Talk to Strangers

In the spirit of getting back in the habit of writing regularly, I thought I'd share some of my most recent "Oh, Bangladesh!" moments. I like having at least one whoa-I'm-definitely-not-at-home moment every day. The last couple days, these moments came in conversations with locals on the street. Sometimes talking to strangers pays off.

1. Word about our school has gotten out, and people in town sometimes know where it is. The nifty sign on our driveway certainly helps:

Today, I walked past a school that had just let out. A little boy and his older brother (maybe 12 years old) caught my attention and asked, "You study on Asian Woman Lane?"

Close enough! Best street name ever. Better yet, for the first month or so, the sign did read "Asian University for Woman Lane" and it was a joke amongst the teachers over which "Asian Woman" would be the lucky one. Then they fixed it.

2. A couple days ago, I was walking back from the market near school. Taking a shortcut, I got bombarded by children "Hello! Hello! Hello!". A little exasperated after a long day, I couldn't muster the enthusiasm for much of a response, and the man walking behind me quieted them down. We then had a rough English-Bangla conversation. Of course, he asked me if I had a husband . . .

Without any hesitation, I told him the story about my husband (he's coming soon from America), along with the reasons why I don't yet have any children, etc.

Fun things I can't do at home :P