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Published: September 15th 2007
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Asalaam alaykum (greetings). Haven't written for a while as life has been extreeeeemely hectic for me ever since I started my new job, but here goes another update on life in Bangladesh...
Let's start with recent (ish) news. A few weeks ago there were some demonstrations, riots, in downtown Dhaka. There has been a military presence at the university for several months ever since the interim government has stepped in. The students there (and this was echoed all over the country) were demonstrating against this presence, so there was tear gas, fights and general mayhem between civilians, students and the military. This meant that the whole city pretty much shut down for a couple of days as there was no internet, and no phone lines including mobile reception. The government also imposed a curfew all day so although we weren't supposed to go out, we did at some stage just around our area but there wasn't much to see anyway as everything was shut!
Anyway it's back to normal now. This weekend we went on the boat (as you regular readers! will know, we are part of a boat consortium so can hire out the boat(s) anytime we like,
from place to place...
one of the many boats we saw along the river usually on a weekend for a few hours to get out of Dhaka. To get to the nearest river's only about 15 mins drive away. As it's rainy season the water level's pretty high. We (my parents plus some friends/people they know) hopped on the boat yesterday morning and had a leisurely view of the river and people fishing and living there. You can see kids splashing and bathing in the river and they all shout and wave 'hello!' as we pass. There are also small boats carrying goods and food from place to place. One guy's hat was so large you couldn't see his face..good protection from the sun I guess! There was a really small boat passing by us with three passengers on board as well as several baskets full of pots and pans, and the boat was so on the water line that the woman in the middle was having to scoop out the water that was leaking into the boat as the others rowed! We were lucky yesterday as we saw a (or possibly several) dolphin swimming and flipping over in the air in the river. Here we get Ganges River dolphins, which are slightly pinkish
in colour and its eyes lack a lens, so it's blind although apparently it can find its direction. It's an endangered species so it was great to see a few sightings. We also spotted a huge lizard in the water...thought it was a snake at first! Going out on the river(s) is a great way to escape the noise and bustle and heat of Dhaka and gives you a taste of rural Bangladesh which is hard to imagine when you spend your day-to-day life in a city with a population larger than London.
Meanwhile, all I seem to be doing is work, work, work. I'm at school 8am-4pm, then I get home and work another 4 hours or so. I am trying to 'get a life' as it were, but it's really hard as the work won't do itself! I don't have any curriculum except the one I am making up myself, no lesson plans from last year, I have special needs in all my classes with no help or aides or anything like that, little or no resources as the school is new and has no money to supply them (even tho it is a private school) and
open water
hmm, how can you tell it's rainy season? most of this is dry land come January. During the rainy season 2/3rds of Bangladesh is under water. I'm working full time. Anyhow, after going to the doctor and finding out I have high blood pressure even though I am a) only 25 and b) got it tested in July and it was fine I have said 'sod it' and am attempting to release the pressure. I've booked myself for tennis lessons (ha! last time I picked up a tennis racket was about 8 years ago!) and am singing in a band (did our first gig 2 weeks ago which was fun), and I hope to do more, cos at the moment I'm not meeting anyone my age really to socialise with.
Ramadan has just begun here. It starts at a different time every year, depending on the moon, or rather when the moon can be sighted. All festivals/religious times of year here seem to depend on when the moon is sighted, and as this city is one of the most polluted in the world, that can be tricky! Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar calendar and the holiest of the four holy months. After the sighting of the new moon most Muslims (pretty much all here) fast until the sun sets again when
they have a massive feast (known as the Iftar) so there are meal deals all over the place at the moment. At school I will have to take my lunch away from everyone else and although my students aren't even allowed to drink during their fast, I will be as there's no way a teacher can do without a drink of water during the day especially in this heat!
Next month is half term when I have 2 weeks off, and how I deserve it! I'm going on a boat (with others) to the Sundarbans, a national conservation area and national park where you sometimes can spot a Bengal tiger if you're lucky. That'll be for a few days, and then I'll be back here and do some more sightseeing...or maybe just shopping!...til I start work again (boo).
Til then.....
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Doug and Bec
Doug and Bec Taylor
Fellow Dhaka travel blogger
Hi Claire, I teach with your mum at ISD and will also be going with you on the Sundarbans trip! Great to read your blog and hear your take on it all! See you on Friday (no pesky overnight bus for you!!) Bec blogger - doug_and_bec