Luckynumber...

[Indylady]

I''d love to hear any comments about Bangladesh! Any chance you''ll be in town sometime in the next year?

 

[luckynumber]

Hi Indy,

I''ll come back and answer you more fully later this weekend, as i have to run off now.

First tell me what your plans are. Where are you staying? What will you be doing? What are you hoping to achieve? etc.

Back soon!

 

[Indylady]

Oh dear! Questions I don''t exactly have an answer to yet I''m afraid..
I''m attending an orientation session soon, so I''ll know more in about two months time, but for now, things are pretty unplanned. I''m studying garments workers by seeing how they spend their salaries. Do you have any general thoughts? Must see''s? Must avoid''s? Fun things to do? Good libraries? Places that students hang out? Educational institutions that might have interesting things going on? Museums?

 

[luckynumber]

ok, i''m back.

it all depends on what kind of experience you have of poor, developing countries, because bangladesh really is very poor. it can be shocking if you have never seen this sort of thing before.

english is not that widely used, you will have to learn a few phrases (will you have an interpreter?)

dhaka university is the biggest, with most studenty type things going on (including protests!) but i know little else as i wasn''t a student there.

the streets are chaotic, with no rules to speak of, please travel with an experienced driver, and be prepared to wait in jams for hours.

if you are going out to the villages, it is much nicer, but can be very primitive. electricity has reached most places, and so have mobile phones.

drink bottled water only, but beware that sometimes tap water is put into bottles, and then quite well sealed.

i hope you like curries, as fresh traditional food there is yummy! watch out for very small bones in the freshwater fish.

i can give you more specific info when you know what you will be doing there more!

 

[Indylady]

I am so excited to go, and also excited to hear from you! I''ve visited before, and did a small project teaching English in 2008, so I''m hoping there won''t be too much of a culture shock. I didn''t have much of a chance to make friends apart from my fellow teachers, who were all older. I''m kind of wishing I''d applied to work with Northsouth, and I''ve heard their students are more "western", but they don''t have as many departments as Dhaka University. I wonder if Northsouth will let me enroll in a course or two. Did you study or work there?

 

[luckynumber]

ok, so you know quite a bit already!

no, i didn''t go to northsouth, but my sister taught there for a while.

yes, they speak more english, so would be easier for you.

but the true bangladesh isn''t in these small enclaves of westernised culture, but in places like dhaka u.

tell me more when u find out more, and we''ll keep talking!

ps. please take some time to go tiger tracking in the sunderbans if you can, but only if you feel brave, it can be dangerous!