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!