Advertising

First, a few amusing shots:

Remember the muppet show?  Kermit went into real estate after the show ended.

For that accessorizing spirit.

Second person imperative?

Flattery will get you everywhere

Ice cream shop.

This one, however, looks completely normal until you remember that it's in Bangladesh.  That happy-looking suburban family is not Bangladeshi.  Our advertising has changed the world.

A few adjustments

Here's a couple of adjustments we've been making:

* The weekend is Friday/Saturday and the work-week begins again on Sunday.

* Occasions and meals tend to run very late - both starting and ending.

Last night Laura & I had our language school's certificate recognition and pre-Christmas program.  Various students sang songs in Bangla & I was in a Christmas play (a shepherd with one line, "cholo!").  The program was supposed to start at 5 and run 2 hours 'til dinner at 7.  We arrived and the AV system and stage had not yet been assembled.  The program ultimately began at 6:30 and ran until about 9:45, when we (and our kids) ate and eventually straggled home after about 10:30.  This is par for the course and we had specific training to help us adjust our very American expectations, so we were not surprised. :)  But we were tired.

Voltage

Transformer outside our flat

BOOM!!!  We just heard two sequential explosions: transformers exploding on telephone poles.  This has not been an uncommon occurrence but these were close enough we saw the flash and we jumped!  Instantly our power was out.  Usually this is short-lived (an hour or two) but this time we'll see.

The wall outlet voltage here in Bangladesh is 250V, but the grid is not exactly stable; voltage surges as high as 600V are occasionally documented.  Anything with delicate electronics needs both a voltage stabilizer and a surge protector.

'Privately installed' electric lines 

The other morning we woke to a warm refrigerator.  The eggs and butter were salvageable, but most other food was not.  A couple of technicians pulled the control board, showed me the fried capacitor and managed to make me understand that though we had purchased a voltage stabilizer, it was not of high enough quality.  They disappeared for an hour with the control board then brought it back with a new capacitor soldered in place, and we were back in business.

Just another day in Dhaka.   BOOM!!  I really hope the fridge and other things survived this time.

Me talk good

Clotrimazole

 I have a bit of an unofficial 'clinic' going on in the parking garage.  Ever since the guards found out I am 'ekjon daktar', I get asked for medical advice about every 3-4 days.  Some friend will come by, usually with a minor dermatologic issue like athlete's foot, acne or eczema (none of which require much language) and I write out the appropriate salve, which they pick up at the pharmacy.  A tube of clotrimazole for athlete's foot runs about $0.40.

Our daily life is mostly about language, however.  Just when I feel like it it's going sooo sloooowly that I'll never be able to speak, I have a conversation like this one with our house guard (in Bangla).

Mustafa: My friend has pain here, here, here & here. (points to his knees,ankles, shins & hips). The doctor ordered extra blood tests.  Will you look at them and help? (This sounds like a rheumatologic illness - these can be a bit subtle and more difficult to diagnose.)

Me:         For difficult things, my Bangla is small.  I help try can to.

Mustafa: 'I can try to help'

Me:         Oh, thanks.  'I can try to help.'  Did I say that right?

Mustafa: Yes. At 9pm my friend will come?

Me:         No, I usually sleep by 9pm.  I'll be down at 7:30 am.

Mustafa:  With the kids for the school bus?

Me:         Yes. 

Mustafa: OK,Take care!

Me:         See you then!

Even though my grammar is moderately poor and my sentences are simple, I COMMUNICATED!

Very very encouraging.  

  B

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!".

TCD

Bonnet and Tip

Meet Bengali-Dolly.  

   Mary has treasured Bengali-dolly since 2011, when we were last here.  Bengali-Dolly typically can be seen in a Sari.  Today she tried on a traditional 19th century American bonnet and liked it, by all accounts.  She's a cross-cultural doll, you see - rather than utterly westernizing her dress or, alternately, rejecting western clothes entirely, she has blended them into something new.  She is becoming a 'TCD', or third-culture doll.