Hello Everyone,
Sorry I haven't written my blog for so long, I actually wasn't sure anyone but my parents read it. So last I wrote I was just back from Dinajpur. After that I moved in with Adnan. I was a little insecure at first because I thought that his mother didn't like having a girl friend of Adnan's staying in the house, but since then I have decided that she likes me, even if I am a girl. Adnan has two sisters, Sarah is 13 and Farah is 15. They are both very sweet. There is also a maid here, which still makes me a little uncomfortable, but despite myself I have gotten mostly used to it.
The first few days after returning we did our urban part of the project, however people there seem to be much busier than in the field- away in the city working at day jobs or cleaning or cooking. People in the villages just seemed to be standing outside or just inside their homes wherever we went, as if they were expecting us. So in the slum, we mainly talked to shopkeepers. Here everyone uses latrines, because there is no where else to go. But some of them are shared by as many as 50 people. And when the water levels rise, the water in the latrines also rises, and one family confessed to us that theirs was just about to overflow. And now is the rainy season. The lake that you have to cross to get to the slum, there are some pictures of it, was when I first got here about 6 feet lower than the houses, now it is only a few inches. During one of our interviewers with a jewelry seller, who only had 2 rings and 2 necklaces total that she desperately wanted me to buy, there was a very strong downpour for a long time, and finally when it died down a bit Adnan and I decided to leave, and we had to walk back through the streets of the slum in 3 or 4 inches of water, brown water with I can only imagine what in it. All along the streets are just piles of trash, and we walked past one that was just crawling with maggots, and they were being washed into the street. I have a lovely picture of that which I'll put up, once my computer gets fixed (when I get back to the US). Trash is definitely the biggest problem in the slums, we interviewed some people who get it taken somewhere every week by an NGO, but others we interviewed said that this NGO just takes it a little bit down the street and dumps it. Anyways there is trash all over the roads and in the lakes where kids are swimming. But when I see kids just throwing their wrappers right on the ground, how can I say anything, when they're always thinking about their next meal what are they going to care about the cleanliness of the street? This is a big debate in the environmental community.
Today was a great day- well yesterday Adnan and I went back to the slum to find the man (the rickshaw puller!) that we had met without a leg, and we found him and decided that we would take him to the limb and brace center today. He lost his leg in 1988, when he was just 18, in a traffic accident- he was working on a truck then. He has a beautiful wife and a 1 1/2 year old son, I'll put their pictures up. So we met him this morning and took him down there. And he was just overjoyed, you could see it in his eyes. The moment we walked in there were a lot of people practicing with their limbs walking up and down the room, and I can just imagine the way he must have felt seeing that. I went in with him to take all the measurements for his prosthetic limb, and they used plaster of paris to make a model around his thigh. He has about 5 inches of upper thigh. This BRAC center is actually funded in part by private donors, and the doctor that works there volunteered to have Hashem's limb covered by the donors. The rest of it will be covered by one of Adnan's uncles. Heading back, I asked him what he thought of the experience and he pointed to the sky and said "Allah" and some other words, but Adnan didn't need to translate. I am sad I won't be able to see his face the moment he is able to walk with the prosthetic limb, but I'll get Adnan to take pictures. I am leaving Monday, very soon. The girl Rita that we met in the slum lives very close to Hashem Ali, and so we went to visit her home for the 3rd time, and I decided to give her mother some money for her schooling, because she is such a smart and bold girl, I can tell without even understanding what she is saying. Last time we visited was to give her photos that we had taken of her, and got to talking about how expensive school is and how they can't really afford to keep her in school even though she really loves it, and how important they think it is for her. Her mother works in the garment factories, but will lose her job soon because the company is changing locations. So I thought I couldn't think of a better cause to give money to, I just wish I had more to give! I gave them about 6 months of school worth, and i really hope that they spend it on her, but if they need it for food or something else, that will be fine too, but they were really adamant about wanting to send her to school.
Let's see, what else has been going on. This weekend Adnan had a friend from Tufts visit who is from Nepal but is working in Kolkata. So the three of us did all the touristy things in Dhaka, went to the Lalbag fort again, and old pink palace on the river, a mosque that is tiled with stars on the outside, and an Armenian church from the 1700's! I can't believe they were around that early, but I guess it was for trade. We also took a boat ride in the river which was crowed with other small boats, boys bathing, and big boats called rockets that are often in international news for sinking. Lots of people here don't know how to swim. I just can't imagine, how could you ever feel comfortable being on water? I'm tired, I'll write more soon.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Dinajpur
Hello all,
I just returned this morning from Dinajpur, where I have been for the past week. Dinajpur is in the northwest part of the country, near the Indian border. We left Friday morning; I was still slightly sick but stopped myself up for the 9-hour train ride. We crossed the Jumuna River, the biggest river I have ever seen. It took about half an hour to cross, and we could barely see the other side. You can check out my pictures. It was so interesting to think that this water is coming from the Himalayas. There were people riding on top of the train the entire time. I liked to get as much of my body out of the window as I could to cool off and to see as much as possible. I went with Adnan, Kate, and Kate’s translator Rejwan.
We stayed at one of BRAC’s training centers, called a TARC. Immediately upon moving into our room, Kate and I got a knock at the door of about 20 women who wanted to come in and chat. Also at the TARC was a teacher’s training session that all of these women were doing, and they brought their children and some of their mothers to look after the children. So they were our friends the entire week. I taught some of the kids to throw a Frisbee. One eight-year-old girl Sidi was so good, she got the forehand on the first try, something I haven’t seen anyone do! On our last night, there was a cultural show, and people sang and danced and played music. I was forced to sing in front of about 80 people- I sang Country Roads and You Are My Sunshine. Those of you that know me know that nobody should ever have to listen to me sing, but they seemed to love it. The women then dressed me up in a sari and did my makeup- look at the pictures, it is extremely frightening what they did to my eyebrows. They then dragged me around the TARC and took pictures with me and every single person. They also made their own henna from a bush on the grounds and then did Kate’s and my hands. Here it is popular to do the first knuckle of all the fingers and then something on the palm. On my palm the women decided to do an A and a K, a for Alyssa and K for Kate. This is supposed to last for three months. I am going to have a lot of explaining to do as to why I have an A and a K on my hand. I made Kate get the same on hers.
It was unbelievably wonderful to get out of Dhaka and into the country. Adnan and I spent our days wandering among quaint villages. Most people were just sitting in front of their homes, and we just started talking. I’ll attach a copy of our questionnaire. One thing I was really impressed with was that every single household we visited had a tubewell, even those that were very poor. We haven’t done any statistical analysis on our results yet, but I’d say around 60-70% of respondents had some kind of latrine, which I think is a great improvement in the past few years. Knowledge about sanitation and diseases varied greatly by household. There were some other issues that came up in conversations with people that made me feel more disillusioned with BRAC. I can share these personally or at a later time. Many people actually seemed to prefer other NGOs such as Grameen or ASA or small local NGOs.
People in the villages were incredibly friendly and hospitable. People who had so little would often offer us tea or fruit, one family even made us eggs and climbed up a coconut tree to give us the juice. People loved looking at pictures from my family- many of them wanted to keep the pictures, and I finally gave them up to the women who put henna on my hand. They would also love to have their pictures taken and then to look at them on the screen. Many people told us that they wanted to come to America someday, although the cost of a plane ticket is more than most of them will ever save.
We met one incredible family of a mother and two teenage girls, husband deceased. Girls here are often quiet, especially in the presence of men. But these girls were outspoken, got all the answers right, and seemed very intelligent. We returned a few days later to go with them to BRAC’s adolescent development center, where girls can go to play, sing, and dance and learn about issues like child marriage and acid throwing. Once again I had to sing for them. We met a lot of women in their mid twenties who had teenage children, married at age 12 or 13. Some people told us they had nothing to eat but rice and salt, could rarely afford even vegetables, never meat, but everyone seemed happy. Often our interviews were outside, and crowds of 30 or more would gather, with all the adults shouting different answers to the questions and telling personal, generally off-topic stories. Thus our records are not very exact and our method was not the most sound. However, we learned so much about these people and got some interesting stories. Besides doing interviews, we walked around local markets, swam in ponds, walked through the rice paddies under our umbrellas, sat at tea stalls, and went to Hindu temples.
I just returned this morning from Dinajpur, where I have been for the past week. Dinajpur is in the northwest part of the country, near the Indian border. We left Friday morning; I was still slightly sick but stopped myself up for the 9-hour train ride. We crossed the Jumuna River, the biggest river I have ever seen. It took about half an hour to cross, and we could barely see the other side. You can check out my pictures. It was so interesting to think that this water is coming from the Himalayas. There were people riding on top of the train the entire time. I liked to get as much of my body out of the window as I could to cool off and to see as much as possible. I went with Adnan, Kate, and Kate’s translator Rejwan.
We stayed at one of BRAC’s training centers, called a TARC. Immediately upon moving into our room, Kate and I got a knock at the door of about 20 women who wanted to come in and chat. Also at the TARC was a teacher’s training session that all of these women were doing, and they brought their children and some of their mothers to look after the children. So they were our friends the entire week. I taught some of the kids to throw a Frisbee. One eight-year-old girl Sidi was so good, she got the forehand on the first try, something I haven’t seen anyone do! On our last night, there was a cultural show, and people sang and danced and played music. I was forced to sing in front of about 80 people- I sang Country Roads and You Are My Sunshine. Those of you that know me know that nobody should ever have to listen to me sing, but they seemed to love it. The women then dressed me up in a sari and did my makeup- look at the pictures, it is extremely frightening what they did to my eyebrows. They then dragged me around the TARC and took pictures with me and every single person. They also made their own henna from a bush on the grounds and then did Kate’s and my hands. Here it is popular to do the first knuckle of all the fingers and then something on the palm. On my palm the women decided to do an A and a K, a for Alyssa and K for Kate. This is supposed to last for three months. I am going to have a lot of explaining to do as to why I have an A and a K on my hand. I made Kate get the same on hers.
It was unbelievably wonderful to get out of Dhaka and into the country. Adnan and I spent our days wandering among quaint villages. Most people were just sitting in front of their homes, and we just started talking. I’ll attach a copy of our questionnaire. One thing I was really impressed with was that every single household we visited had a tubewell, even those that were very poor. We haven’t done any statistical analysis on our results yet, but I’d say around 60-70% of respondents had some kind of latrine, which I think is a great improvement in the past few years. Knowledge about sanitation and diseases varied greatly by household. There were some other issues that came up in conversations with people that made me feel more disillusioned with BRAC. I can share these personally or at a later time. Many people actually seemed to prefer other NGOs such as Grameen or ASA or small local NGOs.
People in the villages were incredibly friendly and hospitable. People who had so little would often offer us tea or fruit, one family even made us eggs and climbed up a coconut tree to give us the juice. People loved looking at pictures from my family- many of them wanted to keep the pictures, and I finally gave them up to the women who put henna on my hand. They would also love to have their pictures taken and then to look at them on the screen. Many people told us that they wanted to come to America someday, although the cost of a plane ticket is more than most of them will ever save.
We met one incredible family of a mother and two teenage girls, husband deceased. Girls here are often quiet, especially in the presence of men. But these girls were outspoken, got all the answers right, and seemed very intelligent. We returned a few days later to go with them to BRAC’s adolescent development center, where girls can go to play, sing, and dance and learn about issues like child marriage and acid throwing. Once again I had to sing for them. We met a lot of women in their mid twenties who had teenage children, married at age 12 or 13. Some people told us they had nothing to eat but rice and salt, could rarely afford even vegetables, never meat, but everyone seemed happy. Often our interviews were outside, and crowds of 30 or more would gather, with all the adults shouting different answers to the questions and telling personal, generally off-topic stories. Thus our records are not very exact and our method was not the most sound. However, we learned so much about these people and got some interesting stories. Besides doing interviews, we walked around local markets, swam in ponds, walked through the rice paddies under our umbrellas, sat at tea stalls, and went to Hindu temples.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
July 3rd
Today I was sick in bed. It isn’t too bad; I have my appetite mostly back now. Hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow, because we are going to the field for a week. We (Me, Adnan, Kate, and Kate’s translator) will be going to Dinajpur, in the northwest part of the country. We’ll go by train; I think it is about 12 hours.
Yesterday Adnan, Kate and I went to BRAC’s limb and brace center. We spent a long time talking to the doctor there about the place, and we saw all the prosthetic limbs and braces being custom made on site, with very little technology, and then saw people learning to use them. The doctor said that 10% of Bangladeshis are crippled, which seems like an astounding amount. I think a lot of these accidents are from highway incidents, and the second cause is uncontrolled diabetes. A lot of the beggars on the streets are missing legs, and many have no idea that the place exists, because they are already at capacity and don’t advertise. Later that afternoon, Adnan and I met a man missing a leg on the street, and we decided to tell him about the place that we just visited. It turned out he is a rickshaw puller, I’m not sure how that is possible! Anyways, he had never heard of this place, and he said something like, “Well I am illiterate and I don’t think I would be able to navigate the system there, but if you’ll have mercy on me and take me there I’d be much obliged.” So we got his name and address and plan on taking him there next weekend when we return from the field. This is what I wanted to do- really have a direct effect on someone’s life.
Recently I have taken to buying street kids food when they beg, maybe this is making a small difference in their lives. They say that they are hungry, I’m still not sure if this is just something that their parents send them to do to get money or a sort of game for them or if they really are starving, but some fruit and some potato chips can’t hurt.
It has been raining a lot here, I saw in the newspaper that a lot of streets in Dhaka are flooded, but I haven’t seen anything too bad yet. Some of the houses in the slum that we visited originally, that I can see from BRAC, are dangerously close to the rising lake levels. I’m not sure how it will be in Dinajpur, but I hope that we are able to get around.
I heard an interesting fact, I can't be sure how true it is, but that the population density of Bangladesh is as if the entire world's population lived in the US. That is a lot of people!
Happy 4th everyone, I'll be on a train. I'm thinking about all of you and your rodeos, BBQs, picnics, watermelon, swimming, and fireworks!
Yesterday Adnan, Kate and I went to BRAC’s limb and brace center. We spent a long time talking to the doctor there about the place, and we saw all the prosthetic limbs and braces being custom made on site, with very little technology, and then saw people learning to use them. The doctor said that 10% of Bangladeshis are crippled, which seems like an astounding amount. I think a lot of these accidents are from highway incidents, and the second cause is uncontrolled diabetes. A lot of the beggars on the streets are missing legs, and many have no idea that the place exists, because they are already at capacity and don’t advertise. Later that afternoon, Adnan and I met a man missing a leg on the street, and we decided to tell him about the place that we just visited. It turned out he is a rickshaw puller, I’m not sure how that is possible! Anyways, he had never heard of this place, and he said something like, “Well I am illiterate and I don’t think I would be able to navigate the system there, but if you’ll have mercy on me and take me there I’d be much obliged.” So we got his name and address and plan on taking him there next weekend when we return from the field. This is what I wanted to do- really have a direct effect on someone’s life.
Recently I have taken to buying street kids food when they beg, maybe this is making a small difference in their lives. They say that they are hungry, I’m still not sure if this is just something that their parents send them to do to get money or a sort of game for them or if they really are starving, but some fruit and some potato chips can’t hurt.
It has been raining a lot here, I saw in the newspaper that a lot of streets in Dhaka are flooded, but I haven’t seen anything too bad yet. Some of the houses in the slum that we visited originally, that I can see from BRAC, are dangerously close to the rising lake levels. I’m not sure how it will be in Dinajpur, but I hope that we are able to get around.
I heard an interesting fact, I can't be sure how true it is, but that the population density of Bangladesh is as if the entire world's population lived in the US. That is a lot of people!
Happy 4th everyone, I'll be on a train. I'm thinking about all of you and your rodeos, BBQs, picnics, watermelon, swimming, and fireworks!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
JULY 1st
So I have been living in the hotel with Sarajane since Thursday, except for our two sleepovers when we went to friends’ homes and were not allowed to leave. Yesterday we went out and experienced the biggest shopping mall in southeast Asia. It was about 8 floors, and every floor seemed to have a different theme- clothing, jewelry, glasses, DVDs, shoes, bags, and food. It was one of the most stressful experiences I have had being here, because the entire time we were there people would come out of their stores and invite us in, sometimes very loudly and often seeming to try to shout over one another. And no matter where we went, it didn’t stop. At first I tried to tell everyone we were just looking, but it became impossible. It was one of the first times here I was quite uncomfortable. However, our CNG ride home was interesting- it was like a roller coaster ride- our driver had has foot on the dash and was signing and doing conducting motions with his hands as he weaved in an out of traffic, dodging people and trucks. We were also stuck in traffic for a while and I felt compelled to buy some popcorn that I didn’t want from a cute street boy, chatted with him and his friend for a bit, and then a beggar also came along and I gave him the popcorn- he didn’t look too pleased.
I love just walking along the streets, we went out last night, met a nice guy who is studying to be a pharmacist, bought some mangos from a street vendor- 2 for 50 taka, about 75 cents. They were delicious. We also went to a local food joint- which would probably be frowned upon by my parents, but I just had to have one of the kebabs that was cooking in the window and inundating the entire sidewalk with its smell. As we walked in, we were greeted at the front by “I love you, please come in.” The kebab was delicious as I imagined, and the owner came out and made us promise that we would come back every single day. When we left we received another “I love you, goodbye” at the door. I still haven’t decided if the man thought this was a typical English greeting or was hitting on us.
I made another friend at a store, I think I described it before, Aarong, in which the stuff is made by rural artisans and then the funds go back into BRAC’s programs. Anyways I was just looking around the store and a girl who worked there started talking to me and then invited me over to her house. That sort of thing is quite normal here, everyone wants to be as hospitable as possible. So she gave me her address and phone number, I hope to visit soon.
Have I mentioned yet that people eat with their hands here? I couldn’t understand why people would do that, because it seems like something like forks or even chopsticks are so easy and inexpensive and must do wonders at preventing the spread of disease, so I asked Mantasha and she says it is because eating chicken and fish it is so much easier to get all the meat using your fingers, and people who eat so little don’t want to waste any food.
So Adnan and I changed our project again, it is quite frustrating. So our new one is on hygenic behavior and education, focusing on water-borne diseases, comparing between the urban and the rural areas. We are going out to the field on Friday, to a village called Dinajpur, near the Indian border.
I love just walking along the streets, we went out last night, met a nice guy who is studying to be a pharmacist, bought some mangos from a street vendor- 2 for 50 taka, about 75 cents. They were delicious. We also went to a local food joint- which would probably be frowned upon by my parents, but I just had to have one of the kebabs that was cooking in the window and inundating the entire sidewalk with its smell. As we walked in, we were greeted at the front by “I love you, please come in.” The kebab was delicious as I imagined, and the owner came out and made us promise that we would come back every single day. When we left we received another “I love you, goodbye” at the door. I still haven’t decided if the man thought this was a typical English greeting or was hitting on us.
I made another friend at a store, I think I described it before, Aarong, in which the stuff is made by rural artisans and then the funds go back into BRAC’s programs. Anyways I was just looking around the store and a girl who worked there started talking to me and then invited me over to her house. That sort of thing is quite normal here, everyone wants to be as hospitable as possible. So she gave me her address and phone number, I hope to visit soon.
Have I mentioned yet that people eat with their hands here? I couldn’t understand why people would do that, because it seems like something like forks or even chopsticks are so easy and inexpensive and must do wonders at preventing the spread of disease, so I asked Mantasha and she says it is because eating chicken and fish it is so much easier to get all the meat using your fingers, and people who eat so little don’t want to waste any food.
So Adnan and I changed our project again, it is quite frustrating. So our new one is on hygenic behavior and education, focusing on water-borne diseases, comparing between the urban and the rural areas. We are going out to the field on Friday, to a village called Dinajpur, near the Indian border.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
June 29
Wednesday I was coming home from Adnan’s house at night, and I ran into the kids who watched us playing soccer a few weeks ago. They remembered me! I now know where they live, on the street next to the park, and am going to give them one of the pictures I took. I finally found a taxi to take me home. The driver was very friendly, and we attempted to talk for the half hour we were stuck in traffic. He told me all about his family, and how he didn’t want to have kids until he could afford them. I thought this was a revolutionary idea here, and I was very impressed. When he dropped me off, he wouldn’t let me pay but I threw the money in the door as I closed it. These people, giving so much even when they have so little to give!
Thursday afternoon I walked home along the railroad tracks, which is a popular route to travel. I took some pictures there, of the shacks right next to the tracks and the friendly people that live there. I was caught up meeting people when one man pointed down the tracks and said “car” and I realized that a train was coming. The trains are topped with young boys standing up, dancing, looking as if they are on a thrill ride. It seems seriously dangerous, I wonder how often people fall off or are hit. I met a nice old man who insisted on walking me to the end of the tracks to make sure I made it, and bought me some tea at a little stall and would not let me pay. Thursday night I moved out of my home due to a fight with my host mother. Luckily I had a friend over at the time and she said I could stay with her in the hotel for a few nights. But it was dark and I was upset, so we walked about 3 houses down the street where another intern who is Bangladeshi lives. He and his family were so hospitable to us, they insisted we stay for dinner and then stay the night, and then I think they would have tried to have us stay forever if we hadn’t left. Turns out his dad teaches at SIT in Vermont! Sarajane and I then went to a BRAC staff member’s home for a 2 year old’s birthday party, where we met about 30 relatives, every one invited us to their homes. People here really are very friendly and hospitable. They insisted we eat mango and jackfruit, and kept brining it out until even I had to forcefully refuse, which is rare. Lunch was chicken biriyani, which is rice and chicken and egg, again giving us serving after serving. We ate with the men on someone’s bed. It was interesting to finally see how the middle class here lives. That evening we went to a concert and dinner at a local club, with a band that did mostly US rock hits. I felt conflicted spending even $15 doing this, when it is more than many people here make in a week. This could easily be expanded to many peoples’ lives, should we feel bad spending money on any luxuries when people all over the world are barely getting by? Is that any way to go about living? I feel better when I think that I am here trying to help, to make some difference. I think there should be a balance of self-indulgence and attempting to make the world a better place.
Saturday Sarajane and Jean and Jahanara, another intern and I went to Old Dhaka, went to an old fort, a Hindu temple, and a Sikh temple. The fort was a hangout for couples who sit in the shade and chat. Holding hands is about as far as anyone goes in public, anything more than that is considered scandalous. We also visited a narrow but crowded street , Shankharia street, that is known for its jewelry makers, gravestone makers, and hat makers. Incense was burning along the street, laundry was waving in the breeze just above our heads, and the bells of the rickshaws were ringing in our ears. The next street over was a combination of womens’ religious garment shops and clock shops. It was strange traveling with Jahanara’ driver, because while we ate, walked around, he was always waiting for us. I don’t think I could ever feel comfortable having someone wait for me like that all of the time, although I’m sure he doesn’t mind, he is probably paid well.
In the evening, I went to a film about garment workers here- it was actually quite positive, portraying the garment factories as a way for young women to escape the patriarchy of the villages and to become independent and self sufficient in the city. The women interviewed seemed very happy, but still they were making $30-50 dollars a month. I lived right next to some garment factories, I’d love to go into one but I am sure it is difficult to do, especially for a foreigner.
So I have figured out a way to deal with beggars- most of them if you just talk to them will stop asking for money and want to talk. Of course I know about 3 sentences, but it is usually enough to distract them. I think they are unused to people paying attention to them as people at all.
Thursday afternoon I walked home along the railroad tracks, which is a popular route to travel. I took some pictures there, of the shacks right next to the tracks and the friendly people that live there. I was caught up meeting people when one man pointed down the tracks and said “car” and I realized that a train was coming. The trains are topped with young boys standing up, dancing, looking as if they are on a thrill ride. It seems seriously dangerous, I wonder how often people fall off or are hit. I met a nice old man who insisted on walking me to the end of the tracks to make sure I made it, and bought me some tea at a little stall and would not let me pay. Thursday night I moved out of my home due to a fight with my host mother. Luckily I had a friend over at the time and she said I could stay with her in the hotel for a few nights. But it was dark and I was upset, so we walked about 3 houses down the street where another intern who is Bangladeshi lives. He and his family were so hospitable to us, they insisted we stay for dinner and then stay the night, and then I think they would have tried to have us stay forever if we hadn’t left. Turns out his dad teaches at SIT in Vermont! Sarajane and I then went to a BRAC staff member’s home for a 2 year old’s birthday party, where we met about 30 relatives, every one invited us to their homes. People here really are very friendly and hospitable. They insisted we eat mango and jackfruit, and kept brining it out until even I had to forcefully refuse, which is rare. Lunch was chicken biriyani, which is rice and chicken and egg, again giving us serving after serving. We ate with the men on someone’s bed. It was interesting to finally see how the middle class here lives. That evening we went to a concert and dinner at a local club, with a band that did mostly US rock hits. I felt conflicted spending even $15 doing this, when it is more than many people here make in a week. This could easily be expanded to many peoples’ lives, should we feel bad spending money on any luxuries when people all over the world are barely getting by? Is that any way to go about living? I feel better when I think that I am here trying to help, to make some difference. I think there should be a balance of self-indulgence and attempting to make the world a better place.
Saturday Sarajane and Jean and Jahanara, another intern and I went to Old Dhaka, went to an old fort, a Hindu temple, and a Sikh temple. The fort was a hangout for couples who sit in the shade and chat. Holding hands is about as far as anyone goes in public, anything more than that is considered scandalous. We also visited a narrow but crowded street , Shankharia street, that is known for its jewelry makers, gravestone makers, and hat makers. Incense was burning along the street, laundry was waving in the breeze just above our heads, and the bells of the rickshaws were ringing in our ears. The next street over was a combination of womens’ religious garment shops and clock shops. It was strange traveling with Jahanara’ driver, because while we ate, walked around, he was always waiting for us. I don’t think I could ever feel comfortable having someone wait for me like that all of the time, although I’m sure he doesn’t mind, he is probably paid well.
In the evening, I went to a film about garment workers here- it was actually quite positive, portraying the garment factories as a way for young women to escape the patriarchy of the villages and to become independent and self sufficient in the city. The women interviewed seemed very happy, but still they were making $30-50 dollars a month. I lived right next to some garment factories, I’d love to go into one but I am sure it is difficult to do, especially for a foreigner.
So I have figured out a way to deal with beggars- most of them if you just talk to them will stop asking for money and want to talk. Of course I know about 3 sentences, but it is usually enough to distract them. I think they are unused to people paying attention to them as people at all.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Slum, wedding, embassy
Wow- two weeks in Bangladesh already! On Monday I stopped wanting to come home so badly- I’m not sure why, but now I feel much better. I have made some good friends here so far, and I’m actually moving in with one. Mostly it is because it is cheaper with him. Did I mention that I am living with my boss? That makes for a strange situation.
I have also become slightly disillusioned with the internship program here. I can’t quite figure out why they have interns, because it doesn’t seem like they care much about our research. Adnan and I are trying to work around official people as much as possible. We’ve really just been doing our own thing- he is really good as just dropping names and talking his way into things, so on Monday we went to visit a mother and neonatal health program in a slum- we went to see a birthing hut, and watched a health volunteer do a check up. We talked for hours to these people. It is much more interesting to see what actually goes on in the field than hear about it from headquarters. We’ll also go to a TB, cancer, and leprosy hospital tomorrow. We’re going to try and finish our project early and spend the rest of the time perhaps traveling or doing some more learning around here.
The other night we went to a wedding. Adnan’s cousin gave me a pretty salwar and kamiz to wear- I wanted to wear a sari but his mom said I’d need an hour lesson or it may fall off. Weddings here are very different than in the US- there are many days of pre-parties, usually separate for the bride and groom, but this one was combined. The bride was dressed up so beautifully- look at my pictures. She sat in front of a wall of flowers. Then all the relatives and friends brought gifts and laid them at the couples’ feet, and rubbed tumeric on their faces to make them glow. This was followed by a delicious dinner and then a live band. I think a lot of people were wondering who the white people were- “I’m pretty sure we’re not related to them?” But nobody asked.
Today I went to the American embassy to meet a woman who is a connection of a connection. The embassy is extremely well guarded, it took me a while to get through security. It is also the nicest building I have been into in Dhaka so far, although she said compared to all the other embassies it is quite terrible. She doesn’t really like it here, thinks there is nothing to do- they can’t take public transportation anywhere. This is a hardship post for foreign service workers, meaning they get more money and don’t have to stay as long. But other people I met seemed to really love it. She showed me around and told me what everyone does, which I already knew thanks to Jeff Lunstead’s class. They invited me to join the American Club here in Dhaka, where I think only Americans can go, to swim, to eat, do “American things”. I think hanging out there too much may detract from my Bangladesh experience, but I would like to take a swim and maybe go for the 4th of July celebration. Well that is about it for now, I hope everyone is doing well!
I have also become slightly disillusioned with the internship program here. I can’t quite figure out why they have interns, because it doesn’t seem like they care much about our research. Adnan and I are trying to work around official people as much as possible. We’ve really just been doing our own thing- he is really good as just dropping names and talking his way into things, so on Monday we went to visit a mother and neonatal health program in a slum- we went to see a birthing hut, and watched a health volunteer do a check up. We talked for hours to these people. It is much more interesting to see what actually goes on in the field than hear about it from headquarters. We’ll also go to a TB, cancer, and leprosy hospital tomorrow. We’re going to try and finish our project early and spend the rest of the time perhaps traveling or doing some more learning around here.
The other night we went to a wedding. Adnan’s cousin gave me a pretty salwar and kamiz to wear- I wanted to wear a sari but his mom said I’d need an hour lesson or it may fall off. Weddings here are very different than in the US- there are many days of pre-parties, usually separate for the bride and groom, but this one was combined. The bride was dressed up so beautifully- look at my pictures. She sat in front of a wall of flowers. Then all the relatives and friends brought gifts and laid them at the couples’ feet, and rubbed tumeric on their faces to make them glow. This was followed by a delicious dinner and then a live band. I think a lot of people were wondering who the white people were- “I’m pretty sure we’re not related to them?” But nobody asked.
Today I went to the American embassy to meet a woman who is a connection of a connection. The embassy is extremely well guarded, it took me a while to get through security. It is also the nicest building I have been into in Dhaka so far, although she said compared to all the other embassies it is quite terrible. She doesn’t really like it here, thinks there is nothing to do- they can’t take public transportation anywhere. This is a hardship post for foreign service workers, meaning they get more money and don’t have to stay as long. But other people I met seemed to really love it. She showed me around and told me what everyone does, which I already knew thanks to Jeff Lunstead’s class. They invited me to join the American Club here in Dhaka, where I think only Americans can go, to swim, to eat, do “American things”. I think hanging out there too much may detract from my Bangladesh experience, but I would like to take a swim and maybe go for the 4th of July celebration. Well that is about it for now, I hope everyone is doing well!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
June 22
I finally figured out what my research will be on. I will be comparing the health volunteers’ work in the rural areas to their work in the slums. I believe that in the slums they are having less success, and maybe we will be able to pinpoint why this is and give BRAC some advice on how the slum health program can be improved. I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but what a health volunteer does is go to 15-20 households per day, make sure everyone is healthy, try and identify TB patients or pregnant women, and then give advice on other health issues. They are in charge of about 300 households total. On Thursday some of the interns went to a village about 2 hours outside of Dhaka. This was just to get a general overview of what BRAC does, which we have been reading about, but had not actually seen. First we went to a microfinance meeting, where women paid back their loans and they discussed any problems that anyone had. One woman then showed us the cow she purchased with her loan, which produces milk she can sell for a profit. We also went to a BRAC school, met all of the children, and they sang and danced for us. This was followed by a health meeting, where a health worker taught a class, a different subject each week- this week was hand washing. It is amazing how such simple information like this can make a difference in peoples’ lives. All of these visits involved trekking through muddy villages along winding roads and being followed by dozens of village children, who have probably never seen white people. We then went to one of BRAC’s clothing production facilities (they have some moneymaking enterprises whose profits go directly back into the system, so they are becoming less and less donor reliant), and watched women and men making hundreds of clothing items that will be sold in the city. Then we went to a sanitary napkin production facility. I have mixed feelings about this, because I certainly wouldn’t enjoy spending all day sitting, sewing on sequences or rolling up pads in hot conditions. However, it is providing people with income- perhaps what they would be doing instead is less pleasant- I feel the same way about all the maids here, I can’t figure out if they are grateful for the opportunity to earn money and be clothed and fed, or have no other options and resent being ordered around. I’ll have to explore this more.
Today I bought a Bangla book, so now I think learning will be easier. It seems that there are only 2 or 3 English/Bangla books in existence, it was difficult to find. This is strange considering Bangla is the 5th or 6th most widely spoken languages in the world. I sometimes wonder why schools offer languages like German and Italian when there are other languages that are more popular. Another interesting thing I have noticed is that there are some words that are surprisingly similar to Italian and other romance languages- this is because they originally come from the same roots, are Indo-European languages, and I have heard that this early language was Sanskrit, but my book says it is not but is not very clear. It doesn’t help too much, but every now and then I find commonalities.
I’ve been having moral dilemmas with the beggars, especially those who come to the car windows, and there is nowhere to go to get away, you either have to look away or just watch them plead. It would be so easy for me to give them all a few cents worth in taka, which would probably make a difference in their day, but in the long run this would be solving nothing. I haven’t figured out what these people would be doing if they were not begging- do they truly have no other way to make money and would die of starvation if nobody helped them? Many are cripples and can’t work- do they bring back the money they receive to their families who are completely fine? I’ve decided not to give any money away until I can figure out how I feel and what the actual issues are.
Ok here is a link to some of my pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/alyssa.panning/Bangladesh
I'll keep adding more
Today I bought a Bangla book, so now I think learning will be easier. It seems that there are only 2 or 3 English/Bangla books in existence, it was difficult to find. This is strange considering Bangla is the 5th or 6th most widely spoken languages in the world. I sometimes wonder why schools offer languages like German and Italian when there are other languages that are more popular. Another interesting thing I have noticed is that there are some words that are surprisingly similar to Italian and other romance languages- this is because they originally come from the same roots, are Indo-European languages, and I have heard that this early language was Sanskrit, but my book says it is not but is not very clear. It doesn’t help too much, but every now and then I find commonalities.
I’ve been having moral dilemmas with the beggars, especially those who come to the car windows, and there is nowhere to go to get away, you either have to look away or just watch them plead. It would be so easy for me to give them all a few cents worth in taka, which would probably make a difference in their day, but in the long run this would be solving nothing. I haven’t figured out what these people would be doing if they were not begging- do they truly have no other way to make money and would die of starvation if nobody helped them? Many are cripples and can’t work- do they bring back the money they receive to their families who are completely fine? I’ve decided not to give any money away until I can figure out how I feel and what the actual issues are.
Ok here is a link to some of my pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/alyssa.panning/Bangladesh
I'll keep adding more
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