this will be a long one, folks...

Last week, we had a week off for Chinese New Year, so after much pleading and frustration at the Consulate office, I got my visa and headed off to Bangladesh to visit my good friend Cicely. She's working with the Mennonite Central Committee for a year, living in a convent and teaching English. Check out: http://www.cicbangladesh.blogspot.com/ if you want to read more.

In short, it was a fabulous, indescribable, once in a lifetime experience and one of the best weeks of my life. I was exposed to so many new things, was reminded of some of life's big questions that we should be asking ourselves as responsible Christians (and human beings in general), and was completely refreshed. Cicely definitely deserves much of the credit, as it was so great to spend time with a good friend again and experience this part of her life.

I arrived late on Sunday night and we spent the night in Dhaka, the capital city. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world, which was easy to notice as soon as we rolled out from under our mosquito netting and tried to hail a rickshaw. Our first priority on Monday was getting me some appropriate clothing (see pictures), and although I stood out with my blond hair, wearing a neck/chest coverering, an orna, would save me from more stares and comments. We went to New Market, found some bargains (everything was INCREDIBLY inexpensive) and packed up our stuff for the bus station. Upon arriving at the station, we were greeted by several people shouting at us to get on their bus, and sheep and goats roaming about. I would soon learn that I needed to quickly get over my fear of animals, as cows, dogs, and goats float all over the streets (and stores?!) of Bangladesh. After a few hours, we arrived in Cicely's home of Mymensingh and ate dinner with the Sisters at the convent where she lives.

Tuesday kept us close to home with teaching English classes, going to a tea shop, attending a Taize service, avoiding soldiers and eating with the sisters again. I quickly was reminded of how white my skin was as people continued to stare, gape, point, and follow us. Cic says that many people (especially in the smaller towns) have never seen a foreigner before. Wow. On Wednesday, we took a boat ride on the river, went to a couple of local tea shops for lunch (spending about $1.50 total), went to a L'Arche community (more tea) and took a long walk along the river at night, when the chances of being bothered were lessened. I got a clear picture of Bangladeshi hospitality as I was served several cups of tea and was told several times to sit and rest. The pace of life moves much more slowly and nobody was in a rush to finish or get anywhere on time, quite different from Hong Kong

On Thursday we taught more classes, and ate lunch with the Sisters again before hectically catching a rickshaw and boarding a bus. This was all a very confusing process, as most things seemed to be to me. I did appreciate hearing the nuns giggle about the time when one of them fell into a river in Bangladesh and her nun-skirt-thing poofed up around her as she was flailing in the water. We arrived in Saraganj later that day (a smaller village) to visit another friend of Cicely's and to get a better picture of the village/rural life.

On Friday we woke up early to visit a friend's village because they were making special sweet milk cakes that morning and had invited visitors. I had to avert my eyes as a chicken was being plucked a few feet away from me, and we were taken on a tour of the farms, noticing the clever irrigation systems. In the afternoon, we took a long boat ride across the river to the Chor, where we visited another village and received many followers and onlookers. Bangladesh will flood soon, and the people living in the Chor will likely have to move several times over the course of the year. That evening, we went to a salon for some henna work, and spent the night baking an apple pie and relaxing.

Early on Saturday, we made another scene as we boarded a bus back to Dhaka. We happened to meet a Muslim shiek who spoke good English, as he had lived in the states for many years. Again, I had to giggle as the man next to me motioned to request to listen to my ipod, after curiously watching Cic and I listen to it for an hour or so. It seemed like a complete clash of cultures as this very traditional Bangla man experienced his first headphones and a Dixie Chicks song came on. After eating a late lunch at a friend's house, we met Cic's friend Joyce, who helped us translate and navigate some of the more "touristy" areas of Dhaka, including some historic ruins, a Hindu temple, and "Old Dhaka". Again, many people asked if they could take our picture and started following us.

It's hard to give this entire experience justice in a blog entry, but hopefully the pictures give it a little more flavor. Life resumes in Hong Kong now for a few weeks, until my next trip (with old roommates Ginni and Sara) to Beijing!

narrative to come...more pictures

taken while riding on a rickshaw: typical street in mymensing. since the military has taken over, all stores and homes are being demolished that were built on government land (such as the ones on the 2nd floor).

bicycles...used for EVERYTHING here
rebelling by being women and being out late at night...but drinking sprite. no beer available in this muslim country. we're still covered up, though

last day in dhaka...beautiful, warm weather

Bangladesh pictures #3

kids who followed us on their way home from school
our restaurant for lunch, across the river
mendi at the salon
rickshaws...all over the place
cows, goats, animals in every street, around every corner

Bangladesh pictures #2

Dhaka: an incredibly busy city. Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world.
Cic and me by the some Dhaka ruins...we had to wear these scarves ("ornas") around us the whole time in this Muslim country . Layers, long clothing (salwar kameez) and bright colors are the style..many women wear head coverings, but I guess we're a little more immodest than that.
Dhaka market
first of many, many cups of tea in a "dirty tea stall" (as named by Cic and friends)
these cute kids from a villagekept following us. it was quite likely that we were the first foreigners they had ever seen, as was the case for many people

Bangla pictures #1

Onlookers everywhere we went...this is in Cicely's friend Daren's village of Buhoti
typical roadside store

boat ride across the Bamaputra river
at Cicely's mission...living with the nuns
on the boat to the Chor

Chinese New Year: night out to the markets

Selling things at the market

Last night I went out with some friends to see the Chinese New Year market. We met at an Italian restaurant first...not exactly traditional.

A glimpse of the crowds, buying a bunch of cheap crap...lots of blowup toys.

Food stands at the festival...a little bit of everything.

MASSIVE CROWDS. It was hard to move once we got in the midst of it...we shuffled along without much room to breathe.

Chinese New Year: decorations

These are the lights inside of my apartment complex. It looks like Christmas all over again.

Right outside of my building. These small orange trees are everywhere and mean something about good luck and fortune.

I thought these fruits were really unique...another traditional decoration.

One of the flower markets. During this week, people do a huge cleansing of their homes and lives...like a giant spring cleaning. All of the stores are having huge sales, as people get rid of the old and bring in the new. People will have flowers in their homes and bring them to friends and relatives as they do their Chinese New Year visits.

Chinese New Year: school edition

This is the first grade class I work with

Tomorrow is officially the Chinese New Year lunar holiday, which is the most widely celebrated holiday here. On Friday (last day before a week-long break), we had our celebrations at school. The Mandarin teachers did a special chapel, and everyone dressed up in traditional Chinese outfits. For kids, this is the most exciting holiday because they get Lai See, or money in red packets. Single people also get this money, and married couples and families are expected to give it. This is a popular of the year to travel, but many people stay here and visit family and have traditional meals. It's also customary to have a box filled with candies and fruits in your home, each representing something different. For example, if you want to someone to have a prosperous business, you would give them a different jellied candy than if you were hoping someone would have a baby this year. This is the year of the boar, so pig decorations are everywhere.

A bulletin board at school...representing the traditional dragon dance.

Sara (music teacher) and me in our traditional outfits we got made at the tailor in Schenzen, the shipping city of 8 million people right across the border.

Korean and Japanese students also wore their traditional outfits, so some kids had these Korean clothes and Japanese students wore their kimonos...beautiful!

Celebrating with one of my students.