Tradesmanship has a place in Dhaka

In a country where almost everything is done with person power from demolishing building to cutting keys, it was exciting to visit an institution which is capturing some of the amazing hand power and turning it into skills. Saint Joseph's is a boarding school located in the heart of downtown Dhaka. It is open to all religions and class of people. Attached to the school is a tradesmanship centre where young men learn carpentary, welding, mechanics and a range of other trades.

It was inspirational to see the young men hard at work as we wandered between the pieces of furniture and iron structures they were constructing. They barely looked up from their lesson around a wooden table as I took their picture. The pieces which we saw were amazing and a tribute to what the school stands for. The young men from all religions and walks of life have three days a week of classroom lessons and then two and a half days in the workshops. They leave after three years with a trade and confidence as we learned from our guide who himself is a gradute of the school.

In a country where people are the most powerful resource, many of us working here should learn a lesson from this initiative.

Wedding Photos

RMMRU staff with the bride


Vic and I with the beautiful bride

The wedding hall in its full splendor

A beautiful story

Once upon a time a lovely young woman saw a handsome young man on her bus to work, and although she was incredibly shy she one day gathered up the courage to talk to him. They struck up a friendship and then much to everyone's great joy they got married last week. Tasmia, you have been my closest Bangladeshi friend since the day I got here and I cannot express how happy it makes me to see you and Sanyat together nd so happy. I wish you evey joy and hope that you have a very long life together.
The wedding was on Wednesday the 19th of January at the Sanganjunga celebration hall in the airforce cantonment of Dhaka. Vic, would made it back just in the nick of time, and I dorned our best saris and set out to tackle the armed guards at the gate (foreigners are not allowed into the cantonment unless they have special permission). After ten minutes of persuading them that we were not infact Korean and when they eventually found our permission forms, we were all our way. The streets inside are wide and clean, with not a pothole or a rickshaw in sight!
We were both in awe as we pulled up to the fully lite hall in all its splendor. Tasmia's father was on the steps waiting to greet his guests and there was never a happier father as he that night. We made out way into the hall and up onto the stage to greet the bride whom we only recognised as our friend when we sat beside her on the adorned couch. She looked amazing, like a movie star and her eyes sparkled with happiness. Nearly the entire RMMRU office was there to wish out former collegue well and eveyone looked so smart.
The groom arrived at 9pm, after the ceremony where he is prevented passage to his bride, and everyone sat down to enjoy the meal. We ate our fill and then after giving our best to the bride and groom, we hitched up our beautiful saris and made our way out of the sanctuary of the cantonment.

A chance encounter of the best kind -
A meeting arranged by fate -
Two souls have come together
Two hearts can now relate.

Bangladesh makes number one spot on BBC news

Let them not forget what they fought for


Riots are gender equal


Fires burn in the city


Beatings on the streets of Dhaka

Elections postponed!
Chief Advisor Resignes!
These are the headlines that we we woke up to this morning after going to bed early last night after a night curfew and state of emergency were declared in the desh.
But this is a good thing, I hope. With elections postponed we wait to see if Awami League will once again take part in the elections and hope for the return of the international observers, all of whom withdrew yesterday.
The last few weeks have seen a lot of violence and incertainty which has left 40 people dead and 100s injured. In a young democracy which has expereinced periods of military rule since its independence, but whose people pride themselves on their freedom of expression, we can only hope that last night's move by President Iajuddin Ahmed will give the people back their power.
All political activity has been banned and the media's freedom of expression has been temporarily withdrawn, as well as a night curfew from 11pm till 5am every night until further notice. We wait now to see if this latest move will bring a halt to the week long programme of blockages and strikes by the Awami League.
Let us hope that the country that fought so hard and with so much heart for its independence does not slip into futher chaos.

A special tribute blog to a Dhaka hero

This may seem like an odd blog to many of you, but to those of you who live in Dhaka it will make complete sense. Gemma, a friend of my sister, so I guess that makes us friends too :-), came to spend a week with us here in Bangladesh. Having paid several trips to the airport that week, 4 in total, I was not looking forward to yet another 2 hours of waiting and wondering as to when the person would emerge. Dara and I arrived at the airport at 12.45pm and saw that the flight had arrived at 12.30, and so we anticipated an hour of waiting. Dara hopped out of the car as I proceed to tackle the problem to find a parking space in the luntic asylum that was Zia airport pre-Eid. I sat, I waited, I honked, no one moved, I bullied my way through the chaos and then just as I was about to abandon the car my phone rang; it was Dara - Gemma as out!!!! I looked at my watch, it was 1pm, I looked again yes it was really 1pm. It had taken Gemma half an hour to get through the bedlam of the nation's main airport.
For this reason I am giving her a special place on my blog as the hero of Zia airport and our current Bangladeshi hero - may we all be able to acheive your standard.

A wedding

Syed's officicial wedding ceremony was on the 26th of December and a few of us were delighted to be invited to the occasion. We dorned our best saris and sawa khamises and headed for the reception hall. I have never felt like such a celebrity with every camera in the room turning on us as we walked into the room. Maybe they found unusual to see 6 white females in their best Bangladeshi clothes! The bride looked amazing purched on her stage in a very glamourous golden sari and the groom looked his best in his black suit. There was a very nice traditional band playing in the background which was a nice additional to the previous Bangladeshi weddings I had been to. Having eaten our fill of rice and paid our congrats we left the party an hour and a half later.
Congrats to Syed and Srithi and may they have a wonderful life together.

Pictures

End of 2006 and a 'brand new' beginning

I have enjoyed the most wonderful couple of weeks in Bangladesh since my arrival back here at the beginning of August. It really is wonderful to see the country through 'foreign' eyes; it gives a whole new perspective on being here and appreciation of what we do have rather than focusing on what we don't.
On Saint Stephen's Day my mum, Dara and I headed off on the bus to Rajshahi district and one of the Swallows partners Thanapara Swallows Co-operative. It was a wonderful expereince seeing how this small community was thriving from the work of the Bangladeshi NGO. The women were working independently and their chrildren were well looked after in the community childcare centre and school. The pride that eminated from the local people was moving. We strolled down to the Padma/Ganges and gazed across the water at India while the sunset created wonderful colours on the water. The trip also involved a day of history where we visted the largest Hindu temple in Bangladesh and one of the oldest mosques. One of the most intriguing aspects of the days there, as my mum mentioned, was the range of modes of transport that we came across. We saw bulls pulling ploughs, CNGs, a form of tractor taxi, rickshaws, ox drawn carts to name but a few. Although the trip back to Dhaka was very long and dark, the two day trip was a wonderful insight into local level work in Bangladesh. A special thanks to Mr. Raihan and his staff at Thanapara for being amazing hosts and the Swallows in Dhaka for arranging the whole trip.
We spent a few days in Dhaka where we visted Bongo Bazar and did some hard bargining followed by a well deserved plate of Phujka in New Market. The journey home involved a trip on the peaceful waters of Banani lake where the contrasts of the two sides of the lake left its mark.
The next day we packed our bags once again and headed for the green hills of Strimongol where we were to say goodbye to 2006 and welcome in the New Year. Anna and I had the oppurtunity to test our Dhaka driving skills on the main Syhlet highway and apart from a few hair raising moments with a bus load of people thundering towards us at 100km per hour the journey was fairly smooth. The clear crisp air of the tea estates were a wonderful welcome; as was the reunion with our friends over a delicious chicken roast dinner. New Year's eve daytime included a trip to the rainforest, a tribal village and a cup of the secret five layer tea. That evening we saw in the New Year with several board games, too many glasses of wine and a great music collection compliments of Melanie. It really did feel like the middle of winter as I shivered myself to sleep despite my fully fledged pyjama outfit and socks. Another year seen in in Bangladesh and the frightening thought that I am now in my six month countdown phase.
What do I hope for the New Year? Well I think I echo the thoughts of all here when I say we want an election. With yet another threat of blockades loaming the frustration grows but so does the frightening prospect of a month of being homebound. After seeing the community in Thanapara and talking to my Bangladeshi friends one realises the absurdity of the political situation. My mother was asked several times just before she left what she thought of Bangladesh and the Bangladeshis who asked her agreed with her when she praised their country, but always added 'but we have a very difficult political situation!'
I wish you all a very happy New Year and may it bring to light all your dreams and wishes.