First trip to the bazaar

The power is out again, so I’m going to write this entry and post it as soon as I regain Internet. Today was our first full day of class, and it was really mind-blowing. There is so much to remember just from this one day. In conversation class we reviewed the greetings and basic conversation words, and then moved on to a lot of other vocabulary that covered important nouns (mohila, woman) and adjectives (gorom, hot). Then we got another list of important things to know for class, such as “how do you spell this?” (etar banan ki?).
The next class was working on the alphabet, and we learned to write all of the consonants and how to pronounce them. Bengali writing is interesting, because there are several letters that are pronounced the same and a few sounds that aren’t represented in writing. I have noticed that Bengali speakers are very aware of the origins of bideshi (foreign) words, and pronounce them in a way that is similar to the original – even when that particular sound isn’t usually used in Bengali or represented in its writing system. For example, Bangla doesn’t normally have a z sound, but in the farewell khoda hafej the last letter is pronounced z just like in Arabic. The same goes for the s’s: in most Bengali words, it’s pronounced sh, but in loanwords from English and Arabic it’s pronounced with an s. Just something that I thought was interesting about the language on the second day of class.
The third class was vocabulary, and we learned the numbers from 0-20 and 30, 50, 100. These are supposedly the ones that will be most helpful in purchasing things, but I have yet to find anything that costs only 19 taka. We have to memorize the numbers for tomorrow, which is going to be difficult as they don’t really fall into a pattern like numbers do in English. In Bangladesh, they use a special way of counting; instead of counting on their fingers like Americans do, they count by the joints of their fingers; each finger has 3 joints and a tip, which adds up to 4 on each finger, making 16 in total. I’m using this counting method to become familiar with both it and Bengali numbers at the same time.
Finally, in our last class, we learned how to give directions, specifically to a rickshawallah. We have to memorize all of those words too, because we’re role-playing in class tomorrow morning. Lots and lots of vocabulary to memorize tonight! But it’s all going to be very useful stuff once I have it.
After class and lunch we had a lecture about the history of the Bengali language. And after the lecture Farida, Andrew, and I went to the bazaar down the road from our building. We took a rickshaw with three people, which is a bit complicated as the rickshaw seats are only big enough to fit two people. The rickshawallah set us down in the bazaar and we went looking for a bookstore and/or somewhere to buy pre-made Bangladeshi clothing. Andrew knows the bazaar, so we wandered down the street looking at all the stalls. This particular bazaar is a maze of little streets and alleys filled with stores of all sorts. There are quite a few tailors, and I’m probably going to buy fabric to get some salwar kameez made. Our wandering took us to the end of the bazaar, and we went down one of the side streets trying to find the book store. Andrew and Farida asked several people where one was, and we kept following their directions and not finding one. When we finally did, we had returned to the very front of the bazaar where we were dropped off. In the wandering I went in several places and finally bought myself an orna for 150 taka; it’s orange and lime green and doesn’t match anything else I own, but I love it nonetheless. We stopped at the bookstore and Andrew negotiated the price for the items, at which Farida and I asked him to teach us how to haggle. Andrew went across the street to one of his favorite cha stands while we went to buy a bundle of lychee fruit. Farida went to two different vendors and managed to get the price down to 260 taka, which was about the right price. I was really happy that I was with the two of them during this excursion, because I wouldn’t have been able to communicate that well in Bengali. Tomorrow I’m going to Golhan 2, a big shopping area just west of here, and then on Friday we’re taking a trip to the huge bazaar Newmarket with Farida’s cousin. Let’s hear it for shopping!
Dinner tonight was delicious, as usual: really good chicken, rice, vegetables, and pineapple for dessert.

First day of class

I know that we’ve been here for less than two days, but it feels like much longer. I think the lack of internet has made the transition from America to Bangladesh smoother than it otherwise might have been. Now the Internet is finally set up, and I’ll be updating this blog as often as I can.

Today was our academic orientation. This means we got our syllabi and schedule, and were made aware of classroom rules. Almost every Saturday is scheduled as a group trip to some important site(s) in or around Dhaka city. This Saturday, we will be going to Old Dhaka; next week we are scheduled to visit Rupshi, Sonargon, Panam City, and the Gowaldi Mosque; week 3’s trip is to Dhaka University, the Liberation War Museum, and Ferdousi Priyobhashini’s Home/Studio. We will also be given lectures on various aspects of Bangladeshi history and culture each week; tomorrow, it is on the history of the Bangla language, next week on Muslim architecture, and the 3^rd week on the Liberation War. We’re meeting our conversation partners for the first time next Sunday.

I’ve found that using a word or construction in a practical way is really, really helpful in solidifying my knowledge of it. Sure, I could memorize the word for banana (kola), or I could just use it to ask for one a couple times (kola dao). It’s the response from people who are more knowledgeable than me that really helps. The Intermediate students are very helpful in teaching words and phrases around the breakfast table, so my knowledge of Bengali food words is substantially larger than for any other category.

After the orientation session and receiving our stipend, we split up into groups for our first class. We learned basic greetings and exchanges such as How are you (Apni kemon achen?)?/ I’m fine, you? (Ami bhalo achi, apnar?) The common greeting in Bangladesh (and other predominantly Muslim areas) is the same as in Arabic, so I already knew at least one exchange. Our next class was learning the vowels from the alphabet, taught by the grammar teacher Shanta.

We then went to a nearby photo studio to get passport pictures taken. In Bangladesh you need them for everything, including signing up for a cell phone. Mental note to bring lots of them next time I travel. We went back to the University Campus and met some of the Bangladesh Fulbrighters; all of the information about Fulbrights is proving to be very useful, since I’m deciding which Fulbright to apply for. One of them had some good ideas for possible research topics.  I’m becoming very interested in the English-Teaching Fulbright, however, as a way to gain more immersion in the culture by having a solid job and possibly a research project as well.

Through a strange set of circumstances we were left to take rickshaws home. This was particularly an adventure since we beginning students had not yet learned how to direct a rickshaw, and most rickshawallahs do not know English. We had to split up into pairs, with each one having one person who could speak some Bengali. Farida and I got back home alright, but it was mildly terrifying to be in an open rickshaw in Dhaka traffic. My rickshaw lesson is on Thursday, so after that I will be taking them everywhere. After two weeks we will even have to take them to class in the morning.

Guess what we had for dinner tonight? Fish (mach)! And rice (bhat), potatoes (aloo), dal, vegetables, and, for dessert, am (mango). Delicious!

First day in Bangladesh

The first thing I noticed about Bangladesh, seen for the first time through a foggy airplane window, was that the airport had red dirt. This made me happy because it reminded me of Tennessee, where I spent part of my childhood. It was probably the most welcoming thing I could have seen when landing in a foreign country for the first time. The plane arrived a half hour earlier than it was supposed to, which I was very happy about because I was sick of sitting in an airplane.

It took us over an hour to get through immigration and find all of our luggage. It took them a long time to unload the plane and send the bags out on the conveyor belt, so we stood there worrying for a long time. No one lost anything, which was much better than expected. We were met at the airport by one of the people in charge of housing arrangements. We piled into the bus and they took us to our apartments. I have a roommate, but most people in the group do not. My roommate is one of the alums who were here last year, so she already knows all the ropes. The apartments are nice, with a kitchen, bedrooms (with attached bathrooms), and a large common/eating area. The windows in my apartment look out over a park that’s across the road, and a beautiful domed mosque behind the park. I was listening to the call to prayer while typing this, actually.

They gave us some time to freshen up and change clothes, and then fed us breakfast. I borrowed a scarf from my roommateto complete my wardrobe; scarves are absolutely essential for women’s clothing here.  I can’t wait to get my stipend tomorrow, so I can start buying salwar kameez. Breakfast this morning was absolutely delicious; it may have been because I was really hungry but the eggs, buttered toast, and bananas tasted fantastic. It just seemed more flavorful than food I’d had before. After breakfast I crashed and took a three hour nap before lunch. They cooked us Bengali food for lunch: rice, chicken, and dal, and ate it with our hands. It was good, and probably exactly what we’ll be eating for dinner as well.

After lunch, we visited campus to meet our teachers and have a cultural orientation. The university facility is new and really nice, but the Bangladeshi students stared at us a lot. I suppose we just have to get used to the extra attention. On the way back from campus they drove us past the two closest hospitals to show us where they are. Now we have some downtime before dinner, and most of the others are sleeping.

What are my early impressions about the country? Traffic is really chaotic. Dhaka’s signature sound is definitely car horns.  They blow them all the time. There are so many types of vehicles, from big buses to cars to rickshaws to bicyclists and pedestrians, all trying to use the road and get where they’re going as soon as possible.  It is definitely hot and humid, although I wasn’t very exposed to that today because I’ve been in the AC a lot. When I have been outside, though, it seemed bearable enough. You just have to keep hydrated by drinking a lot of water. Dhaka seems to be under construction; everywhere you look, there’s something being built or torn down or falling apart of its own accord. There is a significant gap between the rich and the poor, one that is really obvious in architecture and dress. Women generally wear beautiful clothing, and it makes me really want to buy a sari. It’s going to take me some time to get used to Bangladeshi stores; they look completely different from American stores.

That’s all I can think of at the moment. I still don’t have internet access on my computer, so I’ll post this as soon as I can. 

The flight

A bus picked us up at the hotel at 6:15 and drove us to the airport, giving us four hours to get our tickets, pass through security, and locate our gate. Dulles is very architecturally interesting; the main terminal looks like the wing of a giant airplane sitting on top of a giant glass box. It also has an indoor tram system that takes you from the terminal to the gate. We got through everything without any major problems, although there was a small security problem because the airline had switched two people’s passport numbers.

The first 12 hour flight wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I had a middle seat, but the people on either side were very nice. One of them was an American ex-pat going home to Dubai. He showed me how to use the screen on the back of the seat and other tricks of international flights. We got to Qatar about 20 minutes late, but had plenty of time to make the connection. The airport in Doha is still under construction, so we disembarked onto the tarmac and were brought to the terminal in buses. It was dark when we got there, but it was still 100 degrees Fahrenheit (it is the desert, after all). I could smell the ocean when I stepped off of the plane.

The next leg of the flight was five and a half hours, from Doha to Dhaka. I purposefully slept through most of it and did not eat anything. We were scheduled to arrive in Dhaka at 5:30 AM so I wanted to get on Dhaka time as soon as possible. Even though it was shorter, this flight felt longer than the first one because I was really tired of sitting down and just wanted to get off of the plane already. I was in a middle seat again, and the man to the right of me was very large and took up a good part of my seat as well as his own, so it was very uncomfortable. I was very happy when we landed in Bangladesh. 

Washington, DC

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 11PM on Saturday, so we had most of the day to explore the city. Farida and I walked from our hotel down Pennsylvania Ave. to the White House, and then down the Mall to the WWII, Lincoln, and Vietnam memorials. For some reason, there was a lot of construction happening: they are renovating one wing of the White House and completely replacing the reflecting pool. We then walked up to the Museum of Natural History and went through several exhibits including the Evolution of Humans. Food at the Smithsonian’s food court is ridiculously expensive.

Next we attempted to see the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution at the National Archives, but the line was too long. Instead, we walked up the mall, past the Capitol building, and visited the Library of Congress. Last time I was in DC I ran out of time and couldn’t go into the building, so I took advantage of the opportunity this time. I was particularly impressed with Thomas Jefferson’s large collection of books, and went through reading their titles to myself. I was surprised by the number I had read.

After that, we took the metro (subway) back to the hotel.  We were going to leave for the airport at 6:15, so Farida, Andrew, and I went to a Subway down the street. Then the entire group packed up and left for the airport.  Here are a few pictures from DC (coming as soon as I can upload them).

Meeting Day

I just spent about 12 hours sitting down in a day full of meetings. After breakfast this morning we were welcomed by the CLS organizers, and then heard from two people from the Office of Academic Exchange Programs. The second speaker talked a lot about the Fulbright programs; this was very helpful for me, since I don't know which type of Fulbright to apply for. Now I know a bit more about what they're looking for in an applicant, the specifics of the South Asian and Bangladesh program, and how to write the application. I feel much better about all of it now (despite the inevitably decreased chance of funding next year).
Next there was an information session on the perks of being a CLS Alumni, followed by an overview of Bangladesh by Shelley Feldman, the president of the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies. This was a great networking connection for me. Dr. Feldman will be in Dhaka for an AIBS conference, and she's hoping to arrange for the CLS participants to attend as well. I think the conference is about climate change and water quality (which I'm not particularly interested in researching), but it will be a good way to make connections with a large number of Bangladesh scholars. There's also a group of us planning to visit Dhaka University while we're there.
In the afternoon we heard some suggestions from program alumni who are also coming this year. It was good to hear about their experiences in past years. One excellent suggestion was to plan only one thing for free days. There's no way we will be able to see everything while we're there, especially because it is such an intensive language program. It will be much better to see less things and relax when we need to.
After we heard from a panel about possible careers and received a briefing reviewing the rules we have to follow, we visited the Bangladeshi embassy. The ambassador himself greeted us and welcomed us to Bangladesh (even saying that he wished our orientation had happened a few days earlier so he could have had us over for dinner at his house!) They even fed us with the most delicious samosas I've ever tasted. They then took group pictures of us with the ambassador; I'll add them to this post if I can get ahold of them.
To round out the day, we had a group meal with the two organizers at a restaurant called Carmine's, which was one block away from the Mall. The food was delicious Italian; I was happy that we got some good American food before we left. Tomorrow I will be going to the Mall with Farida before heading to the airport and out of the country around 11 PM.

Travel day numero uno

Yesterday was my travel day to DC. And it ended up being a whole day; I spent about 10 hours in an airport for 2 ½ hours of flight time. My first flight was cancelled and rescheduled to leave at 12:10 instead of the original 9:15, but it got to Charlotte 20 minutes early. 20 minutes before the second flight was supposed to leave they announced that the plane was still in Raleigh. I ended up not getting to DC until 5:30, five hours after I was originally supposed to arrive. I was late for the meet and greet session, and missed the introductions twice!

There are seventeen of us, two men and the rest women. A majority are graduate students, but there are about 6 undergraduates (including me). Most of us went out to dinner at a Melanesian restaurant a few blocks down the street. I didn’t particularly like the food, but we sat there for a long time and talked. There is one student, Farida, whose parents are Bangladeshi; she and Andrew, an alum from last year, told us something about what to expect when we get there.

Today we have a full day of meetings with different state department officials and program alums. We also get to meet Bangladesh’s ambassador to the United States.