Goodnight, Bangladesh

Tomorrow I’m off on a new adventure to places I’ve been yearning to explore for years. My bags are bulging with items I’ve accumulated during my six months in Bangladesh, but as I said earlier it’s the memories that will weigh the most.

Below is an excerpt from the final report that I've been writing for my implementing organization over the last two days, and I’m sure it will serve to illustrate more clearly what I mean. If not, here is a compilation of my favourite photographs (in no particular order) from my life in Bangladesh.

What surprised you? What frustrated you? What brought a constant smile to your face? Survival skills you developed? Realities you had to accept?

Surprises: Bangladeshi night clubs; underground bars; beautiful, untouched countryside; resilient and cheerful Bangladeshis who live lives of hardship but maintain smiles on their faces and a friendly nature despite it all; becoming the Pied Piper in any small village that rarely sees a foreign face; the intensity of monsoon rains and the ‘life goes on attitude’ carried by every local as the city begins to flood; the impact of religion on one’s day-to-day life; fearless drivers and pedestrians; the comfort of riding a well-maintained rickshaw on a smooth street with the wind blowing through your hair and the afternoon sun shining on your face; the purchasing power of 20 Canadian dollars.

Frustrations: Celebrity status as a tall, white foreigner; incessant traffic six days a week (Fridays being the exception); pollution; poorly trained police officers; dynastic feuds; corruption and bureaucratic ineptitude; hartals; lack of access to exercise facilities; getting sick far too often; lack of private space; mosque speakers turned up too loud; the unavailability of small change; Bangladesh Standard Time.

Smiles: Night cricket games and badminton matches under fluorescent lighting in dark laneways, fields or rooftops; cattle roaming the streets; excited Bangladeshi children; Bangladeshi patriotism; electrical storms; homemade yogurt and mishti (South Asian sweets).

Survival skills: Learning to maintain a steady supply of boiled water for drinking, brushing teeth and doing dishes; not eating mutton; avoiding street meat (except the deep fried stuff); not going out during hartals (general strikes); developing a social network of like-minded friends in the same general age group (20-30 years); a wardrobe full of light clothing; taking frequent showers; learning Bangla.

Realities: Ubiquitous abject poverty and gross inequality; undrinkable tap water; power outages (“load shedding”); beggars; very, very few English speakers; developing close relationships with new friends and colleagues and having to leave them behind.

Next stop, Bangkok.