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…