Welcome to Bangladesh, Cowboy Country for Backpackers Bangladesh is the real deal. If you want to know what you are made of, you come here. I have found myself describing India to the other interns here at the Grameen Bank as 'too touristy'. Once you get into it, I think that most would agree, but from your desk chair in the Western World, I can see how that might raise an eyebrow or two. One great thing is that there is always 'that guy who speaks English' in every village. So eventually, you will figure out where you are and how [View Full Entry]

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What initially drew me to Grameen Bank was the potential of micro-credit to challenge traditional attitudes towards gender equity. The goal of the micro-credit summit campaign was not simply to reach women but empower them. This meant developing micro- and macro-level strategies to achieve gender equality in power, rights and resources. Yet, empowerment is a culturally specific word. A young female receiving a liberal arts education in the west has a much different understanding of empowerment as compared to an uneducated woman growing up in a rural village. Therefore, until I could answe [View Full Entry]

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I was talking to one of the employees of Grameen over tea about how interns always seek information about the problems with the banking system. Before recognizing the successes, they immediately want to discuss the challenges. I explained that this was part of Western culture. We are taught in school to be critical of everything brought before us and to deconstruct all arguments. I also think it partly has to do with the egocentric notion of the East needing the West’s help. However, after attending my first borrower’s meeting in a rural village today, I realized that while Gr [View Full Entry]

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I really wanted a homestay experience in order to make the most of this trip, so I went to tripadvisor.com and posted a comment asking if anyone knew of how I could get in touch with a family. A man emailed me back telling me I could stay with his sister. I readily agreed but was nevertheless suspicious of this kind of offer. However, once I arrived in Dhaka and met up with the family, my doubts vanished about their authenticity. I am now staying in a little apartment on a street that ceases to exist on google maps. The father [View Full Entry]

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Day 2 I watched as a bus smashed into the side of a rickshaw today. The first thought that crossed my mind was whether or not the man was harmed and then to how the driver would survive without his source of livelihood. It is disheartening to think that all of one’s possessions could be so easily destroyed. My Indian friend Daashan asked me earlier that day if I would like to take a rickshaw to the downtown area. I hesitated, explaining my discomfort in having someone peddle me around and explained that in America, this would be seen as a [View Full Entry]

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The beginning of my trip to Bangladesh went smoothly. I first flew from Boston to London, where I sat next to a medical supplies salesman who elaborated about his adventures getting sick in India and dodging the aggressive traffic. Even so, his stories only increased my excitement and I read through the entire Lonely Planet book (a convenient 150 pages). The second leg of my journey caused some anxiety. Once the plane landed, I had 75 minutes to make my connecting flight to Delhi; however, by the time I used the bathroom, walked across the terminal and re-entered security, I [View Full Entry]

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It’s been more than two weeks since the Bengali New Year on April 14th, making it not nearly as new or exciting as it would have been if I had managed to post something about it in a more timely manner. In the spirit of celebration, however, let’s just pretend. Put on something red and white (and throw in some yellow, if you’re more courageous), and imagine that you’re ringing in the new year with outdoor cultural programs, family visits, and lots of eating—all on a festival appropriate 100 degree day. We started our morning in an upper-middle class manner with [View Full Entry]

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Blogger Dougo As I was riding home in the school van today, I was discussing with a colleague and a teacher's son whether or not the black clouds to the north would bring rain. Pretty soon, we heard the first rumble and the boy began to count the seconds between lightning and thunder. The conversation turned to childhood memories of being terrified by the earth shattering boom of simultaneous lightning and thunder strikes. We all agreed that it hadn't happened very often. In fact, it had only happened twice in my whole life. Tonight, I doubled this 5 times over. [View Full Entry]

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Two months into 2009 and I remenber how pre-occupied I was with the New Year last year. At one point I made a note in my journal saying" there's probably nothing greater than the ability to debate with your thoughts and feelings but still manage to find a balance & keep your sanity". This note came as a result of a tremendous amount of stress. Being on this program has been like a rollercoaster ride and I've come to appreciate that. I have to admit that starting a new year has been rather refreshing. I look forward to each day with [View Full Entry]

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It's two months into the program and I think I've finally reached a point where I can say it's starting to feel normal being Bangladesh. This is how I've spent my first two months in Bangladesh;I made personal notes of my feelings and my thoughts and after two moths, I realized just how much my thoughts and perceptions had shifted; they were more positive, more relaxed and it hit me: I was finally adjusting! I saw this as a major achievement. I would spend the next few weeks and months feeling like a normal person who was just here to make [View Full Entry]

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