No rest for the weary

I find that I wake every day more tired than the last. I am afraid I might have caught something, but I know that is a convenient excuses for my laziness. It has been several days since my last post, so I begrudgingly pulled out my computer to document the weekends events. On Thursday, I finally got sick for the first time. Surprisingly enough it was not from food. Myself, along with a few of my colleagues, went to the Tree Fair to check out Brac's booth. About halfway through our exploration of the various merchants and farmers displays, I began to feel dazed and rather light headed. I would image the mixture of sweltering heat and lack of sustenance that morning led to my predicament. Thinking quickly, I began chugging the bottle of water I brought along. Lets just say it ended badly. After returning to the office and regaining my composure, I was whisked away back to my home by a Brac driver (a welcome luxury considering my non-air-conditioned alternatives). Despite my heat-exhausted state, I did manage to snap a few good ones.

BRAC's booth at the Tree Fair

Needless to say, Thursday night I took it easy. The next morning, Sabrina and I headed to the American Club for service with the Dhaka International Christian Church. The small gathering room was packed to the brim. Last week, the minister, who had been giving the services for the past few years, move back to the states. This left the organization a bit understaffed. What previously had been two services, was condensed into one at 10 am. It was enjoyable to see (and mostly hear) all the the expats at the club. The sermon was a bit lengthy, but carried a relatively positive message. For fear of offending anyone I wont get into the details, but lets just say it was bit presumptuous.

Close enough

When we got back, Bao (formerly referred to as "Bob" but we're friends now) was ready to head out to do some shopping. He had rented a driver for the day to take us to a few places around town. That may sound like overkill but the driver charged around $5 an hour and was completely necessary for the amount of traffic out that day.

Our first stop was the grocery store to get some tea and a few other things for around the house. We then headed to Aarong. I believe I may have briefly touched on it before, but Aarong is one of the social enterprises Brac is responsible for. It is a retail store carrying clothes, linens, shoes, decorations and all sorts of knick-knacks and whatnots.

Bao (right) and I (left) at Aarong

I purchased a traditional shirt (had to get one), a wallet (Aarong leather is very nice) and a handmade gamari wood box with nakshi top (to store my own knick-knacks and whatnots...still in the process of acquiring them, however). Nakshi is a style of carving or embroidering found in Bangladesh. In total, I spend around $20 for the lot. Bao bought several things for family members and friends, including a rather expensive (relatively speaking) set of sheets for about $40. After Aarong, we went down the street to Artisan, a "wester-style" clothing store. There wasn't much I was too keen on here. I shuddered as I passed the Hollister and Abercrombie section (when will middle-school stop coming back to haunt me). Even after being out for a few hours, we were all pretty tired. Upon returning home, I took a well-deserved nap, followed by a well-deserved dinner at a cafe down the block.

Curry chicken with garlic naan 

I woke up Saturday morning with nothing to do. I was still feeling odd from my near heat stroke (a bit dramatic, but you're not in Bangladesh, are you). After breakfast, Sabrina asked me if I would like to join her at a show later that evening. She informed me that her membership in a Chinese association in Bangladesh allowed her two free tickets to the performance (tickets that I later found out would have been around $30-$40, pricey for much of anything here). Mr. Hu seemed very disinterested in the idea, so I happily accepted.

Invitation to the show

Before we left, it started raining. We had planned on Mr. Hu just dropping us off, and finding our own way home. The rain makes getting anywhere quite a hassle, so Mr. Hu decided to join us at the show. I was very surprised to find out what it actually was. The group was called Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe. I had heard of them before but had no idea what to expect.

A deaf ballerina 

The performance was wonderful. The show was composed of various music and dancing acts. All of the performers were disabled in some way and it was fascinating to see the precision and expertise shown in their work. I was most impressed with a pair of dancers that performed near the middle of the show. The man was blind and the girl deaf. Together they shared queues to signal the other. It was a bit difficult at first, but slowly I began seeing him share the audio queues, while she guided him gracefully throughout the stage.

Sabrina and Mr. Hu walking off into the sunset

After the show, we headed home. As we worked our way through traffic, I thought of what a strange and unique experience I was having in Bangladesh. I was surrounded on the outside with the culture of Bangladesh, bombarding me everyday with new experiences. While at home, I got a taste of Chinese culture through my surrogate family, Sabrina and Mr. Hu. Only two weeks into my trip here I have seen and done things I never thought I would. It feels as if I have been here for months already. With so much that has happened in my short time here, I marvel at the thought of what's to come. Until next time, good night my friends.