It's 4.30 on Thursday afternoon and I anxiously wait for that happy hour of 5 when I can go home and when the weekend begins. Suddanly my happy thoughts are interrupted by the sound of shouts and cheering from the street below. I look out and am greeted by the common sight of a demonstrations going on. My office is located on Bijonagar, which is the main road to the square in front of the government of Bangladesh offices. We are witness to these events on a regular basis and therefore nothing to be concerned with. Hartals on the otherhand, are a different bred of protest. On those days the office is closed and us foreigners are expected to stay within the safe zones of the diplomatic 'bubble' or for those whose residences don't fall in this zone, their home becomes their prison from the hours of dawn till dusk.
Today, however, the only inconvenience is the disruption which the demonstrations cause to the traffic. I eventually find a taxi who agrees to take me for double the normal fare and it takes me an hour and a half to get home, but it's Thursday :-)
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