No Facebook for me...

I'm feeling really out of touch these days.  This is because I can't access Facebook!!!!  Unfortunately, it has been blocked in the country of Bangladesh!  And because I am not that tech-savvy I'm not able to figure out a way to get around the block...sigh.  So, you'll have to email me if you want to get a response from me!  I'm not sure how long the block will be for...apparently they arrested the offender, but who knows...

Here's the link to the story about it on BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10192755.stm

And, just because, here are some more pictures!

Here's the river that is near my house. I walk along this river to get to one of the big shopping areas nearby. The river isn't the cleanest, but walking along it is one of the quietest places I have found in this noisy, busy city! 

Fishing on the river.  Fishermen catch tons of big fish here, although we don't eat them because the river water is so polluted.

Houses on the river...

Around the neighbourhood

A typical street along my walk to school...

Construction of a new apartment building.  There are 12 or 13 million people in Dhaka, and the population growth is huge (I've heard rumors that 1,000 people move into Dhaka each day).  Apartment buildings are being constructed all over the place in response to the growing urban population.

Here's one of the neighbourhood kids in a full-out sprint towards me saying "Hi! Hi! Hi!"

In our neighbourhood, rain makes navigating the streets a bit difficult, and the construction that is happening all around us doesn't help to improve the situation!  I had to walk through both of these sections of road, and thankfully didn't get nearly as muddy as I expected I would!

The ducks like the puddles, though...

Big sister looking after her little brother...

And one of my favourites...two little guys playing happily in a puddle!

Electricity

One aspect of life that I take for granted in North America is regular and consistent access to electricity. In Bangladesh, access to electricity is regularly intermittent. Throughout the day and the evening, power to our area gets cut off for about an hour at a time, probably about 4 or 5 times a day. The power goes off at 50 minutes past the hour, and comes on exactly one hour later…that is the only thing that is regular about it. It is anyone’s guess as to when the power will go off…last night, it was off from 7:50 to 8:50 and from 10:50 to 11:50. Now, when I know that I am doing something that needs light, I am always rushing to get it done before 50 minutes past the hour, just in case we lose power! Sometimes I turn on my AC to try to cool my room down a bit just in case the power goes off (our average indoor temperature is 32.5 degrees, so it’s a bit stifling with no air movement!)

Intermittent power…one of the many unique aspects of life in Dhaka!

And just for fun...the view from inside a CNG (CNGs are these green three-wheeled vehicles that you hire to get around the city...I'll make sure to take a picture of what they look like from the outside for a later post!)  CNGs feel kind of like a cage on wheels...kind of scary, but fun too!

Brrr...

Tonight (May 14), I felt cold for the first time since arriving in Bangladesh!!!!! This evening, a storm rolled in (with thunder, lightning, and lots of rain) so we decided to head up to the roof of the apartment building to stand in the rain and watch the storm! It was great…we got nice and wet, appreciated the lightning, and after 15 minutes or so I actually started to feel a little cold!! It was a great feeling. I don’t think I will like the rain so much tomorrow as I make my way to the university in the mud, but for tonight the cool air is a relief!

International Nurses Day

May 12 was International Nurses Day, and here in Bangladesh, it is celebrated with much more enthusiasm and formality than I have ever seen in Canada!

On May 12 in the afternoon, the nursing students at IUBAT hosted a Nurses Day celebration for nursing faculty and students. The first half of the 3-hour program was quite formal. As each nursing faculty member entered the room, the students applauded (it surprised me…I wasn’t expecting that!), and the most important guests (key nursing faculty members and the university’s chancellor) had to sit at a table at the front of the room. Then, of course, it was time for speeches. The entire nursing faculty, a couple of the students, and the chancellor spoke. I am considered visiting faculty, and the students gave me about 5 minutes warning that they would like me to make a speech as well! So when it was my turn, I did some quick thinking and managed to find something to say…and I think it went pretty well, thankfully! Here’s one of the students making his speech…

After speeches, it was time for cake! The students had ordered a very elaborate cake that they also decorated with candles. (Lighting the candles was a bit tricky…took a few tries and required the fans to be turned off, but eventually we got them all lit!) There also had to be a wedding-style cutting of the cake by the nursing faculty and the chancellor…and then the cake was devoured. Here’s what it looked like…

After the cake, it was time for the ‘Cultural Program’. This involved some singing of traditional Bangla songs, a couple of Bangla-inspired hip-hop dances (one to a Shakira song…) and a couple of games. It was fun to spend time with all the students and share some laughs with them – they are really very friendly and are a lot of fun, which is great. The students and faculty all speak English, so that makes it easy to get to know them.

On May 13, we (the visiting faculty – there are 4 of us) went to a big private hospital for their very formal Nurses Day event. This one followed the same format as our students’ program (speeches then the ‘Cultural Program’) but at this event I got to see some more traditional Bangla dancing and singing. Here are some of the dancers…

 Happy International Nurses' Day!

Bangladesh!

Hello from Bangladesh!  I am in Bangladesh to complete a practicum for my MPH, and I am working with the International University of Business, Agriculture, and Technology (IUBAT) College of Nursing to teach a course in Community Health Nursing.

I’ve been in Bangladesh for four days now…I arrived on Friday evening, had a day to recover (and do some shopping) on Saturday, and on Sunday started work!  I have definitely jumped right into things here.

I knew it would be hot here, and yes, it definitely is! The temperature is in the high 30s, but with the humidity feels more like in the 40s. I get pretty sweaty when I am outside, and it is amazing the amount of water I need to drink to keep hydrated!  Fortunately, my bedroom has air conditioning and a fan, as does the nursing office at the university (where I do much of my work).  Rainy season hasn’t started yet in Bangladesh, so we’ll see how I like that…

I live in an apartment building that is within walking distance of the university, and I share my apartment with a nurse named Carina.  She is about my age, and is from the Netherlands.  She’s been really helpful in showing me around, helping me go shopping, etc.  We each have our own bedroom and bathroom and then share the kitchen area.  Other volunteers and staff live in the other apartments in the building.

Lunches and dinners are provided for us, and are basically always the same meal with slight variations…chicken, rice, lentil sauce, and some type of (often unidentifiable) cooked vegetables.  It’s pretty good, although I’m only on day 4 and feel like I could use some variety in my diet!  I’m sure by month three I’ll be used to it.

Walking to the university is interesting.  There is a ton of construction going on in our neighborhood – lots of apartment buildings are being constructed.  In the midst of the construction are homes where families of the construction workers live.  So there are lots of kids running around, and they often stop to yell, “Hi! Hi! Hi! Good morning!” regardless of the time of day.  I’ll have to take some pictures of my walk for another blog entry.

Well, time for me to get going and start my workday – I teach my first class today.  I think I am going to have to lecture sitting down because of the heat…not sure I can stand at the front of the class that doesn’t have air conditioning for two hours…but I’ll let you know how it goes…