Memoirs of my first few days

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I'm not even certain of what day it is today, everything is a whirlwind of information, and an assault on the senses and conscience. I'm so exhausted, but content.

Yesterday I found a place to live. On the edge of Dhanmondi, a 'suburb' of Dhaka that is a cultural hub of the city. We have been staying in a hotel on the other side of Dhaka, the side of Dhaka where most of the expats live. Here you will find many things catering to Western needs and it is also a great place, but is somewhat of a bubble to live in. The others will be living here. Out of my intake, I'll be the only one on the 'other side' but there are some other workers living there that I have already met, and I will be renting a room in an apartment with an older couple that are teachers. It is close to my work place which is situated within a fascinating area of narrow streets and lanes, crammed with rickshaws, cars and CNGs. There is a lot more rubbish around, and it has an unruly appeal to it. My organisation is just down the road from a slum area, home to refugees. The smell around here is putrid, but the sight fascinating but confronting.

The traffic is terrible just about anywhere you go. Today we spent a good 20-30 minutes, merely jammed in a narrow alleyway. Fighting rickshaw drivers for any space that was to elusively materialise every 5 minutes or so, if we were lucky. We have so many close calls to crashes, but it seems to be the usual. Its absolutely crazy. I can't believe I haven't seen a crash yet (or been in one), but the sides of buses testify otherwise. Beggars and salespeople take advantage of all of the congestion to knock on your window - beggars displaying lost limbs or a handicapped family member, children holding out their palms; salespeople selling anything from fairyfloss, popcorn, towels, and teatowels, to encyclopedia-type picture books of fish species or your ABC.

Today was exceptionally muggy. Only yesterday it had rained inconveniently as I caught a rickshaw. But it is building up again, there was incredible lightning in the sky this evening, impressively lighting up the sky against a mosque type building. The salwar kameez (I think thats the correct name) that I have to wear isn't the kind of thing you want to be wearing in this humidity. I think it would be ok without the orna, which is draped around or over your shoulders, but apparently that is the most important part of the dress. Tomorrow we have an important function with the High Commissioner, or something like that, and we have to wear a sari. This will be interesting. Saris are complicated to wear and I've never liked them because they reveal much of your midriff. But on many women, they are absolutely stunning. I'm just not that sure I can carry it off. I hope it doesn't fall off. Bought some bling today to go with it.

I'm trying to learn Bangla. We have classes every morning. I fall asleep during verb conjugation and other tedious subjects. I try out what little I do retain, on poor and unsuspecting Bengalis that may be serving me in a shop or otherwise. Or children begging on the street. Thats always fun. They speak a little English, we speak a little (ektu) Bengali. I'm still not sure where I stand on the whole begging issue. It's so freaking complicating and its very emotive. Nevertheless, I tend to disregard the advice of not engaging with them. Most of us do. We often have a fun time together, shaking hands, high fiving, counting in Bangla, playing around. The sad part is that we walk away, to them incomprehensively rich, leaving them with empty stomach and hands. One little girl asked if we got our money from the trees (translated). I didn't understand at first. But she was obviously refering to the saying of money growing on trees. She couldn't imagine what it must be like. There are so many angles to the begging issue. You could do a thesis on it. I just don't know. I need to work something out in my head, its just that my brain isn't that helpful at the moment. It is still stubbornly refusing to engage in deep thinking of any kind, for any prolonged period of time. For the moment, I'm falling back on the default of just not giving any money. But I'm sure I can work out another system, i don't know....watch this space.

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