Moving home again, Newsletter 1..... October 2003

School girls uniform in Dhaka reminded me of my school days in Kenya when I wore similar uniform.

In October 2003, I left my house in the hands of letting a agent for 18 months and packed my bags caught a flight to Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh to do a useful job  as an aid worker for VSO. As I entered another chapter in my travelling life, communicating with the rest of the world became a lot easier by the use of internet service; it had all the answers for the loneliness of long distance travellers like me. For 18 months I kept in touch with my life back home by publishing newsletters and travel diaries via e-mail and wrote approximately 25000 words. All the names of people I met whilst I was in Bangladesh have been changed in the newsletters and edited copy of the newsletters was published on VSO website in 2005. Here I begin with my first newsletter: 

Newsletter 1
10 Oct 2003 

I share a flat with a man from Bradford, John ( 52 Oxford graduate ) who is a bit sissy, gets all worked up over little matters and likes to control. There is also Mike, Irish 31, a hunk , likes to get up late and do very little, except eat and sleep. Then there is a sweet and shy young man, Sam (27) from Kenya who does not mind being a slave in the kitchen, unlike Mike. Then there is over friendly Dutch girl called Nolda (27) talks all the time and misses her newly engaged man David(world tennis player ) back home and I don't think she will last very long here. Then there is me and of course I don't have to tell you what I am like but for your information John and Mike think I am very task focused and don't let others think for themselves. All I can say in my defence is that if it wasn’t for me we would have starved for the first two nights. Any way I have taken the hint and come down a peg or two , to make way for John to take  charge and for Mike to be in control of his own fate!

We also share some of our time with three other English students ..... Peter, our brain box ( Cambridge and Imperial college London) , Sue our chatter box ( Leeds) and good looking blond and blue eyed Jake ( Bristol University). They are here for a year and live near by.

 There is communal cooking which is practical and economical but not always shared evenly. None of the others can cook curries ( which they all like ) and I don't want pasta every night. Mike, Nolda and I each have our own bedroom .Having drawn a short straw , John is not very happy to share his big bedroom with Sam who spends early hours of the morning texting messages to is mummy in Kenya. The problem is still unresolved. We are really a big happy family, however I have been promised my own flat when I get down to my placement in Net........( not a real name of the place)  and I cannot wait.

 Our first 6 weeks are spent here in Dhaka on language, culture and various city tours and meeting ex-pat. in Bagha club. John, Mike and Nolda could not wait for their first drink of beer after a week living on water ! We managed to blow up the fuse in our dining room on the third day and also run out of drinking water in the fourth day! I want these six weeks to go very quickly so that I can get down to real work in my placement. Currently the next 5 weeks seems like eternity.

We had two days of continuous rain, so we had to swim through the puddles to catch our rickshaws. It was very exhausting but fun.

 My alarm goes off at 5 am and it is always in a form of prayers piped out through the loud speakers in the near by mosque. I start the day with morning breakfast of tea with powdered milk, toasted bread ( on the gas fire ) fruit and water. I have started to move my limbs by keeping fit so next 10 minutes are spent on yoga and skipping ( I brought with me a skipping rope ) . By 6 am I have had my shower and I get ready to sit outside on my balcony , and watch the muddy street coming to life. Million of crows and occasional parrots also make their appearance to start the day.

 

 Today 11th October the rain has stopped and we are off to our language lesson with rickshawallas . It is 8 am and Mike is still in bed, we have to be out by 8.30 !

Somebody described the Dhaka city as" the armpit of the world", after my first visit around the city I think I can say that it is" cesspit of the world "
We have seen the National stadium where the English cricket will be played soon and we are trying to get some tickets. My husband would be very proud of me if I make it to the stadium (for him of course).

I managed to visit the Sikh temple today which was build in the time of Guru Nanak and he has left his slippers and written bible behind, I was told?  My mother would be very proud of me today.

Thanks for all those who have replied to my first e-mail, I will continue this news next time I get down to the Internet cafe.
Love,
Davinder  xx