 40, we headed to our country reps for coffee. I was completely shocked to walk in and see work colleagues and friends wielding signs and blowing noisemakers. Cicely and Reba had gone to great lengths to call all the people on my phone and invite all the people who have become special to me in my time here. It was such a surprise and really special...even though they also let everyone know exactly what milestone I was reaching so no longer can I convince anyone that i'm really 29!

Chang Mi, Thailand

2007-01-07T04:27:00.000-08:00

As MCC Bangladesh volunteers, we are accustomed to long hours on rickety busses swerving to avoid various bikes, rickshaws, and animals. Therefore, a two hour flight to Bangkok was just too easy. We headed straight for the train station and after eating my favourite Thai meal (green curry with tofu and vegetables) we embarked on an overnight train ride. We were able to get sleeper seats, after a small diversion following the advice of an o so helpful Thai man informing us that seats were sold out for weeks, even months, but luckily we could get bus tickets just behind the station. Luckily, as we pondered the purchase at the bus station, we realized Lonely Planet discussed just such a scam. We went back to the train station just to check, and lo and behold, plenty of train tickets readily available! I’m used to scam artists in Africa, but they are typically easier to spot.

We were a bit late but finally pulled into Chang Mai around noon the next day. We took a while to figure out what we were doing, it’s difficult when you can’t trust any of the advice you’re given, but things looked much better after lunch and finding a room. For lunch I enjoyed long standing Thai favourites….falafal pita and cappuccino…ok, maybe more popular in other parts of the globe, but completely unheard of in Bangladesh so a real treat. In fact, our culinary journey through Chang Mai would maybe not appeal to those of you NOT living in a developing country, but for us it was truly exciting… “O look, they have wheat bread.” “Do you mind if I get a Starbucks mint mocha” (that wasn’t me…I found plenty of fabulous coffee alternatives- Thai coffee is really good and Italian coffee was also available). Being used to all the fabulous vegetables in Thai food, I was a bit surprised to see their huge affinity for pork. Street vendors everywhere are selling sausages of different types and sizes. I bought some pastries with an overwhelming (and disgusting) taste of lard.

OK, but we’ll never get through the journey at this rate, so let me go to lists

Night 1 – walked through one temple en route to night market where we lost each other and seemed to find completely different areas. I found an overwhelming amount of craft booths, and had a 30 minute head and shoulders massage which was nice but definitely different from massages as we know them

Day 2 – journey in the back of a pick up to a large temple where Thai people go to pay homage. Was a bit shocked at how many food vendors, trinket salesmen, and massage. I did actually take advantage of the massage because by the time we got up there, I had such a head ache and was so car sick I needed a time out. Temple visit was followed by stops at kings gardens and cultural village. See photos.

We did another night at the night market, this time managing to stick together.

Day 3 – Christmas day. I’d been having such a headache, I hadn’t booked any of the excursions. I woke up raring to go, however, and managed to get added to a trip to Doi Inothon, the highest point in Thailand. We stopped at 2 waterfalls which were really pretty, a village where we could see the women weaving traditional cloth, and then on to the peak. The brochure had sided like it was a bit of a trek to the peak. I think the description of this will maybe help you have a glimpse of the real Thailand, and I was less than enamoured. You first view the surroundings from the parking lot…very pretty. You walk a quite short paved path to the giant sign marking the highest point, you walk a few feet further (it actually seemed we went up more) to a Buddhist altar, and a short distance again to a snack shop and trinket shop. When we’ve hiked out to Cape Lookout in Oregon we have joked that it would be nice to have a vending machine out there, but seriously, in Thailand, they would.

That evening we had a nice Italian dinner followed by a stop at the coffee shop and joining all the other foreigners making skype or MSN calls at the internet café. I even found a mince pie to complete the holiday…the place selling them was more like an Irish pub so I was mocked mercilessly for charging into a bar and ordering a mince pie, but well worth it!

Day 4- our final day in Chang Mi so we visited the arts and cultural heritage museum which was interesting and very well done. After a snack, we headed for the train for another overnight journey back to Bangkok.

Happy New Years!

2006-12-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-25T08:32:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2006-11-30T01:23:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-14T04:37:00.000-08:00

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

2006-10-31T00:32:00.000-08:00

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

2006-10-12T02:29:00.000-07:00

Career Change

2006-10-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

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!

2006-09-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-03T02:17:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-03T01:48:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-26T05:04:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

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

2006-01-28T20:58:00.000-08:00

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….

2006-01-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

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

2006-01-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

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!

Photos

2005-12-18T01:55:00.000-08:00

I'm having trouble adding photos to the entrys so here is Mount Mehru and Maura, Femka and I AFTER hot showers!

Disaster strikes!

2005-12-18T01:15:00.000-08:00

Freshly scrubbed, and dinner of macaroni and cheese, we were crawling into our tent a bit early for a welcomed sleep. I decided on one last trek to the toilet and donned my headlamp with faded batteries. Intent on the task at hand, I passed through some people standing near the vehicles, and nonchalantly headed toward the toilet, when I realized that the sudden movement towards my direction was the tusk of an elephant who thought I’d come much to close. Judging the distance of only some feet, I completely agreed.

He continued to enter the camp, drinking from the water tank and checking out the meal a group was sitting outside eating on a picnic table. His friend soon came along for a drink of water as well. With all the tourists gawking, taking photos, shining flashlights in their faces and staying far too close to the elephants it seemed a recipe for disaster, but finally they moved on, I think with some persuasion from the rangers.

Early the next morning we were jostling down into the bottom of the crater. Because animals don’t migrate from the crater, we were looking forward to seeing some animals that had migrated from the Tanzanian side of the crater.

I took a photo as we were jostling along, and I was just playing around with the camera. I thought I was doing adjustments on that photo, so thought “format” was pertaining to that photo only. It soon became clear that with no warning, no “format disc” message, I had managed to clear the entire disc of all my photos of that past four months including Victoria Falls with my aunts, events with the kids, Zanzibar, Masai warriors, my leopard, the lion and reacting gazelle’s, EVERYTHING. I couldn’t believe it, since I had bought a large camera specifically so I would have a good zoom when I went on safari. It was so devastating, and put a damper on the rest of the day which seemed to be a bit jinxed anyway. We were on the wrong side of the river causing us to miss seeing a leopard that had moved on by the time we drove around, and didn’t see too much of anything else either. I tried to eat my lunch at an idyllic spot next to a lake only to have two large black kite birds literally snatch the food out of my mouth, gauging my mouth with their talons, and leaving me with small cuts and feeling very stunned. It then started pouring, and we had to continue the rest of the trip sitting inside the vehicle with the top closed…boring…aside from the fact that we didn’t really see any more animals of interest. One thing that was nice about the crater is seeing a variety of animals – wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, topi…. All just kind of hanging out together. We also saw hyena…rather mangy creatures, and a Cheetah, who we hoped was going to decide it was lunch time and go for one of the gazelle, but she didn’t seem to be in a particular hurry.

We got back to Arusha pretty late – around 6:00- and finally found a place to stay at the Catholic Hostel, which worked out pretty well. It had a stunning view of Mount Mehru on the outside porch, and was near to where our friend was staying so we were all able to go for a nice meal after enjoying long, HOT showers.

Pos kichizi kaona ndivi kwenye friji!

2005-12-16T01:23:00.000-08:00

Translation from Swahili: I’m cool as a banana in the fridge! Of course, that’s figuratively, not literally because it’s blooming HOT!

We arrived to Arusha after an ever so long day on the bus. It was “luxury” though, meaning they give you a soft drink now and again. Unfortunately, that did not mean that they had air conditioning, and of course, no one wanted any windows open. It was quite a scenic drive through the mountains, but Kili was hiding when we went through Moshe.

We arrived in Arusha to be met by David, the man we had arranged our safari with through a recommendation from a friend of Maura’s. He wasn’t the British man he was expecting, and he referred to me as Sharon, which had us slightly concerned. He checked us into the hotel, and took us to a pizza place for dinner. He seemed concern to leave us alone that we would switch our booking elsewhere. We handed over our $350 each just in our hotel room with no receipt which had us both feeling a bit uneasy, particularly as 8 a.m. came and went the next morning with no sign of him. Eventually he did arrive but we weren’t actually headed out of town until past 10:00. Concern grew when I asked the guide about some camels we saw with the Masai on the way out of town. “From the UK,” he answered. Uh-oh, what were we in for now?

This was certainly an indication of things to come, for hard working and well meaning as he was, our guide Charles was certainly lacking in English skills, animal spotting ability, or any knowledge of species or animal characteristics. That’s rather unfortunate for a safari guide!

We went to Lake Manyara after lunch, which is a beautiful park. However, we whizzed by the flora and fauna so fast, we couldn’t enjoy that so much. Still we did see elephants VERY close….almost too close in fact. We also saw wildebeests, birds (no flamingos though), zebra, masai giraffe (a first), and a monkey which we initially thought was stretching languidly on the road but instead was in the throes of death having been run over by the vehicle our Spanish friends were in.

Our camping site was a bit interesting… budget safari camping central. A pretty rundown campground filled with tents, a swimming pool, two grungy showers with toilets, and a common eating area where cooks from all the companies brought tasty delights!

The next day we went to Serengetti which involved a long drive, but for a big part of it we were driving through the Ngoragora Crater area. We stopped for a view of the amazing crater, as well as a Masai “compound”.

We reached the Serengetti finally and happened upon a large number of cars spotting something. We were told it was a leopard….the member of the big 5 that has alluded me through multiple safaris and I don’t want to think how many hundreds of dollars! No matter how much people described where she was though, I just wasn’t seeing it! My frustration grew, “don’t let me be THIS close and miss it.” Finally I saw the beautiful cat camouflaged in the grass against a dead tree.

My friends with me weren’t too keen on seeking out birds, but I did really want to see a flamingo. I was told one large white bird perched in a tree was one, but I was sceptical and rightly so. Our cook told me later the guide was wrong and it was something else. Still we did see quite a bit: hundred’s of gazelle, also ostrich, supurb starlings, African Pied Wagtail, 2 jackals, male and female lions, Topi, Vervet Monkeys (although Charles referred to them as Blue monkeys, which IS the colour of their scrotum, but NOT the name of the monkey!), Yellow Billed and Saddle Billed Stork, Yellow billed ox pecker, Marabou Stork, Goliath Heron, Grey Heron, Egyptian Goose, Hamerkop, Blacksmith Plover, Mourning Dove, and Cordon Bleus.

Enjoyed a nice dinner at the camp, which is located in the park, although I watched my fluids knowing that it wasn’t a place where I really wanted to be looking for a toilet in the middle of the night….far to close to hungry animals for me!

We headed out early the next morning and one of the first things we saw was a lioness who appeared to be looking for breakfast. It was interesting because the zebra, gazelle, and wart hogs were all there, making warning signals to each other, and obviously with high anxiety, but they just stayed and only moved when she headed their direction. Then they still didn’t run, just backed up a few feet, and stood there trying to blend in to the environment I guess! I got some great video, but, well, read on!

We drove until lunch time and saw elephant, Topi, Gazelle, Buffalo, Secretary Birds, Marabou Stork, jackals, 5 lions on a rock, antelope, Kirk’s dik dik, 2 warthogs with their 4 babies, giraffe’s, impala’s, vultures, ostrich, crocodile- 2 small and 1 large, vervet monkey’s, plovers and weavers. Then we were back at Ngorangora Crater.

This campground had a gorgeous view of the crater and supposedly had hot showers as well, but, well, that didn’t really happen! We still queued up though, and endured the frigid wash. Many of the other people said it was their first wash of the whole safari (for some 4-5 days!). I managed to wash everyday since budget or not, going without washing is just not going to work…particularly with thee amount of dust that gets in your hair and skin. I suppose I still have a few prima donna tendencies, but hey, I can certainly make do with just a few cupfuls of water!

OK, you probably need a break, so let’s continue this on another entry.

Zanzibar or bust!

2005-10-30T04:27:00.000-08:00

For the past five years, the exotic sounding Zanzibar and Mount Kiliminjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, have been top of my places to visit. Finally, on October 9th, I was beginning my 28 hour bus ride there!!! I traveled with another Crisis Corps volunteer, Maura Carroll, who just finished her six month assignment in Livingstone. We arrived in Dar es Salaam around 9:30 and were happy to plop into beds at the o so luxurious “Econolodge.” Actually, it was luxurious for $20! Very clean, bathroom in the room, and breakfast included. The next morning we did some banking errands and made it in time for the 10 a.m. ferry to Zanzibar.

Tanzania is full of “touts”, boys who will pounce on you offering you tours, accommodation, to carry your bags, whatever you could possibly want – or not want. One man at the ferry, in addition to ferry tickets, was keen to book our accommodation as well. He made the arrangements, but we didn’t want to pay him as that seemed rather sketchy. We arrived, saw the room, decided the “deluxe suite” – 2 rooms, bathroom, satellite tv, and breakfast included- was certainly worth $20, and stayed there 2 nights. Turns out the other guy was legit in that we could have paid him, but it would have been $30. The owner said to make sure not to tell him we stayed there, since he would have wanted his $10 commission. Seems a bit steep, doesn’t it?

We were in Zanzibar during Ramadan, the Muslim period of fasting. We were given information at the hotel about how to behave….eat in hotels that are serving, not on the streets, dress modestly, and behave decently ie- no kissing in public. That last one wasn’t a challenge, but it took us a little while to find places for food, and it was pretty hot an humid to wear too many clothes.

We wandered around Stone Town, looking at the crafts and shops. After the sun goes down and all the Muslims are racing home to eat, we found a great restaurant overlooking the harbor where I had coconut curry prawns, spiced coffee, and we split a passion fruit tart. Isn’t the holiday about the food anyway!

The next day we had booked a “spice tour” where we saw the spices growing and learned about them. I won’t bore you with too many details but a few highlights….you can mix turmeric and sandalwood to treat pimples…although on white skin, not sure the orange skin would really be an improvement! Boil cloves in water reducing 3 cups to 1, drink, stay near a toilet, and soon you will have an o so “clean” stomach. Peppercorns are little round green balls, and the black, white and red pepper are all just dried and treated differently. Nutmegs are beautiful seed pods with vibrant red covering. After seeing all this, we were given lunch using some of the spices we’d seen, and then of course had an opportunity to buy some. We then went to a slave holding cell. Slavery continued to exist in Zanzibar long after it was illegal, so these cells were down in the ground, surrounded by trees, with hidden paths to the shore. It’s hard to imagine the horrors that occurred there. We then had an hour on a beautiful sandy beach before heading back to town. That evening we went to a park on the sea shore where vendors have heaps of seafood of every type on skewers which you have grilled, piled onto a chapatti, and enjoy all for a few dollars. I think I had swordfish, tuna and lobster.

Maura is a scuba diver, so she arranged to go diving and I tagged along to snorkel. The few times I’ve snorkeled I’ve loved it but been a bit terrified as well. I’ve always been a bit creeped out even going to glassed in aquariums. Here the water was so clear, and the coral and fish so beautiful, I soon got over my initial panic, and had a wonderful time. In fact, I was the only snorkeler left in the water when the boat went to pick up the divers and was slightly concerned I may be snorkeling back to Stone Town! We pulled up to a white sandbar for lunch, and then the divers went out again, but the water was very turbulent so we were stuck on the boat trying not to get sea sick!

As soon as we got back, we grabbed our bags from the hotel and hopped on a local bus to the north of the island called Nungwi. This area is where they build dhows (the hand made sailing boats), fish, and host a lot of tourists…in spite of being a rather rural, conservative village. Here our accommodation went up to $25 but we had a great little cabin looking right out on the sea with little evidence of the bars and tourists slightly down the beach. We ended up running into two Americans we’d eaten with the night before… another public health person who is working for Red Cross, and a corporate lawyer working in Hong Kong who wants to make a move to more humanitarian endeavors in the near future.

Not realizing the wet suit and stripped off all traces of sun screen on my snorkeling venture, I found myself hobbling around in sun blistered pain for the next number of days. On the second afternoon I went sailing on a dhow (they do pretty well actually), snorkeling, lounging on another beach, and enjoying sundowners on the way back with a group of overlanders (people who see an insanely large section of Africa in a reasonably short period of time riding around in very gigantic trucks!) Again enjoyed a sea food feast for about $10 which was a lot for Tanzania but when you think what it would cost at home!

The next day, our beach paradise had to come to an end, so it was back on the dalla dalla (local busses, but differently from other parts of Africa, Zanzibar has these more open truck types which were kind of fun although dusty!) to Stone Town and the ferry back to Dar.

We never managed to find much of interest in Dar aside from a good Indian restaurant and a friend of Maura’s had been mugged there a couple times in as many days when he was there, so we were pretty cautious. We did buy our tickets to Arusha, where a whole new adventure was waiting!

Transport

2005-10-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

One friend of mine suggested that the large number of pajeros on the road is most likely indicative of the number of aid workers in Zambia….no small number! But perhaps the number of imported bikes on the road are indicative of the number of peace corps volunteers! Yes, this is my mode of transport which has made my Lusaka experience particularly thrilling! Bicycles are a very common mode of transportation here and considered by many to be a luxurious mode of transport at that! For those who have cars, vans, busses, trucks,… however, bikes are an insignificant nuisance and have no right of way. Although I was prepared somewhat by Oregon pick up truck drivers who also see bikes as something to run off the road, I have been caught off guard by vehicles turning directly in front of me, or pulling off the shoulder forcing me to slam on my brakes and swerve quickly (not without a few obscenities shouted by me!) I have developed a bit of a system of judging when to take some initiative and when I should not chance it. For example, I usually presume that a really nice car won’t want blood on their shiny hood so therefore will stop. I also presume police officers, soldiers, and health workers might want to avoid extra work from running over a cyclist. I was doing some racial profiling, thinking people who looked like they weren’t originally from Zambia might have a bit more of a cycling friendly attitude, but after a few close calls realized that many of these people have developed a “when in Zambia, do as Zambian” attitude and will run me over as fast as anyone else! There is also the incessant honking which means either, “hey, do you want to ride my bus,” “hey, why don’t you take my taxi,” or “hey, if you proceed on your current course, I’m going to run you over.” On a bike, it’s usually the latter! I do have some added protection as being such an oddity as a white girl on a bike with a helmet that many give me a wider berth! Also as a cyclist, I am higher on the chain than a pedestrian, so then it is my turn to wield my power and clear the path with a little ring of my bell! All said and done, not sure the bike is any less safe than other modes of transportation I have used including minibuses, private taxies, hitch hiking, sitting on top of high piled bags of mealies (corn), or sharing the back of a flatbed with pigs on their way to an uncertain fate. It is certainly a more pleasant means of transport anyway! Added benefit….I cycle right past the huge cars queuing for hours to get a few gallons of the very scarce fuel available in Zambia at the moment.

testing123

2005-08-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

wow, Blogging....what's next? To think when I learned computers, it was BASIC programming, c:, no cute little pictures or anything. So now I''ll have to come up with some more interesting things to say so you'll actually come here to read....o dear! Hope you'll write back too!