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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!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Eid Mubarak, again.
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.
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.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Professional Development
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.
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...
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.
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....
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.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Report from the Kaya front, by mama
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, Ã 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.
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.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Top 10 list!
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:
'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.'
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.'
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Crafty Mama
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A bad case of stripes
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.
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.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
random thoughts
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
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
Monday, October 13, 2008
Guest Contributor: Mama
Chris is in Malaysia this week for work: the 10th grade field trip this year is a week-long trip to Tioman Island, and Chris was invited to be a chaperone. Tough job. Not to be outdone, Kaya and I had our own adventure, a week with my parents and other relatives in Kolkata, India. It was a pretty amazing trip, so I thought I would share a few photos.
The trip was planned by my dad, who wanted the whole family to be in India during Durga Puja, the Hindu celebration of the goddess Durga. It is celebrated by Hindus around the world, but just as Rio de Janeiro is the place to be for Carnaval, Kolkata is the place to be for Durga Puja festivities. It is the biggest event of the year. The main attraction is the pandals, which are temporary structures that are built to house the statues of Durga and her family members, and in which the religious ceremonies take place. The main part of the festival lasts only five days, so one might think that the pandals would be very basic and reflect the temporary nature of their purpose. One would be wrong. Some may be pretty basic, but many of the pandals are bigger than peoples' homes. Many are multiple stories tall. Many are breathtakingly beautiful, artistic, and meticulously detailed, having taken nearly a year to plan and weeks or months to build. All of this for just a few days, after which they are dismantled and the planning begins for an entirely new and different pandal.
It's really impossible to describe the spectacle of Kolkata during Durga Puja -- despite hearing my father talk about it, I never imagined anything like what I saw -- but here are a few pictures. There are literally thousands of pandals in the city, and we saw just a few.
A pandal, easily four or five stories tall and covered top to bottom in tiny bits of glass. This was on the first of the five main Puja days, so we were told this crowd was "small." Note also the lights on the apartment buildings. The whole city was lit up like this, just for Puja.
Another pandal, huge and decorated with really fantastic paintings, with drummers walking around it. Everywhere we went in the city, there were drummers and music, starting at dawn and lasting well into the night. The drums were the soundtrack to our trip.
The statues of Durga and her family inside another pandal, attended by a priest (in orange). The statues are built from clay and then decorated, all by hand (again, only for five days!).
At the end of the five days, the statues of Durga are taken to the river, where they are immersed in the water so that she and her children can symbolically travel to reunite with her husband, Shiva. We went to the river to see the immersions, which was another incredible sight. There were trucks arriving constantly with statues from all over the city, and groups of people who had walked alongside the trucks, singing and dancing along the way, to bid Durga farewell.
The top photo is of trucks lined up (in the background) with statues waiting to be unloaded, and the bottom is of men carrying Durga down the riverbank.
Kaya was completely fascinated by Durga and can now identify her and name her children (Ganesh, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Karthik), along with their attendant animals and the demon that Durga is usually depicted killing with a spear. Surely this knowledge will prove useful at some point.
Aside from all of that, we had a wonderful time with our family, and Kaya did really well. There will almost definitely be more trips to India in our future!
The trip was planned by my dad, who wanted the whole family to be in India during Durga Puja, the Hindu celebration of the goddess Durga. It is celebrated by Hindus around the world, but just as Rio de Janeiro is the place to be for Carnaval, Kolkata is the place to be for Durga Puja festivities. It is the biggest event of the year. The main attraction is the pandals, which are temporary structures that are built to house the statues of Durga and her family members, and in which the religious ceremonies take place. The main part of the festival lasts only five days, so one might think that the pandals would be very basic and reflect the temporary nature of their purpose. One would be wrong. Some may be pretty basic, but many of the pandals are bigger than peoples' homes. Many are multiple stories tall. Many are breathtakingly beautiful, artistic, and meticulously detailed, having taken nearly a year to plan and weeks or months to build. All of this for just a few days, after which they are dismantled and the planning begins for an entirely new and different pandal.
It's really impossible to describe the spectacle of Kolkata during Durga Puja -- despite hearing my father talk about it, I never imagined anything like what I saw -- but here are a few pictures. There are literally thousands of pandals in the city, and we saw just a few.
A pandal, easily four or five stories tall and covered top to bottom in tiny bits of glass. This was on the first of the five main Puja days, so we were told this crowd was "small." Note also the lights on the apartment buildings. The whole city was lit up like this, just for Puja.
Another pandal, huge and decorated with really fantastic paintings, with drummers walking around it. Everywhere we went in the city, there were drummers and music, starting at dawn and lasting well into the night. The drums were the soundtrack to our trip.
The statues of Durga and her family inside another pandal, attended by a priest (in orange). The statues are built from clay and then decorated, all by hand (again, only for five days!).At the end of the five days, the statues of Durga are taken to the river, where they are immersed in the water so that she and her children can symbolically travel to reunite with her husband, Shiva. We went to the river to see the immersions, which was another incredible sight. There were trucks arriving constantly with statues from all over the city, and groups of people who had walked alongside the trucks, singing and dancing along the way, to bid Durga farewell.
The top photo is of trucks lined up (in the background) with statues waiting to be unloaded, and the bottom is of men carrying Durga down the riverbank.Kaya was completely fascinated by Durga and can now identify her and name her children (Ganesh, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Karthik), along with their attendant animals and the demon that Durga is usually depicted killing with a spear. Surely this knowledge will prove useful at some point.
Aside from all of that, we had a wonderful time with our family, and Kaya did really well. There will almost definitely be more trips to India in our future!
Friday, October 3, 2008
kaya strikes again
The hits just keep coming!
The other day I was about to leave for a softball game and I was talking to Kaya about it. His response to me telling him I play softball was, "But Daddy, girls play softball!"
Kaya has a fascination with rickshaws. So... we should not have been surprised the other day when he declared, "Daddy, when I grow up I want to be a rickshaw driver."
Yesterday was his Birthday. We had a nice party for him with a Thomas the Tank Engine cake, over 20 people and lots of presents. At the end of the day we were asking him how his Birthday went and whether he had a good time. His response: "Well... (long pause) not as exciting." We asked him why not, and he said, "Not many people came." (Meanwhile everyone except for two people that he invited had shown up.) We asked him who didn't come, and he said, "Gregory, and Uncle Josh, Aunt Kasey, Hannah, Ben, Elena, Aunt Jacque, Aunt Annie, Uncle Troy, Cooper...." You get the idea. For those who may not recognize these names, Gregory is his friend here in Dhaka. All the rest are family members who live in Omaha!!! Poor Kaya.
Finally, this evening I asked Kaya whether baseball was his favorite sport. He said no! When I asked what his favorite sport was, he said, "Playing!"
Also, I think it's so funny that in all these photos Kaya never has a shirt on!!! He is so his father's son....
Sunday, September 28, 2008
not for everyone.
I tried not to vomit as I ran down the main road on my way to my school and eventually on to fields of green. It's not uncommon to see people urinating into the open sewage drains right in front of your very eyes. On this particular morning the stench was almost unbearable. Fortunately I was able to keep it together and I picked up the pace running away from the overpowering odors. It is a smell that I won't soon forget. When we lived in DC, Bunte (our dog/son) would find his way into the bushes and roll around in a homeless person's feces. This putrid odor had me gaging then and on the brink of vomiting now. Life here is not for everyone.
Aside from a teacher friend, my only running partner seems to be the pollution. It follows me almost everywhere. It almost always keeps up with me and makes sure to pace me through the 90 degree+ temperatures with close to 100% humidity. My lungs burn as I weave through traffic. At what point am I cancelling out the fitness with the toxic fumes I ingest!? Finding the motivation to run is sometimes difficult. I look forward to the fields not only for the lack of pollution, but the solitude I find. There aren't many instances when you will find yourself alone here in Dhaka. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. There are 900 people for every square mile. Life here is not for everyone.
Being a foreigner has its definite perks. Some of these pros I have described in previous posts, others I will in due time. I would also say that it has a downside to it as well. I am often times viewed as a source of money and not a person. This makes integrating into the community rather difficult. Anyhow, I learned a valuable lesson upon first arriving here in Dhaka. No prices are ever final. Even if the price tag says 120 taka you can almost always get a better deal. It is the times when I don't see a tag that I become unsettled because what is then thrown my way is an inflated price that can sometimes be as much as 200% of what the item would normally cost. Generally speaking, I don't mind paying a little more for fruit or veggies, but this constant battle with local merchants to haggle can sometimes be a drag. Especially because I do feel guilty at times with all the money I have compared to them. A good friend of mind once told me that when he was on a trip to Mexico he was buying items from local vendors and he would just pay them what he deemed the value of the items to be. He didn't even ask a price. First of all, he didn't speak Spanish and secondly, he didn't mind paying more than what the item would cost normally. I have always thought that to be good advice. I have too much of my father in me to alway settle though.....( a quick story)
About a month ago I went into a store to purchase a chair. Sheela had done the research a week prior to that and got a quote on this fun chair we wanted for Kaya's room. The price seemed a bit high so I went in to see if the price changed depending on the customer. To my surprise the price was exactly the same as what Sheela was quoted. It was now my duty to knock the price down since it of course had to be overpriced. I looked at the chair, the cushion and shook my head. I told the man that this chair wasn't worth 4,500 taka. It didn't have a finish and the cushion was very poorly constructed. I said, with money in hand. Here is 4,000 taka can you help me move this to the van? I thought he would love the money right then and there and it would be too good to pass up. He of course said no, but he would take 4,200. I shook my head and walked out on the man. I really wanted to take the deal and run! It was only around a five dollars difference, but I felt if I came back another day he would surely drop down to 4,000. A week or two later stopped by and just my luck, the chair was gone! Good job Chris. I then described the chair to him and said he should make me one for 4,000 taka. This guy was no dummy, so he declined and reminded me that 4,200 was the price. I finally agreed and put down a 2,000 taka deposit. He made the chair and a week later it was delivered to Kaya's room. Haggling....not for everyone.
It bothers me to no end that EVERYWHERE I go I see people on the streets, begging for money and food. I don't blame them and I am not angry at them. I am instead bothered by the fact that there is really nothing I can do to change their lives. We sometimes buy extra food and hand it out as we go along, but that isn't a long term solution. It only provides that person with a meal for that moment. It breaks my heart when I see a lady with what I assume to be her naked child begging for anything. This is the reality of living in Dhaka. A country that has little in the way of any resources and a lot in the way of people. What are these people supposed to do? At night time you see kids running around barefoot and in rags. What future do they have? They can't or won't most likely get an education. Many of these kids will die at an early age or if they do grow up they will then become a burden to society in ways they can't help. It's not their fault. I feel terrible at times. I won't become numb to this. It hurts. Not for everyone.
A recent discussion with a family member gave me the idea for the theme of this post. "not for everyone." I in no way want to make this adventure seem like it's all peaches and cream. We are almost two months into it and it's not easy. We don't have everything we would have in the States, but we have more than enough to live a good life. (FYI our shipment still hasn't arrived so we continue to live out of our suitcases.) All things considered, we are happy and are grateful for this experience and will walk away, whenever that may be, better because of it. I am in no way claiming martyrdom but just trying to express, why?!
That being said, I want to tell a quick story that inspired me to first of all do Peace Corps and consequently changed my life. For the better...
John Grisham gave the commencement speech at Southern Miss in May of 1998. He boasted of having given the shortest commencement speech ever at Ole Miss just two years prior and he promised not to let that record stand. I had read a few of his books and enjoyed them, but was delighted to hear that he wouldn't be long. I was not anticipating his words would change my life. The gist of what he had to say was this: "As new graduates you shouldn't rush out to get jobs. Instead you should leave the country, live abroad and gain a new perspective. View the U.S. as an outsider would. Learn how people perceive us and see if the world is different than what you had expected. You would do more to help the world, your country and yourselves by gaining a new perspective." This in turn would assist us in finding gainful employment and ultimately help make us better people. The message he gave that day would stick with me and later on at a time of confusion guide me to my path I may have never considered. Good work John, thanks man!
Cue in the Jimmy Buffett song: He went to Paris....
I tell that story only to make a point. He was right, after Belize I often found myself longing to go back or to simply leave the country. I was a changed man and I feel like I continue to evolve in my views. Bangladesh is really one of the last places on Earth I had ever expected to end up. Well, Yemen would be another one of the not likely to live in countries. It is so different from anything I have ever experienced. I read about life in Dhaka, but reading and living are two different things. I take from this adventure all the good things, (a great job, money, an education for Kaya, etc..) I also absorb and attempt to comprehend the less pleasant things, (poverty, pollution, population, corruption, etc...) Both of which shape me in ways I could have never imagined or read about or visited. I have to live, I have to experience and in many ways, I have to be. Like Grisham said, "this will shape you in ways you could never imagine and in the end it will make you a better person." A better person, is ultimately what I want to be. A better world is where I want to live. In many ways this isn't the best life, but it is the path I have chosen. It's not for everyone, but I am grateful for every obstacle I face and am I appreciative of how it shapes me.
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, true nobility comes from being superior to your former self."
*Please note that all the thoughts and ideas on this blog are mine and mine alone. They in no way represent what my family or people from my country think. Also, if you can find me a teaching job in the States where I can support a family, put money towards retirement, savings, pay off debt and work one job I will come back as soon as my contract here is completed.
Aside from a teacher friend, my only running partner seems to be the pollution. It follows me almost everywhere. It almost always keeps up with me and makes sure to pace me through the 90 degree+ temperatures with close to 100% humidity. My lungs burn as I weave through traffic. At what point am I cancelling out the fitness with the toxic fumes I ingest!? Finding the motivation to run is sometimes difficult. I look forward to the fields not only for the lack of pollution, but the solitude I find. There aren't many instances when you will find yourself alone here in Dhaka. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. There are 900 people for every square mile. Life here is not for everyone.
Being a foreigner has its definite perks. Some of these pros I have described in previous posts, others I will in due time. I would also say that it has a downside to it as well. I am often times viewed as a source of money and not a person. This makes integrating into the community rather difficult. Anyhow, I learned a valuable lesson upon first arriving here in Dhaka. No prices are ever final. Even if the price tag says 120 taka you can almost always get a better deal. It is the times when I don't see a tag that I become unsettled because what is then thrown my way is an inflated price that can sometimes be as much as 200% of what the item would normally cost. Generally speaking, I don't mind paying a little more for fruit or veggies, but this constant battle with local merchants to haggle can sometimes be a drag. Especially because I do feel guilty at times with all the money I have compared to them. A good friend of mind once told me that when he was on a trip to Mexico he was buying items from local vendors and he would just pay them what he deemed the value of the items to be. He didn't even ask a price. First of all, he didn't speak Spanish and secondly, he didn't mind paying more than what the item would cost normally. I have always thought that to be good advice. I have too much of my father in me to alway settle though.....( a quick story)
About a month ago I went into a store to purchase a chair. Sheela had done the research a week prior to that and got a quote on this fun chair we wanted for Kaya's room. The price seemed a bit high so I went in to see if the price changed depending on the customer. To my surprise the price was exactly the same as what Sheela was quoted. It was now my duty to knock the price down since it of course had to be overpriced. I looked at the chair, the cushion and shook my head. I told the man that this chair wasn't worth 4,500 taka. It didn't have a finish and the cushion was very poorly constructed. I said, with money in hand. Here is 4,000 taka can you help me move this to the van? I thought he would love the money right then and there and it would be too good to pass up. He of course said no, but he would take 4,200. I shook my head and walked out on the man. I really wanted to take the deal and run! It was only around a five dollars difference, but I felt if I came back another day he would surely drop down to 4,000. A week or two later stopped by and just my luck, the chair was gone! Good job Chris. I then described the chair to him and said he should make me one for 4,000 taka. This guy was no dummy, so he declined and reminded me that 4,200 was the price. I finally agreed and put down a 2,000 taka deposit. He made the chair and a week later it was delivered to Kaya's room. Haggling....not for everyone.
It bothers me to no end that EVERYWHERE I go I see people on the streets, begging for money and food. I don't blame them and I am not angry at them. I am instead bothered by the fact that there is really nothing I can do to change their lives. We sometimes buy extra food and hand it out as we go along, but that isn't a long term solution. It only provides that person with a meal for that moment. It breaks my heart when I see a lady with what I assume to be her naked child begging for anything. This is the reality of living in Dhaka. A country that has little in the way of any resources and a lot in the way of people. What are these people supposed to do? At night time you see kids running around barefoot and in rags. What future do they have? They can't or won't most likely get an education. Many of these kids will die at an early age or if they do grow up they will then become a burden to society in ways they can't help. It's not their fault. I feel terrible at times. I won't become numb to this. It hurts. Not for everyone.
A recent discussion with a family member gave me the idea for the theme of this post. "not for everyone." I in no way want to make this adventure seem like it's all peaches and cream. We are almost two months into it and it's not easy. We don't have everything we would have in the States, but we have more than enough to live a good life. (FYI our shipment still hasn't arrived so we continue to live out of our suitcases.) All things considered, we are happy and are grateful for this experience and will walk away, whenever that may be, better because of it. I am in no way claiming martyrdom but just trying to express, why?!
That being said, I want to tell a quick story that inspired me to first of all do Peace Corps and consequently changed my life. For the better...
John Grisham gave the commencement speech at Southern Miss in May of 1998. He boasted of having given the shortest commencement speech ever at Ole Miss just two years prior and he promised not to let that record stand. I had read a few of his books and enjoyed them, but was delighted to hear that he wouldn't be long. I was not anticipating his words would change my life. The gist of what he had to say was this: "As new graduates you shouldn't rush out to get jobs. Instead you should leave the country, live abroad and gain a new perspective. View the U.S. as an outsider would. Learn how people perceive us and see if the world is different than what you had expected. You would do more to help the world, your country and yourselves by gaining a new perspective." This in turn would assist us in finding gainful employment and ultimately help make us better people. The message he gave that day would stick with me and later on at a time of confusion guide me to my path I may have never considered. Good work John, thanks man!
Cue in the Jimmy Buffett song: He went to Paris....
I tell that story only to make a point. He was right, after Belize I often found myself longing to go back or to simply leave the country. I was a changed man and I feel like I continue to evolve in my views. Bangladesh is really one of the last places on Earth I had ever expected to end up. Well, Yemen would be another one of the not likely to live in countries. It is so different from anything I have ever experienced. I read about life in Dhaka, but reading and living are two different things. I take from this adventure all the good things, (a great job, money, an education for Kaya, etc..) I also absorb and attempt to comprehend the less pleasant things, (poverty, pollution, population, corruption, etc...) Both of which shape me in ways I could have never imagined or read about or visited. I have to live, I have to experience and in many ways, I have to be. Like Grisham said, "this will shape you in ways you could never imagine and in the end it will make you a better person." A better person, is ultimately what I want to be. A better world is where I want to live. In many ways this isn't the best life, but it is the path I have chosen. It's not for everyone, but I am grateful for every obstacle I face and am I appreciative of how it shapes me.
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, true nobility comes from being superior to your former self."
*Please note that all the thoughts and ideas on this blog are mine and mine alone. They in no way represent what my family or people from my country think. Also, if you can find me a teaching job in the States where I can support a family, put money towards retirement, savings, pay off debt and work one job I will come back as soon as my contract here is completed.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
more kaya's quotes
this section could be the best part of the whole blog!
so the other day we asked kaya what he would name a dog if we got a new dog. he said,"dog." then we asked him what he would name a cat if we got a cat, (he really wants a cat). he said, "cat." so we asked about a fish and a bird, his responses of course were, "fish," and "bird." then we asked kaya, "well what if you had a brother, what would you name him?" without a pause he responded, "dwight." it was classic! so if we ever decide to have more kids, you can probably guess what our top choice for a boys name would be!!!
fyi, he was referring to dwight from the show the office.
that boy's a runnin' fool...
i am certain i will mention running in dhaka at some point. i am currently training for a marathon in thailand this december. www.chiangmaimarathon.com/
here is a link to a brief article about running in dhaka. it's not as bad as the author makes it out to be. i often run through fields just outside the hustle and bustle of dhaka and quite enjoy the escape. although i must say, thank goodness for podcasts and kiwis! oh how i miss you tim russert.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilh0CFpu6xwL82YZCTrfqdL3TImN4aiL_BvZRBdUIWHMR9UO2KxkXRUgc3UJEgKzlgYBFNbzBepshTImlW7ovePHZS-nNYiNK-BF6TUHExy1rNkuM435LiaCEpMPo4kZkFO4y9OUMcNFhS/s1600-h/Tropical+Trails+Asia+Runner.jpg
enjoy! new post in the works.....
here is a link to a brief article about running in dhaka. it's not as bad as the author makes it out to be. i often run through fields just outside the hustle and bustle of dhaka and quite enjoy the escape. although i must say, thank goodness for podcasts and kiwis! oh how i miss you tim russert.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilh0CFpu6xwL82YZCTrfqdL3TImN4aiL_BvZRBdUIWHMR9UO2KxkXRUgc3UJEgKzlgYBFNbzBepshTImlW7ovePHZS-nNYiNK-BF6TUHExy1rNkuM435LiaCEpMPo4kZkFO4y9OUMcNFhS/s1600-h/Tropical+Trails+Asia+Runner.jpg
enjoy! new post in the works.....
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
"boss, boss"
while i was living in belize a homeless guy named harry once told me that you can remember anything by saying it five times with your eyes open and then five times with your eyes shut. he was quite a remarkable individual. i am telling you this because in addition to a blog about bangladesh i want it to be a self help blog too.
no not really. i was reminded of harry when i sat down to remember all of my students' names. i do have an alice a grace even a juan. that's about it as far as the familiar names go. for example, sadman, shadman, lubib, lubibur, tashfique, anilla, nazia, nooruddin, kushall......thanks harry for the tip and helping me learn all these names!!! i have class sizes of twelve to twenty-five some of the kids don't speak much english and there are a few that don't speak a lick of it at all. (this always makes teaching much easier...rrright.) it's funny, you would think everyone here spoke english if you were out walking on the streets. people will smile and say, "hello sir, how are you?" i only realized that those were the only words in english most of these people speak when i tried to converse with one individual and they had no idea what i was saying.
also, i am almost convinced that i am in charge of something big. maybe it's the police force or the supermarket or something because everyone.....i mean everyone calls me boss. "boss, boss, money please," boss, food?!" even the guys at work call me boss, "good morning boss, how are you?" actually it's not just me, any foreigner is addressed as boss. i am curious as to where this comes from?! i wonder if sheela will catch on?! kidding my love! ;)
okay so let's write about something interesting.....
my job? maybe not, who knows!?
first of all, i will give you my job description and then the reality of it. i signed a two year contract to work as a pe teacher and the pe coordinator for an international school that follows the IB (http://www.ibo.org/) curriculum. i teach nursery(kaya's age, 3 year olds) to fifth grade and then two high school classes. generally speaking, our school services kids that have parents with some cash flow. we have 80% bangladeshi students and then the rest from all over the place. the staff is quite international! i am one of the few americans here. we have loads of aussies and brits there are some kiwis, canadians, french and the rest bangladeshi. i was quite excited to be working with the aussies. (i have two in my department!)
i love my job right now. i teach some outstanding kids. the PE program is top notch and i have a direct influence in the direction of where it goes. as spiderman's aunt once said, with great power comes great responsibility. (someone famous also said a version of that, but i am sticking with the spiderman side of things.) i do feel a certain amount of pressure to produce and enhance an already stellar program. the side of the job that i consider to be work is the curriculum part. we have to write criterion and various assessments. all that stuff is good, but a lot of work. not complaining one bit, i promise!!
my team as i mentioned before has two aussies, two bangladeshi teachers and six assistants, "the boys." the assistants set up and take down all the equipment for each lesson. every day we write what we want and where we want it.....it's there! each morning i stroll in and they all greet me with, "hi boss." it is so funny. i don't know if i will ever get over it. they work so hard to please not just me, but the other teachers as well. truthfully, i feel a bit spoiled to have them.
our facilities are outstanding. we have a large gymnasium, hard courts that can be adjusted for tennis, basketball, badminton and even football (soccer). then we have a large field where the students do just about everything. including a sport that is very foreign to me....cricket! we also have two "wells" where we conduct elementary school lessons, smaller, but they do the job. finally......we also have a swimming pool!!!! staff is welcome to use it any time we don't have classes going on. i usually get in after school when i complete my runs. i absolutely love having the pool. kaya does too. they strap on those little arm floaties and a waist belt to kayito and he "swims" all over the place! it is quite comical and of course adorable at the same time.
as i write all of this, i realize how lucky i am to be teaching at this school and to have access to such amazing facilities. i do consider this a step in the right direction career wise. i am gaining experience in management/leadership, curriculum development, handling finances for a program, staff development. not to mention i get to live overseas for free and they pay me to do it!!! as much as i love the states...i am not going to find that anywhere. my advice to all you teachers out there.......get the heck out of the states!
well my friends, i must be on my way. kaya wakes up early even on weekends. have a wonderful day and we will try to write more later this weekend. it's Ramadan right now and that has been quite interesting for someone like myself that knows virtually nothing about it.
peace,
chris
sheela's parents are coming soon and we are very excited!!!
no not really. i was reminded of harry when i sat down to remember all of my students' names. i do have an alice a grace even a juan. that's about it as far as the familiar names go. for example, sadman, shadman, lubib, lubibur, tashfique, anilla, nazia, nooruddin, kushall......thanks harry for the tip and helping me learn all these names!!! i have class sizes of twelve to twenty-five some of the kids don't speak much english and there are a few that don't speak a lick of it at all. (this always makes teaching much easier...rrright.) it's funny, you would think everyone here spoke english if you were out walking on the streets. people will smile and say, "hello sir, how are you?" i only realized that those were the only words in english most of these people speak when i tried to converse with one individual and they had no idea what i was saying.
also, i am almost convinced that i am in charge of something big. maybe it's the police force or the supermarket or something because everyone.....i mean everyone calls me boss. "boss, boss, money please," boss, food?!" even the guys at work call me boss, "good morning boss, how are you?" actually it's not just me, any foreigner is addressed as boss. i am curious as to where this comes from?! i wonder if sheela will catch on?! kidding my love! ;)
okay so let's write about something interesting.....
my job? maybe not, who knows!?
first of all, i will give you my job description and then the reality of it. i signed a two year contract to work as a pe teacher and the pe coordinator for an international school that follows the IB (http://www.ibo.org/) curriculum. i teach nursery(kaya's age, 3 year olds) to fifth grade and then two high school classes. generally speaking, our school services kids that have parents with some cash flow. we have 80% bangladeshi students and then the rest from all over the place. the staff is quite international! i am one of the few americans here. we have loads of aussies and brits there are some kiwis, canadians, french and the rest bangladeshi. i was quite excited to be working with the aussies. (i have two in my department!)
i love my job right now. i teach some outstanding kids. the PE program is top notch and i have a direct influence in the direction of where it goes. as spiderman's aunt once said, with great power comes great responsibility. (someone famous also said a version of that, but i am sticking with the spiderman side of things.) i do feel a certain amount of pressure to produce and enhance an already stellar program. the side of the job that i consider to be work is the curriculum part. we have to write criterion and various assessments. all that stuff is good, but a lot of work. not complaining one bit, i promise!!
my team as i mentioned before has two aussies, two bangladeshi teachers and six assistants, "the boys." the assistants set up and take down all the equipment for each lesson. every day we write what we want and where we want it.....it's there! each morning i stroll in and they all greet me with, "hi boss." it is so funny. i don't know if i will ever get over it. they work so hard to please not just me, but the other teachers as well. truthfully, i feel a bit spoiled to have them.
our facilities are outstanding. we have a large gymnasium, hard courts that can be adjusted for tennis, basketball, badminton and even football (soccer). then we have a large field where the students do just about everything. including a sport that is very foreign to me....cricket! we also have two "wells" where we conduct elementary school lessons, smaller, but they do the job. finally......we also have a swimming pool!!!! staff is welcome to use it any time we don't have classes going on. i usually get in after school when i complete my runs. i absolutely love having the pool. kaya does too. they strap on those little arm floaties and a waist belt to kayito and he "swims" all over the place! it is quite comical and of course adorable at the same time.
as i write all of this, i realize how lucky i am to be teaching at this school and to have access to such amazing facilities. i do consider this a step in the right direction career wise. i am gaining experience in management/leadership, curriculum development, handling finances for a program, staff development. not to mention i get to live overseas for free and they pay me to do it!!! as much as i love the states...i am not going to find that anywhere. my advice to all you teachers out there.......get the heck out of the states!
well my friends, i must be on my way. kaya wakes up early even on weekends. have a wonderful day and we will try to write more later this weekend. it's Ramadan right now and that has been quite interesting for someone like myself that knows virtually nothing about it.
peace,
chris
sheela's parents are coming soon and we are very excited!!!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Pictures, pictures, pictures
these are just a few of the few pictures we have taken so far. I need to get on the ball with this because so many of you have requested more more more!
the picture on the right is of team hesse at the birthplace of Jesus. kidding.
the photo on the right is of sheela and kaya in the streets of old dhaka. this again is a pretty typical sight to see. loads and loads of rickshaw drivers and people everywhere! this picture shows a random driver that is posing. we get a lot of that here. also a lot of blatant staring. it is a bit strange, but very common and i guess acceptable!?
little kaya loves his nanny! mrthika is her name and again, i have no idea if that is spelled correctly. this is a picture of kaya and her on the top of our building.
the picture on the right is of team hesse at the birthplace of Jesus. kidding.
the photo on the right is of sheela and kaya in the streets of old dhaka. this again is a pretty typical sight to see. loads and loads of rickshaw drivers and people everywhere! this picture shows a random driver that is posing. we get a lot of that here. also a lot of blatant staring. it is a bit strange, but very common and i guess acceptable!?
little kaya loves his nanny! mrthika is her name and again, i have no idea if that is spelled correctly. this is a picture of kaya and her on the top of our building.
Monday, September 1, 2008
boat trip
we went on a "boat trip" the other day. i was expecting, and that was my first mistake, i was expecting....... anyhow, another teacher put together a youtube video from the day. our internet connection is too slow to view it so i figured i would put it out there for you all to see. enjoy....i hope....
from what i have heard, many of you were disappointed that you didn't see me slaying dragons or kaya riding on a dog or something. i would say the video is a good glimpse of everyday life in dhaka....(not that we ride boats every day)......as my good friend robert says, "it is what it is."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC8-2Ah5ToY
from what i have heard, many of you were disappointed that you didn't see me slaying dragons or kaya riding on a dog or something. i would say the video is a good glimpse of everyday life in dhaka....(not that we ride boats every day)......as my good friend robert says, "it is what it is."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC8-2Ah5ToY
Sunday, August 31, 2008
kaya's quotes
This is an email Sheela sent to family, I thought I would share it with you all since I find it quite comical. The world is so different when seen through the eyes of a young one!
Hello,
We are just about to go to bed after an evening at the American Club (yay for Thursday being the start of the weekend here!) but I had to share Kaya's top three quotes of the day:
1. Kaya and I were riding in a rickshaw and passed a boy who was holding supplies for shining shoes. Kaya asked what they were, and I explained that he had brushes and wipes and other things to make shoes look clean and new. Kaya looked around for a moment at the dust and trash around us and said, "He should do that to the street!"
2. The rickshaw had taken us to the doctor to have Kaya's medical forms signed for school. After the doctor gave him the most cursory examination in the history of medicine and then dismissed us from his office, Kaya bounded outside and asked, "Did he fix me?!"
3. Coming home from the doctor, the elevator was broken (again) so we were walking up to our 5th-floor apartment. On the 3rd floor landing, we passed a small table with burning incense. Kaya asked what it was, so I was explaining that people burn incense to make the air smell nice. He looked at me suspiciously and said, "What did you say?" I said, "It's incense. People burn it like candles, and it smells nice." Kaya said, "People burn insects??"
Maybe you had to be there, but each of these moments was pretty hilarious. It is great to have a kid's perspective on a place as different as Dhaka.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,
Sheela, Chris and Kaya
Saturday, August 23, 2008
getting to dhaka..."i now walk into the wild"
chapel hill to nashville: 10 hours
nashville to omaha: 14 hours
omaha to houston: 3 hours
layover in houston: 5 hours
houston to dubai: 15 hours
layover in dubai: 7 hours
dubai to dhaka: 5 hours
59 total hours travel time!
"I now walk into the wild,” that’s what I text a few people as we boarded our flight to Dubai and eventually on to Bangladesh. For those of you that don’t know, it is a reference to one of my favorite books, Into the Wild. I got several responses that were quite amusing! “don’t eat any berries,” was my favorite.
I don’t know if our journey is as extreme as Alexander Supertramp’s, but it is an adventure nonetheless. As you can tell by the above it has been quite some journey thus far.
The flight over was not too bad actually. We left Houston in the evening so it was the right time for Kaya to go to sleep. I on the other hand didn’t sleep a whole lot. As you might be able to tell from the picture, space was quite limited. Not to mention some little spoiled brat had their seat reclined all the way back. I refused to inconvenience the people behind me like that so I suffered a
bit. I also stayed awake because in his sleep Kaya kept kicking the people’s seat in front of us. (Karma at it’s finest!?) The other little spoiled brat didn’t appreciate it too much! I guess one of the main reasons I couldn’t sleep was because I had a lot on my mind.I remember when I left for Peace Corps I had many thoughts all over the board. I questioned why I was leaving my family, wondered if it was the right thing to do and began to regret leaving. I found myself feeling similar emotions and thinking about those very moments. This time though, I questioned my judgment in taking my family so far away from “home.” With little room to move and so much space to roam in my mind I committed to watching movies! That took my mind off the issues at hand…..at least for a while. I watched, I am Legend, Iron Man and another more serious movie….oh what was it?! Oh well, can’t remember.
As we were arriving in Dubai, I made sure to look outside and sure enough I wasn’t let down. I had heard of these man made island and peninsula’s that made various shapes and had certain themes. Sure enough we caught a glimpse of the beginnings of a new set of islands. So much money…..so darn hot! The temperature in Dubai was 93 in the middle of the night!
We spent the next 6 or 7 hours entertaining Kaya and visiting the duty free shop. Our final flight was only 5 hours! Only…..can’t believe I would say that. It seemed short compared to what we had just endured both in flights and layovers. Kaya was a super trooper the entire time. Chalk up another two gold medals for both Sheela and Kaya on this trip!
When we arrived in Dhaka, we had no idea what to expect. This is a part I had been dreading for quite some while. We had six bags at 50 lbs each plus the max in carry-on luggage, with a car seat and a stroller (we thought we had a stroller). I was certain we would be paying a large sum of cash for duty. After standing in line at Immigration for what seemed like another couple hours we breezed through and found our luggage right away. A Bangladeshi was right there waiting to haul all 600-700 lbs of our luggage. I had no problem letting him push it along. I wasn’t so sure he could do it, but as we have come to find out…..these Bangladeshi people are quite resilient and surprisingly strong! He then demanded 30 US dollars for is efforts which I was not going to pay him. As we passed by customs I was nervous with all my forms ready to go and my explanations of all our luggage rehearsed. The guy looked at me, without even asking to see anything and said, “go, go.” I almost ruined it by stopping to ask him questions. I finally got my wits about me and realized I had better move on out before we had to pay.
The instant we passed the customs officer we were greeted by staff members from my school. I was so relieved and quite taken back by the welcoming committee. Instantly my worries left me. I again thought back to Peace Corps when I realized things were going to be alright.
The school driver and principal took us to our apartment, which was probably 20 minutes away. I was excited to finally see firsthand the environment we would be living in. My worst fears were that we would be able to breath the air because it would be so polluted and that traffic would be similar to that of Calcutta in India. Fortunately I have an overactive imagination and Dhaka, at least initially, far exceeded my expectations in some ways.
I will say this, and I promise to write more about it later, poverty is ever-present in all that is Dhaka. At each stop beggars knock on the windows asking for food or money or both. Still after a month I don’t know what to do or how to react. I can’t possibly give to all of them. What should I do!? My heart goes out to all of them. The naked kids, the mom’s that look way older than they probably are, the rickshaw drivers……everyone. It’s a bit depressing in many ways, quite educational and enlightening in others.
Our apartment is amazing! It really is 2500 square feet! When Kaya gets his tricycle he will be in heaven!! We have three bedrooms with three bathrooms attached, a kitchen, office, living room, dining room and since we are on the top floor we have easy access to the rooftop! It is an interesting view. I promise to post pics at some point. Needless to say, we were and are happy about he place.
Before we left and close to after we agreed to come to Dhaka we had decided to take on two people as our Maid and Nanny. Now I am sure you must be thinking, “wow, neocolonialism at its finest.” Yeah, that ‘s kind of what we thought at first too. After much thought and several conversations with people here. We decided that for only 112 US dollars a month each we would be more than happy to have help around the place and also provide two Bangladeshi women jobs to support their families. They would otherwise have to look elsewhere and may not find work…who knows?! We are very happy with the decision and Kaya has come to really enjoy both of them. Their names are: Kimboley and Merthika (not so sure on the spelling). Kimboley is the maid and she also cooks twice a week for us. Thank goodness for her, if she didn’t work for us we would most certainly have a problem with various bugs. Merthika is also very helpful with Kaya. He has grown quite fond of her kind heart and warm smile.
I would love to write more, but I have to go to sleep. Time is precious for me here. My job really does keep me very busy and thus the gap in postings….I will try and write more. I am excited to discuss life in Dhaka and what we encounter from day to day. It seems as if this will be another experience that will shape my life, my thoughts, my views on the world……poverty…..people……mankind. I am grateful for the struggles and the joy we find at each corner.
Next time…… School, what we see in the streets and some more pics…..I will have to write about Jalal….our rickshaw driver!
I really want to instead of just report......express.....the pain of Dhaka, the hope in my heart and the joy in being......until next time.....be safe.....bunte i really miss you buddy!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
leaving the US
i have been wondering what i will miss the most about the states and i am not sure that i will miss anything (family and friends excluded, of course). i am not sure what this says about me. maybe that my desire for change is greater than my desire for stability. maybe change is my stability. whenever we told people that we were moving to bangladesh, the words that came up most often were courageous and sometimes crazy. maybe they are both accurate, maybe not. when we do something truly extraordinary, then you can call us courageous. until then, hold off on the praise.
our last few hours in chapel hill were a mix of emotions as we rushed to pack up the last of our things and move out of our house. our friends ed and nita were saviours! they brought over their pickup truck and helped us make those last few runs to store, sell, or trash our things. it was amazing how much "stuff" we had, for lack of a better word, even after selling so much of it. we estimated that we have about 50 boxes of belongings between all the things that are in storage, our shipment and our suitcases here.
when we were finally ready to go, just as we were about to get into the car, we heard a fierce rumbling of thunder. sheela and i just looked at each other. the timing was exact..... maybe someone or something saying goodbye?!
the first day, we drove from chapel hill to a small town outside of nashville to visit one of our good peace corps buddies..... none other than..... kevin lee! we stayed at his house for two nights. he drove us out to his family farm and told us about the history of the farmhouse as a civil war hospital and home to many generations of lees. he also told us about all the local characters, like the 80-something year old man named "muscles," who only just got electricity five years ago and still only has one lamp and not so much as a fan in his house. there are also the three brothers down the road.... rabbit, sugarfoot and jimmy..... who own a sawmill and only deal in cash. kevin says they all wear overalls and look exactly like the guys in the movie deliverance! kevin is also full of simple truths and sayings like, there are two things hard to find in the world: a homegrown tomato in wintertime and true love. he is a truly great guy.
after nashville, we set out again toward omaha, our last stop before dhaka. about ten minutes into our trip, we had to stop because i had left the doors to our trailer unlocked, a mistake i vowed never to make again. then, as we passed through st louis, i noticed in the rearview mirror that a car behind us was swerving wildly to avoid something in the road. sure enough, our trailer had come open again. now, there are two theories to explain this occurrence: 1. i am an idiot and made the same mistake twice, but the doors did not open until we had already been driving for about 7 hours, or 2. the roads of st louis are extremely bumpy (which they are) and the lock got bounced around so much that it opened on its own. i am stubborn and refuse to believe that i am an idiot, so i am going with #2. in the end, we lost two things, one of my 220$ hiking boots and my machete that i had brought all the way from belize. needless to say, i was bummed. the rest of the drive went smoothly and we were all relieved to arrive safely in omaha. all together, it was about 24 hours of driving.
when we arrived we realized that rain had leaked into the trailer along the way and our stuff had gotten wet, and some of it was ruined. we had to sort through our things and re-pack the boxes. we had been hoping for some relaxation time in omaha, but the next days were busy with packing, weighing and re-weighing our suitcases, trying to sell our car, opening bank accounts.... it was crazy. thankfully we have an awesome family and everyone chipped in to help out, not to mention throwing an awesome farewell fiesta. it was great to see everyone, including some friends who i hadn't seen in years. thanks to everyone for coming and thanks to our family for everything..... we really appreciate it!!
finally, after months of preparations, we were off.
*note, the original version of this post was accidentally deleted and this rendition is from sheela's memory. i am tired, cranky and have no time to rewrite what i had originally posted. more to come in the near future......
Friday, June 27, 2008
thoughts on getting ready to leave....
oh my lanta i can't believe all the work it takes to get rid of all the "stuff" we own! actually, the hard part is making the tough decisions......should i keep the toaster oven my brother gave me for the wedding?! how could i ever part with the pirate hat i got at the baseball game ten years ago....you know, the major decisions.
the most difficult thing i have had to do up to this point is hand my beloved dog, Bunte, over to friends in boston. Bunte has been with sheela and i for most of his life. sheela received him as a gift from a stranger (long story, involving stolen bikes, US embassy, drug dealers......) and he made it back to the states not by us, but by way of a wealthy bostonian family that heard of the legend of Bunte. he was the ring bearer in our wedding, our protector on late night walks and he always seemed to be there like it or not while cooking or watching tv. he is honestly the best dog i have ever been around and he truly does have an amazing story. unfortunately this is the chapter where i exit. i miss him dearly and kind of regret not trying to push the issue of bringing him to bangladesh. that being said, the people he is with are wonderful and i know he will be extremely happy finishing out his years with them. Bunte, i love you.......
other than Bunte's departure things haven't been as difficult as i had thought. i guess we set the bar high or low with that event. i have been looking forward to purging and parting ways with all the "things" we have collected over the course of five years. we aren't actually getting rid of everything. the school gives us four thousand dollars to ship whatever we choose to dhaka. other important items will be stored in three locations: both our parents' houses and a friend of ours in chapel hill.
so what do you take on an overseas two year adventure!? well, i have done this before....however, the circumstances were a wee bit different. rather than bore you with the stuff i am bringing let me bore you with items i am leaving behind but really want to take:
1. my machete (from belize, a must have in many situations)
2. my hammock (also from belize and also a must have in many situations, don't count this one out just yet)
3. my collection of kurt vonnetgut books
4. my cornhole set (google it)
5. my kayak that i haven't used in two years
yeah, that's about it. to tell you the truth.....good riddance to all the things we don't hold on to!!
our final departure is on august 3rd from omaha, nebraska. there is supposed to be a killer party on the third. that should be fun. i anticipate seeing people i haven't seen since that last time i left the country and telling the same story over about fifteen times. kidding, i am really looking forward to seeing some people from my past.
the flight will be quite lengthy and should prove to be challenging with a two point seven-five year old. we fly to houston (three hours) then to dubai (about fifteen hours) then on to dhaka (five more hours!) to top it off, i work on the next day. that is kind of a bummer.
seems like that's enough for now.
the most difficult thing i have had to do up to this point is hand my beloved dog, Bunte, over to friends in boston. Bunte has been with sheela and i for most of his life. sheela received him as a gift from a stranger (long story, involving stolen bikes, US embassy, drug dealers......) and he made it back to the states not by us, but by way of a wealthy bostonian family that heard of the legend of Bunte. he was the ring bearer in our wedding, our protector on late night walks and he always seemed to be there like it or not while cooking or watching tv. he is honestly the best dog i have ever been around and he truly does have an amazing story. unfortunately this is the chapter where i exit. i miss him dearly and kind of regret not trying to push the issue of bringing him to bangladesh. that being said, the people he is with are wonderful and i know he will be extremely happy finishing out his years with them. Bunte, i love you.......
other than Bunte's departure things haven't been as difficult as i had thought. i guess we set the bar high or low with that event. i have been looking forward to purging and parting ways with all the "things" we have collected over the course of five years. we aren't actually getting rid of everything. the school gives us four thousand dollars to ship whatever we choose to dhaka. other important items will be stored in three locations: both our parents' houses and a friend of ours in chapel hill.
so what do you take on an overseas two year adventure!? well, i have done this before....however, the circumstances were a wee bit different. rather than bore you with the stuff i am bringing let me bore you with items i am leaving behind but really want to take:
1. my machete (from belize, a must have in many situations)
2. my hammock (also from belize and also a must have in many situations, don't count this one out just yet)
3. my collection of kurt vonnetgut books
4. my cornhole set (google it)
5. my kayak that i haven't used in two years
yeah, that's about it. to tell you the truth.....good riddance to all the things we don't hold on to!!
our final departure is on august 3rd from omaha, nebraska. there is supposed to be a killer party on the third. that should be fun. i anticipate seeing people i haven't seen since that last time i left the country and telling the same story over about fifteen times. kidding, i am really looking forward to seeing some people from my past.
the flight will be quite lengthy and should prove to be challenging with a two point seven-five year old. we fly to houston (three hours) then to dubai (about fifteen hours) then on to dhaka (five more hours!) to top it off, i work on the next day. that is kind of a bummer.
seems like that's enough for now.
Friday, April 11, 2008
The first entry!
I am setting this up so that we may communicate with family and friends while we are out exploring the world! We will miss you all and hope to stay in touch.
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