International Team

Sitting politely - for 0.004 seconds

Our company is an international one - I think we're the only American couple currently in Dhaka.  Today three couples from the company got together for a social afternoon meal: a British couple, an African couple and us.  It was a delightful time and the food was savory, but one of the highlights for me was the tangle of children.  Imagine side-by-side various gangling boys running through an apartment, sitting playing chess, Mary reading (of course), two tiny British voices saying, "Mummy, may I have a gloss of woter?" and Anne balancing a tray of plastic teacups on her head.

What it was like the rest of the time

Wild Animals

We live in an urban environment.  On a daily basis our eyes are primarily on where to step, how to avoid being hit by  bus, CNG or rickshaw, but every now and then we look up or pause and notice what's around us.

Within the last week here are a few of the things we've seen.  As a disclosure - I did NOT take these photos.  It would be challenging to snap photos while dodging traffic!  However, these are exactly what we saw.

Brahminy Kite

Lesser Goldenback

Small Asian Mongoose

We've see multiple mongooses - they live beside Lake Banani.  Makes me smile and think of Riki Tiki Tavi.

Nobody here but us chickens

   Walking down the street I saw a vendor selling chickens.  He was ignoring the chickens, yet they were all remaining right there.  I looked more closely and realized why -- each chicken was tied by one leg to a comrade.  It kept them in one place until the vendor needed them.

   Chickens are not, by nature, very bright, nor are they particularly cooperative, so they never will walk in the same direction at the same time.  I think there's a lesson here.

Football Diplomacy

Football Pitch

   We have been away for a conference up at the hospital the past few days and have just returned to Dhaka.  It was a tiring weekend but a very good one; wonderful to see people we knew before and to meet new ones.
    I confess I have harbored a fear for my children.  We took them out of school in the States and dropped them in Dhaka, where, truth be told, they do seem to be thriving.  But we plan to take them out of Dhaka after this school year again and plunk them in yet another school at the hospital where we will be working.  I worried for their social situation.  It appears I needn't have worried.
    This weekend the boys played football (US: soccer) nearly every minute they were conscious and so made immediate connection with boys up there.  Mary came home and said, "I made five friends on the playground!"  And Anne? we never worry for Anne in that way.  The children returned exhausted but happy and confident, so I did as well.

Banana Coke

In Bangla, each spoken vowel 'belongs' to the consonant before it - i.e. this is Ko-Ka _ Ko-La.
But in the script, the vowel can follow, precede, be under or even bracket its consonant. In this case the 'O' vowel has an ে before and an া after the consonant ক (k), making েকা (ko).  Can you see the great swooping curve they made of the ে in each word?
Pretty clever use of grammatically correct Bangla to make a recognizable logo.  Maybe I'm just punchy, but it's also funny because because Kola means Banana, so I see this and think, "Banana-Coke!".