Blogs from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Asia - page 9

Did any of these words manage to pique your interest? Well we certainly have had an interesting week here in Dhaka (is there such a thing as a normal week here?)! And before we fly off to Thailand for a week we thought we might leave you folks with something to chew on for a bit back at home. We are finally starting to enjoy the feeling of settling into a routine here. The apartment is painted, our shipment is here, our couch has been ordered and things at work are running smoothly. We have even recently gained membership at the oasis that is the American Club here, and life is pretty good! Things (and our stomachs!)were just starting to calm down a bit when one mango-daiquiri night (courtesy of the American Club) later I came ... read more

after pinkie-swearing with jen to maintain this blog weekly i find myself sitting down to compose my first entry...almost two months into our experience here. time here seems to be washed away with the mid-afternoon monsoon rain and one is left wondering how a place so chaotic and unorganized can move at such a dizzying pace. although this is my first entry and am feeling like a slacker, i am glad to have the opportunity to contribute: experiencing joys and frustrations in a new country can always be a tricky adventure. just when you feel like you have got something down pat, you get slapped in the face with a newfound reality. earlier this week i was returning to dhaka from a conference in singapore--basically the antithesis of dhaka: sterile, rule laden, and polite. soaking in ... read more

We got our stuff, finally! Our shipment arrived, safe and sound, last week and it is SO nice to have all our things here. We sent 68 boxes of random things- furniture, clothes, kitchenware, etc and all are present and accounted for (and all in one piece, too- not a single glass was chipped or broken!). We spent the next few nights assembling our furniture from IKEA and are slowly getting around to hangin stuff up on the walls and taking care of other fine details as well. These pics are mostly of Jake, but I helped too, I swear!!... read more

So we have arrived safe and sound in Dhaka! After an extremely long flight we arrived at the airport and were taken straight to our new apartment-which is absolutely huge! We live in a brand new building on a quiet side of town and are quite happy with our new home. As soon as our shipment comes in we will be able to cozy in a bit, but until then we are happily busying ourselves with exploring the city, meeting new people, and getting ready for our new jobs. (We start with kids on Wed.!) Jet lag is still lingering- we are usually up and awake around 4:30AM just in time to hear the citywide call to prayer bellowing from nearby rooftop loudspeakers... or 1 of our 2 neighborhood roosters, who are sometimes just as loud. ... read more

Two stories about children that I’d like to remember: Child beggars are pervasive. It’s one of the more difficult things to deal with here even after a long time. In a car, they will swarm me, pressing their faces against the window yelling, “Madam! Madam!” While walking, they will run towards me, grab my hands, try to pull my bags if I’m carrying any. “Madam, please!” they continually call. Sometimes I buy them some bananas or something or give them an extra mango from my backpack. Most of the time I brush them aside, say hello and ask them to go away. I try to steer them away from getting taken out by cars as they surround me while I walk. Sometimes they are sweet and look badly in need of some food. Sometimes they are ... read more