Dear Family and Friends,
I have to give up (temporarily) on trying to attach photos for the moment to my two blog posts. It worked once and now just aint happening...
I don't even know where to start to even describe my first two weeks in Dhaka: Perhaps I should mention these things: The noise, the mozzies, the dirt, the hazy sky, the garbage, the constant staring (I think I'm a movie star), the incredibly poor people, malformed beggars, pushy traders, the lack of footpaths to walk on or damaged footpaths that makes walking a dangerous pastime, the cars, the honking, the hords of people everywhere (around 20 million in Dhaka alone), becoming 'one with the traffic', the call to prayer five times a day, the cool and quite pleasant weather (for now), the constant noise from building new apartment blocks as greedy developers buy out family owned plots and add yet another unattractive concrete structure to the suburbs...
I tried to find a park today (Tues 10 January) just to sit in, with Benny, our dog. I even put a book in my backpack and a snack for the both of us, hoping to spend time just to sit together and munch on some potatoe chips - I had it all planned but at the same time, have seen enough of Dhaka to be pretty suspect about finding a nice and peaceful public area to sit in. To be fair if I'd walked to another suburb I would have been successful as the park over where we used to live allows dogs. As it is, there is little greenery or quiet spots in Dhaka, not even grassed nature strips; everything is bricked, concreted, rendered or tarred!! Well that's not quite true about the greenery, there are a lot of trees, they even grow them out of the middle of the footpaths (which really makes footpaths difficult to navigate especially when you're holding an umbrella) but the leaves on all the trees are covered in this 'stuck on' dust which does not dislodge with the odd bit of rain; so you don't actually get an impression of overall greenery; more of dirt and dust but shady, still I guess.
In this city that does not seem to rest, there are a few parks which are gated and manned by security guards (I suspect this is to stop people sleeping in them at night) which are a quiet haven for young lovers to sit and talk together (public displays of affection (PDA) are definitely a no-no); for example, you would not see young lovers holding hands whilst walking down a street, nor even an old married couple holding hands. Strangely enough, you see some grown men and younger men holding hands, so I don't entirely get it; isn't that affection? The parks have wide bricked pathways following their boundaries which are intended for exercise, and which quite a few of the Bangladeshis do, (this is more a statement about the sheer numbers of people here, rather than a statement about Bangladeshis being fit) so even the parks are not entirely places of rest and relaxation. And watching Bangladeshis exercise is a story on its own...
I arrived in Dhaka on Friday night, 30th December and spent the first week in my partner, Shane's apartment which was just a temporary living arrangement he had whilst he was here on his own. We moved into our own leased apartment in another suburb one week later. I'm glad I spent time in the first apartment as perhaps, I would not have known how good this apartment is (a lot of the time here, everything is relative). But now after one week in the new apartment, I can happily say that life is good...we are in a slightly run down apartment block (better qualify that by pointing out that before any apartment blocks have finished being built, they look shabby anyway, its just a Bangladeshi way of doing things), in a great area (it would be at least 10-15 years old). Our apartment is five floors up and we have fantastic views because of its unique position; not being built in by surrounding apartments and those that are around us, are not particularly tall. In comparison, Shane's apartment was dark by 10 in the morning as all the available natural light had disappeared from the few windows it had, by that time of the day. Our new apartment is full of natual light and spacious with 2 bedrooms with ensuites, one main bathroom with toilet, study, dining room, separate (really big) loungeroom, one sitting room, 2 verandahs, one kitchen, laundry, servant's toilet and servant's room. This place suits us as a family, that being, Shane (boss), me (Madam), Benny the dog and Skits the cat. We have Tonika, our Ayah who cleans the house from 10 to 4 each day, but have yet to employ a cook. Tonika used to cook but is not skilled in that area and kept cooking spaghetti bolognaise and lasagne for Shane every week! At this stage, we don't need a driver (as most other expats have), as Shane is driving (like a mad Bangladeshi). Actually he is quite good but I have already witnessed him stop the car in traffic (well the traffic is usually gridlocked or not going very fast anyway), get out of the car, tap the driver's window of a car that has just hit us, and tell the driver how little he has up top. I digress. Benny sleeps in the servants room at the back of the kitchen (we might let him out into the general area when we are confident he is not going to do a wee on the floor somewhere). Skits finds hidy holes for herself each day and snoozes each day away so has probably no idea she's in another country and whilst I'm not working, Benny sticks to me like superglue in case he misses out on a morsel of food or a pat.
We are situated a stone's throw from an awesomely big park with a big lake in the middle, however they don't allow dogs and I got thrown out (very politely) when I took Benny into the park for a run, probably straight past the sign that says, 'No Pets and No Dogs' (I'm not sure what the Bangladeshi's think dogs are). Just about all Bangladshis are scared of dogs and they all think Benny is huge (he's a small - medium sized black labrador). I am just commencing (very slowly) getting our Aya to take Benny for wee walks and to handle him with confidence. At the moment, I am literally trapped in the apartment until I can trust her to be left alone with him. She is actually quite terrified but was more than warned when Shane first employed her, that there would be a dog, and as she is on a very good wage for an Aya, the expectation on our part that she should manage the dog, is by no means unreasonable. I hope for her sake she can meet the challenge but it will take some work on both sides so watch this space.
At the moment we are slowly fitting out the apartment with our own goods and chattels but this will take some time and we'd prefer to buy second hand furniture off other expats where we can. We have one set of bed sheets which our Ayah wants to clean because we are scratching our mozzie bites at night without realising and bleeding all over them ! Funnily enough, I am not scratching during the day but about four days ago, after convincing myself that I was not being affected by the Bangladeshi mozzies at all, I woke up with spots (as in, mozzie bites) all over my face and quite a lot of them. Needless to say, we have yet to buy a mozzie net which is urgent. Last night was our best night in the new apartment because I followed our Aya's instructions to spray the bedroom and I also lit a mozzie coil a couple of hours before we hit the hay. The problem with the coils though, is that they stink the apartment out if you have them lit night after night. The mozzies are ferocious in the apartment as they were in our last one, and our Ayah told me today that they do not really lessen in the middle of the year as that is when the rains come. Oh goody.
For New Years night we were given tickets by ICDDR,B to a shin dig at the British High Commission (BHC) Staff Amenities Centre (basically a club for British expats and guests with bar, pool, pub menu etc). That was a great way to commence the year here even though we only lasted till about 10.30pm as we were done in from having arrived late the night before. Luckily, Shane still had a couple of days leave and so I had his undivided attention in getting me orientated around the city (that' must have been difficult as I am shocking at reading maps, even when walking, and less so, when a driver needs help with navigation and I'm the passenger). So far, I've done heaps of walking on my own but it did take a day after Shane went back to work for me to get up the courage. I spent the first week just trying to get used to the staring; it really is disconcerting to the point where Lonely Planet for Bangladesh uses the phrase, 'rage-o-meter' when discussing a visitor's reaction. During the first week, when my rage-o-meter was going off the scales (or more to the point, when I just needed a decent loo), I'd call into the Bagha Club (British Aid Guest House Accommodation). Luckily I am a member and it is sort of like going to the BHC. You give your pass to the guard, who duly looks it over even though you were just there the day before and the day before that and the day before that, he hands it to the second guard to also look over (all very politely) and then, hey presto, you're walking into a quiet oasis where I book up a chilled capucino and a bit of lunch. Hah hah, the bill is really against Shane's membership :)
So here's to Bangladesh and to many exciting adventures in and out of the country. I am so glad I had one week here early in 2011 and so glad I had my partner's experiences to prepare me because it has been a culture shock, even so, and I've not even got a job yet.
Ciao everyone, will write again soon.
I have to give up (temporarily) on trying to attach photos for the moment to my two blog posts. It worked once and now just aint happening...
I don't even know where to start to even describe my first two weeks in Dhaka: Perhaps I should mention these things: The noise, the mozzies, the dirt, the hazy sky, the garbage, the constant staring (I think I'm a movie star), the incredibly poor people, malformed beggars, pushy traders, the lack of footpaths to walk on or damaged footpaths that makes walking a dangerous pastime, the cars, the honking, the hords of people everywhere (around 20 million in Dhaka alone), becoming 'one with the traffic', the call to prayer five times a day, the cool and quite pleasant weather (for now), the constant noise from building new apartment blocks as greedy developers buy out family owned plots and add yet another unattractive concrete structure to the suburbs...
Dhaka is a cacophony of noise and movement and colour that both confuses and pervades your thoughts, but at the very least, commands your attention. Well, if you're not attentive, you'd get run over by a rickshaw or a CNG, (kind of a motorised rickshaw 'tuk tuk' in other parts of Asia, anyway).
I tried to find a park today (Tues 10 January) just to sit in, with Benny, our dog. I even put a book in my backpack and a snack for the both of us, hoping to spend time just to sit together and munch on some potatoe chips - I had it all planned but at the same time, have seen enough of Dhaka to be pretty suspect about finding a nice and peaceful public area to sit in. To be fair if I'd walked to another suburb I would have been successful as the park over where we used to live allows dogs. As it is, there is little greenery or quiet spots in Dhaka, not even grassed nature strips; everything is bricked, concreted, rendered or tarred!! Well that's not quite true about the greenery, there are a lot of trees, they even grow them out of the middle of the footpaths (which really makes footpaths difficult to navigate especially when you're holding an umbrella) but the leaves on all the trees are covered in this 'stuck on' dust which does not dislodge with the odd bit of rain; so you don't actually get an impression of overall greenery; more of dirt and dust but shady, still I guess.
 |
| The park near our new apartment called Gulshan Park |
I arrived in Dhaka on Friday night, 30th December and spent the first week in my partner, Shane's apartment which was just a temporary living arrangement he had whilst he was here on his own. We moved into our own leased apartment in another suburb one week later. I'm glad I spent time in the first apartment as perhaps, I would not have known how good this apartment is (a lot of the time here, everything is relative). But now after one week in the new apartment, I can happily say that life is good...we are in a slightly run down apartment block (better qualify that by pointing out that before any apartment blocks have finished being built, they look shabby anyway, its just a Bangladeshi way of doing things), in a great area (it would be at least 10-15 years old). Our apartment is five floors up and we have fantastic views because of its unique position; not being built in by surrounding apartments and those that are around us, are not particularly tall. In comparison, Shane's apartment was dark by 10 in the morning as all the available natural light had disappeared from the few windows it had, by that time of the day. Our new apartment is full of natual light and spacious with 2 bedrooms with ensuites, one main bathroom with toilet, study, dining room, separate (really big) loungeroom, one sitting room, 2 verandahs, one kitchen, laundry, servant's toilet and servant's room. This place suits us as a family, that being, Shane (boss), me (Madam), Benny the dog and Skits the cat. We have Tonika, our Ayah who cleans the house from 10 to 4 each day, but have yet to employ a cook. Tonika used to cook but is not skilled in that area and kept cooking spaghetti bolognaise and lasagne for Shane every week! At this stage, we don't need a driver (as most other expats have), as Shane is driving (like a mad Bangladeshi). Actually he is quite good but I have already witnessed him stop the car in traffic (well the traffic is usually gridlocked or not going very fast anyway), get out of the car, tap the driver's window of a car that has just hit us, and tell the driver how little he has up top. I digress. Benny sleeps in the servants room at the back of the kitchen (we might let him out into the general area when we are confident he is not going to do a wee on the floor somewhere). Skits finds hidy holes for herself each day and snoozes each day away so has probably no idea she's in another country and whilst I'm not working, Benny sticks to me like superglue in case he misses out on a morsel of food or a pat.
We are situated a stone's throw from an awesomely big park with a big lake in the middle, however they don't allow dogs and I got thrown out (very politely) when I took Benny into the park for a run, probably straight past the sign that says, 'No Pets and No Dogs' (I'm not sure what the Bangladeshi's think dogs are). Just about all Bangladshis are scared of dogs and they all think Benny is huge (he's a small - medium sized black labrador). I am just commencing (very slowly) getting our Aya to take Benny for wee walks and to handle him with confidence. At the moment, I am literally trapped in the apartment until I can trust her to be left alone with him. She is actually quite terrified but was more than warned when Shane first employed her, that there would be a dog, and as she is on a very good wage for an Aya, the expectation on our part that she should manage the dog, is by no means unreasonable. I hope for her sake she can meet the challenge but it will take some work on both sides so watch this space.
At the moment we are slowly fitting out the apartment with our own goods and chattels but this will take some time and we'd prefer to buy second hand furniture off other expats where we can. We have one set of bed sheets which our Ayah wants to clean because we are scratching our mozzie bites at night without realising and bleeding all over them ! Funnily enough, I am not scratching during the day but about four days ago, after convincing myself that I was not being affected by the Bangladeshi mozzies at all, I woke up with spots (as in, mozzie bites) all over my face and quite a lot of them. Needless to say, we have yet to buy a mozzie net which is urgent. Last night was our best night in the new apartment because I followed our Aya's instructions to spray the bedroom and I also lit a mozzie coil a couple of hours before we hit the hay. The problem with the coils though, is that they stink the apartment out if you have them lit night after night. The mozzies are ferocious in the apartment as they were in our last one, and our Ayah told me today that they do not really lessen in the middle of the year as that is when the rains come. Oh goody.
For New Years night we were given tickets by ICDDR,B to a shin dig at the British High Commission (BHC) Staff Amenities Centre (basically a club for British expats and guests with bar, pool, pub menu etc). That was a great way to commence the year here even though we only lasted till about 10.30pm as we were done in from having arrived late the night before. Luckily, Shane still had a couple of days leave and so I had his undivided attention in getting me orientated around the city (that' must have been difficult as I am shocking at reading maps, even when walking, and less so, when a driver needs help with navigation and I'm the passenger). So far, I've done heaps of walking on my own but it did take a day after Shane went back to work for me to get up the courage. I spent the first week just trying to get used to the staring; it really is disconcerting to the point where Lonely Planet for Bangladesh uses the phrase, 'rage-o-meter' when discussing a visitor's reaction. During the first week, when my rage-o-meter was going off the scales (or more to the point, when I just needed a decent loo), I'd call into the Bagha Club (British Aid Guest House Accommodation). Luckily I am a member and it is sort of like going to the BHC. You give your pass to the guard, who duly looks it over even though you were just there the day before and the day before that and the day before that, he hands it to the second guard to also look over (all very politely) and then, hey presto, you're walking into a quiet oasis where I book up a chilled capucino and a bit of lunch. Hah hah, the bill is really against Shane's membership :)
So here's to Bangladesh and to many exciting adventures in and out of the country. I am so glad I had one week here early in 2011 and so glad I had my partner's experiences to prepare me because it has been a culture shock, even so, and I've not even got a job yet.
Ciao everyone, will write again soon.
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