Week 39: Ben arrives and we explore the historical sites of Paharpur and Mahasthangarh

39^th-1st in Dhaka 5/28

This morning I called my sister Sandee to wish her a happy birthday! She was very happy to receive the call, even though it was short. She also still had one hour to go until her birthday even started, but I told her it’d already been her birthday here for nine hours!

An article on me and my blog was posted in this month’s NC State engineering e-newsletter. I’ve posted the link on the sidebar as well.

Spent the day at home mostly processing data. Went out to get some errands done, including faxing our Rangamati permission stuff again to the Deputy Collector. No one said this would be easy.

In the evening I headed over to Baridhara. Tonight is the July 4 party, even though it’s May 28, at the US embassy. I was debating whether or not to go, and I decided that, since I was invited for being a Fulbright, I have a responsibility to go. I am an ambassador for my program, and not going would not be living up to the few expectations the Fulbright program has for us. The hassle of dressing up nice in the heat is minor compared to the impact I can make on a few important people tonight by spreading the good news of the Fulbright program. So that motivated me to go, and I was prepared to be a good Fulbright ambassador.
I met up with Erin and Karen at Erin’s place to clean up from the sweaty bus ride, and put on my tie. We then headed by rickshaw, in the rain which had started around dusk, down the road to the embassy. Had to go through three checkpoints, each time having to show our invitation, just to reach the embassy’s gates. (pics: the US Embassy decorated in July 4 colors for the party...unintentionally blurry but I'm sure they prefer that for security reasons, Karen/myself/Erin dressed up for the US Embassy's July 4th party)

There was lots of snack food, and a lot of it representing 4^th of July fare. I was extremely happy to see hot dogs, full sized, just cut up into sections. I at least ate one full one across the evening. Mini-jumbo pretzels, mini fried chicken, skewers of summer fruit, and brownies topped off the summer feast!
The US ambassador, new to the country in the last two months, gave the first address. I only met him for a handshake at the door, but got to meet many other ambassadors throughout the evening. I was first introduced by my friend Leigh to several Arab ambassadors including the one from Egypt, Kuwait, Emirates, Palestine, and Libya. They were talking together when we walked up. Only the Egyptian ambassador stayed past the pleasantries, and we talked long about traffic (of course) and other topics for about fifteen minutes.

39^th-2nd in Dhaka 5/29

Today I saw that Google Maps was updated for Bangladesh! Was so excited had to bump it into the blog a week earlier. But it is really exciting. You can see the roads, schools, hospitals, parks, everything! Nice to know all the places I located by satellite on my map on the sidebar were correct! I no longer feel like I’m living in a barren wasteland (as I would have to think by looking at a map before.)

Called the Deputy Collector of Rangamati again, hoping they got my fax or courier service package. Well they didn’t, but they said they would, and the guy on the phone made it seem like we don’t even need permission. We’ll see.

This morning I found out a bit more about Moweena: she has two children and they still live in her village with her father. She also has a granddaughter from her son. She lives in Dhaka with her sister, and they both do domestic work.

I headed out the buses with the hopes of getting four done. Well combining a #12 bus which cut its route short, another #12 bus which I had to get off early, a #13 bus which wasn’t doing its full route, and a #13 bus which took two hours, I only got two full buses done. Local buses are much harder to research than ticket buses.

39^th-3rd in Dhaka 5/30

Today Ben arrived at 7:30, my friend from North Carolina State University. They wouldn’t let me in the fenced in area where Ben would walk out of. So I had to wait outside the gates and watch for him. Finally he came out, and I looked for an army officer to ask if I can enter, but all were occupied. So I insteade I walked right through the gate, yelled “BEN!” twice, and he heard me, turned, and we gave each other a big hug.

Took a CNG back home, talked for a bit. He told me that my photo from the Aktel ad is now in the airport in the baggage claim area. I had no idea, and have no clue how long it’s been up. He thought I knew and that’s why he didn’t take a picture.

Although it was hot, we decided to go for a walk, and went around part of Dhanmondi Lake, catching up and sweating in the heat. Walked down Sat Masjid Road for a bit, got some mango juice, and later met up with Diya, and we got some cold soda and went to Anam Rangs Plaza to enjoy the air conditioning.

Coming home we both passed out. I napped for about three hours, Ben about five.

We went by New Market in the evening. Headed to my tailor to see about buying this shirt I wanted to get and thought Ben would like too. But they were out of the material. We also looked into buying some suits. Ben bought his first lungi, as well as some sandals to wear when it rains. It poured as we came back by rickshaw. More than I’ve seen here. We got pretty soaked, even though we got on the rickshaw just in time.

We started watching a movie at home, Good Luck Chuck and the power went out twice. So at one point we just went to get dinner at my favorite hotel. Although it wasn’t very late, the place was more empty than usual. Ben got to eat his first real filling of rice.

39^th-4th in Dhaka 5/31

Both of us felt a little bit sick this morning when we woke up. Ben felt sick because of a headache, myself because of typical stomach problems. After these had passed and we’d had a big breakfast of rice and dal, we headed out to see some sights.

First was BUET, and I took him around the standard tour of the campus, seeing all the sights. He specifically enjoyed the views from the top of the Civil Building, comparing them to the views from Cox and Dabney at State.

We then walked over to Shahid Minar, Was surprised we weren’t surrounded by beggars, and the place was quieter than usual on a normal day. We sat around for awhile as we were getting quite hot and tired and there was some shade to be found. (pic: Ben in front of Shahid Minar)

Then we walked over to Dhakeshwari Temple. It is my third time there, but in a long time. The temple was quieter than the other two times. The only action was a bride who was walked up to the shrine and was crying, supported by two family members. (pic: lunch time at Dhakeshwari Temple)

From there we took a bus to Baridhara where we were meeting up for flag football at the American School. It was organized by Leigh, and we got invited by Aaron. A lot of people showed up, and we ended up having four teams of eight. With that many people we didn't have enough flag football flags, so we played two-hand touch. We played two games, with the winners of each squaring off and the losers squaring off after. That meant that for the final game, because both our teams won, my team got to face Ben and Aaron’s team, who beat us easily. I got to catch a winning touchdown in the first game though. It was fun to run around and be sweaty for awhile. The American School’s field is very nice, nicer than anything NC State had. (pics: two-hand touch football on the fields of the American International School, resting after football in the gymnasium part of the school)

39^th-5th in Dhaka 6/1

We went to the tailor in the morning. We had spent the morning researching about fabrics and styles to learn more about what we wanted to buy. We looked at my suits and shirts I’ve already gotten tailored, and checked out their measurements. At the tailor we spent a lot of time choosing our fabrics, ultimately buying four shirts each and material for a suit. We then went upstairs and got measured. We’re excited to see our stuff come out in a week and a half weeks. (pics: Ben choosing his fabric for shirts, Ben getting measured for his suit)

We had lunch at Ayon’s, and after lunch, his mother invited us over again for a lunch on Wednesday. Before and after we sat and talked with Ayon, and at one point Ayon showed us pictures from his family albums.

From there Ben and I headed to Nazira Bazar to buy some rickshaw art. We each bought some pieces after checking out a few stores. The most humorous one we saw was where the artist painted a city scene where a train had collided with a truck on the train tracks and driver was lying through the truck window bleeding…who paints that?!? (pics: one of the old buildings in Nazira Bazar of Old Dhaka, rickshaw art for sale in Nazira Bazar)

Then headed around town trying to buy a bus ticket. This proved to be more difficult as I thought, but I guess I’m used to that. We passed by Baitul Mukarram and I showed it to Ben as we passed. It is interesting going around with Ben here as he tells me a lot about the differences between here and Egypt, where he spent a lot of time. Also, because he is very proficient in Arabic, he keeps pointing out to me the signs in which things are spelled wrong or written incorrectly.

39^th-6th in Bogra 6/2

We headed out to Bogra today. The bus was a smooth ride, but hit some major showers halfway through, making us have to close the bus windows. It was a magnificent storm, flooding the roads we drove on and reducing our bus to a crawl as the visibility went to zero. But by the time we arrived in Bogra, the rain had ended.

In Bogra we took a rickshaw to a hotel we wanted to stay at the main bus terminal called the Safeway Motel. The place was nice and looked deserted, but low and behold, they were booked up for the night! Wondering what to do, the hotel owner eased our concerns and stared calling every hotel in the area on his own accord. Finally he found us a hotel after about 10 minutes, just down the road. I wasn’t quite sure where it was, but he said no worries, and told his private car to take us there. Such service without even asking!
Our hotel was really nice, called the Bogra Resort. It was on top of a few shops doing car repair. We got some lunch after checking in at a street side restaurant. It didn’t have running water and we didn’t dare drink the water they gave us. The food was ridiculously spicy, and both of us had runny noses while we ate and were left gasping for breath.

After, we got on a local bus to take us to Mahasthan. This village is the site one of the oldest known settlements in Bangladesh, dating back to the 3^rd century BC, called Mahasthangarh. From where we got off the bus a rickshaw took us to the museum. The ride there took us by the Citadel, the main structure of the area and about one mile long! The museum was at the other end, and after paying the high fare of Tk100 to enter the museum, we took a look inside. Typical Bangladeshi museum, had some neat artifacts, a lot dating back to 2300 years ago. There was a decent map of the area and it showed all the structures in about 100 sq km. There are Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim sites ranging from different time periods, but most of the remaining structures are from a 8^th to 11^th century Buddhist period. We took our time looking around a temple across the street from the museum, a Hindu structure from the 6^th century called Govinda Bhita. (pics: two boys standing on the remains of Govinda Bhita in Mahasthangarh, Ben walking along the remains of a wall of Govinda Bhita)

From there we walked to the Citadel, the one that is almost a mile long. We walked along its outer wall for its full length, encountering several people on the way inquiring about our nationality. The Citadel was empty of anything historical on the inside except for a few mounds with a bit of brick work spotted here and there. Instead, the entire interior was being farmed and people were going about their daily work on this ancient site. (pics: Ben at the entrance to the Citadel, myself with the interior of the Citadel being farmed behind me, Ben standing along the outer wall of the Citadel, unrestored portion of the wall)

We bought some mangoes and took a bus back to Bogra, spending a little bit of time walking around the city’s center main market. Got scared at one point that I’d been robbed as I got surrounded by some guys and then later I noticed my backpack was open. Got scared, nothing happened, I likely left the pocket open.
Went back to the hotel and had dinner. Had to wait an hour and a half while they made it. They gave us a table in the corner of large dining room, we were the only ones in the hotel eating there. One guy serving us. Good meal though, they cut the mangoes we bought for us. Enjoyed watching the cable TV in our room while we waited for dinner.

39^th-7th in Paharpur 6/3

Grabbed a bus and headed to Paharpur. This was a good distance away. First leg was to take a local bus to Jaipurhat, and from there, another local bus to Paharpur village. Finally from Paharpur village, the historical sights there are a rickshaw ride away down a bumpy road. It was not easy to reach Bangladesh’s most impressive historical site. (pic: view of the road to Somapura Mahavira from Paharpur's bus stand)

We arrived to the Somapura Mahavira site in Parharpur and got surrounded by tourist shop owners! I’ve never seen anything like this in Bangladesh. They stopped our rickshaw from moving and were yelling for us to visit their stores and buy food. They had gifts, that I’d never seen before in Bangladesh. Maybe just three or four shops total. Is this a preview of what Bangladesh will turn into if it becomes a tourist country? It was quite impressive. They stopped our rickshaw a second time once we told it to go again, and continued to hold onto it and pointing and waving for us to buy things. Finally we broke free and made it to the gate. (pic: first tourist trap I've seen in Bangladesh)

We bought our tickets still with the tourist hawkers following us. The museum inside was lacking a map of the site, which really would have helped in comprehension. But a large brass image of the Buddha uncovered at the site was featured at its center, and that was a neat highlight.

Somapura Mahavihara, the monastery located at Paharpur, was at one point the largest monastery south of the Himalayas, and according to a sign at the site, still is. It is one of three World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh, the others being the Shait Gumbad Mosque in Bagherhat and the Sundarbans. It was built during the 6^th century during the Pala Dynasty. The center stupa is 72 feet tall with three tiers for circumambulation. Lining these are clay tiles carved with the images of animals and images of the Buddha. Five main images of the Buddha existed here, one buried under the stupa, and four more located on each side of the center spire. The center stupa is surrounded by a square of residential cells for the monks, 177 in total, covering a total area of 21 acres. Besides the central stupa, the site includes remnants of the washing area, the main gate, and a miniature model of the monastery.

Ben and Somapura Mahavira behind him as seen from the museum, We walked the site taking photos, and at one point got accompanied by a Department of Archaeology tour guide who followed us the entire time giving facts about the site. The place was pretty empty. We asked about that, and he said that the site is more visited during the winter, with about 1000 visitors a month during the winter, and only about 500 a month during the summer. Foreigners show up he said, about 30 a month during the winter, and only two to five a month during the summer. So we could’ve been the only foreigners to show up all month! At one point one of the sellers popped out of nowhere trying to sell us Cokes. I had to strongly insist we didn’t want any before he’d leave. He must’ve walked ½ a mile to try to sell those to us. (pics:Somapura Mahavira's central stupa, myself/Ben in front Somapura Mahavira's central stupa as seen from the wall of the monastery, the wall of the monastery with the residential cells for the monks)

We saved the central stupa for after we’d walked the entire monastery’s outer wall. We circumambulated the stupa on all three levels, looking at all the carvings and noticing the different views. On the top level, where the Buddha images would have been, there were stairs up to where there was an opening in the brick work. We were told to walk up and look in, and after climbing up there, I did get a bit nervous standing on the very thin ledge. (pics: myself sitting on the steps of Somapura Mahavira, Ben looking up at the top (and at a goat) from the bottommost level, Ben on the ledge looking into the opening which would've been above an image of Buddha, looking down on the thin ledge and Ben below)

Our tempo back to Jaipurhat was leaking fumes really bad, and I had to cover my nose with my shirt as a filter, it was real bad. In Jaipurhat the only buses still to leave for the day going back to Dhaka were night buses, and we really didn’t want to get into Dhaka at two or three in the morning. So we took a local bus back to Bogra, hoping we could catch a bus there, and cut some time off the bus back to Dhaka.

In Bogra we asked around and found a counter selling tickets to Dhaka. We bought one, even though the price seemed high. They gave us specific seats on the bus, and we waited for this bus which they said was coming from Naogaon and would arrive at 8:30. Well the bus which they said was coming never seemed to come. I never saw a bus of that name. Instead we watched as they yelled to every bus that passed asking if there were two seats on the bus. It seemed like we had just outsourced hitchhiking! I asked them if they were just trying to get us a seat on any bus, and they denied it vehemently. Finally a bus came they wanted us to get on, and we stepped into it and the conductor asked where we were going. We said Dhaka, and he said they weren’t going there. So it became pretty clear our ticket was just a worthless piece of paper we paid for to allow them to hail a bus for us. I asked again, and again they denied it. I started getting annoyed as we were now waiting 40 minutes, instead of the promised ten. I could’ve used that time to find a real bus, not a hitchhiking pass.

So it came to be that I had my first fight in Bengali tonight. After it became apparent that it was pretty much an outsourced hitchhiking, I got mad. I felt they lied to me saying I had specific seats on a specific bus, yet it was just an overpriced ticket for them to yell at each bus that passed. I would not have minded that, or been angry, if they’d just told me from the start that this is what they were doing. But they kept denying even when I called them out on it. I ended up fighting with one of the guys, and going on a long tirade about how we’d now be stuck arriving in Dhaka at 2 or 3 AM. How there is nothing we could do in Dhaka at that time, how would we get home, etc. I think I held up my end of my first fight in Bengali pretty well.

As fate would have it, just as the partner of the guy I was yelling at was about to give our money back, a bus came by that they flagged down which had space for Ben and I. So Ben and I got to go on with our outsourced hitchhiking ticket. They had plenty of seats. And no one ever came to us saying we were in their seats. The bus was off to Dhaka and we’d be arriving around 2 AM. Although technically I should be writing this in next week’s post, we did arrive safely the next day at 2:30 AM and got a CNG to take us back to my flat.

Week 25: Ekushe February, let's trek to Shahid Minar at 3 AM

25^th-1st in Dhaka 2/20

Ayon came by in the afternoon with his friend from Dhaka University. He had just bought the flowers for Ekushe February that we would bring to Shahid Minar tonight. A bunch of roses. So excited for this evening.

Took a nap to get some rest, knowing I’d have to stay up to 6 am tomorrow morning for Ekushe February.
Woke up later. Brought my panjabi to a tailor to get it ironed.

Farhan came over first. He was playing a trick on everyone, including me, that he wouldn’t come. But he was going to show up anyway. Well he surprised me, until I heard a dog barking as he told me the bad news over the phone, and I heard the dog barking in my building as well…I opened my front door and saw him standing there on the phone. But we let him complete his joke by being the one to open my front door later when everyone else showed up. They all got a kick out of it.

We had a great evening leading up to heading to Shahid Minar. We played cards games and ludu, went to dinner and had briyani, and watched movies. It was a good evening. Overall, eight people showed up for my Ekushe February event. I was real happy with the turnout. We spread out my new mattresses and pillows and we all sat on the floor enjoying our time. At one point Nipu brought out an ice cream cake he had bought for the occasion. They had me cut it, and we all enjoyed. This was an interesting situation because at my flat I only have three spoons and a couple of bowls. A lot of sharing had to happen. (pics: Farhan/Opu/Ayon playing Ludu, teaching Bilash how to play 9-card, all of us at dinner at a hotel, myself/Ayon/Nipu eating our ice cream cake)

25^th-2nd in Dhaka 2/21

Well technically the evening extended into this day to. We did what I mention above until 3 AM.

At 3 AM we set out for Shahid Minar. I had been looking forward to this event for a long time. I had first heard about the events which happen on this holiday from Naira and Farhanaz last fall at their apartment. They were showing me pictures using Banglapedia, and they showed me videos and photos from this holiday. I was amazed to see the passion and history behind the event, and how the country and its people embraced it. I wanted so much to experience the event. Now, over a year later, and with a much greater knowledge, respect, and love for Bengali as a language, the event meant even more to me, and I saw it as the one event I wanted to do in Bangladesh over everything else.

Let me describe a little bit about what Ekushe February is all about. When Bangladesh was East Pakistan, West Pakistan declared that Urdu would be the official language of the Pakistani nations. This enraged Bangladeshis whose native language was Bengali, yet the only national language would be Urdu, despite the fact that in the two Pakistans, more people spoke Bengali (since Bangladesh had a higher population.)
Although the language movement was a long violent process, the event for which Ekushe February (which means February 21^st) occurred on February 21, 1952. On this day, students at Dhaka University organized a procession against the Provincial Assembly against the national language being Urdu. Police threw tear gas against the students, and riots broke out on all the campuses of the university. Later in the day, while protesting five people are killed by police gunfire, including students of Dhaka University. It is from these events that Ekushe February occurs. It was the starting point of the nationalism movement which would result in the country’s independence from Pakistan 19 years later. Bengali became an official national language in 1954.
International Mother Language Day is held on February 21^st because of this day’s events in Bangladesh.

Processions to Shahid Minar begin at midnight, starting with the Prime Minister and other governmental leaders of the country, who place the first flowers on the monument. Following that, the general public places flowers on the monument. It is customary that women wear black and white to this event. The flowers contrast this, mostly yellows and oranges. The many songs which have been written over the years about the language struggle are played over speakers in the streets surrounding Shahid Minar. The monument is immediately in front of Dhaka Medical College, and the procession starts from the west, from near Dhaka University. The streets are painted with many colors and designs. One first removes their shoes before stepping on the monument’s grounds, and then carries them with themselves. Once one places a flower on the monument, they proceed east to leave. Long lines are typical. I was told that the true way to experience the event was at night, as that is the start. You can still go during the day, but the white and red of the monument are not as powerful in daylight. (pics: artwork on the wall near Shahid Minar, streets painted for Ekushe February, painted streets and Shahid Minar complex in the background, Shahid Minar with flowers on it for Ekushe February)

So I told my friends we would go during the night. Due to their safety concerns of going at midnight, that we would have to return home at 3 am, we decided to go at 3am, and return home at 6am, thinking it’d be less likely for someone to mug us at 6 am, when it was getting light. Either way, we were 9 people total, so if anyone decided to mess with us, we’d be a powerful force.

We left at 3 AM and saw empty streets. No one around. As we got to more major streets, we found some rickshaws, and decided to take them instead of walking the few kilometers to Shahid Minar. The streets around the monument were blocked off. So from a good distance away we still had to walk. Of course these streets would be jammed during the day with lines to go. Faces of the people killed on Ekushe February could be seen painted on the street side. We had to go through two security checks on the way there, one which included a pat-down. (pics: just outside my flat in Jigatola on our way to Shahid Minar, 2 out of our 3 rickshaws he jumped on to quicken our travels, posing in the street on our last leg of walking to Shahid Minar, my friends approaching Shahid Minar)

There were no lines at 3 AM. Absolutely no one. We honestly could’ve done all we wanted in two minutes. Around the monument were several military groups from different branches paying their respects. Some journalists were taking photos and videos. The monument already had flowers form governmental organizations placed around it, and a large pile from the general public in front. Each of us took one of the roses we brought and placed them in front. We took photos in front of Shahid Minar and the flowers. We stood and admired the scene. I kept processing what it meant for Bangladeshis, and all I’ve thought about while learning the language. I felt very honored to be there with my friends. To take part in the ceremony. It really was the center point of my experience here. (pics: Nipu holding our flowers we would place at Shahid Minar, posing after placing flowers in memory of the martyrs, military and journalists in front of monument, closer look at monument with journalists in front, our group sitting on the steps of Shahid Minar, Opu/Farhan posing in front of one of the many quotes painted on the walls near the monument)

Afterwards, since we had expected to have to wait in a line, and there wasn’t one, we just sat outside the monuments’ grounds and watched the few people walking up. I was told lots of people would start arriving between 5 and 6 am. We really came at the right time to avoid a wait. But honestly, I wouldn’t have minded a wait. I would’ve had more time to reflect and think about it all. Plus to see a crowd of people honoring the fight for their language would’ve been a lot more moving. As well, there were only a handful of woman there at that hour, so didn’t get to see a mass of women dressed in black and white. It would’ve been neat to hear a huge crowd singing the songs being played, but at least my friends sang along. If I were to do it again, I’d definitely go at midnight, or at least go back during the day.

I was exhausted coming back. I mean I was exhausted before going. But coming back every part of me hurt. I was in such pain. So tired. Feet ached. Legs ached. Head ached. Back ached. Long walk back, we didn’t take rickshaws until the last little bit.
On the walk home we walked through Dhaka University where there was a musical performance happening in the middle of the night, and to see some artwork which was done by the fine arts students of the university. (pics: paintings on the streets of Dhaka University, artwork made of painted sculpted sand near Dhaka University)

We came home and I passed out. They all left at 9:30, and I went back to sleep until noon. Ultimately only a few hours asleep. So tired. Woke up in pain, exhausted, and sore. Wanted to sit and watch movies all day. Went to grab some pizza to put some food in my stomach, and right after I got a call form Ashrafi. He leaves for the US tomorrow, and it was now or never to pick up his cabinet. I preferred now.

We took a CNG across town to his parent’s home where the cabinet was. It was the farthest east I’d ever been in Dhaka, apart from those times I actually left the city to the east. He had to prepare the cabinet, empty it out and stuff, so he told me to sit and rest. And rest I did! I actually fell asleep, that’s how tired and sore I was.
Getting the cabinet out of his house was a pain. It doesn’t go up and down stairwells well, and I was fearing bringing it up to my apartment. One of the drawers fell and broke taking it from his house.
It took time to find a rickshaw van and a regular rickshaw to take the cabinet and myself across town respectively. It’s a long way. Two minutes after we left I realized I had left my house keys at Ashrafi’s…that would’ve been a hugeeeee mistake. Imagine getting to my house and not being able to go upstairs. Stopped the rickshaw and the rickshaw van and ran all the way back to Ashrafi's to get the keys (were only 200 m away) then ran back.
Arrived at my house after about 1.5 hours on the road. Had to bring it upstairs two floors. This was real tough. We had to grab a random rickshaw driver from the street to help. It took us 20 minutes. My stairs are real thin.

Fell asleep after putting some stuff into the cabinet. Slept for 12 hours.

25^th-3rd in Dhaka 2/22

Got a call from Asha. Asha is Khalid’s girlfriend. Khalid is Shariful’s friend in Thailand. He had bought a gift for her for Valentine’s Day and had wanted me to deliver it for him, (Shariful also asked me call his girlfriend Mahenaz to tell her he loved her)
So I was supposed to call Asha and get in contact to give her the gift. But her phone wasn’t receiving my calls. Well Khalid finally gave up on the surprise, called Asha, and told her about me surprising her, and simply had her call me so at least she had the gift. We met up at Anam Rangs Plaza, and got a snack at Kozmo Lounge. I got an Oreo milkshake! She then came back to my flat and I got the gift for her. She opened right then and there in front of me. She looked pretty happy to get the Valentine’s gift, even though it was no longer a surprise.

How to drink from a bottle in Bangladesh: don’t let it touch your mouth! This is standard drinking procedure for most liquids. When you drink water from a bottle, tip the bottle to pour the water in your mouth, but don’t let it touch your lips. You can either hold it around the rim so as to put your hand between your mouth and the bottle, or just simply hold it an inch or two above the mouth. Then pour. The same works for Sprite or Coke too, but careful of the fizz.
The reason this drinking style has adapted is because water bottles are commonly kept in the house to keep clean water. Since the water from the tap is not good to drink, you boil it, filter it, then bottle it. Drinking straight from the bottle is much easier than pouring it into a separate glass, unless you’re eating dinner. Since the bottles are kept and reused, and other people will be drinking from it, you drink in the manner described above so as not to add your germs to the bottle.
I mention this because it is such an ingrained habit with bottles. Even when you have your own personal small bottle of water or Coke, I still see this manner being used. Mohan says its just a force of habit. One gets so used to drinking from bottles in that way because of doing it at home, that when you get your own bottle at a restaurant, you still do the same thing.

25^th-4th in Dhaka 2/23

Tried calling STA Travel. Wanted to start seeing about prices for me to head home. The ticket home will determine where I end my travels in October. Whether it’s cheaper to fly home from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore, will help me decide which of the three cities I will end my travels. I’d prefer Bangkok maybe, because it’s central to all of southeast Asia.

Called up Tamzid and said I’d be in Uttara later on a bus, and I could stop by if he was there. He said sure.
Today I was practicing my back seat researcher techniques. The back seat researcher is the half of the research team who would be doing the timings on the bus. This includes things like timing when people stand up before the bus comes to a stop, when people board, how long it takes to find seats, etc. It is a bit complex as there are 13 time points I’m desiring and some are hard to grab. I practiced on three different routes. I got better as the day went along, but also thought of a new method in which I could be even more effective. Video would just be too complex, but I could audio record, and speak into my voice recorder when certain things happen, and the voice recorder will keep the time. I’ll try it out tomorrow. I then could come home and quickly upload my recordings to my computer and pull out what I need.
Had lunch over at Tamzid’s. his mom served Chinese food. It was good to catch up with him. He has applied to do his Masters degree at University of Florida on Chemistry, and is waiting to hear back. I hope he gets it.

This evening, I completed by review of MIT, was very impressed. I think I have to apply, the program there just blew me away. Saket confirmed it in his blog and with my chat with him tonight, that MIT is the best place to go for transportation (so says the president of Stanford!!) Next up: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

25^th-5th in Dhaka 2/24

Today I took the same buses as yesterday, and was trying out a new system of data recording, using only a voice recorder. Took routes criss crossing the city, to every corner, 4 routes today. But I was having doubts about it all.

After thinking about it more, realized that some of the data I was collecting just really wants going to get me where I want. There was data that would be much more worth my time. Decided that I will be scrapping many of the timings I had initially thought important in order maintain the scope of the project.

For lunch I had Thai food, trying it out again, and it just wasn’t as good as Thailand. Watched the cricket match, Bangladesh vs. South Africa. It actually was happening just down the street, but I wasn’t going to buy a ticket. Bangladesh played well yesterday in day 2 of the test, but here on day 3, they really blew it.

Went all the way out to Jatrabari on last bus ride. Then took a bus back home, stopping at New Market to buy shower sandals, a shower mat, and some knives. Needing to buy all this stuff, but not exactly sure what Mohan will and will not take, need to ask him tonight.

Had dinner at Spicy Broast. They had little chicken signs all over the place, saying in Bengali that to prevent avian flu spreading you have to cook all chicken and eggs fully. There were at least 30 hanging up in this place which is no bigger than a bedroom. They’ve turned a warning sign into a decoration, but hopefully it gets the point across to readers.

So I was told that when Bangladeshis move to a new home, they take everything. Every last item. They leave the apartment just as they found it, and in Bangladesh this is usually bare bones. So I was unsure about what EVERYTHING meant. So I made a list and asked Mohan what he was taking. Just to clarify.
So:
Stove, YES. Door locks, YES. Light bulbs, YES (AND the light bulb fixtures he said). Bathroom pot and brush, NO. Well at least he is leaving me the stuff covered in feces. Every item he purchased he will make sure he takes. Nothing gets left behind. As he described, if a single taka was spent, it MUST go.

Researched UIUC tonight. Saw that although it’s a great CE university, its interests don’t match up with mine, so I don’t think I’ll be applying. Especially when the other stuff isn’t good either in my opinion: weather, town, sports teams, and no rowing team (that I can see.)

25^th-6th in Dhaka 2/25

This morning Mohan explained to Moweena how he won’t be using her services in his new home, but how she should continue to work for me.

Today needed to get a handle on my parent’s trip. Our tour company is not confirming the trip because they are lacking guests. So today I went to see them in person as well as find a backup company. Went to the Sheraton Hotel as our tour group has an office there. While there I saw the South African cricket team returning from the day’s match, which meant the test match was over, they had won. Dang. Talked to my tour company, said they’ll cancel only 10 days before, but will wait for more people.
Took a bus to Banani and went searching for another tour company. Their office was not there anymore. My tour book is really old! Finally found a third company, who really didn’t seem that great. I used them just to ask where the second company was. Got directed there. Found their office. They are running the tour, already with 17 people. I booked. Sounded great. And the dates are better than the first tour group.

Had lunch at Boomer’s Café, a philly cheese steak! It was good, but obviously far far far from Philly-level tastiness.

Went to New Market in the evening and bought buckets for showering, garbage cans, shower pail, pots for cooking, spoons, cups and bowls. Tried bargaining some prices, but didn’t get far, as this place was mostly wholesale goods, and already really cheap.

When I got home. I asked Moweena what else she needed for cooking. And she showed me all of Mohan’s stuff she needed when he left, so I’ll go back tomorrow and get all that.

Tonight I researched Purdue University. Liked it. Will add it to the list of ones to consider in the next round. 5 down, 6 to go.

25^th-7th in Dhaka 2/26

On the way to BUET I dropped off the cloth that I got from Lauren for window drapes at the tailor, who will turn the four sheets into drapes at Tk 30 each.

At BUET worked on my database of the buses. Created new elements and linked them together to what I think could be a good data management system, with good entry systems. I hope it works how I like. It’s my first time really structuring my own database. Had to make a lot of choices on the way.

Met up with Toma at the Boi Mela, the big book fair which is held each February. In honor of the Bengali language, and the struggle to speak it during the language movement, this book fair is held the entire month of February. It sells only Bengali books, and books about Bangladesh in English. Its huge. Over 350+ stalls selling books, all major and minor publishers of Bangladesh. My mother would be proud.
The Boi Mela, is held on the grounds of Bangla Academy (which was founded to develop the Bengali language through literature, research, and publication.)

The place was big, and it was packed. The streets outside the Bangla Academy were blocked off, and vendors roamed the streets selling small things and snacks. But inside it was only books. And lots of them. Kids books, sci-fi books, history books, academic books, comic books, and everything in between. It was fun just to move with the crowd in the aisles. Toma wasn’t buying anything but I decided I should.
After some browsing, I bought three children’s books, a Tom & Jerry comic book, and an easy to read fact book on geography and one on transportation. It’ll be fun to read these, get practice in my Bengali reading and comprehension. Buying children's books was intense as little kids kept taking the books I was looking at. I was the oldest guy there buying those kinds of books (which is actually a bit surprising since the literacy rate of Bangladesh is not high, and I feel it could be likely that an adult could have the same reading level as me.)
After, on the street, I also bought a Bengali map of Bangladesh to hang in my flat. (pics: many book stalls at the Boi Mela, Toma browsing a stall's selection of Bengali literature, a selection of children's books that I was browsing through, myself and my purchases which are equivalent to epic novels to me.)

Went to New Market. Had to buy more things for the living alone. Bought some more kitchen supplies, a countertop stove, and some more containers.