Bangladesh recap

Bangladesh: just what the doctor ordered.

Chai and conversations

Saalam Aleikum, madam. Chai? (Hello, madam. Chai?)

Aleikum saalam. Haanji, babu. Dhonnawad. (Returns greetings. Yes, babu. thank you).

What is it about this brown milky stuff that brings so much joy to my little heart? Currently sipping a tiny cup (why..oh..why are the cups so small here?), listening to my favourite desi music, the honking of cars outside and the newspaper-wallah calling out his wares. And reflecting on the past few days of my time in Bangladesh. Wish I could show you pictorially what I've seen and experienced - but alas left my camera cord back in Washington, DC - so pictures will have wait.

The purpose of my visit was to co-facilitate a workshop to design a maternal and child health program in one of the poorest and cyclone-prone parts of Bangladesh. The workshop itself went well. Was super nervous about it (especially since i hate speaking publicly). But I've learnt a lot. What to do better next time.

Our teams here are amazing, I have to say. Our staff-members who do the bulk of the work that we in the US write up/theorize/politicize about have to get all the credit for the success of anything my organization does. Every time I visit the 'field', I am always blessed to meet some of the most down-to-earth hard-working people. With little to no sense of 'self-importance', they go about their daily lives in the bustling chaos that is Bangladesh. Such a refreshing break from Washington, DC!!

Anyways, it's been busy time. Between the hotel and the office and the hotel in preparing/leading the workshop, I haven't had much time to do much outside. But drink chai and converse with our staff to learn about Bideshi life. (insert content smile)

Here's some things I've learnt:

History of Bangladesh: I did some reading on the plane ride here to learn a bit about this country that earned its independence from Pakistan (yes, Pakistan owned this bit of the land from across India) in 1972. Lots of turmoil and restructuring has taken place since. But the spirit of the Bideshi people isn't broken.

Floods/cyclones: the country gets an annual spot in world headlines with all the natural calamities it faces. From yearly flooding via rivers from the Himalayas, and the cyclones from the Bay of Bengal to the shifting land masses whenever the flood-waters recedes. When I sympathized, 'wow - this must be difficult to face on a yearly basis', I was reminded of the positive spirit. 'No, madam. The annual flooding is a gift, otherwise without the rich silt-filled soil, how would we sustain our agricultural production?' (this coming from a man who'd lost his home in floods)

Migration: My flight from Dubai to Dhaka was one full of education for me! The flight was 98% full of casual laborers from the UAE. I was asked to assist in filling the arrival forms as they were not english-literate. Via faltering sentences (they spoke Bangla and I spoke Hindi), they explained to me, how without the benefit of natural resources, and a burgeoning population, they leave their wives and children to go find work with Chinese companies in the Middle East. 'And madam, we are the fortunate ones. Most Bideshi people in rural areas don't have that opportunity'. Becoming a rickshaw-wallah or a casual construction worker in Dhaka or Chittagong (the two largest cities) is often the next best option. As I turned the pages of countless passports, filled arrival forms for these men and asked questions about goods for the customs form, I couldn't help but notice the looks and sounds of joy as they all talked about the 'goods' they were bringing for their families and excitement at going home.

All in all, this country has captured a small piece of my heart. People are kind. They work hard. In the face of so much hustle and bustle, there's always a smile and an open heart. Such a great reminder to count my blessings. We who have much will be accountable for much.

Back on the Indian sub-continent!

Feb 5th 2010 - I left India. Feb 5th 2012 - I landed in Bangladesh. Two years is a considerable amount of time, some might say. But really it feels like yesterday.

The honking of horns. The dodging of traffic. The being woken up by the call of prayers at a nearby mosque. The countless cups of chai delivered to my desk. The are-you-married-madam-questions. Really - it feels like yesterday.

The trip to Bangladesh is very different from my trip to India two years ago. I was much younger. Much more willing to take risks. Much more scared about life and all it's uncertainties. Can't say I've grown up a ton - still a kid at heart. But things are different, for sure.

For one - I'm not fresh out of grad school at my first real-international-development job. Secondly, I'm not uprooting my whole life to move overseas - a short 2-week stint - while still nerve-racking for the accompanying deliverables - is much more doable.

Anyways - enough of the reflective-mood-type post. Below are some memorable moments during my trip and first 24 hours in Bangladesh:

• Extremely jet-lag after the first leg of flight led to my settling down into a comfy chair and falling into intermittent bouts of deep sleep while on my layover in Dubai. At one point, I dreamt that I missed my flight and had to call my friend D to come get me. Was a weird dream of half being in Mombasa with people we both know, and half being lost in the desert. Woke up just in time to see last group of people boarding. Talk about 'aiy yai yai'.
• Day 1 breakfast conversation at my hotel with server: "good morning madam". [insert small talk with server] [insert..time taken to eat breakfast] [insert time taken to walk back up to room] [insert skype conversation with family] [insert time taken to get ready for first day at work in a new country] [insert phone ringing]. "good morning, madam. I hope I not disturbing you. I vas calling because you are nice person. I am on night duty, madam. I will not be seeing you maybe so I wanted to tell you that you are nice woman] [insert awkward silence]. (thought in Devina's head: 'Is he hitting on me? the ONE man that i chose to make eye-contact with and talk to') [nervous laughter] [continued awkward silence..]. The end.
• The most interesting conversation with ex-military person whose served in the Bangladeshi army in Ethiopia, Uganda and Mozambique. Conversations and chai. Stuff that life is made of. :)
• The realization that I'm not in India: there are no COWS walking on the streets in Dhaka! Man, I miss those four-legged creatures taking up valuable road space.

More later. The adventures continue. Off to my biryani dinner. :)