the next chapter

Farewell, mangoes :: by mama

2011-10-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

Another mango season is coming to an end. The local mangoes are gone from the markets, and we are left with a trickle of a few crazily expensive imported mangoes from Thailand and Pakistan. As much as I appreciate eating locally and seasonally -- and as much as I love the fact that mangoes are a local food for us -- I do feel a little twinge when this season ends. So, in tribute to the mango, here are some of our favorite ways to use them:

:: Mango curd ::

Deb from Smitten Kitchen posted this recipe as a filling for a layer cake. However, I had seen photos of lemon curd being served on its own as a dessert, so I thought I'd do the same with the mango. So good! I don't think I could bring myself to waste it by diluting the intense mango flavor with something as ordinary as cake.

:: Mango tres leches cake ::

Having just said that I wouldn't mix mango and cake, let me say that in this situation, the cake is the real star, and the mango is an accessory. Despite having made this cake twice now, I don't have any photos because I have served it both times in the evening and, both times, there were no leftovers. This is a fantastic tres leches cake, moist and sweet and delicious, kicked up a notch with mango in the whipped cream topping. Chris has already requested it for his birthday. This is a true showstopper.

:: Upside-down mango syrup cake ::

Again, the cake is the star here. It's an almond-lime cake, which was so good I couldn't believe I had never tried it before. This is from Donna Hay magazine, which is sort of like an Australian version of Martha Stewart Living with a more food-centric focus. I have a whole stack of these magazines, and I had noticed that a substantial number of their dessert recipes called for almond meal (ground almonds). I even saw a woman talking about almond meal on an episode of Masterchef Australia. It seemed weird, this Australian obsession with almonds. But wow, I am now completely sold on almond in desserts. This cake was fantastic, and the mango syrup made it that much better. Bonus: any leftover mango syrup is great on pancakes as well.

:: Soba noodles with aubergine and mango ::

I'm pretty sure this recipe is world famous by now, and for good reason. When I made this, Chris said that he felt like he was in a restaurant. It's not a quick and easy recipe by any means, but hey, good things require a little bit of effort sometimes. Effort and patience, too, as it took quite a while before the starts aligned to make soba noodles, mangoes, and a whole lot of basil (40g, or about 75-80 basil leaves) available at the same time. It all worked out in the end, though, and it was totally worth both the effort and the wait.

That patience will come in handy as we wait for the next mango season to come around again. But first, winter (cauliflower and broccoli!) and spring (lychees, perhaps even better than mangoes). There is much to look forward to.

Happy birthday, Kaya

2011-10-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

[From Kaya's early birthday party in Omaha, in July]

Kaya is six years old! He had a great birthday. He requested a sleepover party -- to which he was allowed to invite two friends, and so he chose two girls -- and then today he had his classroom party and family birthday dinner. (What did he request for his birthday dinner, you might be wondering? He asked for broccoli soup and green beans. Seriously. I love this kid.) We had cake and presents after dinner, and he was genuinely surprised to see the presents on the table. (It hadn't occurred to him that he would be getting more presents! Seriously. I love this kid.)

And so now he is six. I have been having trouble adjusting to this fact, more trouble than I have had with any previous birthdays. Six is an important birthday. It means that he is no longer a little kid. In my public health work, the focus is usually on children under five. Once a kid hits six, they are not a young child anymore; they are a school-aged child. It's a category that doesn't receive the special attention and care that the younger ones receive, presumably because these kids are older and don't need so much help anymore.

And indeed, Kaya is growing more independent every day. I feel like I can see the shift happening before my eyes. He is a big kid in so many ways, but -- thankfully for this mama -- still young enough to be a little boy, too. He is a fluent reader, but he still loves being read to at bedtime (or anytime). He has recently decided that boys and girls kissing is "gross," but he never objects to kisses from his mama. I have to ask for hugs more often these days, but I still get wonderful hand-drawn cards with hearts and love on them. He is still a kid, but I can see his childhood moving steadily forward, and I feel that I need to hold on to these years.

[The inside of a recent card, showing Kaya and Mama]

As much as I want to stop time, the thing that makes it all okay is how much fun it is to watch Kaya grow and develop into his own quirky little person. He is quick and curious, bright and sensitive, affectionate and often hilarious. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He is fiercely loyal, and he tries hard to be a good friend. He is a good, often generous big brother. He is our precious boy, adored by all of us. I love this kid.

[Ninja cake made -- as per Kaya's request -- by Dad]

******************************************

Mama: So which do you like better, being five or six?

Kaya: Mama, I haven't experienced being six yet.

Mama: Oh, okay. But which do you think you'll like better?

Kaya: I don't know, but Daddy said last year that I can watch Transformers when I'm six!

Uh oh...

Monsoon :: by mama

2011-09-26T19:46:00.001-07:00

This week brought the first day of fall back in the US. Here in Bangladesh, rather than enjoying cool, crisp air and changing leaves, we find ourselves on the tail end of the monsoon season. The monsoon lasts until mid-October and brings torrential downpours, sometimes daily, sometimes every few days. It is essential and destructive at the same time, bringing needed water for agriculture but also creating annual floods that displace families and destroy homes. Here in Dhaka, it doesn't affect us too much, except for making the morning commute a little more interesting.

If nothing else, the rain gives me a chance to wear my bright orange Hunter boots. They look ridiculous, I know, but splashing in the puddles is still oh so much fun. It's the little things, really...

Thoughts on a new year :: by mama

2011-09-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

As we start a new school year, there are lots of new faces in town. We have been meeting some great people and making new friends. However, this year, there seems to be a new section in the script of getting-to-know-you chit-chat. This year, when people ask how long we have been here, we say that we are at the start of our fourth year.  And because most new people don't plan to stay for more than two, maybe three, years, everyone we talk to seems to have a similar reaction: surprise, maybe a bit of awe, perplexity at why anyone would willingly stay so long, and I do believe I occasionally sense a bit of fear, fear that they may get sucked in and end up staying so long themselves. New people be warned: it can happen. We are starting our fourth year, somewhat to our own surprise and awe and perplexity. Even I find myself shaking my head a bit every time I say it.

I think it goes without saying that Dhaka is not an easy place to live. However, I also think that is exactly why we have stayed so long. It took us three years just to feel like we had settled in here: one year of adjusting physically, emotionally, and culturally; a second year of, well, having a baby, really, as preparing for and welcoming little Kiran into our family pretty much consumed our whole second year; and a third year of finally hitting our stride. For us, it was only by the end of our third year that we felt like we had found our place and our direction amid the craziness of this place.

Now, in our fourth year, we have good friends, a sense of community, activities and groups that we are involved in, and projects underway. We have found charities that we feel good supporting. We have gotten to know the city a bit and grown accustomed to the cultural quirks. I have even come to see the beauty in the everyday scenes of people going about their daily lives, the colorful swirl of markets and rickshaws and movement.  To be sure, there are some things that I will never, never adjust to -- the poverty is horrific and seeing beggar women with starving babies will never be anything other than gut-wrenching -- but the more mundane things, the traffic and the staring and the rickshawallahs who stop their rickshaws directly in my path because they think I will have no other option but to climb in? Those, I am used to.

So now, we are settled, more or less. We have largely overcome the challenges and are enjoying our jobs, our apartment, our friends. We are more comfortable here than I think I ever expected. We are, all things considered, happy with our life here.

Of course everyone's experience is different, but for us, two or even three years would not have been enough. I would have left Bangladesh with a sense of regret that I hadn't done more -- made more friends, achieved more professionally, worked harder to help those who are suffering -- and I would have felt that my experience was incomplete. I think that after this fourth year, I won't feel that way anymore. The only question is now... should we stay for year five?

"Mamma"

2011-05-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

On this Mother's Day, I feel very very fortunate to have such an incredible partner to raise two wonderful children. Sheela is no ordinary Mamma. She is meticulous, deliberate and full of endless love for our kids. She is always thinking of what she can do or plan for the boys. Sheela makes sacrifices and works hard to be the best mother she can be. Sheela is constantly telling me about what she read online or in a book that will make us better parents. She tries so hard and IS one amazing mother. I love her with all my heart because of it. Thank you Sheela, what you do for our family is invaluable and we are all better in every way. We love you!!!

Happy Easter :: by mama

2011-05-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

As Kaya gets older, we have been making more of an effort to introduce some American holiday traditions. I think traditions in general are important for all children, but perhaps even more so for children living overseas, to help them understand their own culture despite being far from home.

Let's be clear: the goal here is not to blindly inculcate our children in American culture. Rather, our motivation lies more in a desire to help the boys understand their identity and to ground them in something larger than our immediate family. In particular, Kaya identifies strongly (and proudly) with being American. I think it helps him to understand his place in the world, and so we want to help him to understand what that means, at least to us.

So, although I personally don't remember ever dyeing Easter eggs as a child, I thought it would be a good experience for Kaya. We invited a friend of his over, and it was a little cultural exchange. (His friend, though also an ex-pat, is not Christian and had not experienced this Easter tradition, but was eager to try it out.) They first colored the Easter eggs with wax crayons, then dyed them.

They turned out quite well, and the kids were happy with the results.

The next day, the Easter bunny hid eggs around the apartment, along with baskets for both Kaya and Kiran. Kaya had a lot of fun finding the eggs, eating the chocolates, and playing with his new Easter toys. Kiran enjoyed the eggs and toys as well (no chocolates, maybe next year!).

However, the biggest hit seems to have been the basket itself. It has endless possibilities as a push toy...

a hat...

and a stool. Good times.

Finally, I'll leave you with the quote of the holiday, from Kaya. He evidently spent a lot of time thinking about this, because he said basically the same thing to me and to Chris, on two separate occasions:

Kaya: Daddy, I know the Easter bunny isn't real.
Daddy: Really? Why is that?
Kaya: Because it's really Santa, just dressed up as a rabbit!

Singapore :: by mama

2011-04-19T08:24:00.001-07:00

When we first moved to Bangladesh, I remember commenting to Chris that I didn't understand why people kept going on vacation to Singapore. What was the point of going to a first world country, I wondered, when we all came from first world countries and went back home every summer? Why not go somewhere different? Well, in the 2.5 years since then, we have had quite a lot of different in our lives. When spring break came around this year, I was more than ready for a trip to Singapore.

Singapore did not disappoint. It is clean, orderly, modern. I thought it would be cold and sterile, what with all the malls and the no-chewing-gum craziness. Instead, it was diverse and colorful and a wholly entertaining place. We were there for five days, staying with my cousin and her husband, who were fantastic hosts (despite having their apartment turned upside down by two small person-shaped tornadoes). We managed to fit in quite a bit in those five days. Some of the highlights:

:: Singapore Flyer, which is sort of a giant ferris wheel in the middle of the city, but instead of seats, there are capsules big enough to hold about 20 people (as seen in the bottom left corner of the photo). Also, it doesn't so much "fly" as inch along, taking about 40 minutes to complete one circle. However, at the top are spectacular views of the city.

:: Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, where we spent approximately eight hours. Chris and I both find ourselves a bit uneasy at times when it comes to zoos. However, we kept hearing that the Singapore Zoo is among the best in the world, so we decided to pay it a visit. They certainly had enough to fill the day and evening, with tons of animals, a large children's play area, shows and feeding times, and restaurants. It was fun to actually see tropical animals in a tropical setting, and so nice to walk around and be surrounded by nature. The Night Safari opens at 7pm, after the sun has gone down, at which point you can take a tram to see all the animals doing their nighttime thing.

:: Singapore Botanic Gardens, which was probably my favorite place that we saw. I would love to go back there someday to spend more time exploring the beautiful, peaceful gardens and the enormous diversity of species they have there. It's a huge area, and although we spent a couple hours walking around, we only saw a fraction of it. Still, Kaya had a great time feeding the fish and turtles and having open space to run around.

We also went to the Jurong Bird Park, Chinatown, Little India, the famous Orchard Road shopping district, and Clarke Quay, saw a movie (Rio) in a real movie theater, and took a river cruise during which Kaya had his first experience of peeing in a plastic bottle because there were no bathrooms on board. Whew! All that, and we are already looking forward to our next trip back. What, again, was my question about the people who keep going back to Singapore?

Housekeeping and a half :: by mama

2011-04-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

[First, the housekeeping: I am aware that it's been about seven (eight?) months since the last post on this blog. What can I say? I started working more this year, and the blog has suffered. I wanted to keep up with it, but I could never seem to find the time, and as the months passed, a sort of inertia set in. I started thinking, "Well, it would just be weird to start posting again now, out of the blue, after so long." And it does feel weird. But it also feels important. When I was posting regularly, I sort of thought of this blog as a family journal, a record of our family's activities and adventures, the big and little things that made up our life overseas. As I wrote, I thought about how it would be fun to look back on the blog years from now, the way one would look back at a photo album... or a very wordy scrapbook. I want to have that scrapbook (which is getting wordier by the minute, I realize) someday. And so I am re-committing myself to the blog. I hope to post more regularly from now on and to fill in some of the blanks from the past months. Starting now.]

So today was Kaya's half birthday. For those who have not experienced a Team Hesse half birthday celebration, we don't go all out... we go half out. Chris once had a surprise half birthday party for me at which I had half a cake and where all the guests were half-dressed (i.e., in their underwear). It was pretty awesome. Kaya's half birthday today was a little more tame than that. I informed him that since a full birthday entails cake and ice cream, he could have half of those things today. In other words, he had to choose: cake or ice cream. Unsurprisingly, he chose chocolate ice cream at the Westin. We had a fun little family outing, and afterwards, when we had family journal time in the evening, he drew a picture:

Since I expect Kaya to be reading this someday as we reminisce about the good old days in Dhaka, allow me to say this. Kaya, your father and I love you to pieces, to smithereens, around the universe and back again. You are bright and witty and sweet and affectionate and mercurial and, at age five-and-a-half, still so little boy cute. I love the sparkle in your eye and your unabashed grin when you are happy. I love your wacky dance moves when your dad plays your favorite songs on the iPod (currently Millions of Peaches and Sheela ki Jawani, no joke, '90s pop and Bollywood, it doesn't get any better). I love your little belly. I love that you are big enough to make your own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and to turn on the tv by yourself on Saturday mornings and to have an extended conversation about just about anything, whether it is any of your business or not. I love that you talk our ears off, even when my ears are tired of listening, because I know it will not last. I love that you love your mama, and I hope that will last. Mama loves you, Kaya, my half birthday boy, forever.

Something to see :: by mama

2010-11-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

Friends, allow me to say a few words about this building. This building is amazing. This building is spectacular. This building is perhaps the most awe-inspiring building I have ever seen, anywhere. Really.

This is the National Assembly building of Bangladesh, the building where Parliament meets. It was designed by Louis Kahn back when Dhaka was the capital of East Pakistan. Construction languished for a while during the war for independence, but the building was finally finished in 1982.

I had passed by the building a number of times, just driving around Dhaka, and was never wildly impressed by it. From a distance, it looked like a typically heavy concrete government building from the 1960s or 1970s. The geometric windows seemed quirky, to be sure, but nothing suggested that this was a building of global stature.

Then Chris and I saw the movie My Architect, made by Louis Kahn's son, Nathaniel Kahn. The movie is a documentary about the (illegitimate) son's attempt to know his father better, partly by visiting the buildings he designed. Most of the buildings are easily accessible -- California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Connecticut -- but the travels eventually lead to a trip to India and Bangladesh.

The National Assembly building is widely considered to be Kahn's greatest work. People travel to Dhaka solely to see this building. It has been named one of the seven wonders of the architectural world and called a modern masterpiece by one critic who said, "it is possibly without parallel in the modern world." Clearly, we had been overlooking a treasure in our own backyard.

We arranged for a tour of the building. We drove in through the gates and got out of the van near the building's entrance. And when I finally saw it up close for the first time... it's hard to describe how I felt. The building has a lightness to it that is somehow contagious, and I too felt light, almost giddy. I realized that I was smiling. I was... delighted.

Needless to say, it's not a concrete hulk at all. These photos do not even begin to do it justice, but somehow, Kahn used concrete to create something that is the opposite of concrete, something light and ethereal and peaceful. It's in the middle of a lake, appropriately for this country of water, surrounded by solid brick buildings, and somehow it rises out of the water like it just belongs there, organic and natural and serene.

And the inside... the inside is the best part. I don't have any photos, because cameras are not allowed inside. However, you can see photos here and here and here. The inside is the most clever, the wittiest, the most creative and imaginative thing I have ever seen. The angles, the geometry, the way the light comes in, the metaphors, the enormous concrete umbrella that spans the main assembly hall, looking like it's just floating in air... it has to be seen. I loved all of it.

This building is a reason to visit Dhaka... besides, you know, coming to see us. Come and visit and see.

Superhero in our midst :: by mama

2010-11-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

[This post has been rescued from the drafts folder and backdated. Let's all pretend that I wrote and posted it in a timely manner, shall we?]

This just in: there was a sighting of the elusive SuperKaya at the American Club this weekend. He was glimpsed through the trees, apparently trying to blend in with the costumed children at the Club's annual Halloween party.

He later joined the children in playing on the playground equipment, and even participated in the party games.

Rumor has it that SuperKaya's mama personally makes his iconic costume herself. Sources state that she uses a pattern (Simplicity 2567) and does the circle and letter applique by hand using this tutorial (and freezer paper brought from the States specifically for this purpose). Rumor also has it that SuperKaya regularly attempts to wear his costume to bed at night (and whenever else he can get away with it).

Inspiration

2010-08-25T01:29:00.000-07:00

Over the span of our lives we may run into a few people that inspire us or that we look up to. These people aren't sports heroes or politicians, but people that over the course of many years, we have had the opportunity to get to know and understand. These people impact our lives in ways that we may or may not understand It may be something subtle and we may not realize the influence until many years later. My Grandpa Hesse is one of those people. My Grandpa died yesterday.

As I look back over the years at our relationship and how it evolved, I have many fond memories of the two of us. On my visit this summer, I knew it would probably be the last time I saw him. His health had been in steady decline for a few years now and he was having difficulty with many of the simplest things. One thing that was never in decline was his curiosity. Grandpa was always interested in what I had to say and the stories I had to tell about my adventures either abroad or in the States. He and I exchanged "war" stories on almost every visit.

This summer I had the honor of introducing my son Kiran Virgil Hesse to his namesake. They really hit it off, as best an old man and an infant can. Grandpa also impressed Kaya with his workshop and all the tools he had. In fact, he made such an impression on Kaya that later on in the summer when Kaya asked me to build him something that I was unable to build, he promptly said, "well, we can just have Great Grandpa Hesse build it!"

One of the things Grandpa instilled in me was an affinity for wood carving. One of my earlier memories with Grandpa was when I carved a totem pole for him. The piece had three characters and if you turned the pole upside down you would have three different people. Over the years, I have carved two pieces for Grandpa. He had one that I recently carved him on display in his workshop and the original piece was tucked behind some carving tools. He was excited to find it and promptly hung it up next to the latter. Both those items were inspired from what I had seen him do and things he had taught me.

I think the thing I will always remember and appreciate about Grandpa is his ability to create and make things. He would take an idea or a concept and replicate it, but not in the way he saw it, but in his version. Grandpa would alter things to be better. One example of this is the carving knives he made. Throughout the years, he has given me quite a few knives. I pulled them out last night and I could see how he would experiment with the design. It was easy for me to identify his earliest versions compared with his later models. I have been and continue to be inspired by his creativity.

On that last visit, I wanted to tell him, but I didn't, that he shouldn't be afraid to die because he would always be alive in what he has given me. Through the way he inspired me to be more creative, to seek out how things work and to be curious. He will always live through the things he built, carved and made throughout the years. (There is always a good story behind everything he made.) He will always be alive in name and in blood because I will tell my sons about what a wonderful Grandpa I had. He was the perfect Grandpa. We had the kind of relationship that I hope my sons will have with their Grandpas for many years to come. I hope that my Dad and Sheela's Dad have an impact and a connection with Kaya and Kiran in a special way that I did with my Grandpa.

I am sad that I will not be there to lay him to rest, but I promise Grandpa, that I will come visit you next summer when I get back home.

If I were in charge...

2010-08-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

If I were in charge of Bangladesh there are so many things I would need to do to get this place in order. The operative word in that last sentence being order. There is order in a diluted cast system kind of way, but that's only part of the problem. My first order of business as the PIC (person in charge) would be to start educating the children (we are all children right?) about street safety. Reflecting on my childhood, I distinctly recall numerous lectures from both parents and school teachers. "Look both ways before you cross the street", was drilled into my head until it became second nature. It would seem that, "just walk into the street and look surprised when you turn around and are almost hit by something moving", is the message most Bangladeshis are getting from somewhere.

As the PIC, I would also require all Bangladeshis to take a lining up test. I am quite certain the older population would have more difficulty passing this test than the young ones. In my campaign to keep the streets safe I would also make it clear that people should walk on the sidewalks, not the busy streets. Furthermore, there should be absolutely, positively no riding of motorcycles on the sidewalks. (Even when traffic is at a dead standstill and a sidewalk is open.) Oh yeah and speaking of motorcycles, as the PIC I would make it clear that helmets should be worn on a person's head, not dangling from their handlebars.

Another street safety issue that was recently brought to my attention when I was nearly struck head on by a cyclist going the wrong way, is the law that in order to remain safe on the roads, you should go with traffic, not against it. This rule would apply to cyclists, rickshaws, CNGs, cars and buses. Just because you drive a Lexus and own a garment factory does not exempt you from this law.

As the PIC I may need to send out a memo that horns are meant to be used in emergency situations not to be used when passing someone or for no apparent reason. Even with all this, the streets still wouldn't be safe. In my school education street safety program, we would play the game red light, green light, where students go on green and stop when the teacher says, "red light". Students would color stop signs just to reinforce the concept with a visual reminder. They could even take their new sign home to educate their parents.

This new education street safety program wouldn't solve many of Bangladesh's other major issues; pollution, poverty, power, corruption, but it's a good start. I am quite confident that if we can inject some sort of order into this great nation, we can then move forward, rather than being stuck in traffic or running into each other.

Back in Dhaka

2010-08-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

I made it back to Dhaka. Now, it is the middle of the night and I am wide awake. My body thinks it's Monday at 2pm, but my body doesn't know everything. Or does it? I figured this would be a good time to write. I flew back without my family and it was quite strange. I did a lot of reflecting over the course of the 3, 15 and 5 hour flights I took to get here. I have always enjoyed people watching, but I noticed the families much more this time and my heart went out the mothers that were doing their best to calm their kids during these ridiculously long flights. I thought a lot about Sheela and the boys and how much I already missed them. As a child, my father said he passed up opportunities to travel to parts of the world for work because he didn't want to be away from us. I know how he felt. Sheela, the boys and her father will be flying on the 24th. Let's just say, I can't wait!!

The flight(s) to Dhaka are always interesting and as you get closer to Bangladesh they can become frustrating. In our three flights to Dhaka, we first have a trip to somewhere in the middle east. Our first year we flew to Dubai and now we have flown to Doha in Qatar. I always like to see who is flying to the middle east. This trip was no different from any other, a nice mixture of everyone, with me being a minority and also the tallest. Since I knew 15 hours would be a long time to be sitting wedged between two people I didn't know, I requested to be placed in an emergency row. The thought behind this is that I would at least be able to stretch my legs out. In retrospect, this my not have been the best idea. I had forgotten that people use this middle emergency row for a passageway to the other side of the plane. I had my toes and clothes stepped on and even my glass of orange juice spilled on me. Finally, I set up a blockade with the tray and flip up movie screen. This worked well for the adults, but this wily little girl continued to play toe tag with me as she woke me several times. GRRR...

I had mixed emotions as I was in flight. I definitely felt the empty void of being without my family. I wished I hadn't left them behind and missed them desperately. I was also starting to question my decision to go abroad and be away from family, friends and all that living in the States has to offer. It was the same feeling I had in my gut as I left for Peace Corps oh so many years ago. I didn't recall ever feeling this way since that first trip abroad. I think the fact that I had a great summer and did so many exciting things coupled with the mild addiction to coffee (that I solidified this trip) made this exit a difficult one.

Getting onto the last leg for the trip, I was reminded of (and mildly amused by) the Bangladeshi approach to getting on any vehicle or going anywhere. Push, crowd and cut in front of anyone you can!!! Of course I am not saying all Bangladeshis do this, but in general, it has been my observation that any flight into Dhaka has been plagued with disarray and the flight attendants trying to coerce folks into forming lines, turning off cell phones, keeping seat belts on and staying seated during landing. I am glad I can still laugh at this scene.

Hours away from Dhaka, I was wondering how I would feel as I landed. Years ago, Peace Corps Ed told me that you could tell if you really liked a place by how you felt as you were about to land. In this case, I still had the mixed emotions. The guy in the row next to me that stood up the exact second a wheel touched the ground and not know it, he reminded me that I would be returning to a land where people do what they can to survive and are so different from myself. The lessons I learned (and sometimes forget) from Peace Corps have helped me to survive here in Bangladesh. The cultural differences are so vast and so many that I sometimes focus on them rather than the moment, the similarities and the experience. I looked at that person and had to smile as the flight attendant attempted to make him sit down.

Eventually, I made it through immigration and over to baggage claim where I was promptly greeted by one of my Bangladeshi friends! A mosha, or mosquito as we call them, landed on my arm as if to say, "Welcome back my friend, we are here for you, would you like a dose of malaria or dengue!" I collected my bags and then proceeded through customs, pretending to not hear the customs person as I was carrying an extra bottle of spirits.

When people ask me what Bangladesh is like, I always say, "intense". I walked out of the airport where hundreds of people were reaching through the fences, asking for anything and everything. Mofiz, the van driver, was there to greet me and we were soon off. The latest news from him was exactly the same as when he picked me up on a previous trip: "Lot of rain and very hot sir." We left the airport and got stuck in a traffic jam. After several days of travel, I was home at last.

After an extreme year last year, I don't know what this one will bring, but I know that I am very lucky in so many ways and I am ready to learn from all the challenges life has to offer. When I landed in Dhaka this time, I longed for my family, but was excited to begin a new chapter in life.

South Dakota :: by mama

2010-07-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to South Dakota at the end of June. The trip was extra special this year because Kiran got to meet his great-grandfather and namesake. They got along quite well!

Kaya enjoyed spending time with his great-grandparents, as usual. Great-Grandpa Hesse has an amazing workshop filled with all manner of tools and gadgets that a 4-year-old boy would love. Among them was this little purple gizmo that Great-Grandpa had picked up in a Goodwill store just out of curiosity. It has a motor that spins the whole head of the gadget as well as the three prongs individually. None of us had any idea what it was, but it kept Kaya entertained for hours. He only stopped playing with it because the batteries finally wore out. We later found out (through the magic of the Internet) that it is meant for braiding hair!

We had a wonderful afternoon together, and when it was finally time to go home, it was early evening. The scenery on the ride home was beautiful in the most all-American way. It's a side of the States that I don't often see or get to fully appreciate, but it's such an important part of our country and our collective identity. In a way, the whole trip was grounding, a way to get in touch with our roots and the most fundamental parts of who we are. We enjoyed every minute of it.

Books, glorious books :: by mama

2010-06-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Last summer, I read The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease. I found it to be informative and inspiring, although much of it was confirmation of things I already knew or suspected to be true. Still, it was good to have all of the evidence for reading aloud laid out in one place, and it was even better to have some concrete ideas and suggestions to incorporate in our reading routine.

One of the ideas that I latched on to was a mother's practice of giving her children a new book every week. Of course, in the States, we would go to the library and regularly check out 15 children's books at a time, so one book a week is pretty paltry in comparison. However, given that our reading selection is fairly limited here, I thought this would be a good practice to institute in our home. So, after a great deal of research and stocking up, we have been able to maintain a pretty regular weekly routine of a new book every Saturday evening. Kaya knows the routine and looks forward to his new books -- his Saturday Stories, he calls them -- and will remind us if we forget.

In case other families are interested in starting a routine like this one, I have put together the full list of all the books we gave Kaya this school year. These are all available in paperback, which means they are more affordable and easier to transport. I hope this list can be of use to other families who are looking for great reading material for their kids!

Picture Books (in alphabetical order, because I am crazy):

A Bad Case of Stripes, by David Shannon

Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina

Carmine: A Little More Red, by Melissa Sweet

A Day with Wilbur Robinson, by William Joyce

George Shrinks, by William Joyce

The Gruffalo's Child, by Julia Donaldson

Harry and the Dinosaurs and the Bucketful of Stories, by Ian Whybrow

Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm, by Jerdine Nolen

How Are You Peeling, by Saxton Freymann

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, by Mark Teague

Inch by Inch, by Leo Lionni

If I Built a Car, by Chris van Dusen

Jack's Garden, by Henry Cole

Koala Lou, by Mem Fox

Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen

Possum Magic, by Mem Fox

Me and My Dad, by Alison Ritchie

Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook, by Michael Garland

The Paper Crane, by Molly Bang

The Raft, by Jim Lamarche

Roger, the Jolly Pirate, by Brett Helquist

The Runaway Dinner, by Allan Ahlberg

Scranimals, by Jack Prelutsky

Snow, by Uri Shulevitz

Souperchicken, by Mary Jane Auch

Strega Nona, by Tomie dePaola

Thunder Cake, by Patricia Polacco

Tyrannosaurus Drip, by Julia Donaldson

What Pete Ate from A to Z, by Maira Kalman

When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry, by Molly Bang

Nonfiction
First Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs

Chapter Books

Magic Tree House Nos.1-26

Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren

Stuart Little, by E.B. White

Special thanks go out to both sets of grandparents, who provided quite a few of these books. We hope to be able to continue this tradition for the next school year as well. Kaya still has about 80 books on his Amazon wish list, so we have plenty of choices... and we are always open to new suggestions of other great books for our kiddo!

Amazing Dhaka :: by mama

2010-06-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

I don't normally blog about random Internet articles, but this one just begs to be shared. It's an article about Dhaka as an extreme example of urbanization. Maybe this is of interest to nobody but me, Chris, and my brother (the future city planner, who should have spent his semester abroad studying Dhaka instead of eating cheese in France). Still, I just have to share some highlights:

Dhaka could be the most inconveniently placed urban area in the world, even worse than New Orleans. The urban area sits on the world’s largest river delta, the Ganges – Brahmaputra Delta.
The urban area is the world’s most dense, having recently passed Hong Kong. Covering a land area of little more than 100 square miles, Dhaka’s population density is now approaching in excess of 100,000 per square mile (40,000 per square kilometer). At that density, the New York urban area would accommodate all of the population of the United States and Mexico.
There is a single north to south thoroughfare through the whole urban area. Needless to say, ... Dhaka’s traffic is horrific.
Population densities in the slums have been reported as high as 4,200 per acre, which converts to more than 2,500,000 per square mile or more than 1,000,000 per square kilometer. At that density, the population of the world could be accommodated in the Tokyo-Yokohama urban area, leaving 10 percent of the land for open space.

I'm not sure what to say about this. I knew the situation here was bad, but I didn't realize it was this bad. Honestly, I don't think we have any concept of how bad it really is, living in our little expat-y neighborhood with the single-family homes and the American Club nearby. Still, the overcrowding and traffic problems are obvious to anyone in this city, no matter where they live. And yet, we choose to stay on here, in our adopted home. Ah, Dhaka.

[Update: I just ran across this other article that talks about another of Dhaka's geographic challenges: the fact that it is located "dangerously close to a major fault line." Buildings here are not built to withstand earthquakes, so the article says that "almost 80,000 buildings would be destroyed if a six magnitude tremor originated beneath Dhaka, according to a government study." Is there anything that is not working against this place?]

Schools of Thought :: by mama

2010-06-07T00:42:00.001-07:00

Even before we first arrived in Dhaka, I began hearing about St. Joseph's School. I have a friend back in the States who had lived in Bangladesh for a time, and she told me about this boys' school where the children learn carpentry, and where many expats go to order custom furniture. I was curious, and I even brought along pictures from catalogs of furniture I liked, but our apartment here was already furnished, and we really didn't need anything at all.

Then, last summer, I got the book How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way. From what I've gathered, the Montessori philosophy strongly emphasizes independence and self-sufficiency in children, with the idea that a child who feels capable and competent will be more ready to learn. Three-year-olds in Montessori classrooms are taught to help out with tasks from preparing meals (including cooking on the stove and using a knife) to cleaning up and doing all sorts of self-care activities.

The book has lots of suggestions for ways to foster independence, many of which we put into practice right away. We hung towel hooks low enough in the bathroom so Kaya could hang up his own towels; we moved all of his plates, bowls, and cups down to a low shelf in the kitchen; we bought more stools for reaching sinks, shelves, and switches; and we made sure that his toys were organized in a way that was clear and manageable for him to clean up on his own. Finally, we went to St. Joseph's and ordered a child-sized table, easel, and two chairs for Kaya's room.

As it turns out, St. Joseph's is a pretty fascinating place. It's a trade school, so they have all sorts of workshops where they teach carpentry, electrical repair, machining, plumbing, welding, metal work, etc. to boys, who are age 14 and up. About half of the students are local, and half are boarding students who come from all over Bangladesh. The dormitory is this old, colonial-style building of the sort one sees only in Old Dhaka. They have a big yard for the boys -- highly unusual in this overcrowded, densely populated city -- and a small pond. They are also, as the name implies, a Catholic school, which is another unusual thing for this predominantly Muslim country.

We went to the school back in February with printouts of photos from the Internet, with dimensions for everything. While they were examining the photos and coming up with an estimate, we walked around the school grounds. Then we picked out our wood, paid a deposit, and were on our way.

:: Woodshop

:: Machining

:: The welding area

We went back a couple of months later, and all the furniture was ready. Kaya was so excited about his furniture. We brought it home, and he immediately set everything up just the way he wanted it, organizing all of his art supplies, filling the drawers, and sitting down to write and draw. Prior to this, he would just spread out on the living room floor, which was not really ideal for him or for us. Now, he sits at his table, where he can have everything at hand, and it all stays out of the way.

We are really happy with the way everything turned out. It is the perfect combination of Montessori inspiration and trade school skill. We are happy to have supported a school like St. Joseph's, and we already have ideas for more pieces to order from them. But most of all, we are happy that Kaya now has a little space that is all his own for creating, imagining... and maybe eventually even doing a little homework.

Apropos of nothing :: by mama

2010-06-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

I just can't let this go by without mentioning it. I've already publicly admitted to my Bangkok-based addiction to So You Think You Can Dance. Over my seven weeks in Bangkok, I watched Season 5 from the auditions through to the final four. All that was left was the finale and the winner, but suddenly it was time to leave. I may even have considered, in a post-partum, Bangkok-besotted haze, staying an extra week just to see the end of the season. Maybe. Instead, I returned to Dhaka and never found out who won.

And now. It turns out that there is an Indian cable channel here that shows SYTYCD. They were just starting Season 5 when I returned from Bangkok, and they have finally, finally, arrived at the finale. The finale! Finally! I get to find out who won!! Who is excited??!! Oh, okay, I guess it's just me, then.

[Update: I watched the finale, in which the final four dancers competed, and all that was left was the award show, in which the winner would be announced. And -- drum roll -- the Indian channel that was showing it mysteriously disappeared from our cable service, and has been replaced by the WB. So after five months of waiting patiently and not googling the winner, I once again missed the end of the season. Thank you, Bangladesh. The End.]

Adventuring :: by mama

2010-05-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Kiki and I went on a little adventure the other day, with our friends Christine and Ingrid. Ingrid was looking for a costume for her husband to wear to an "Arabian nights" themed party, so off we went, to New Elephant Road.

New Elephant Road is a very long road in the older, central part of Dhaka. It seems to be divided into general sections, with each section featuring a number of shops all selling the same type of thing, from carpets to china tableware to shoes. We went to the section that sells mens' wedding attire. Bangladeshi men (or, I think, at least the Muslim men) wear long, heavily bejeweled brocade coats to their weddings. Also, turbans.

And sparkly, curly shoes.

While Ingrid looked around and tried to find a turban that would fit her husband -- not easy in a country where the men are substantially smaller than the European average -- Christine and I found ways to keep ourselves entertained. We examined the less sparkly (but still essential) wedding items, which included underwear, soap, and colognes, many of which seemed to have the word "sexy" in their names. Then Christine discovered something far more entertaining: putting funny things on the baby taking pictures of him.

Kiki caught on to our plan pretty quickly. Note the suspicious look he is giving Christine.

He did seem to enjoy the baby-size turbans. I wonder what would be an appropriate occasion for these?

New Elephant Road is not far, but Dhaka traffic is terrible, so this was a daylong expedition. These photos made it all worth it. Oh, and Ingrid did eventually get a turban for her husband, too. Success all around.

Kaya the designer :: by mama

2010-05-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

Chris and Kaya recently acquired something that is a first for both of them: custom suits. Chris, for his part, only has one suit, the first suit he had ever owned, purchased in 2002. It is the suit he has worn to every wedding and formal occasion since then. We'll be attending our good friends Mike and CJ's wedding this summer, so we decided that it was time to have a new suit made for Chris and, while we were at it, why not one for Kaya as well? It's not weird for a 4-year-old to have a custom suit, is it?

I explained to Kaya that I was going to look up some suit designs on the Internet, to print out and give to the tailor. He declared that he would design his own suit and promptly got out the markers and paper. Here is the design that he came up with. Note that it incorporates his two favorite colors, in the form of a pink jacket and purple pants.

We explained that we would do our best to accommodate him, but that suit fabrics normally do not come in pink and purple. Thus commenced our family excursion to the tailor shop, where Kaya chose his own shirt fabric and we then jointly chose a coordinating suit fabric. Here is a sneak peek at the final result.

Stay tuned to see all of us (okay, three out of four of us, because Kiran will most likely attend the wedding in his standard attire of a onesie and maybe pants) in our new clothes this summer!

A stranger takes over my kitchen :: by mama

2010-05-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Does anyone recall the brownies that I made for Chris's birthday? No? Chris and I remember them, oh so fondly. They were among the best desserts I have ever had, brownie and cheesecake in one. We had half the tray on his birthday and froze the other half, and then we had them nightly soon after Kiran and I returned to Dhaka in January. Personally, I think every new mother should be given a tray of those brownies, at some point, by somebody. They would be the best baby gift ever.

Anyway, I recently re-visited the website where I found that brownie recipe and realized that, lo and behold, this is a really good website! With really yummy-sounding recipes! I think I may be the last person on the Internet who was not aware of this website. Clearly, I had some catching up to do. And so it began.

First I made the arroz con leche. I remembered to take photos during the prep phase, but then something happened and all of a sudden the whole pot was gone. Oops. Chris and I ate it in the dark of night. We had one bowl each for four nights in a row, late, after both boys were finally asleep. When it finished, I was sad.

Then I made these brownies, which were so good that I already wrote a whole post about them, and I was no longer sad.

I did also make the espinacas con garbanzos. I made it twice, once with the tomatoes [average, and too much like every other chickpea + vegetable recipe around] and once without [lovely, because it allows the breadcrumb sauce to stand out, and what is better than fried breadcrumbs on vegetables?]. I will definitely make it the second way from now on.

Back to the brownies. From the brownie recipe, there is a link to a recipe for rigatoni with eggplant puree, so then I made that. This is a really good recipe for us, because our oven has no temperature controls, so it is either at 0F or 400F, the latter being the perfect temperature for either burning your dessert or for perfectly roasting your vegetables. So I roasted the vegetables and put them in the food processor to puree. Kaya, or rather Scuba Superman, helped with this step. (Ignore the messy kitchen, please, and just focus on the fabulousness of his outfit.)

The result was delicious.

Moving on, then I tried the baked kale chips. This attempt was hampered by the fact that we do not have kale in Bangladesh. I tried some green amaranth leaves instead (surely a close relation to kale... or not) and found that it didn't really work as promised. They were crisp, yes, and salty, and Chris happily ate the whole bowl, but I think I need to keep experimenting with that one, perhaps by finding something more similar to kale.

Next. Wait, have I mentioned that I am obsessed with this website? I am. So, next, I made the thick, chewy granola bars. My mix had almonds, raisins, peanuts, cashews, dried apricots and chocolate chips (brought from Bangkok, oh, beloved Bangkok).

These were a serious hit, especially with Chris. In his world, it seems that being a phyical education teacher + training for a marathon + generally being a guy = constant hunger. These are filling and, more importantly, really good, worlds better than anything you have ever eaten out of a package. I was actually amazed at how much better they were. Really good.

Finally, I just had to make one more thing. The post about the st. louis gooey butter cake was so effusive, the praise so abundant -- "showstopping," she calls this cake -- that I thought I really had to make it. I made the cake the first time a couple of weeks ago and was, shall we say, underwhelmed. It was fine, but certainly not showstopping. However, I kept thinking about it and how it just did not live up to the description, and so I decided to try it again. This time, I took the cake out of the oven just a little earlier, and it made all the difference. The topping was soft, gooey, and just the right amount of sweet. Chris had four pieces in one evening. Yet another hit.

All of this deliciousness makes me wonder, what else have I been missing all this time? Does anyone have suggestions for more cooking websites that I would enjoy? I think I might be hooked.

More from the quotable kid :: by mama

2010-04-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Some of these are a few months old, but they are all gems. Kaya is continually amusing and amazing us with his quick wit and straightforward honesty. I love the way he sees the world, and I am grateful that he shares his perspective with us in such an uncensored way. So, without further ado, here they are: quotes from the quotable kid.

[As Kaya climbs into bed one morning]

Mama: What is it, Kaya? I was fast asleep. I was dreaming.

Kaya: You were dreaming? But where was your dream bubble??

**********************************

[As Kaya is playing and making a general racket]

Mama: Kaya, why are you screaming?

Kaya: I'm not screaming, I'm yelling.

**********************************

[Upon Kaya's return to school following Christmas break and the birth of his new baby brother]

Kaya's music teacher, Miss S.: So Kaya, what was the most exciting thing about Bangkok?

Kaya: Eating chocolate muffins at Starbucks!

[He was also asked by his regular classroom teacher to draw what he did over Christmas break, and he drew a picture of himself on the treadmill in the gym, with some weights nearby. Apparently little Kiran did not make much of an impression!]

**********************************

[In a discussion about Disney movies]

Mama: You know, those movies were around when I was little. I remember watching Snow White, Jungle Book, and some of the other movies you've seen.

Kaya: What about The Incredibles?

Mama: No, that one came out later, after I was already grown up.

Kaya: Oh yeah, that's why it's in color!

**********************************

[Following a few rounds of a card game between Kaya and Daddy]

Mama: Wow, Daddy won a bunch of those games, for once!

Daddy: Yeah, I got really lucky. But we know what the most important thing is, don't we?

Kaya: Yep! It's that I won the last game!!

**********************************

Kaya, to Mama: You should get a job.

Mama: I have a job, Kaya. Remember? You've picked me up at my office before.

Kaya: No, you should get a job at my school. You'll like it. It's really fun!

Mama: No, thank you. I'd rather not.

Kaya: Mama, just try it. If you don't like it, you can always quit, but you should just try it.

[Wonder where he's heard that line before...??]

**********************************

[During the homebrew party over spring break]

Kaya, coming out of his room with wooden blocks pressed up to his ears: Daddy, it's too loud! Tell the people to be quiet and JUST DRINK BEER!

***********************************

Such an awesome kid. We love you, Kaya!!

Another milestone :: by mama

2010-04-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

Kiran turned four months old recently. (Okay, it's already been over a week, but that is recent in our world.) In any case, for his "birthday," Kaya and I made him a little sign and propped him up for a photo. Our photo session was short but hilarious.

No birthday cake, but I think he enjoyed eating the paper instead. Happy birthday, Kiki. We love you!!

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it lived up to all the hype it was hyped up to be. Lots of hypin' and lots of clubbin', nudity, alcohol consumption, bad behavior... Mardi Gras had nothing on our mis-adventures.

Last year we left the country and headed to the friendly confines of Malaysia, where we divided our time between a resort, the jungle and the big city. We didn't have to go far this year to match and exceed the insanity.

We spent most of our days, poolside, clubbin’. That’s how we roll.

There were beautiful women! (with cute kids)

The effects of the homebrew were pure good times.

Body painting

Nudity: look at that butt!

Nandan Water Park

Pre-pre-pre-teen angst

Then there were the parties.

Spring Break 2010....two weeks we will have a hard time remembering. Going back to work will be hard, perhaps I will call in sick or maybe take a half day. Good times, great family!

Brownies. Enough Said. :: by mama

2010-04-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

I am not really a fan of chocolate, in and of itself. I mean, okay, hand me a piece of chocolate and twist my arm, and fine, I'll eat it. Of course I'll eat it. Chocolate desserts, however, are another matter altogether. Black forest cake? Chocolate cheesecake? Chocolate mousse? Maybe even a hot fudge sundae? Yes, please, I will have one of each. Thank you for offering.

My love of chocolate desserts poses a bit of a problem here in Bangladesh, since even the simplest recipes tend to require a decent, good quality chunk of chocolate, in a bar or a block or a chip. Let it be known that those things do not really exist here. Traditional Bangladeshi sweets are mostly milk- or rice-based. Chocolate is simply not on the radar.

There is, however, cocoa available in the shops. (Apparently cocoa can sit on a shelf for three years and be fine, unlike chocolate, so I guess it is easier to import.) It's nothing fancy, just Hershey's and Cadbury's, but it works. So we have made the Moosewood Restaurant's vegan chocolate cake recipe oh, about a zillion times by now. Honestly, the cake is fantastic, but I am getting a bit tired of it. Luckily, I recently discovered a brownie recipe that actually uses cocoa. Our lives will never be the same.

I made this recipe late at night and then hid the tray as best I could in the refrigerator. The next afternoon, I started slicing the brownies, turned my back for a moment, and returned to find something not quite right.

A few minutes later, the tray looked like this.

Have I mentioned that these brownies are really good? I think we will be making this recipe a whole lot more from now on.

The first 100 days :: by mama

2010-03-27T01:18:00.000-07:00

Since we are now in the habit of counting our days in blocks of 100, allow me to make this announcement: Kiran, or Kiki as he has come to be known around here, is now 100 days old. Yes, he is already into triple digits. This is a sobering fact, as it means that he will soon be an old man. He is taking this very seriously.

Kiki's first 100 days came in like a lion and have gone out like a lamb. They began with travel and adventure, but have since mellowed out into some semblance of domesticity. We are getting to know him and his personality, and he seems to be accustoming himself to us. And we have loved it, loved getting to know this charming, sensitive, adorable little boy.

I think we each have different perspectives on these first 100 days. For Chris, as he mentioned in a previous post, Kiran's arrival makes our family feel complete and even more wonderful than it already was. For me, it was never a given that we would have more people in our family -- I felt that we could have been complete with just the three of us -- but now that Kiran is here, I feel that our family has been enriched beyond measure. For Kaya, I think he loves having a brother. It is so wonderful to see the way they both look at one another, with curiosity and something that I'm sure will turn into a lasting love.

Kiran's accomplishments in his first 100 days with us are many. He is a champion eater; he regularly sleeps through the night; and he has a smile to melt the world. However, his main focus thus far has been perfecting his thumb-sucking technique. His thumb still ends up poking him in the face sometimes, but he is improving every day. He is clearly very satisfied with himself and this newfound ability.

We are so, so grateful to have this wondrous little person in our lives. I can hardly wait to see what the next 100 days (and the next, and the next...) will bring!

Happy spring! :: by mama

2010-03-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

If I am not mistaken, today is the first day of spring. I mean, not here, not in Bangladesh. I'm not actually sure what season we're in here. My notes from Bangla class inform me that Bangladesh has six seasons: summer, rainy season, autumn, late autumn, winter and spring. So maybe we are also in spring, but I doubt if today is actually the first day.

Nor is it the first day of spring in Australia. Our Aussie friends have reminded me numerous times that our upcoming break is most definitely not spring break. This is now fall for them, not spring, so why on Earth would we call it spring break? Preposterous.

In any case, with all of that as an introduction, I can get on to the real point of this post: I really just needed an excuse to post this photo. Spring, summer, whatever, it is definitely not winter anymore. It is hot outside! And so the boys of Team Hesse are back in their natural state, shirtless and happy.

Happy spring!!

An awesome project :: by mama

2010-03-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

A few months back, Kaya's Uncle Mike sent him An Awesome Book, which has been a hit and an inspiration to all of us on a number of levels. On the very literal level, this spread --

--inspired a little Saturday afternoon creativity in Kaya and Chris. Out came the knives and scoops, and before you could say, "magic watermelon boat," this was the scene in our house:

Kaya had a magic watermelon boat of his very own, with a stick for a mast and a plastic sandwich bag for a sail. He spent a good chunk of the afternoon in that bathtub, sailing the boat around with his little Lego people as passengers. It was good fun and a great father-son activity.

Among the many things, big and little, for which I am grateful every day, this one comes up often: I am thankful that my children have such a wonderful father. They have a father who not only loves them deeply and spends quality time with them, but who is fun. He is creative and zany and loves to get messy. He loves having a project, and the more hammering and cutting and making, the better. What more could a 4-year-old boy want? He is the ultimate playmate and, from my perspective, the perfect role model for two boys. We are all lucky to have him.

The countdown is on! :: by mama

2010-03-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

It's true: there are exactly 100 days until summer vacation. The countdown is ON.

Now, those of us who try to be more Buddhist in our approach to life will undoubtedly say that I should be focusing on the present, enjoying the moment, and not thinking about the future. And I assure you that I am enjoying the present. The present is wonderful. The present is filled with smiles...

...and flowers for mama...

... and family time with my three favorite boys.

I love and treasure these moments. However, just imagine this much sweetness accompanied by, oh, I don't know, a toasted sesame seed bagel with muenster cheese and a real lemonade. A mama can dream.

Kaya, the runner!

2010-02-16T00:48:00.000-08:00

For the better part of the last ten years I have organized community 5k races. The first one was way back in 2001 while I was in Peace Corps. There has been the Griga Challenge, the Henry Challenge, the People United 5k. Until last year, the Griga Challenge was the largest race I had organized with approximately 600 runners/walkers. Last year, our first year in Bangladesh, I organized the People United 5k. We had about 700 participants and raised approximately $3,000. This year, we managed to surpass both marks with about 750 participants and raising over $4,000! (see a video from last year's race)

At our school, like most places, we are finding the children to be out of shape and overweight. One of the ideas a few teachers had come up with to combat this while promoting the race was a 25km club. The idea is that children come to school at 7:00am and run for about a half an hour or whatever they can do. Ultimately their goal is to reach 25km. This year, we had two students reach the 25km mark.

I wanted to be involved in the preparation for the race, but didn't want to run the club so I told Kaya about it. He was excited! Each morning, he would wake up and ask if it was a running club day. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kaya would take off at rather quick speed. Pacing is a concept that he hasn't quite grasped just yet. Each time he would run between 1.5 and 2km. Along the way he would get distracted by birds, cracks in the cement, displays or just about anything interesting. I was having so much fun with him because running is something I enjoy doing and I guess you are especially excited when your children follow in your footsteps. In this case, it is quite literally.

Over the course of three weeks Kaya ran 10km, that is 6.2 miles. He finished well ahead of some of the older kids, in fact, he was the youngest kid participating! He loved it and on the last day he had a meltdown because it was the last day for the club. As a parent, I was so proud to see Kaya active and having such a great time.

Kaya and I run to school each day. It gives us some great father - son times. He sees so many interesting things and hopefully it will spark an interest in an activity that will keep him healthy for a lifetime!

Look at that smile!

Bangkok Dreamin' :: by mama

2010-02-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

Inspired by my brother, I thought I'd make a list of my favorite things and moments from our time in Bangkok. Yes, I am still thinking about (and missing) Bangkok. Here are some reasons why:

1. Favorite sight: Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. This guy was amazing. I had heard that he was huge, but this went beyond all expectations. The carvings and paintings surrounding him were unbelievably detailed and gorgeous. Even Kaya kept saying, "Mama, it's so beeeeeautiful!" He was right.

(Note: Supposedly the Grand Palace is pretty impressive as well. I wouldn't really know, since I was too busy having contractions to look around much.)

2. Favorite food: Just about everything we had been missing is available in Bangkok. The best, though, was Villa Market's multigrain bread, transformed by Chris in our apartment's kitchen into the world's best french toast. Yes, I know I should say something about some fantastic Thai street food or something, but (a) I don't like Thai food, and (b) Chris's french toast is amazing. Really. Yum.

3. Favorite entertainment activity: We went to see the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra play outdoors at Lumpini Park, and it was so nice to sit outdoors (on real grass! without fear of deadly diseases!) and listen to music. However, this was a short-lived experience due to the fact that we chose to reproduce and now have two small children. Oh well.

4. REAL favorite entertainment activity: For Chris, I'm pretty sure this would be seeing Avatar in 3-D on an IMAX screen. For me, it's watching So You Think You Can Dance, Season 5. Yes, I am admitting this on the Internet. I watched every episode, beginning with the auditions, but I only made it to the final four contestants before we had to leave the country. I still don't know who won. In my defense, there were only 4 English-language stations on TV: BBC, Australia Network, Fox News (!) and Sony Entertainment Television. My choices were limited. And, I was pregnant. So there.

5. Favorite moment: The birth of Kiran, of course... but there were so many sweet moments with the boys, watching our new family. Also, the initial weekend when Chris "dropped me off" in Bangkok and Kaya stayed in Dhaka, when we were alone and actually managed to go to a movie and dinner, was wonderful as well. I love all three of my boys.

I really do think I could live in Bangkok. The Buddhist history and culture are fascinating to me. The language intrigues me: there are something like 80 letters, and it is tonal. (I swore after taking intensive Bangla classes for nine months that my next language would be an easier one, but what can I say? I like languages.) The city is easy to get around in, despite the traffic, because there are so many transportation options. We took taxis, the SkyTrain, riverboats, and tuk-tuks. There are also motorcycle taxis and a subway system, along with some slightly scary-looking public buses. Finally, I love that Bangkok is so cosmopolitan. The women have style, the men are polite, and everything is available somewhere. A couple more years in Asia? I wouldn't mind...

Homebrew, Dhaka style:

2010-01-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

I guess I will follow the lead of my lovely wife and write a "crafty" post. If you can call homebrewing "crafty," that is!!

Last year about this time I decided that I simply must have my homebrew kit in Dhaka. Due to alcohol being illegal for Bangladeshis. Unless of course you have a prescription for it from a doctor and the only way to get a prescription is by being an alcoholic. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Anyhow, I have brewed in the past with the guidance of friends, but never by myself.

So..... last summer as we were about to return to beautiful Dhaka, I had a decision to make. Commit to this and devote one of my pieces of luggage to two kits and all my homebrew supplies or forget about it and drink $4.50 Guinness at the American Club.

In it to win it baby! That's right, I used a full 50 pounds of luggage for homebrew supplies and prayed they wouldn't break in the flight over. The two kits I purchased were a "honey summer ale" and a "robust stout." The former went over quite well and I generally received positive feedback, which could mean one of only two things: these kits are really hard to screw up or I am actually getting the hang of this!

Last weekend, I embarked on the journey of making my second batch here in Dhaka. Earlier this year, I made a summer ale and I was pleased with the results. We turned the tasting into a homebrew/cornhole tournament/fundraiser for some of the local staff. Good fun.

This time around the porter is more of a selfish pick on my part as I am a bit more partial to the darker heavier beers. We bottle this weekend and then it is just a bunch of waiting around for six weeks.

I am really enjoying making beer, not because I love beer or anything, but simply because I am creating and learning. Up until a few years back, I never really thought about what went into or how it was made. I just consumed to my heart's content! It is interesting to learn about the different types, what goes into and how you can make beer with specific twists. I most certainly plan to bring back two more kits for next year, possibly a third. I will definitely suggest to the new teachers that they bring a kit or two so we can get rolling on this! I will let you know how this one goes in approximately six weeks.

Adding the malt extract

Yes, that will one day be beer!

After about 2.5 hours of work, we are sealing it up and letting it sit for two weeks before bottling.

Thanks for the help David!

"If I only knew now, what I knew then."

2010-01-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

"If I only knew now, what I knew then." Something, along those lines.... It's a quote from a Pearl Jam song (lil' Mike, sorry, I know you hate PJ) oh so many lifetimes ago for me. The words have always kind of resonated with me, and I am actually quite amazed that I still remember them. I think they have stuck all these years because they make perfect sense to me. I spent my last rambling blog post talking about the evolution of me. I guess this post will be consumed with contradictory comments.

As time passes, I find less and less time to do what I want. I desperately long for a weekend that doesn't have me tapped into work or an evening with just Sheela and I watching The Office on the couch. I like my job (notice I no longer use the other 'L" word), but man, they are getting their money's worth out of me! What did I know then? I guess it would be an ignorance is bliss way about me. Perhaps that is too harsh. Once upon a time, I knew how to forget. I wonder if this hard found self awareness can be reversed?! I wonder what Gus McCray would say in a situation like this?

One of my goals for the next year is to find that balance with work and play and most importantly family. Oh, I know, it's all a part of life and there are good lessons to learn in situations like these, but damn, I feel like I have been doing a lot of learning in recent times!

It's all good though, life runs in cycles and I am grateful for that.

Pace yourself cool papa....

Okay so I guess the real reason most of you read this blog, (by most of you, I mean the one "follower" we have) is to see some pics of those oh so cute little bundles of joy.....Kiran and Kaya!

Life is good for Kiran.

Mamma and the boys! Kaya wore his dino costume to my softball game and was our mascot. It was kind of appropriate, the team consists of a bunch of old dudes.

Symbiosis: I can make him smile and he does the same for me.

Mrthika, Kaya, Kiran and the stuffed animal family.

The boys of team Hesse.

The boys are back in town :: by mama

2010-01-20T22:37:00.000-08:00

We are back! It took the cooperation of three countries, with three predominant religions and all of their corresponding holidays, to get Kiran on the plane: he received his Thai birth certificate first, then an English translation (helpfully informing us that he was born on the first day of the waxing moon, in the second month of the year of the tiger). About two weeks later, he was issued an American passport and a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, basically the equivalent of an American birth certificate. A couple of days later, he got his visa to enter Bangladesh, and we were finally able to return home. It is amazing to me to think about the number of people who worked first to bring Kiran into the world, and then to help us get back home, and how people of different nationalities and backgrounds were interconnected in their efforts, all for a person who very recently fit inside my belly.

After nearly two months in Bangkok, it was a bit of a shock to return to Dhaka. All of the guidebooks talk about Bangkok being chaotic and crowded, with horrible traffic, but it was an oasis of calm compared to Dhaka. It has its negative points, to be sure, but I loved the combination of ancient history and driving modernity, of shrines to guardian spirits in front of sparkling shopping malls, of the Grand Palace and Starbucks. (Some of us may have loved Starbucks more than the Grand Palace; I'll leave it up to you to guess who those people may be.) The culture is fascinating. The people are lovely, polite and accomodating, and it was a bit of a relief to be in a place where Westerners are no longer a novelty and are therefore not worth staring at. As happy as I was to be coming home and reuniting our family, I was a bit sad to leave Bangkok.

:: Old and new: the view from the top of Wat Arun

:: Our apartment building's shrine to the guardian spirit. Pretty much every building has its own shrine, with offerings laid out daily.

:: A favorite spot

And now. Dhaka is unseasonably cold: I checked weather.com the other day, and it said the temperature was 57 degrees F. At noon. That may not sound cold, but keep in mind that we do not have heaters indoors, so the outside temperature is also the inside temperature. Add to that the fact that we do not have hot water -- something to do with a national shortage of gas, we're told, which will not be resolved until the weather warms up, at which point nobody will want the hot water anymore -- and it is hard to stay warm. I have been wearing leggings under my pants, wool socks and slippers, and multiple layers on top. Chris and Kaya, who normally sport a matching father-son wardrobe of shorts and no shirt, have been wearing sweaters and long sleeves. Even Kiran is bundled up.

Strangely enough, these chilly, dry winter months are also the height of mosquito season here in Dhaka. We have mosquito nets for the car seat, the crib, and our beds, and Kiran somehow still has a couple of bites. I have a ring of mosquito bites around my belly, where the skin is exposed while I'm nursing. Lovely. On the bright side, Chris and Kaya can entertain themselves with the moquito racket, a tennis racket-shaped device that kills the "mossies" (new vocabulary courtesy of our Aussie neighbors) on contact via a noisy and satisfying electric shock.

Now that we are back, I hope to get back into a routine of regular weekly posts. Surely I can make time for that... maybe in the middle of the night.

Happy Holidays from Bangkok!

2009-12-24T06:13:00.000-08:00

"That boy's a runnin' fool." Kaya is always running and trying to race me. This photo was taken outside the Grand Palace the day before Kiran was born. We missed going in by five minutes. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this made us come back the next day and turned into quite a birth story! (Which I will tell sometime in the near future.)

Quality family time on the rooftop.

Kaya can swim!!!! (well sort of)

Being a father and husband are the two greatest things in my life. Needless to say, I immediately fell in love with Kiran.

I would probably have to say that this Christmas will be one of the most meaningful ones I have experienced in quite some time. Before my family objects, let me clarify.... We have just made an addition to our family. We only need the dog and a house and we are living the American dream, abroad. Not that *I* have ever strived to achieve the "dream," but for some reason it just feels right. We were very happy with just Kaya (and Bunte), but I think we always knew there was going to be another person in our lives at some point . Therefore, in some strange way, our family hasn't been complete. That sounds weird, so let's just say, a great thing got even better!

In addition to addition, the next reason this Christmas is so meaningful is because Kaya is at an age where he is so excited! Today, we made more cookies, since the first batch somehow disappeared. We also read, The Night Before Christmas, ate oyster stew, a Hesse tradition, (don't worry, I used oyster mushrooms instead of oysters!), put out the stockings, listened to Christmas music and watched Rudolph before bed. Kaya loved it all. He was bouncing all over the place. During the story, he ran out to check and see if we put milk out for Santa. It was so cute. The endless enthusiasm evokes memories and emotions I won't soon forget. I love you little Kaya. Thank you....

Sheela and I are gearing up for an early morning. If Kaya's instincts are honed, he will wake at around 3am to check things out. He may just wake anyhow, who knows!? In any event, we will keep you posted as to how Christmas on this side of the world works.

Siobhan, Sheela and Kiran. More to come on how Siobhan saved us!!

twins?!

2009-12-22T06:55:00.001-08:00

Which one is Kaya and which one is Kiran?

Kaya, living la vida loca...

2009-12-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

It's not all about Kiran these days. Big brother Kaya has been up to his usual tomfoolery. His days consist of legos, working out, reading and racing.

Kaya got a big brother gift when Kiran came home. He was very excited to receive his big brother tee-shirt and book.

Kaya works out every day. In fact, he motivates me to get up there and get moving. He now wants to be a muscle man when he grows up. According to Kaya, he is the strongest person in the family.

We "made" Christmas cookies. (We bought the cookies and made the frosting. As mentioned in an earlier post, Kaya picked the colors.)
Kaya was very helpful in giving his brother a quick bath.

Kaya loves his brother!

More Team Hesse pics:

Mamma with two Nurses and Kiran's Pediatrician. Finally, after four days we got to come home.

It doesn't get any better than this! Daddy and Kiran snoozin'.

Kiran wrapped up, probably dreaming about baseball or trees. Oh those redwoods...

Pictures, pictures, pictures!

2009-12-20T06:31:00.000-08:00

Kiran, deep in thought.

This carving is from the weekend market. Pretty amazing huh!

Santa came to the library to say hello and hand out small gifts! (last week)

Here's how you calm him down Daddy...

with a kiss!

Mamma and Kiran

Kaya and I made frosting tonight. We don't have an oven so we couldn't bake sugar cookies. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find sugar cookies in the stores, so we bought some packaged cookies and will frost them tomorrow! Kaya's choices for colors were, pea green, sky blue, strawberry red and orange. Santa will be quite impressed I am sure.

Old blue eyes himself...

2009-12-19T04:47:00.000-08:00

Kaya was very excited to be holding his brother. Especially since he wasn't crying!

Finally, a picture with open eyes. Yes, they are blue....for now.
Blue steel or is this Magnum? (Zoolander)

Day 2: Mamma and Kiran

Falling in love....
I had to check to see if this was Kiran or a picture from when Kaya was three days old!

Day 3: Nothing exciting to report, Kiran and the gang are all doing well in Bangkok. The Doctor wanted Sheela and Kiran to stay in the hospital for three nights. She couldn't turn down 24 hour care. It's amazing how much you forget about these little guys after being only four years removed from having the first. I couldn't for the life of me remember some pretty simple things.... For example: when changing a BOY'S diaper, make sure his thingy is pointed down!! Near miss today.

Kaya and I have been reading the Magic Tree House books that my Mom sent. He loves them and would sit down to read an entire book if I was willing to read that long. It would appear as if his major league baseball training will have to wait for another few weeks. Perhaps by spring training he will be motivated to commence batting practice. Maybe I will get him a book on how awesome it is to play baseball and that will inspire him.

The whole passport thing is going to be more of a process than we had originally anticipated. Apparently, you have to schedule appointments for this and the next available appointment is on January 6th, a week after we are supposed to have left Thailand! Fortunately, I have asked Santa for a time machine and I will make everything all better. Wish us luck on that front!!!!

Happy Holidays from snowy Bangkok!
Team Hesse
Cool Papa, Sheela, Kaya and Kiran

Just another day of sightseeing in Bangkok, oh wait...

2009-12-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

Kiran Virgil Hesse (9:00 pm)

The nurses with Mamma and Daddy. About to move out of birthing unit to a more comfortable room! (4:00)

Mamma and Kiran soon after birth. Isn't it amazing how incredible she looks!! (1:35pm)Mamma at Grand Palace in Bangkok. (11:00 am) About an hour taxi ride away from the hospital!! She started to have contractions as we entered the palace, but chose to go on. Needless to say, it was a short visit....

Kiran Virgil Hesse was born at 1:24 pm on December 17th, 2009. He came quick, that's for sure. Sheela started having contractions at around 11:00 am and he was out and about sooner than we had ever anticipated (Kaya was 19 hours of labor).

Sheela showed tremendous strength and calm throughout the entire process. She really wanted to do this without any interventions and she did! (She did admit that for a brief moment she had reconsidered.) What an empowering experience, for all of us. I am so impressed with her attitude and courage. She had said time and time again that an epidural was the way to go, but then had a change of heart about a month ago. Sheela really wanted to do this completely natural and let me tell you.....She certainly did it. I teared up and fell in love with her all over again. What a woman!

Kiran is doing well thus far and is sleeping with his mother in the hospital. Kaya and I decided to come back to the apartment to catch some zzzz's. (I'm too excited and can't sleep though....)

When we named Kaya, we chose the name Kaya because it is a Turkish name and we wanted Kaya to have a connection with his Turkish roots and to also honor Sheela's mother. We chose Kiran for the exact same reasons, except this time to honor Sheela's father with an Indian name. Both boys have my last name and so they will be connected with my side as well!

The name Virgil is after my Father's Father. I have always been very fond of Grandpa and love him very much. He means an awful lot to me and we wanted to honor he and my family by giving Kiran his name for the middle name. (Sheela didn't want to go with any more baseball player middle names!)

Now the fun begins.....Oh, you thought I was talking about raising two boys?! Actually, we have to get his Thai birth certificate, then have it translated to English, get passport pictures, apply for a passport, apply for a Bangladeshi Visa and fly back to Dhaka. All by the 30th of December.

We are both very excited about everything and appreciate all the emails we have received so far. Please don't be offended if we don't get back to you right away. We promise more pictures though....

Happy Holidays....and much love.....
Chris, Sheela, Kaya and Kiran (or little foot, as Kaya has named him)

Kaya's first contact with Kiran.

Moments after being born

Are you serious?!

2009-12-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Ramblings: Probably a waste of your time to read this… therapy for me!

People
The trouble with people is they need to get over themselves. Myself included.

Bangladeshis
Are you serious? Are you really walking down the middle of the road in Dhaka and you are actually surprised when I ring my bell at you when I am about to hit you with my bike?

Facebook
I think the trouble I have with facebook is, who the hell cares? I find it quite comical to see how people post everything. I find it disturbing that I read it! I should quit, but for some odd reason I feel compelled to stay onboard. What a waste of time. Yet, I am quite comfortable wasting it. (oh and I am posting this on the blog, what a hypocrite!)

Wanderlust
I am feeling inspired, but can’t really be bothered. I can’t really pinpoint why I am, or what inspires me? I am feeling like getting out of here, but can’t figure out where to go next? Why I ask you, and who are you? Why am I asking you? Life can’t really be that simple can it? Then why does it always seem so fricken hard? Man it’s a big world out there and you would think that, well, there I go again. I don’t really know what to think? It’s a big world out there and sometimes I seem so insignificant, even to myself. All I know is, that I always feel like I need to go.

Bangladeshis, Part 2
Stop staring at me!

The evolution of me
Thinking back ten years ago, man times have changed. I was so silly back then. What an idiot! The best thing I have done for myself was to leave the country and join PC. This of course led to some other pretty significant changes in my life, including finally starting to use my brain. Awareness, variety, marriage, family, independence….

My Family
Keeps me going. It is the most important thing in my life. They give me stability, support, hope, direction and a reason. I am so thankful for them. Can’t wait to see number two.

Hello, Bangkok :: by mama

2009-11-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

We (meaning I and the baby, thankfully still in utero) have been here for a week now, and this is the only photo I've taken -- of Thai Airways planes at the airport.

I am normally a fairly adventurous and independent person. Except, that is, for when I have a full-term baby in my belly, at which point I apparently become fearful of straying more than a one-block radius from the hospital. I go to the grocery store every single day -- partly just to get outside, and partly because I can only carry a few items home at a time -- and that pretty much sums up the full extent of my excursions in Bangkok.

Oh, but what a grocery store it is. This is a real, American-style grocery store we are talking about, with products like provolone cheese and chocolate chips. They even have American health food brands like Amy's Organics and Earthbound Farms. It's fairly unbelievable. Of course, the prices are exorbitant, probably because every last item in the store is imported. Even the produce is imported, which makes no sense to me. Why would a tropical country be importing tomatoes from Holland in the middle of winter? Even Bangladesh can get itself organized enough to grow its own seasonal produce, so why would that not be happening here? Maybe I'll have to actually leave my little neighborhood and find a regular produce market to find some local vegetables.

And maybe then I'll take more photos.

Checklist for having a baby :: by mama

2009-11-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

:: Spend several months in denial about the necessity for a checklist such as this one. Then,
:: Purchase plane tickets to travel to Bangkok.
:: Rent an apartment for two months in Bangkok.
:: Obtain medical visa for Thailand, good until February 2010. Think, "Holy moly. I had better not need to be there until February 2010."
:: Convince insurance company that it is medically necessary to travel to a different country to birth a baby following a normal and uncomplicated pregnancy.
:: Prepare paperwork for passport and visa applications for the new baby, including an original marriage certificate, work permit, and letter from employer.
:: Borrow a crib from a very generous friend.
:: Realize that the baby cannot sleep in the crib without being eaten alive by mosquitoes.
:: Call the tailor to order a custom-made mosquito net for the crib.
:: Ask the tailor to finish the flannel baby wipes that were apparently too much for the sewing machine to handle, necessitating three trips to the Singer repair shop and still being unfinished.
:: Pack the few maternity clothes that are big enough to still fit, the post-partum clothes that may or may not fit, and the baby clothes that seem too tiny to fit anyone.
:: Fill the refrigerator, freezer, and all cabinet shelves with all the food and supplies necessary to sustain a husband and 4-year-old boy for the next two weeks.
:: Fly to Bangkok by 36 weeks gestation, in order to comply with airline rules, and prepare to spend a month waiting for baby.
:: Hope that the baby actually takes that long to arrive, or at the very least waits until his father and big brother get to Bangkok to witness his debut.

All but the next-to-last item have been taken care of. We are off tomorrow...

Recipe Roundup :: by mama

2009-11-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to expand our cooking repertoire around here, and focusing especially on ingredients that we don't use often. Here are some things we've tried recently. (As usual, I am only posting recipes that I've found online, so others can access them easily.)

Pineapple Rice:

Here is the thing about pineapples: I think you either like them in savory foods (e.g., as a topping on pizza, in stir fries, etc.) or you don't. Chris does; I don't. He also really likes cashews and tofu, both of which I am kind of indifferent to. This dish had all three. Not surprisingly, Chris loved it and asked for it again the next week, while I was not particularly impressed (and haven't made it since). I wish I liked it more, because pineapples are plentiful, sweet, and cheap here. However, it's quite labor-intensive, and it just wasn't worth the effort to me.

Note: I adapted the recipe to include tofu instead of seitan. I made the dressing a day or two in advance, pressed the tofu, and marinated it in the dressing overnight. Then I pan-fried the tofu before adding it to the dish at the last minute. Like I said, rather labor-intensive.

Gougères:
When I went to Rio de Janeiro way back in the winter of 1998/1999, I discovered that Brazilians really, really like meat. In everything. At seemingly every meal. I, on the other hand, do not, and instead I ended up eating a whole lot of pao de queijo, a cheesy bread concoction that I have been missing ever since. Gougères, I have recently discovered, are very similar. Mine end up flat and somewhat pathetic-looking, probably due to the fact that our oven has no temperature control. (It is either on or off, and that's it. This recipe calls for baking the gougères at 425F and then turning the oven down, mid-bake, to 375F. Hahahahaha. I just opened the oven door for a while in the hopes that it would cool down a bit.) So they are not very attractive, but they are super delicious, and that's all that matters to me.

Creamy Pumpkin and Cashew Curry:

Again with the cashews, for Chris. And again, this was a somewhat labor-intensive dish that I felt was not entirely worth the effort. I had high hopes, because all of the ingredients are readily available here. I was also excited to be using two of them -- curry leaves and coconut cream, as opposed to coconut milk -- for the first time. However, it just turned out kind of bland. One thing I noticed afterwards was that the recipe didn't call for any salt at all, so that may have been part of the problem. Or maybe the green Bangladeshi pumpkin that I used was just not meant to go in this dish. Maybe someone else should try cooking this and tell me if it tastes any better with a different type of pumpkin.

Pasta with Cauliflower:

Yum. Cauliflower is just coming into season here, so I am looking for new ways to use it... and this one is definitely a keeper. It's quick, easy, and delicious. The bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top make all the difference. Kaya gobbled it up without a word. Yay!

Bean and Barley Soup:

I was destined to make this soup. Most of the ingredients are hard to find here, but they all serendipitously came together at once, without any real effort on my part. I had picked up some dry pinto beans and barley in one market, and then I spotted celery at one of the local grocery stores, and then the fruit stand next to the American Club just happened to have parsley. (Celery and parsley are only available in the winter here, and this was my first sighting of either one.) Also, Chris's basil plants are just big enough for me to pluck a few leaves here and there. In the end, I realized that I had everything I needed for this recipe. The soup was delicious. This will definitely be a new favorite for us. I did make a few changes to the recipe: I used half the onions and then doubled the carrots and the salt. It was perfect. Behold the evidence:

Happy Halloween :: by mama

2009-11-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

Most expats here in Bangladesh hire tailors to make their kids' Halloween costumes. The tailors are skilled at making nearly anything, even without a pattern, and they are cheap and quick. I, however, took it upon myself to make Kaya's costume at home. This was a project that started last summer, when I began purchasing supplies. Three JoAnn stores and two cities later, I had finally found the pattern I wanted (McCall's 2335). I also brought back some of the notions -- like the zipper, single fold bias tape, and velcro -- that I knew I wouldn't be able to find here in Bangladesh.

[Okay, I know it sounds strange to say that I wouldn't be able to find a zipper in a city of over 10 million people, but it is pretty much true. Keep in mind, friends, that most women here wear (a) saris, which essentially consist of one really long piece of fabric wound around their bodies, or (b) salwar kameez, which are long flowy tops over drawstring pants. At most, there may be a hook and eye closure somewhere on their clothing, but no zippers. Hence, no zippers in the shops. Really, why sell something that nobody would need??]

:: A few days beforehand, Kaya practiced trick-or-treating using a peeled pomelo as his treat bag ::

I did buy the fabric here, and even that turned out to be a challenge. You see, fabric in the States is normally 44-45" wide, and then you buy a certain number of yards, according to the pattern instructions. So I went to a local fabric store and bought 4 yards of solid cotton fabric, brought it home, and immediately realized that it was only 34" wide. Typical! I am guessing that it was meant for sari blouses, which would only require a narrow strip of fabric, but of course that didn't occur to me in the shop. Of course not. In any case, rather than going back and buying more fabric, I decided to take this incident as a sign that I was not actually meant to use all of the pattern pieces after all. So, out went pattern pieces for feet and mittens. Less work for me, and Kaya could not have cared less.

:: Note to self: Long, spiky tails are not conducive to climbing on playground equipment. ::

After two Halloween parties, the tail was nearly falling off, having been stepped on, pulled, used as a weapon, and manipulated every which way. I had reinforced it with several rows of stitching, but the thing is just heavy, perhaps too heavy for the light cotton fabric of the body. In any case, it has since been re-attached, perhaps for future use by another small dinosaur in a few years!

How to stop a baby from crying

2009-10-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many people out there still read this blog…. I have to give full credit to my dear Sheela for keeping it up. I apologize for not contributing. In my ten years of teaching, this has been the most challenging year yet. Hopefully things will calm down sometime soon and I can actually have time to post and keep you informed as to what the heck is going on with us in Dhaka!

One thing I wanted to share was a conversation Kaya and I just had. Kaya and I were talking about the new baby and how he was going to help the baby out. Kaya was being very thoughtful and put the balloons on the top shelf so the baby wouldn’t get germs or put them in his mouth. Then he started to show me how the baby would act. His demonstration included: laying down and staring straight at the ceiling. I then moved in and started to do a little baby talk and tried to make Kaya laugh, similar to how you might interact with a baby. Now it was Kaya’s turn, so I got into the same motionless position Kaya had been in and started to cry like a baby. I asked Kaya what he would do if the baby started to cry. Without pausing, he took two hands and closed my mouth. Brilliant! I wish it were that simple. Kids never cease to amaze me in the way they can find solutions and simplicity in a complex world.

The birthday was awesome, thanks Robin for pointing out that I am now closer to 50 than 20. I had fully accepted closer to 40 than 30, but damn, closer to 50 than 20 caught me off-guard. Young at heart. My wonderful wife got me everything I wanted and made the day perfect! Thanks my love.

Hopefully I can find the time to write about my recent trip to Malaysia with the Grade 10 students. Land sharks, albino fire monkeys, and other creations of my mind....

not to mention one of the top ten venomous snakes in the world...

Closer to 50 than 20 :: by mama

2009-10-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Chris's birthday! No, he did not receive a Barbie. However, he did get a couple of other things that we hope he liked just as well. One thing that I thought I would share is a fun little craft to celebrate some of Chris's favorite things: the outdoors and recycling. Using some photos from my trip to Portland this summer along with a stack of scrap paper, I made him a photo journal. The instructions, which I originally found via this blog post, can be found here.

Lacking a paper cutter, I used good old scissors, which led to some uneven edges... and lacking craft glue or bookbinding glue, I used wood glue, which seemed to work just fine.

Also, we had our favorite go-to cake, the Moosewood Restaurant Six-Minute Chocolate Cake (also known as the Vegan Chocolate Cake on their website, here). I had wanted to try out these Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes as well, especially since they use Guinness and Baileys, two of Chris's favorite beverages. However, Bangladesh being a dry country, that seemed a little unrealistic. Instead, on the same website, I found Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies that sounded too good to pass up (and required no alcohol). End result: a very chocolatey birthday for a very wonderful man.

Happy birthday, Chris! We love you!!

A new obsession :: by mama

2009-10-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

One day last week, Kaya came home with a party bag from a classmate's birthday party. Among the contents of the bag was a sheet of Barbie stickers. I should say here that one of the small benefits of living in Bangladesh has been the fact that Kaya is rarely exposed to branded characters, as there are no real toy stores or advertisements for him to see. So, I didn't think he would even know what a Barbie was, and I certainly did not expect him to show any particular interest in the Barbie stickers. Boy, was I wrong.

:: The stickers went up on the wall right away, before Mama even noticed. ::

[10 minutes later]

Kaya: Mama, I want a Barbie. She's beautiful.
Mama: Really? Why do you want one? Do you know somebody who has a Barbie?
Kaya: Yes. Denise. [Note: Denise is his second cousin, with whom he spent exactly one day this past summer. How he remembered her Barbie doll, I do not know.]
Mama: Oh, right. Well, maybe you can ask Santa for a Barbie, if that's what you really want.
Kaya: Okay. [Looking around] Santa, can I please have a Barbie? Mama, where does Santa live?

[The next day]

Mama: Kaya, Daddy's birthday is coming up soon. What would you like to get him?
Kaya: A Barbie.

[A day later, at breakfast]

Kaya: Mama, I want a Barbie that talks.
Mama: Hmm. I don't think there are Barbies that talk.
Kaya: Well, Santa can make one. He has his elves and his workshop, so they can make a new kind of Barbie that talks. That's what I want for Christmas.

:: A "Welcome Home" sign for Daddy on the front door, with three people and three corresponding Barbie stickers. Daddy is Ken. Kaya and Mama are Barbies. ::

The view from year 4 :: by mama

2009-10-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Kaya recently had a birthday. He is now 4 years old! And what a 4-year-old he is: lively, smart, sweet, and affectionate. Every time I think he can't get any cuter, somehow he manages to do just that. As cliché as it sounds, he brings pure joy to our lives just by his presence. And, in a way that is so wonderful and gratifying to see, he brings joy to so many other people as well. It is so lovely to watch his interactions with other people, from his grandparents to his teachers to the guards in our apartment building, and to see how he brings smiles to their faces.

Kaya is also a very verbal, articulate kid. He is very expressive with his thoughts and emotions, and he always seems to have a clever response at the ready. He is constantly making me laugh out loud in ways that nobody else can do. And, boy, do I love him for it. So here are a few of the quotes that have been making me laugh recently:

**********************

Daddy: Well, I'm pretty big, you know.

Kaya: Well... not much bigger than a giant!

**********************

Kaya, in a moment of shock and surprise: Mama! I'm growing hair on my legs!

Mama: Yes, Kaya, I've noticed. You have hair on your arms, also. Someday you'll grow up and have hair on your chest and your face, too, like Daddy. How do you feel about that?

Kaya: Mad. Will you stop feeding me?

***********************

Kaya: I'm going to win the race!

Daddy: Winning and losing isn't everything, Kaya.

Kaya: I know. Winning is everything.

************************

Kaya: Mama, underpants are a very hard thing.

I think that pretty much sums up life for a 4-year-old, don't you?

Happy Birthday, Kaya!

Staycation!

2009-09-30T21:59:00.000-07:00

Chris and Kaya recently had a week + one day of vacation to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Durga Puja. Many of our friends used the vacation days to travel to exciting places like Thailand and Cambodia. We, on the other hand, decided to enjoy Dhaka at its best: emptied of the majority of its 12-15 million residents, with almost no power outages and no traffic. Yeah.

[Note: Of course, "empty" is a relative term. When we decided to go to Pizza Hut for their all-you-can-eat iftar buffet one evening before Eid, we (really only mama) thought it would be smooth sailing. Instead, we arrived at 6pm and were told that there would be a two-hour wait. The guard helpfully informed us that we should come back tomorrow, and to come earlier, like maybe around 4:30pm. For a meal that would start at 6:30pm. No thanks. We went to El Toro instead, where Kaya consumed three full giant quesadillas before falling asleep mid-bite, with a little triangle of tortilla hanging out of his mouth. End of note.]

Aside from that little adventure, Kaya got to spend time doing many of his favorite activities:

:: Lots and lots of swimming, when it was not raining ::

:: Building, building and more building of endless block towers ::

:: Eating Australian food, courtesy of our Australian friends. (Okay, this is a favorite activity of mama's, not Kaya's.) Here, pumpkin soup and scones. Yum. ::

Mama had to spend much of the week working, so Kaya and Dad got to work on several projects together. There are big things underway here in Dhaka:

:: Grow, little plants, grow!! ::

:: The beginnings of a new craze in Bangladesh: cornhole! ::

:: A big pot of liquid, cooling in a tub of ice. You will definitely, definitely see this again. ::

Dhaka Cooking, Season Two :: Season Premiere

2009-09-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Part of the research I did on my last trip to Barisal was to learn more about what mothers in that part of Bangladesh are feeding their babies and young children. It was really interesting to hear their responses and to learn about some of the traditional practices among the rural villages. One thing I hadn't heard before was that newborn babies' mouths are sometimes cleaned out with mustard oil; I haven't quite figured out the reason behind that. Another very common practice is that newborns are traditionally given honey, ostensibly to make them sweeter. They often also get sugar water or animal (cow or goat) milk as their first feeding.

When babies get older, they start eating foods like rice, and they also get suji. As far as I can tell (from my non-extensive googling), suji is semolina flour that is cooked with milk (or, if milk is not available, maybe water) and sugar. The flour comes in a package that costs 23 Taka (about US$0.33) for 500 grams (roughly 1 pound) and looks like this:

This is apparently very popular throughout Bangladesh. Many people have it at breakfast, and it seems to make up a substantial portion of many babies' diets. We had some in the guesthouse in Barisal, and my American colleague commented that it tasted like Cream of Wheat... but, never having had Cream of Wheat before, I can't really say. In any case, I am not really sure what the nutritional value is of this stuff, but it was very sweet and not what I would think would be appropriate for a baby's diet.

Still, I was intrigued and decided to try to make it at home. I never got a proper tutorial in making suji the Bangladeshi way, but I did find this recipe online. I couldn't help but notice that the ingredients -- basically milk and sugar with a starch mixed in -- are nearly the same as this vanilla pudding recipe that I had made just the day before. And like the vanilla pudding, the result was very, very sweet. Neither one of them make me think of breakfast food... or baby food. But, I have to admit, they were both good.

Worlds collide

2009-09-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here is something that I'll bet nobody else has noticed: today, September 21st, is both the first day of Eid al-Fitr and -- get ready -- Belizean Independence Day! The date for Eid shifts with the cycles of the moon, coming a bit earlier each year, so this will not happen again any time soon. It's double the holidays!! Although, I'm not quite sure how the two celebrations would be combined. A hearty dinner of rice and dal with punta music playing in the background, perhaps??

Barisal, Round 3 :: by mama

2009-09-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

I recently made my third trip to Barisal, the southernmost of Bangladesh's six divisions. I was there for work, and it was as interesting as ever: muddy walks through villages to talk with local women, hot afternoons spent meeting with local health workers, and bumpy drives along one-lane dirt roads, dodging livestock and men carrying wood on their heads, to visit places like this local health center.

The fact that is was Ramadan made the trip even more interesting than usual. For example, we had some challenges finding food. More than once, we asked the staff in our guesthouse if we could possibly have a meal, and they gave us the ubiquitous Bangladeshi response, "Oh no, not possible." Hm. Even Muslim women are allowed to forgo fasting when pregnant, but apparently that was not of any concern to these guys.

Also, I got to experience firsthand another interesting Ramadan-related practice. In the days prior to the alarm clock, people were traditionally woken up for their pre-dawn meal by a guy who wandered the streets at about 4:30am, banging on pipes and generally making a racket as loudly and energetically as possible. It supposedly doesn't happen much in Dhaka anymore, and certainly not in our expat-heavy neighborhood, but I can verify that it is definitely still happening in Barisal. There was only one day when I didn't hear him -- maybe he had slept in? -- and that one day was blissful. (Side note: it never occurred to me to get up and look outside to see if he was dressed like this guy, but I now wish I had. That would have made it much more awesome than it was.)

We had originally flown down on the MAF flight, but we had logistical challenges and had to return by launch. [Note: The launch is not a boat. My Bangladeshi colleagues were cracking themselves up, talking about how expats refer to the launch as a boat. They are totally different! Silly expats.] Here, see for yourselves:

Anyway, so the launch involves an overnight river voyage pretty much directly north, leaving Barisal at 9:30 pm and arriving in Dhaka at about 8 am. It has three levels: the bottom level is just a big open space, where people lay out mats and food and whatever else they've brought with them:

The second level is small single cabins, and the third has the VIP rooms. Behold the glory of the VIP room (that would be my own sheet and pillow from home on the bed, because I am paranoid like that):

After a bit of a sleepless night, we arrived to the frenzy of the main launch terminal in Dhaka, elbowed our way out to the street, spent about a half hour on the phone with our driver as we attempted to locate the car, and finally, oh so happily, went home. Ah, Dhaka.

Summer 2009

2009-09-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

We spent seven weeks in the States this summer, and I felt like I barely even glanced at my computer. It was fantastic in pretty much every possible way. Family, friends, and muenster cheese: what more could anyone want? To wrap up the summer, I put together this post. It's long, but keep in mind, this is a whole summer's worth of posts all wrapped up in one... so really this is pretty amazingly short. Here goes:

Pittsburgh
Although I cannot claim to love Pittsburgh quite as much as my brother does, I will say that the city has really grown on me over the years. Every time I go back, there is more and more to do. It's especially great for kids, with lots of museums and kid-centric activities, and the people are genuine and friendly. Plus, it's actually affordable. Here are a few things we did while we were there.

:: Kaya got a bike! ::

:: At the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. Look at that hair! ::

:: Going down the Log Jammer at Kennywood. Kaya loved this ride and made Uncle Sinan go on it twice with him. ::

Omaha
Kaya loves Omaha. He told me the other day that if Grandma and Grandpa sell their house, we should buy it and live on the lake forever. These photos pretty much sum up the time we spent there, and why he loves it:

:: The water trampoline ::

:: Tubing: in which Kaya and Daddy sit on an inflatable tube, pulled by a motorboat. I kind of can't believe I let him do this. ::

:: Fishing! Yes, that is a live fish; yes, it survived, if just barely; and yes, Kaya did want to eat it. Again, I can't believe I let him do this.::

:: Kaya and his cousins. Five children under five, spending the summer together on the lake? Yes, Kaya was happy. ::

Portland, OR
I went to Portland to visit my good friend Erica, whom I've known for 10 years now. The best part of the trip was, of course, spending some quality time with her and meeting her now-husband, Nick, but Portland made quite an impression as well.

:: On the flight in, I looked out my window, and this is what I saw. A mountain! With snow on top! In July! For someone from the East Coast, this is pretty darn amazing. I am told that this was probably Mount Hood. ::

:: Rickshaws, driven by hippies. Love it. I don't know which I would rather do: transport this guy and his rickshaw to Dhaka, or bring our rickshaw and rickshawallah to see him in Portland. Either way, this rickshaw looks way more comfortable than ours, despite being a bit bland (no decorative golden garlands and plastic birds??). ::

:: So much natural beauty, so close to the city. ::

Vancouver
In Vancouver, we visited our friends Robert and Liz, who were fantastic hosts and even took days off work to show us around.

:: Vancouver is another impressively beautiful city in an impressively beautiful location ::

:: One of my favorite places from the entire summer was, I think, Granville Island, where our friend Liz generously spent about five hours walking around with me. If you ever need to talk to a local person who has been to every single store on the island, that person is now Liz. ::

:: The beach and Stanley Park, where tourists -- clearly unaware that raccoons are rabid pests who should not be approached, let alone fed and coddled -- have created a population of raccoons who are friendly and diurnal. ::

We also went to Washington, DC and Chapel Hill, NC, and spent time with good friends in both places, but somehow forgot to take any photos. I guess we'll just have to go back next year.

And finally, one more image from the summer, and part of what made the summer even more memorable and wonderful:

Dhaka Sightseeing: Year One Review

2009-06-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

[This is a post that I wrote last June and apparently never published. Oops. Here it is...]

We have officially made it through our whole first school year in Dhaka! Going back through our photos from the year, I realized that we, somehwat surprisingly, never wrote a single post about any of our excursions around the city. Believe it or not, we did make an effort to see the sights (such as they are). As evidence -- and for anyone who is planning a vacation to Dhaka -- here are some of the places we visited last year:

Lalbagh Fort/Pink Palace: Not very exciting compared to the forts and palaces of India, but you kind of have to make the trip once to see them.

Boat trip on the Buriganga River: I don't know if this actually counts as a boat -- maybe a canoe? or raft? -- but it was certainly an experience.

Walking tours of Old Dhaka with the Urban Studies Group: We have done tours of Shakhari Bazaar (a predominantly Hindu neighborhood) and Sutrapur Farashganj (which used to be a French colony and includes a wholesale spice market). There are more, and they are always good.

Gallery-hopping in Dhanmondi: We have been to the Drik Gallery and Bengal Gallery, and there are more on our list for this year.

Paddle boating on Dhanmondi Lake: This was probably Kaya's favorite outing, especially since it ended with ice cream at the lakeside cafe.

Bangabondhu Museum: This can be combined with the galleries or paddle boating in Dhanmondi. It is where independence was declared and where the first leader of Bangladesh was assassinated. (Warning: Blood stains and more have been preserved on the walls, making it a bit macabre, which is maybe why I didn't take any pictures?)

Exploring the markets of Old Dhaka: New Market, Gausia Market, Chandni Chowk, the Hawkers' Market, Bango Bazaar... there are many, many old markets, each with their own specialities and flavor.

Dhaka University, the Central Shaheed Minar, and the National Assembly Building: All places of historical importance for Bangladeshis, though somewhat unexciting for the casual tourist.

Savar and Dhamrai: Savar has the National Martyrs' Memorial (again, not that exciting, but it does have some well-maintained open spaces), and Dhamrai has metal artisans who will invite you into their workshops and show you the process of lost wax casting that they use to create lovely brass sculptures.

Nandan Water Park: Chris and Kaya went and loved the water slides and pools. Apparently they also have a wave pool and even some amusement park-type rides.

It was certainly a memorable year. There are more places on our list for this year... and maybe we'll even post about them before the end of the year!

Dhaka Cooking, Season One: Season Finale

2009-06-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

Before we leave town for the summer, I thought I'd post one more of the recipes that we've discovered while living in Dhaka. This chickpea salad was delicious, but beware of the yogurt sauce. Some curry powders are spicier than others, and the amount of curry powder in the recipe is clearly meant for a mild, non-Bangladeshi version (or for masochists and fire eaters). Proceed with caution!

For Kaya, we mixed the chickpeas with couscous and spooned plain yogurt over the top, and he seemed to like it fine. For ourselves, we had the salad with this green bean dish. The green beans are kind of cheating: there are no proper green beans here, only Chinese yard long beans, and no pine nuts either (ours came back with us from Malaysia). At this point, I am willing to bend the rules a bit.

Next up, I am considering doing a special summer series of recipes that I will call, "Things you can only make in America." First on this list: chocolate chip cookie dough brownies. I am already thinking about how I can bring the ingredients for this back to Dhaka in August.

Moving up in the world :: by mama

2009-06-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

My dad just sent me this article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which excitedly announces the news that Pittsburgh has been ranked the most liveable city in the US by The Economist magazine. This happens pretty regularly: Pittsburgh has made itself into a really nice little city, and journalists occasionally notice that and write articles about it. It's good publicity, but not really surprising anymore, at least for those of us who spend time there on a regular basis.

What was of more interest to us was the rest of the list, which was actually a list of the 140 most -- and least -- liveable cities in the world, on which Pittsburgh ranked 29th. At the bottom, tied with Algiers, Algeria for next-to-last place out of 140, was Dhaka. The only city to rank lower was Harare, Zimbabwe. (The magazine did note that cities in Iraq and Afghanistan were excluded from consideration, if that's any consolation.)

So is it really that bad? Living in Dhaka certainly has its frustrations -- the pollution, the traffic, the dirt and the unavailability of tater tots come to mind -- but it's not intolerable by any means. Of course, as expats we have a much better standard of living than the vast majority of the population. Maybe if we were ordinary Bangladeshis then, yes, it would be that bad. Ultimately, I think nearly any place is what you make it, barring war or natural disaster, and for us, Dhaka is liveable, at least for a while.

More generally, I've noticed that just as Pittsburgh gets good press pretty regularly, Bangladesh gets some pretty terrible press. Foreign Policy magazine ranked Bangladesh 12th on its Failed States Index for 2008. Somalia was no.1, Iraq was no.5, Pakistan was no.9, and Haiti was no.14, to give you an idea of the kind of company we keep. Granted, Bangladesh had a military government at the time and has since held elections, but it's not a good sign. Aside from Lonely Planet's completely random inclusion of Bangladesh in its top 10 countries to visit for 2009 (after Algeria... anyone else notice a theme?), there is not much positive being said about Bangladesh out there.

So, what is the take-home message from this? Maybe we should move back to Pittsburgh. Then again, if the best city in the US is only ranked 29th overall, that would suggest that there are a whole bunch of other countries that are more liveable than the US. Our Australian friends were quick to point out that they have three cities in the top 10: Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. They had four in the top 10 last year, when Adelaide was ranked no.7. Surely there is an American School in Australia...?

We {heart} fabric :: by mama

2009-06-05T19:32:00.001-07:00

One of the many, many wonderful things about Kaya is that he actually enjoys sitting on my lap from time to time to look at fabric online. He tells me which fabrics he likes and doesn't like, and we have discussions about colors and prints. Good times.

In our fabric browsing, Kaya had spotted a rocket print fabric a couple of times and said that he wanted it, so, partly to encourage his interest in fabric, and partly to give myself an excuse to make something for him, I finally gave in and ordered it. Kaya's suggestion was that I should make him an outfit -- a shirt and shorts, to be specific -- to wear out and about. [He calls shorts, t-shirts, etc. "morning clothes" because, of course, you put them on in the morning, so his request was for "morning clothes."] Not wanting to hear complaints in 20 years about how I made him look ridiculous by dressing him in matching outfits, I vetoed his idea. Instead, we compromised on these pajamas. The pattern was pretty simple, he likes them, and I think he looks pretty darn cute!

Apologies for the awful pictures... the kid does not like to be photographed, so this is the best I could do. I will try to sneak some better shots to replace these ones, but it may never happen. Better to have something than nothing!

5, 6, 7

2009-05-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Following up on the earlier list of the Top 10 (really only 4) ways you know you've adjusted to living in Dhaka, here are a few more:

5. You stop referring to the weekend as Saturday and Sunday (because the weekend here is Friday and Saturday);

6. Driving (or rather riding) on the left-hand side of the road feels normal, and you even remember to walk around to the correct side of the vehicle to get in the passenger seat;

7. The only place you expect to see a spray nozzle indoors is next to the toilet seat, not the kitchen sink. Kaya in particular is going to miss his daily sprayings when we are away this summer.

I think the fact that we are only up to No.7 suggests that we all still have some adjustment to do...

Writer's Block?

2009-05-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

I guess you can’t really call it writer’s block since I do not consider myself a writer, but bloody hell (as my British counterparts would say), this is ridiculous. I have so much to say, but I can’t find a starting point. There is so much that goes on and there are so many surreal things about Dhaka and Bangladeshis that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. Hmm, kind of like when we try and go to a local market.

Well, let me ramble on and see if we can construct anything interesting. Only twenty-one more days until we fly back! We are very excited to see family and friends and to go to Starbucks. Did I just say that, I mean and go to… Okay fine, I am not ashamed to admit that I for one, am excited to sit down at a proper coffee shop and suck down some sugar, milk and coffee. Dhaka is great, but it doesn’t have any of the “cookie cutter” restaurants or stores that we have back home. Sometimes you just need to get out of Dhaka and those places would be great to have here! Actually, we do have a Pizza hut, seriously, a Pizza Hut. Lovely. I did see a Chili’s sign a few months back, but as it turns out the sign, like many things in Bangladesh, wasn't real. The restaurant had Bangladeshi food and that was it. No awesome blossom, bummer. Somehow the owner got an exact replica of the Chili’s sign!!! I also saw a Best Buy sign in rickshaw alley. Doubt I will be able to get the latest season of Entourage there. Actually, on second thought, I may be able to find it there! A friend of mine told me she purchased the Wolverine movie on DVD before it came out in the States. Piracy is alive and well on this side of the world. Arrrrr, matey.

Bangladesh, what the hell am I doing here!? Why am I enjoying it so much? I guess it’s that untamed, insatiable wanderlust in me that seems to…... Whoa, that last line sounded a little too Kerouac for me. I best be on my way, on the road and into the wild of Dhaka. From what I understand you all enjoy the Kaya quotes much more anyhow. He’s so funny.

Quote unquote

2009-05-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

:: Drawing of our family (Mama is in pink, Daddy is in orange, and Kaya is the big purple one, upside-down) and letters made with a stencil ::

*********************************

Daddy: I am coming right now, Kaya. One minute. Hold on.

Kaya: Daddy, there is no "hold on" in "I am coming!"

He did have a point...

**********************************

Kaya: Mama, ice cream has calcium in it.

M: Yes, that's correct.

Kaya: So I need some!

***********************************

Mama: Kaya, look at the baby. Isn't she cute?

Kaya: Yes! Can we borrow her for the weekend?

***********************************

Kaya: [feeling a scab on his elbow] Mama, feel how rough and prickly this is!

Mama: Wow, prickly.

Kaya: Yeah, just like your legs when you wear shorts!

Ouch.

An adventure :: by mama

2009-05-15T01:02:00.000-07:00

I have recently had a couple of opportunities through work to travel to Barisal, which is directly south of Dhaka, about 6 hours by car or 40 minutes by air. Going by car is interesting because you get to see a lot of the countryside and people going about their lives, but it is a long and occasionally nerve-wracking trip, given the state of the roads (and the drivers). Going by plane, on the other hand, is easy and convenient, albeit somewhat lacking in the charms of the Bangladeshi landscape. However, if you travel on the MAF flight, it does have the added bonus of the excitement of a water landing.

I think I was the only one in our group who had never been on a pontoon plane or experienced a water landing, so I felt like a little bit of a novice, but I went ahead and giddily took a zillion pictures anyway. It was a crazy feeling to be in a plane, in the middle of a river, and not be running for the emergency exit. And of course, this is Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries in the world, so even the rivers are crowded with fishermen in canoes, ferries, boats carrying cargo, and all manner of people and debris. We created quite a spectacle and attracted crowds on both banks of the river. Of course, it takes absolutely nothing of interest whatsoever to attract a crowd of staring onlookers in Bangladesh, but for once I could actually understand and share in the people's excitement. A plane just landed in the river! It was pretty darn awesome.

Aside from that, it was nice to get out of Dhaka, to see some greenery and check out the villages. It's really beautiful and so refreshing.

Bangladesh is lucky to have MAF operating here. They deliver medical and other supplies to remote areas and conduct rescue and relief operations following floods and natural disasters. They also allow aid workers, medical personnel, and others to reach communities that would otherwise be nearly inaccessible. Thank you, MAF!

Motherly wisdom :: by mama

2009-05-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

I recently read the book Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. It's not a new book; I've had it since Kaya was born and have only just now gotten around to reading it. (Oops.) I got a lot out of the book and would strongly recommend it to parents and teachers of boys -- in fact, I think I'm going to buy one for Kaya's pre-K teacher next year. Does that make me the kind of parent teachers dread??

In any case, in honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to share the passage that has stuck with me the most from the book, the one that I find myself thinking about at some point in every day. Here it is:

"When we see a mother and son in a synchronous relationship, we see a mother willing to look upon child rearing as a practice -- like meditation or yoga -- and willing to try to view the world through her son's eyes in order to understand his needs. That willingness to learn from a child is the single strongest trait in a parent, and it is so important for the mother of a boy because she has so much to learn about a boy's experience of himself and his world."

I like the idea of coming to parenting as a practice: coming to it fresh each day and trying to improve in whatever ways we can. I can relate to this idea from yoga, where we might do the same poses over and over again, but in some ways they are new every time, and there is always some way of improving, adjusting, stretching a little more. I can't say that I always approach parenting with such a Zen-like attitude, but it is a good mantra for me.

Happy mother's day to all the moms out there, most especially to our own fantastic mothers, who have done so much to guide and encourage us. They have put up with a lot from us over the years, as we throw ourselves into situations that most "normal" children would avoid, but they have taken it all in stride and supported us in so many ways. We continue to learn from their examples of generosity and unconditional love. We love you!!

More Dhaka cooking :: by mama

2009-04-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

I promised earlier that our next recipe experiment would be vegan, with no pasta. This sort of fulfills that promise: miso soup (with optional noodles).

As it turns out, there is a large South Korean population here in Bangladesh. I believe they are here largely for business, and mostly as part of the garment industry. In any case, there is a Korean shop here in Dhaka called Ko-Mart (really) that stocks all sorts of Korean goodies, from doughnut mix to underwear, as well as a few other Southeast Asian foods. They have sushi rice, nori and pickled ginger, wheat noodles, black rice, and miso paste, among other things. I had never made miso soup before but was a bit desperate for some variety, so I decided to give it a try.

I used a recipe from 101 Cookbooks, following the ingredient list pretty closely (with the sole addition of dried mushrooms, also from Ko-Mart) but increasing the amounts of everything. I ended up with a pretty full pot of very hearty, substantial, and tasty soup. Thank you, Ko-Mart!

How to make coconut milk

2009-04-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Coming from the States, I had only ever seen coconut milk in a can. As it turns out, coconut milk comes not only from cans, but from coconuts! Our lovely maid/cook, Kimbole, went to her home village over spring break and brought us some coconuts to show us how it's done.

First, you need a korani, a long metal instrument with short spikes on the end for shredding the coconut. It normally goes on the ground and is stabilized with a foot, with the person using it in a squatting position, but Kimbole demonstrated on the counter. (Actually, she had already done the work of shredding the coconuts by the time I showed up with a camera, so consider this a dramatic re-enactment of the events.)

This is from two coconuts. She used half of it for coconut milk and says that she will use the other half for payesh, a sweet Indian rice pudding.

The coconut goes in a pot on the stove with some water -- Kimbole used about two cups of coconut and about one cup of water -- until it is hot but not boiling. She then removed it from the heat, set it aside for about 20 minutes, and strained out the coconut. Voila! The result was coconut milk. She threw the cooked coconut away, but said that it could also be saved to use for cleaning. Apparently you can make a paste out of it, and it is good for scrubbing, especially for cleaning up grease and oil. Finally, she used the coconut milk to make a vegetable curry for our dinner. Yum!

Spring Break 2009 :: by mama

2009-04-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

We are back from a 10-day trip to Malaysia for spring break. The trip was, for me, a perfect example of why we came to this part of the world: it was an adventure filled with things I never expected to see, in places I never expected to visit, at any point in my lifetime. Ever.

We spent six nights on the island of Borneo and three in Kuala Lumpur. I will freely admit that prior to this trip, I would not have been able to find Borneo on a map, let alone tell you anything about it. And the only thing I knew about KL before moving to Asia was that it was the home of the world's tallest buildings -- until recently, anyway -- neither of which I ever thought I would see in person. Surprise! I was wrong.

Our first stop was the beach, for four nights of relaxation (and, Chris would add, clean air). It was perfect, especially for Kaya: warm, perpetually shallow water with waves that were made for a three-year-old. (In other words, virtually non-existent from an adult perspective, but hugely fun-scary-exciting for a small child, in a totally non-threatening way.) Kaya loves the beach and could have spent every day of our vacation in the exact same spot, if we had let him.

:: Kaya now loves frangipanis (photo by Lorinda) ::

:: Blue skies + beach = happiness ::

Next, we went inland, into the jungle, for two nights. It was a 45-minute flight + 1 hour drive + 1 hour boat ride just to get there. Our accommodations were a wooden platform with a foam pad and a mosquito net. No fan, no electricity, no running water, no flush toilets. If we wanted to bathe, we could use a bucket of river water. Nobody bathed. The plus side to this was that we were surrounded by wildlife. Orangutans, gibbons, long-tailed macaques, silvered leaf monkeys, proboscis monkeys, a huge variety of birds and reptiles and amphibians and bats and, yes, insects. Scorpions and tarantulas and stink bugs, oh my.

:: Jungle trekking. Note the muddy boots and pants. Rainy season = mud. ::

:: Orangutan in the wild ::

:: Mystery water creature ::

Finally, having had the requisite nature experience, we went to the city, to KL. Chris and I agreed that this was the perfect order in which to do things, because never have I appreciated civilization as much as I did coming from the jungle (and from Dhaka before that...). Every bit of it was fabulous. Shopping malls, huge bookstores, Starbucks, heaps of restaurants, and a comfortable bed at the end of the day. I may or may not have shed a tear when it was time to leave. Yes, it was that fabulous. (And the power outages in Dhaka are that bad.)

:: View of the Petronas Towers from the observation deck of the KL Tower ::

Our travel companions, Andrew and Lorinda, were fabulous, and I think we are going through withdrawal from not spending all of our time with them every day -- especially Kaya, who loves "Miss Lorinda" to bits. Kaya has even picked up some Australian-isms from them, and he now greets them with a cheery "Hi, mate!" in a pseudo-Australian accent (it sounds more like "mite" than "mate," but he's trying). He may not be learning much Bangla, but he will soon have a rich vocabulary of Australian slang. That has to count for something...

Easter Preparation

2009-04-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Kaya won't have an Easter basket this year, but he will be getting a few small Easter surprises. One of them is this guy:

I made him using a free wee bunny pattern from Wee Wonderfuls. I like that I was able to incorporate some of Kaya's favorite colors -- pink and purple, which are on the back polka dot fabric -- because they are Easter colors. Still, I suspect that he will be more interested in tying and untying the ribbon than in actually playing with the bunny.

Incidentally, guess what I used for stuffing? I started out with the scrap fabric and thread from the project itself. Then, when that wasn't nearly enough, I remembered the pillows from the ill-fated pillow cover project. I clearly won't be using them anytime soon, so... now some of their stuffing has a new home in Kaya's Easter rabbit. Happy Easter!

School of Dreams

2009-04-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

As several members of our families have asked us about making donations to various causes here in Bangladesh, I thought it might be useful if I profiled local organizations that I feel are doing good work.

The first is StreetWise, a school for street children. StreetWise is a relatively new organization, founded in 2006. They have about 30 children, aged 4-15, who meet in a rented apartment near the slum area where they live. They are divided into two groups, a younger group and an older group, each with a teacher. They learn the basic subjects following a standard Bangladeshi curriculum. They also learn practical skills such as cooking and personal care.

There are many schools for street children in Dhaka, including several that are bigger and more well-known than StreetWise. However, one of the reasons why I believe strongly in StreetWise is because of its founder, Anita Aparna Muyeed. Aparna's premise and the philosophy behind much of StreetWise's work is that she wants to give poor children a world-class education. She doesn't want to simply teach them to read and write or give them vocational skills like embroidery, in the hopes that they will eke out a living making handicrafts. She wants to give them access to the same quality of education that children get at the best international-standard private schools in the country -- one of which she worked at herself as a teacher for several years.

Aparna's beliefs fall in line with liberation theology's concept of a "preferential option for the poor," which I first read about in the book Mountains Beyond Mountains, about Paul Farmer. My favorite description of the concept comes from one of Farmer's own books, Pathologies of Power. He is discussing charity and medical care and describes the common attitude as, "the homeless poor are every bit as deserving of good medical care as the rest of us." Sounds reasonable enough. However, he goes on to rephrase the sentence to represent a preferential option for the poor, writing, "the homeless poor are more deserving of good medical care than the rest of us." To me, that quote summarizes the concept. Substitute "a good education" for "good medical care," and I think you'll have something approximating the guiding philosophy of StreetWise.

Simply put, the homeless poor are more "deserving" of a good education than the rest of us because they need it more. They have nothing else to help them improve their situations: no money, no family connections, no resources, nothing. They have nothing else going for them and, quite the opposite, a whole lot working against them. When these children are not in school, they are surrounded by drugs, violence, and prostitution. They are victims of abuse on every scale, from the individual to the societal. They desperately need the safety, routine, positive role models and mental stimulation of a good school, much more so than the typical middle-class child. A good education can provide these children with a way out of a horrible situation -- physically, emotionally, and mentally. They need a good education more than the rest of us. StreetWise is working to provide that for them.

Aparna has big dreams for StreetWise: she wants to build an international standard boarding school where the children can live in a safe, positive environment and focus on their education without the distractions, obstacles and responsibilities of life on the street. Cynics will undoubtedly say that all of this is unrealistic or worse, possibly even a waste of resources. However, I would again point to Paul Farmer and the organization that he started, Partners in Health (PIH). PIH provides high-quality medical care to the destitute poor around the world. Good medical care is a lot more expensive and difficult to provide than a good education, so I think his work is evidence that Aparna's dream is very much in the realm of reality. After all, we all make preferential options for our own children; StreetWise believes that it's time to make them for the children of the poor.

More quotes from Kaya

2009-03-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Kaya has always been a very verbal kid, but he is getting more and more articulate all the time. I love the fact that we can have real, extended conversations about all sorts of things now. I love hearing the way his little mind works things out as he talks. I love the uncensored, uninhibited openness that only comes from a small child... and I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts. So here are a few gems from Kaya:

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Chris: Wait one minute, Kaya. Count to 60 and a minute will be over.

K: One, two, three, four, five, sixty! Daaaaadddddy!!!

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K: "Hey guys, look at me!"

Mama: "Okay, but why are we looking at you?"

K: "Because I look awesome."

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Finally, Kaya has been using some new vocabulary lately. He is fond of the word "randomly." As in, "Hey guys! The lights just randomly went out!" Also, "the fact is." He was arguing with me the other day about whether it was daytime or nighttime in America, and he finally blurted out, "The fact is, it's daytime!" Fine, Kaya, it's daytime.

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Oh, and he did look pretty awesome.

Life is Good:

2009-03-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long time since I wrote anything of any sort of substance. I have been able to withstand a coup d’état by Sheela and now I am hoping that you haven’t given up on the blog. The last few months have been absolutely wicked busy with work. I am excited to return to a life of normalcy, (whatever that means in Dhaka). Anyhow, it’s the end of March and I think it is a good time to do some mid-late-year reflection.

Many of you, and “many” would indicate we have more than two readers out there, probably wonder what on Earth we do for fun in Dhaka. Jokingly, I was about to say cow tipping. That’s not too far fetched of an idea since there are cows roaming freely in the streets. We haven’t actually been cow tipping as of yet, but you just never know what can happen in the streets of Dhaka.

Since January 1st I have made a conscious decision to run to and from school each day. Since ole Kayito attends school that would mean he has to run as well. Thankfully we brought the jogging stroller my parents gave us when he was born. Each day we leave at 6:30 (to avoid traffic) and head to school. The run is only about a 1.5 miles, but it is nice to be active. Kaya seems to enjoy it as well. We have done two local races and he always wants to get out and run the race afterwards. He ran home yesterday (about a quarter mile). Running to school is good because we get to have extra time together and we have recently started swimming before school. Running is good. I am however, thinking about purchasing a mask though. Pollution is not good…..

(Animals we have seen on our runs: monkeys, camels, squirrels, goats, chickens, cows, sheep, parrots, dogs and Sheela even saw an elephant in the street!)

Another thing I have been involved in is a coed slow pitch softball league. This has been loads of fun and also at the same time a bit frustrating. My team consists of mostly Aussies, Brits and folks that have never played softball before. One of the highlights for me was when of the Cricketers (a person that plays Cricket), caught a ball in the outfield and got so excited that he held on to the ball and then threw it up in the air, like he would have done in cricket. It’s always something. Good times.

I have been playing Ultimate Frisbee on Tuesday nights at the American school. This has been a great way to meet people and stay in shape. The people that come out to play are great fun and there is always someone new.

My job has me busy busy busy! I don’t often have time to do much else than stay insanely busy. I could bore you with hours of details, but let’s just say I have never worked this hard or as much in my life. I am really enjoying it though. I have an amazing team and some very motivated and qualified PE staff. So, surprisingly, I would list that as one of the things I do for fun.

What I enjoy most is spending time with Kaya and Sheela. We have a tradition of going to the American Club for brunch on Saturdays and I really do treasure these times. The American Club is a great place for families to hang out and “get out of Dhaka.” Kaya and I swim most days, but there are many different options for him. I really just treasure being with the other two members of “Team Hesse.”

Occasionally we get out and about to see a museum or visit some new part of Dhaka, but I pretty much listed the things I do for entertainment. It’s definitely not the States, but it’s good for now. I can’t predict the future, but I would have to say that with the current financial situation all over the world, we are quite content to be living a humble life, saving money and collecting some pretty amazing experiences here in Dhaka.

MY Top 10 list, pro’s and con’s to living here in Dhaka….

What do I like about Dhaka?
1. Not having to worry about money.
2. Seeing Kaya so happy.
3. Experiencing another culture.
4. Being so close to other countries and consequently being able to travel.
5. My job.
6. Running to and from work.
7. The American Club and the $3.30 Guiness they sometimes have.
8. Sheela not working full time and being able to do stuff for herself.
9. Meeting so many really interesting people from all over the world.
10. Not having fastfood, cable TV or constant media trying to convince me to be or look a certain way.

What isn’t so pleasant about Dhaka?
1. I really miss my dog Bunte
2. POLLUTION
3. Poverty and seeing kids on the streets.
4. Having those kids and homeless people constantly beg for money.
5. Lack of space to do outdoor things, i.e. trails to run or a variety of parks to play at
6. People staring at us all the time.
7. Daily Blackouts
8. Slow internet
9. Being surrounded by people all the time.
10. POLLUTION

Welcome back Cool Papa!

2009-03-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

It’s been quite some since I have actually contributed to this blog. Time to stir things up I guess. We will keep this one short and sweet. No need to go overboard or get in over my head. Besides, once I reveal the topic, there really won’t be much to write about anyhow!

It has been a great eight months thus far and we have definitely had our ups and downs. There are many great things about living in Dhaka and of course there is always the flipside as well. I was thinking the other day about coming up with a “top ten things that prove you are used to living in Dhaka.”

I could only come up with four.

1. You are excited when you only have two blackouts in one day.
2. You are happy when you blow your nose and the tissue isn’t totally black.
3. You think instant coffee (Nescafe) actually tastes good.
4. You get mad at your rickshaw walla for not going the wrong way on a one-way road.

I am sure I could come up with a few more, but the fact that I haven’t been able to rattle off ten right away is probably a good indication that I will never get used to living in Dhaka. It’s always something new here and to tell you the truth, I kind of like it.

Winter Cooking, Part II :: by mama

2009-03-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing leeks in the grocery stores recently, which has been an unexpected surprise. Like strawberries, I think these are only around for the expats. (Thankfully, though, they are a lot cheaper.) Are leeks still in season now in the States? Or is their season over? I cannot remember exactly. Just in case they are still around, I thought I'd post a recipe that we enjoy, so others can try it as well.

I wasn't sure how Kaya would react to leeks. He is usually a very good eater, but I remember not being too crazy about leeks as a kid, and I thought he might feel the same. So I started out making a very basic leek and potato soup, which I was pretty sure he would like. That went over well, so I moved on to this dish, fettuccine with leeks and white beans, from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. I used homemade vegetable broth instead of chicken stock and increased the amounts of everything to accommodate a full pound of pasta. This is not "everyday food" for us, by any means, because fresh cream is not easy to come by around here. But it is good food; even Kaya thinks so.

I just noticed that the only two dishes I've posted about so far have been pasta + beans + a vegetable + dairy. Oops. We really do have more variety in our diets, I swear. And we don't eat that much dairy. My goal for the next recipe: a vegan dish with no pasta. No promises about the beans or veggies!

Square one... or 72

2009-03-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Following the untimely demise of my old sewing machine, I decided that I might as well buy a new one locally. This was a pretty simple process, since I could only find only one store here that sells sewing machines (the Singer store) and there were only two models in the store (manual or electric). Sewing machines are basically an afterthought for them, back in a corner past the microwaves and refrigerators and computers and, oh look, the motorcycles. Singer makes motorcycles, who knew? Not me. Anyway, after you pass all that, you get to the two sewing machines. And yes, I did momentarily consider getting the manual one... but I quickly came to my senses and ended up with this number:

It is a very simple machine, and not quite the same sewing experience as my Bernina with its 20+ stitch options and computerized screen. However, unlike my Bernina, it actually works. Turns out that's a pretty helpful quality in a sewing machine.

So, you must be wondering, what did I make first? The responsible thing would have been to make a cover for my machine, to protect it from the black dust that ends up everywhere. (I opened an empty drawer the other day and found a layer of black on the bottom. How does it get in there? I do not know.) There is even a pattern on the Spool website, which I was ready to use, until I got distracted by something else on their site. And so I have ended up with this:

The printed fabric is part of my Christmas present from Chris, which was a big stack of fabric and sewing supplies from Tokyo. The solid cream fabric is a handloomed cotton that I found at Sally Ann, the Salvation Army's store here in Dhaka. I really liked the idea of combining the industrial, machine-made fabric with the handwoven local fabric... and it was fun to put these together.

But why are they not covering pillows, you may ask? It's because I messed up the measurements, and they are now the wrong size. Among people who know me well, this will be a surprise to exactly nobody. I have two engineers and a physicist in my immediate family, and I can barely do basic math. The amount of math involved in figuring out the measurements for all of these little squares was clearly beyond my skill level. Next time I will enlist someone who can actually add to help me with my sewing projects.

In the meantime, now what? I could get pillows custom made to measure, but that would be ridiculous and way too embarrassing. I could make these into something else, but what? A quilt? A table runner? Or, here's an idea, maybe I'll make them into a sewing machine cover. Stay tuned...

Food News :: by Mama

2009-03-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

As is probably evident by now, food is a big part of our lives here in Bangladesh. There is no one grocery store that has every food we buy, so we end up devoting substantial chunks of time to traveling around, buying a few things here and a few things there, until everything is crossed off our list. Also, being accustomed to all-American, supersized packages of bulk goods from Costco, we have found the standard package sizes here to be woefully inadequate for our needs. We were constantly running out of things, until we adopted our own version of the Costco mentality and started stockpiling multiple packages of basic necessities. Chris has accused me of acting as though I am preparing for the Great Depression, but at least we don't run out of things any more.

The strange thing is, it seems that almost every time I go shopping for food, I find something new that I have never seen before in Bangladesh. I don't really understand where these things come from, but they just appear and, sometimes, disappear just as quickly. Here are a few of the discoveries we've made recently:

1. Strawberries, locally grown! I totally did not see this one coming, especially since tomato and zucchini season is just ending. Since when do strawberries come after tomatoes? Since we live in Bangladesh, apparently. Clearly they are only being grown for the expat market -- and are priced accordingly, at about US$3 for half a pound, yikes! -- but we could not pass them up. Kaya had been asking for strawberries just a week or two before these appeared. Lucky boy.

2. Tahini (and ketchup from Thailand, which is not new but came home in the same bag and ended up in the photo). Tahini was on my list of food to bring back next summer, and now it is here! Now I just have to get around to making some hummus with it.

3. Chocolate chips. Mmmmm. I didn't actually find these in a grocery store. A friend gave them to us before heading back to the States for her maternity leave. She had sent them in her air shipment last August and hadn't used them yet! Thank you, Misti. Your chocolate chips are gone.

Smartypants :: by Mama

2009-02-27T02:44:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, Kaya asked for "the water bottle in the corner of the cabinet." "Which corner," I asked, "of which cabinet?" "The kitchen cabinet," said he, "It's the one that Elizabeth gave me." He was talking about a water bottle that our good friend Elizabeth gave him probably a full year ago, and which we have rarely (sorry, Elizabeth!) used since. (Hence its placement in the farthest corner of the cabinet.)

How does he remember these things? I do not know, so I inquired, "Kaya, how did you get so smart?" And, as if to prove his smarty smartness, he said, "From you!" Ha! Smart, smart, smart. (Of course, this response may also have come from my expression of delight when I asked him earlier today how he got so cute and he said, "From you." Even so, that just means that he is observant and perceptive. Ergo, smart.)

Here he is with the water bottle, looking slightly dazed:

In less exciting news, I am beginning to wonder whether Kaya could be the reincarnation of my 7th grade English teacher. Today I said something about how we were going to take an afternoon nap. He looked at me and said, "We, mama? We?" He said this not in a hopeful way, or an excited way, because he knew quite well that I did not actually intend to take a nap with him. He just said it in a stern and slightly patronizing way, clearly intending to point out my incorrect use of the personal pronoun. I apologize, Kaya. I apologize also to my 7th grade English teacher, whatever her name was. Does anyone remember her name? Anyone? Darn, maybe Kaya didn't get his smarty smartness from me after all.

Happy Belated IMLD

2009-02-25T23:57:00.000-08:00

Did you know that February 21st was International Mother Language Day? No? It's "international" because it was adopted by UNESCO in 1999, but it started out as a Bangladeshi holiday: February 21 was Language Movement Day, a national holiday commemorating the 1952 death of university students who were protesting a decision to make Urdu the national language for all of Pakistan, East and West. (Modern-day Bangladesh was East Pakistan at the time.) Bengali was eventually granted official status in 1956, alongside Urdu, but the tensions from the language movement eventually led, in part, to the independence movement and the Liberation War of 1971. When the name for the new nation was officially chosen, East Pakistan became Bangladesh -- "desh" means country in Bangla, so it's the country of Bangla, make no mistake about it.

Needless to say, people take their language seriously here. They are very proud of their linguistic heritage and especially of authors and poets such as Rabindranath Tagore, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. They have a month-long Bengali-language public book fair leading up to the 21st, and lots of events associated with Mother Language Day. On the day itself, people wear black and white, and huge crowds of people go to the Central Shaheed Minar, the monument to the students who were killed, to pay their respects.

Juxtapose all of this pride and reverence with the statistics that came out recently from a report on primary education in Bangladesh. The report found that nearly 70% of children with five years -- five years! -- of primary education could not so much as read a newspaper headline correctly. Bangladesh has put a lot of effort into bringing more children, especially girls, into the classroom, and the government spends as much on education as it does on defence and health combined. (17% of government expenditures go to education, 10% to defence, and 7% to health; for comparison, in the US, only 3% of government expenditures go to education, while 20% go to defence and 25% to health.*) However, the quality of the education these children are getting is clearly lacking.

One issue is undoubtedly the language itself. Bangla is most definitely not an easy language to learn. I have been taking Bangla classes for six months now, five days a week, two hours a day, and I struggle with it -- and I don't have the challenges of a crowded classroom (or no classroom at all), or a poorly trained teacher, or a lack of teaching materials, or an empty belly, or lower cognitive ability due to poor nutrition, or all of the above. I have all the tools I could possibly need to learn this language, and it's still a challenge.

First of all, the sheer number of letters that one has to remember is borderline preposterous. It's not as bad as some other languages, like Chinese -- the number of letters is finite, not infinite -- but it's pretty bad. There are 11 vowels, most of which have two forms. Plus 39 consonants. Plus a sort of indeterminate number of combined letters, in which two or even three consonants and/or vowels come together in completely new forms. One of my Bangla teachers told me that he tried listing all the letters once and came up with something approaching 200, but that was just an estimate. Apparently there are too many letters for anyone to have bothered with an official list.

On top of that, the letters are not always written in the order in which they are spoken. Letters are sometimes written in backwards order to the way they are spoken, or they can come above or below other letters, and some are not written at all. Can you imagine being a small child and trying to figure out which letter you are supposed to pronounce when, if you can even remember what the letter is? Sure, there are rules to guide you, but how is a child going to remember them all? An example: the word "kobe," which is one of several words for "when," is spelled k-e-b in Bangla. The "e" is written before the "b" but spoken after it. The "o" is not written at all, but you are supposed to know it is there. It's madness! And yes, of course, I know English is its own brand of crazy, but our alphabet is only 26 letters, and they are all relatively simple in form, compared to the roundabout curlicues and flourishes of Bangla. I just cannot imagine how difficult it must be for a small child of 6 or 7 to learn to read and write such a complex language with any fluency. It happens, of course, for many people, but... for many more, it never does happen. And for a language with such a rich history, and in a country that celebrates Mother Language Day with such fervency, that is a shame.

As with so many things, there seem to be two sides to the relationship between Bangladesh and Bangla. There is the relationship in its ideal form, as embodied in Mother Language Day, when the Shaheed Minar is cleaned up and decorated and people remove their shoes as they approach it to show their respect. We made an attempt to visit the monument on this day, to be part of something festive and to see Bangladesh as it wants to be seen, as it sees itself. However, the roads were blocked and clogged with people, and we would have had to get out of the vehicle and walk an unknown distance to the monument (with Kaya, who naturally had chosen that moment to fall asleep). Even on this one special day of the year, the reality of Bangladesh overwhelmed the ideal; we decided to go somewhere calmer instead.

More often, what we see are images from the other side of the relationship, from one of the other 364 days of the year. When we visited the monument one day last October, it looked sadly forlorn, littered with trash and populated by beggars and farm animals. This is its normal condition, and perhaps a more accurate reflection of the relationship between Bangladesh and Bangla. It's a symbol of genuine sentiment overshadowed by poverty, neglect, and indifference. To me, it is form without substance, promise without action. But the fact that it is there at all -- and that thousands of people still come to the book fair every year, making it bigger than any literary event I've seen in the States -- has to mean that at least some portion of the population still values language and reading. One can only hope that they find a way to pass those values on to the 70% of children who are struggling with their Mother Language.

*Government expenditure data are from the UNICEF State of the World's Children 2009 report, Table 7, pp 142-145.

Winter Cooking :: by Mama

2009-01-27T01:01:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking for some time that I should compile a cookbook of recipes that one can actually make here in Bangladesh.

It's not that the food situation is so terrible here. We are not starving, really. However, we have had to omit a number of recipes from our normal cooking rotation due to one or two key ingredients being unavailable. Mushrooms, for example. No more pasta with portobellos, or mushroom barley soup, or lentils with garlic mushrooms, or... you get the idea. So I've been looking for new recipes, and I've found quite a few that have quickly become family favorites. I thought I would post some of them from time to time, in case others would like to try them as well. [I plan to only post recipes that I have found online, so everyone can access them easily.]

One that we really love is Summer Pasta with Tomatoes and Chickpeas. Yes, I know that this is not summer, but winter is tomato season in Bangladesh. It's also the season for zucchini (more on those later) and, surprise, sweet corn. Soon to come: Ten Reasons Why Dhaka is Just Like Omaha. N0.1 is the corn; I am still working on the other 9.

This recipe does require a little legwork: the shop that sells balsamic vinegar does not sell pasta, the shop that sells pasta does not sell feta cheese, and tomatoes are usually best purchased from the market. Also, basil is not available in Bangladesh. (I know, oops.) We do have a small basil plant growing on the roof, or it can easily be left out. I actually left it out when I made this yesterday, because the plant is small and I would like to see it live to get bigger. Still, I think it turned out well:

And for dessert, zucchini bread! I used to have a great recipe for chocolate zucchini bread, but sadly, good baking chocolate is another thing that we cannot get here. No chocolate chips, or even chocolate bars that I could break up into pieces, except for one brand imported from England that is almost US$7 a bar. So, no chocolate, but still yummy. I am excited that all of these foods will be in season again in only six months, in the Western Hemisphere!

Happy new year!

2009-01-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a (very belated) happy new year. Hope everyone's year is off to a wonderful start!

I do realize that we never mentioned anything about our holidays, specifically about the fact that we spent them traveling around India. This is partly because the people who read this blog (hi Mom and Dad!) have most likely already seen the photos elsewhere. It's partly also pure laziness, but we won't emphasize that part. If one of us gets a burst of motivation (maybe Kaya, since he has the most energy?), you may yet get a post about India. For now, we'll just say that all three of us had a great time, and that the highlight was definitely spending time with so many friends and family members.

The quote of the season comes, of course, from Kaya. We were looking at this Christmas card from his friend Phoebe's nanny --

-- when Kaya exclaimed, "Hey, look, they got a BABY for Christmas!!"

Well... sort of. I guess we know what he'll be expecting next year!

Slaughterhouse Road 5

2008-12-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

We made sure to get all the movies ready, food supplies stocked, and water bottles lined up. Like a good Boy Scout, we were prepared for anything! We had heard about the supposed “carnage” of Eid. In fact, most teachers made sure to leave the country before the day and advised us to do the same. Call us courageous or maybe curious, or even cuckoo, I don’t know.

Rumor had it that the sacrifices would commence at around 8:00 or 9:00 am. Kaya of course woke up well before this and was ready to begin “movie day” at around 6:00am. I was actually pretty excited for the day. Granted, I did feel sorry for the three cows and three goats taking up temporary residence in our garage, but come on, when do you ever get to devote an entire day to viewing movies?! Celebrating Eid was going to be fun!

Our movie lineup included: Cars, Toy Story and Shark Tale. (I also had the Star Wars movie, The Clone Wars) Being a big kid at heart, I was super stoked to watch these fine animated films. One side note, we have a fine selection of movies courtesy of the local DVD store. Anything you want for around a $1.50 each! They don’t always work and we have managed to miss a few endings, but seriously this is Bangladesh and you can’t beat the price.

Back to Eid. Sheela had no interest in looking outside and thanks to excellent planning with the volume way up, Kaya had not clue as to what was really going on. In his mind, the field trip was about to end for those animals. I guess, in a way it did.

I didn’t want Kaya to be scarred for life because of dying animals all over the place so I too was a bit concerned. In all honesty though, Eid was a bit underwhelming. We heard no crying animals and only saw a limited amount of blood. Not that I was looking forward to any of it.
The people were quite efficient with the whole process. I looked out at one point and saw a dead cow in the neighbor’s driveway. About a half an hour later it was gutted and people were removing various body parts, disassembling the beast. One hour later there was no evidence of any slaughter. This wasn’t true for every house though. I went out later that day and did see a few pools of diluted blood in the streets. It really was amazing that just hours before there had been probably a herd of cattle throughout our neighborhood and now there was nothing. The animals did not go to waste. I was informed that all of the meat was consumed and the various innards were consumed or made into shirts and shoes for Nike.

Unfortunately the slaughter wasn’t quite finished. Goats and camels were still to come. Yes, I wrote camels. They didn’t have any camels in our garage, but Kaya and I went for a run two days later and came across a pair in front of a mansion. In my opinion it was a waste, an ostentatious display of wealth and power that we so often see here in Dhaka. The poor beasts were clearly starved and no real meat could be taken from them. A simple case of showing off.
It was kind of crazy though, Kaya and I were just running along and suddenly he says, “Daddy, look, camels.” He said it like seeing camels was an every day occurrence. Monkeys, elephants, and camels… we’ve seen it all!

As you have already probably figured out from previous knowledge or by our blog posts, Bangladesh is poor. Up until this point we hadn’t see a healthy looking creature around. Sure, we would see goats, chickens and cows running free in the streets, but they were mere inklings of what they could be with some food. But now, where on Earth were all these amazing cows and goats coming from?

The answer, as I am told, is India. The irony of that is, in India cows are sacred and can roam freely where ever they please. People don’t tie them up, they just do their thing. Hindus selling them to Muslims for slaughter?! Talk about bad karma. Apparently, these cows somehow made it across the border with India and to the streets of Dhaka for sale and slaughter. In a country where corruption is ever-present, I dare say, “something fishy is going on here!” I guess it doesn’t matter where you are or what religion you practice, money talks.

When it was all said and done, Sheela and I debated whether or not the whole sacrifice/slaughter was a good thing. I argued that the animals were being used to their fullest and meat was distributed to the poor. She claimed that the people purchasing cows could better help the poor by either giving them the money directly or putting money into various local programs. Touché.

Interesting times here on the other side of the world. It’s not every day you see cows slaughtered right before your eyes. Well, I guess Kevin Lee might say otherwise. Have a great day and stay tuned!

Eid Mubarak, again.

2008-12-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow* is Eid al-Adha, or Korbani Eid as it is known in Bangladesh. It is the festival of sacrifice, in which any family with the means to do so is expected to sacrifice an animal. The animal is then divided into thirds: one third for the poor, one third for extended family and neighbors, and one third for the family itself. Apparently the history behind the holiday comes from the story of Abraham, in which he was prepared to sacrifice his son as an act of devotion, but God provided a lamb to sacrifice instead.

Following tradition, the typical sacrifice in the Muslim world is a goat or a lamb, and there are plenty of those around. (Today I saw a sheep riding in a rickshaw. Really, never a dull moment.) However, Bangladesh being Bangladesh, they diverge a bit from tradition here: instead of goats and lambs, the animals being sacrificed mostly seem to be cows. There are cows everywhere. Walking down the streets, tied to trees, riding in trucks, everywhere. Every house seems to have at least one cow somewhere on the property. We have three of them in our garage, along with several goats. It's a veritable mooing, bleating farmland idyll down there.

There is even somewhat of a festival atmosphere, at least more so than during Eid ul-Fitr, which was just eerily quiet. Many of the cows are adorned with garlands of flowers and shiny decorativeness, and there was even a small band playing in the street today.

Kaya thinks the whole thing is fantastic, but that's because he doesn't really know what comes next. He has been told that the animals are on a field trip to the city and that they will be going back to their farms tomorrow. (Yes, by his mother.) He also knows that, coincidentally enough, tomorrow is movie day! This means that we get to stay inside the whole day and sit on the couch and watch as many movies as he wants, at very high volume to drown out any unpleasant sounds from outside! We have stocked up on groceries, made cookies, and otherwise ensured that there will be no need to step outdoors at any point tomorrow. Wish us luck.....

* Wikipedia says that Eid was supposed to be today. However, Bangladesh celebrated Eid ul-Fitr several days after the rest of the Muslim world last October, so clearly we are on our own timetable here.

Professional Development

2008-12-05T23:21:00.000-08:00

Tokyo....the city that never sleeps. No, nevermind, that was us that didn't sleep....

A Peace Corps friend once told me that you could tell if you really loved a place by the return flight. At the time, he had just returned to Belize from the States and he wasn’t quite sold on his new country just yet. Last weekend I went to Tokyo for a professional development conference and it was upon my return that I remembered Ed Worrell’s words of wisdom. I was definitely excited to come back to see my family, but after an amazing trip to new lands, Dhaka didn’t seem as exciting as when I first arrived.

I have been so fortunate to go on two overseas trips from Dhaka thus far. Many teachers will not even get to go on one. (I still haven’t written about Malaysia yet, but that will come as soon as things cool down here. I will confess as to why I have been so busy in the latter part of this entry.) The school sent four of us teachers to Tokyo to learn more about the Middle Years Program for IB. My part of the workshop had to do with PE and secondary school. I am quite enjoying teaching high school. Although I will admit that I am a much better primary school PE teacher. Anyhow, I learned a bunch about the MYP program and what is expected from the PE end of things.

One of the great things about the workshop was the networking. I met almost thirty other PE teachers from various countries and it was very interesting to hear what they had to say about teaching, their schools, life abroad, etc… I will say though, I was one of very few Americans. One of my colleagues asked me why I thought so few Americans seemed to be in the international teaching scene, and I really couldn’t say why. Who knows, maybe after reading this blog people might change their minds and jump ship!? I enjoy talking to other PEers because they always have a different spin on things and quite often you learn either new ideas or new approaches to teaching.

Let’s backtrack a bit here. I mentioned that I went to Tokyo with three other teachers. Lorinda, aka Kate from Australia, Sholu, aka Monique from the U.K and Tahsina from Bangladesh. Then of course me, Cool Papa aka Larry from the U.S. or Canada depending on what part of the night you talked to me. We made sure to work very hard during the day so that we could enjoy the evenings to their fullest! I was actually quite surprised as to the enthusiastic nature in which my counterparts wanted to partake in local activities or some might say, paint the town. Another great thing about the trip is that it gave me a chance to really get to know a couple of my colleagues outside the school setting. Kate and Monnie were a riot, instant fun, just add those two. At one point I told the ladies I might have to come out of retirement just to show them how it’s done. Fortunately I am still retired, but I still managed to stay up way past my bedtime!

So where do I begin? I guess I will start this story by saying what happens in Tokyo stays in Tokyo. Kidding. No, actually I have never been to Japan and I really didn’t know what to expect. I had seen the movie Lost in Translation so I didn’t know if what I was expecting was going to be real or not. I was expecting to end up on the streets of Tokyo late night in a colorful camouflage shirt after some karaoke. Some of that happened, but not quite like the movie. Confession: I did pose for a picture with the owner of a bar as Matthew Mcconaughey.

The evenings usually began quite tranquil. We did a bunch of shopping since real shopping is nonexistent in Bangladesh. Tokyo was crazy!!! It reminded me of a super clean NYC. They had all these super high-end shops everywhere. I think the that I only saw one homeless person the entire time I was there, granted we didn’t go everywhere, (but it sure did seem like it). Kate’s step-Grandmother is Japanese and so for the earlier part of the evenings we had a personal tour guide. Medori helped us navigate through the labyrinth called the Tokyo subway system (http://www.tokyometro.jp/rosen/rosenzu/pdf/rosen_eng.pdf ). I couldn’t believe how many lines this subway system had on it.

Instead of writing about the evenings, I will just post some photos and you can make up your own story. The bottom line was, the workshop was amazing. I feel more relaxed about my job now that I know what the heck is going on. I am also feeling more inspired to teach, not just teach, but be one of those Dead Poet Society kind of teachers. I am feeling very fortunate to be in the situation that I am in and I can’t wait for the next adventure. Which will hopefully be India in December. Oh by the way, I have from December 4th to January 4th off.

Inspired, overwhelmed, tired, ready, curious, rejuvenated, feeling a bit of wanderlust

Please enjoy the pictures. Sometimes pictures tell a better story than words.....

Japanese Anime was everywhere. Old, young, male, female...playing watching, dressing up as...

This lad is Kenichi Ito, the other two cats are Ben and Sholu.
I saw quite a few "Kenichis" out during our time in Tokyo.

I don't know how, but somehow we managed to have fun.

Fitting in wasn't a problem either....

Professional Development continued...

2008-12-05T00:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasure. "Messy" my alter-ego did NOT come out to spend all of my money. (line taken from good ole Kevin Lee)

These two gents were more than happy to pose for a picture!

Sholu and Larry on the dance floor! (just for clarification, we are not bumping and grinding)

I had to include the toilet because they were amazing! Notice the buttons on the right side of the seat. You can push various buttons that make certain noises and therefore make it seem as if you were going to the bathroom. Number one or number two. Crazy huh!?

The Imperial Palace

All the workshop participants! See I was there for professional development....in so many ways.

I am so professionally developed right about now....

2008-12-05T00:07:00.000-08:00

Tokyo wouldn't be complete without some karaoke (Kate and Larry.)

Larry Foo Fighting with Dave Grohl

This is just another good example of a very typical scene in Tokyo. At least for the places we ventured to.

Not everything in Tokyo is expensive!

Not sure what is going on here. Looks interesting though.

Report from the Kaya front, by mama

2008-12-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

I am beginning to think that Kaya is headed towards a career in journalism, most likely at a tabloid magazine or similarly sensationalistic outlet. Case in point: he has begun combining peoples' names, à la Bennifer and Brangelina. His friends downstairs are named Nathan and Sebastian, but he recently discovered that he could combine their names and just call them SebastiaNath. Also, our maid and nanny are named Kimbole and Mrithika, but Kaya now sometimes refers to them together as MrithiKimbol. I find this slightly mortifying, but luckily, Kimbole and Mrithika find everything Kaya does to be completely hilarious, and they do not seem to mind the loss of their individual identities.

Another sign of Kaya's future as a journalist -- most likely at Fox News -- is his deeply patriotic opposition to anything French. I am not sure where this comes from, since he has several French-speaking friends whom he loves. However, he informed me last week that we would have to stop having French toast for breakfast, because we are "becoming too French." Then, after learning about different instruments in music class, he told me yesterday that he would not be playing the French horn, because he is not French. So apparently that has been decided. I won't be mourning the French horn, but I do like French toast. Freedom toast, anyone?

Finally, in a sign that maybe I should have been a journalist, I am in love with the New York Times' After Deadline blog. How did I not discover this earlier?? Grammar is, as we Americans say, awesome.

Top 10 list!

2008-11-19T00:16:00.000-08:00

This is an email I received from a colleague at work. I don't know if it's true, but interesting nonetheless. Extreme Robert will be excited to know that Canada is on the list. Have a good one!

By the way, Grease was pretty cool. I managed to remember all my lines for the three performances. I asked earlier today about pictures and video. They said they would get them out soon. I'll bet you can't wait....

Also, Happy Garifuna Settlement Day!! (I miss Belize...)

Hi all,

Bangladesh has recently been included in Lonely Planet's top 10 countries to visit.

The list is:

Algeria

Bangladesh

Canada

Georgia

Greenland

Kyrgyzstan

Oman

Peru

Rwanda

Sierra Leone

'Bangladesh is not the country of disappointment as portrayed by the media nor is it merely the poor cousin of India. Instead Bangladesh is a revelation that leaves India looking a little worse for wear. Any visitor who ventures here will return home with stories so improbable that claiming you have a pet unicorn will sound more believable.

So, what is it that makes accounts of this big-hearted nation so refreshingly unlikely? For a start, Bangladesh, one of the poorest nations on earth, has done what California, the richest area on earth, claims is prohibitively expensive - it has banned all petrol and diesel vehicles from its two major conurbations and soon will do so for the entire country. If that hasn't confounded the disbelievers, then wait until they hear that the highest point in Bangladesh, which is famous for being frying-pan flat, is higher than the highest peak in Scotland, which is famous for being leg-achingly mountainous.'

Crafty Mama

2008-11-13T22:11:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months, while waiting for our shipment to arrive, I have spent quite a bit of time -- perhaps more than I should admit! -- reading craft blogs and thinking about all the things I would make when my sewing machine arrived. Not having had much free time over the past few years (what with the full-time graduate school, and full-time motherhood, and a part-time job or three), I am somewhat new to the world of blogs. [Yes, I realize that I am behind the times. The way I see it, though, that just means that there is more out there for me to read now!] It has been such an inspiration to read about all of the wonderful projects that people are working on and to see others' creativity. While reading the blogs, I quickly amassed heaps of notes, lists, and drawings of potential projects for myself. And when my sewing machine finally arrived -- oh, the excitement! -- I got right to work.

First, I made a bag for myself, to carry my papers and books to Bangla class every day. It was super simple, quick and very satisfying. The next day, I hadn't even made it through the front door of the language center before a friend asked me to make her a bag as well! So I made two more bags, on the theory that doubling a recipe is easier than making two batches. Why not, right? So here are my three bags:

Then, having been inspired by SouleMama's homemade blank books, I decided to make a few for one of Kaya's friends whose 8th birthday was coming up. I used the sewing machine to do the bindings and glued on white paper so he can write and draw on the cover as well.

Unfortunately, that is as far as I got with the sewing, because then my machine broke. I turned it on one evening, and it would only sew in reverse. What? Yes. esrever ni ylnO. People have very helpfully suggested that I could just sit behind the sewing machine and pretend like nothing happened, but people! That is just crazy. No, the only reasonable and truly American way to handle this situation is, clearly, to buy a new machine. Fixing it is not really an option because I would have to take it to Mumbai, where I know exactly nobody. Instead, I'll probably just buy a very basic machine locally, and that way there will (theoretically) be someone here in Dhaka who can fix the new machine when it inevitably breaks.

In the meanwhile, I figure I can practice some embroidery. Does anybody need a hot pink bag with a whole lot of flowers embroidered on it? Because I now have one.

2008-11-11T02:01:00.000-08:00

I am in Grease! I am the Coach. I will post any video that I come across!

A bad case of stripes

2008-10-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

This morning Kaya and I were singing the song "The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book. I realized at one point that he must have misunderstood the words, because he was saying "stripes" instead of "strife."

Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities
Forget about your problems and your stripes.

Ha! It was so cute, I couldn't bring myself to correct him.

random thoughts

2008-10-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

This isn't very good, just a bit of rambling on my part.

I told Sheela the other day that I think I will "have my head around" my work by maybe after Christmas. I have never been so busy at any job I have ever had. It got so bad last week that I started waking up in the middle of the night thinking about things I need to finish. My head is spinning. That being said, I feel like I can see the bigger picture and I am enjoying my new challenges. I really do like my job and I haven't enjoyed teaching this much in quite some time. But OMG, I can't wait until January!!! A lot of it is just getting used to a new system and the added responsibilities of being head of a department.

I went to Tioman, Malaysia a few weeks back. I was one of four teachers that got to go. It was pretty amazing. I really need to devote a whole entry to what I experienced there. The most eye opening part was the kids. Many of them have travelled the world, but have never really left their nannies behind. I couldn't believe some of the things I was seeing and hearing. I came away from that trip a much more educated person and I understand our kids much better now. I promise more on that soon!

FYI, right now my brother is running the Marine Corps Marathon. www.marinemarathon.com. I feel like a parent, watching and waiting (online) to see how he does. Fortunately, they have updates every 5k. I am very nervous right now!!! I really hope he gets the time he wants. I will not comment on that any more since I am a bit superstitious. Anyhow, if you know him or would like his number to call and congratulate him please shoot me an email. He has worked so very hard for more than 18 weeks and he certainly deserves a phone call!!! I love that guy!!! His wife is also running and it would appear as if she is going to achieve her PR as well! Way to go!

I head to Tokyo in a few days. I am super excited. I can't really imagine what it will be like. I keep imagining Bill Murray in Lost in Translation. Anyhow, I am heading there for a professional development workshop. I look forward to the workshop, but hope it doesn't go late into the evening so that I might do a bit of exploring.

I have been feeling a wee bit homesick lately. We recently received our shipment and so I suspect that is the reason. All the items we haven't seen since mid-July back in Chapel Hill. Ed, Mike...been thinking about you guys. Our house in the woods is sounding pretty good right about now. I had an epiphany the other day. I was showing another teacher my disc-golf discs and I started thinking about where we could go outside of school.....and my realization was that there isn't really anywhere we could go. The field at school was pretty much it. That hit me pretty hard. In a city of 15 million people there is little space to throw frisbees around. For someone as active as myself that is a tough one to swallow.

We were out and about the other day. This small child that wasn't much taller than Kaya did her best to sell some flowers to us. I really wasn't interested in the flowers, but I was curious as to how old this child could possibly be. I had Sam, Sheela's father, ask her and she didn't know. That also hit me kind of hard. What a tough life this kid lives and it will only get more difficult. She didn't even know her own age, there is no way she had any education and most likely no plans to do anything except just make it. I felt so bad for her. I bought the flowers, she stopped badgering us and left. I ran into her later and gave them back so she might make a few extra taka. I remember the days back in Belize when I would sit in my hammock and say to myself, "I need to appreciate all that I have." Well I am doing the same thing now. I truly treasure and value all that I am experiencing. I can already tell this will influence me in ways I don't even realize. I hope the same for Kaya and Miss Shia as well. Both times I have lived abroad it does something to me and I find myself thinking a lot more than I do when I am back in the States. There's a big world out there and I gotta see it....live it.....understand it.....

Holy #$%^ He did it!!! He qualified for Boston!!! He just finished. He ran a 3:08:59!!!! That is incredible. I love that guy so much. I am so happy for him!!!! Genna, can my brother stay with you when he comes to Boston!? What a stud, wow!!!

Good night, I think about you all often. I miss you and can't wait to see you sometime soon.

Here is a video of the drive to work. It must have been shot during Eid because there is no traffic. There is normally loads and loads of cars and rickshaws everywhere. At least you can see the route we take to school. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h54N8VEmsr4