Dirty Laundry and A Bit of Yoga

I forgot to mention that is terribly difficult to wash and dry your clothing when it doesn’t stop raining.  K says that during the rainy season, everything feels moist, regardless of how long you’ve left it to dry.

I went to the Asiatic Society today (Monday), but the president forgot that he made an appointment with me, so I just went to their library.  I’ll return tomorrow to meet with him.  I’m not surprised that he forgot.  When I called him yesterday, he seemed very flustered and unfocused.  It was a nice ride, through Dhaka University.  I got cheated by the rickshaw-walla, as I so often do, because I hate arguing with them.

Tonight K and I went to yoga.  It’s run by this lovely Hindu woman, Lena, who is not like your usual American yoga instructors.  She’s short and round and very business-like while conducting the session.  Last week we did a really interesting exercised that involved focusing on a candle and then closing our eyes and trying to see color through our third eye.  I couldn’t see the color, but then again, neither could anyone else.  Tonight we did a normal session.  She always says, “Relax your bod-y, relax your mind,” in English.  But it’s hard for me to relax, because I’m always anxiously awaiting her next directions in Bangla.  I have a hard enough time doing yoga when it’s in English, imagine doing it in Bangla! “Put your feet here, and your hand here.” It’s fun, though, and I wish I could do it every week.

Abrupt Change in Weather

When I first got to Bangladesh on 17 October, it was still hot and muggy–easily 93, 94 degrees in the daytime, with high humidity.  It was hard on me for those first few days as I struggled to get used to the weather.  Each day when I went out I found myself dehydrated and craving water.  Every day I came back to K’s house, I was exhausted and hot, desperate for the coolness of the fan or a cold shower.

Then suddenly, it began to rain. And it hasn’t stopped.  It’s a cold rain, and the temperature dropped 20 to 30 degrees.  At first, I was super excited, because it was cloudy and nice outside.  But then yesterday (Saturday) I was supposed to go to Char Fassion by ferry.  M, N, and I got to the boat, settled in, and then… the boat didn’t leave.  I’m not sure how bad it is actually ’storming’ outside Dhaka, but I’m glad that they make decisions like that, not to go if it seems like the weather is bad.  So we caught a CNG back to Dhanmondi, and I ate dinner with K and E at Kozmo’s Lounge.

Today (Sunday) I decided not to put to much on my agenda besides going to buy food and change some large bills for smaller ones (a necessary thing in a place where rickshaw-wallas would laugh if you offered a tk 100 note).   Because I haven’t been walking much, I decided to walk to Meena Bazar on Satash road.  Not a long walk, but then I, silly bideshi, forgot my umbrella on the table, so I ended up walking in the rain.  At Meena I bought bread, peanut butter, chocolate milk, cereal, and a diet Pepsi.  I figured I should stock up a bit before I head to the island!

We’ll see about the weather in the next few days.  I hope I can go to Char Fassion by Tuesday or Wednesday.

kartik in the desh

Friday was cooler here in Dhaka, and it reminded me that we are now in the month of Kartik. Kartik, the month of Kali pujo and cyclones.  But also perhaps a time when the weather begins to fade into sheet kal (winter).  I had a dawat (invitation) for lunch, and then I walked with M and N to New Market to buy a few things.  I enjoy New Market, especially in the afternoon, before it gets too crowded.  I bought some cricket bats for the orphanage and a camisole to wear during hot nights.  M and N bargained for a calculator, but decided against buying because they felt it was too expensive.   Then we ate faluda, putchka, and chicken roll for nasta (snack, really, although it also means breakfast) before going back to Karen’s flat.

Now I sit watching the rain, not sure if I’ll be able to go to the orphanage tonight because of light storms rolling through the country.  I’ve been told that there was a mass wedding in Char Fassion a few days ago, which I would have loved to have observed.  But should I stay in Dhaka for a few more days, it would not be a big deal.  I still have a lot I could do.

A Morning at the Embassy

Although I’ve been to Bangladesh four times before, I’ve never been to the American embassy.  I had no reason to go.  As I stepped inside the building for the first time yesterday, I realized how very different my life is from those who live in the Embassy enclave.  It’s a red brick building, surrounded by guarded gates.  It takes, of course, several minutes of maze walking and gate checking before one actually reaches the inside of the building.  I felt like I was the foreigner in my own embassy.  We were then rushed up to the second floor, which is book-ended by two heavy doors.  I have no idea what the rest of the embassy actually looks like.

The RSO (Regional Security Officer) is a nice guy, someone who seemed to have a realistic but sympathetic take on life in Bangladesh.  He says that his job is to “be paranoid for those who are not paranoid enough.” I was certainly a bit unnerved when he described the tactics used by armed gangs at night: apparently some use a particular paste that, when put in your eyes, will make you go blind.  Now, of course, I don’t want to do anything that would make me more prone to blindness, especially forced blindness.  But I also don’t have the luxury (or the narrow life) of an embassy person.  I have to take CNGs, rickshaws, and buses.  I don’t have a car to drive me everywhere, nor do I live in the Embassy enclave.  And I wouldn’t want that.  The life I am living–and plan to live–in Bangladesh is one that enables me to take in all of Bangladesh, and not just the shishi world of the diplomats and international aid workers.  I will obviously be careful, and I will not do things that would put me in a dangerous situation.  But I will not hide away with the rest of the foreigners, pretending as if Bonani or Baridhara is actually the whole of Bangladesh.

I should say one more thing about the embassy.  Apparently, because of the amount of aid that we give Bangladesh, the U.S. has quite a large interest in the domestic security situation in Bangladesh.  Obviously the RSO couldn’t tell us anything more than is really publicly known about domestic terrorism and Islamist groups, but it was interesting to hear him talk about Bangladesh as a ‘possible’ place for terrorists to plan their activities.  Of course, India has long accused Bangladesh of harboring terrorists who cross the borders to carry out attacks in India.  But there is still no evidence that training camps actually exist on Bangladeshi soil, especially now that the leaders of the JMB have been caught and executed.