Yes!

Check us out in The Times of India: Torchbearer of Change

Bangladesh vs. New Zealand

I know next to nothing about playing cricket. Going to a game in Chittagong was less than educational, but it certainly was interesting!

An international cricket game in Chittagong is kind of a big deal, so the stadium was packed. It was the Bangladesh team versus New Zealand. NZ won :(

The Field:

The man next to me gave me us newspapers to put on our heads to block the sun.

Foreign, unaccompanied women seem to attract attention. The "sections" at the stadium were cordoned off by big iron bars. Welcoming design, really. Here's the audience we attracted (not different from the audience we attract . . . everywhere). I figured I was allowed one photo, for the 100+ cellphone photos they took of us weird-looking, light-haired, lone white women:

Language Moment

I like this one:
Asking "Are you healthy?" in Bangla translates literally to asking "Are you fat?"

So:

"Yes, I am healthy." means----> "Yes, I am fat."

UP: Looking and Dressing

This past weekend was the Opening Symposium for the Asian University for Women (AUW). What a weekend.

It began in Chittagong on Wednesday with some visitors (aka donors to impress) and a really nice dinner--including WINE-- outside at the future AUW site. The next day, we piled onto the $2 train (with 129 students in tow) to Dhaka. What a hot, loud, dusty adventure. On Friday, there were several interesting discussions on woman's rights, and about the university in general. Saturday was the most important of all. Fakhruddin Ahmed, the head of the caretaker government, or basically the acting Prime Minister of Bangladesh, spoke to us, as did Mohammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

Some pictures from Wednesday night, in Chittagong, at the future site of the university:

A group of teachers before the Wednesday night dinner.

Set-up chaos:

Security Personnel. I especially liked the female security uniform-- the Security Sharee

This event really came at a perfect time for me. Certain aspects of life at the Access Academy are sometimes quite frustrating, but last weekend reminded me of how incredibly amazing this project is-- check this out, if you haven't already. Its potential is enormous! The school, like any educational institution, is an investment in the future, and I can't wait to see what this place will become in 20 or 30 years. The weekend reminded me why I'm here (for the students). Meeting all the incredible people that support this project renewed my faith in the organization and hearing all the talks reminded me of the importance of woman's education in this part of the world. Its official, I'm an AUW disciple.

Here's a few pictures from the weekend. I wore a sharee for the first time. It was a little stressful! The sharee is basically just a long, long strip of fabric. You tie a petticoat around your waist, wrap the fabric around your body and tuck it in to the waist of the petticoat. Simple enough. Then fold it over, make several pleats, wrap it around your torso and up over your shoulder. Not so easy. The first day, I had a few students dress me. The second day, I put it on by myself, as well as I (plus a bunch of safety pins) could. The sharee made me incredibly conscious of my posture. Slouch, and it looks like I'm wrapped in a towel!

Sharee shopping:

Assembly Required:

with two students, at the events:

After all the hoopla, LauraBeth and I decided to stay in Dhaka for an extra day. We were exhausted, so we didn't get to do too much exploring, but I was fun nonetheless. Although, when people describe Dhaka as the crowded land of traffic jams, they aren't joking.

We took the night bus back to Chittagong. The buses are really, really nice and comfy. I couldn't resist taking this picture of the bus station, with all its dramatic portraits of buses racing through . . . the snow?!
More Nepal pictures are coming, I promise! It just takes forever to load them onto this page . . .

Movie Review

So we found this "stall" (the size of a bathroom) in the bazaar around the corner that sells pirated DVDs-- in English! And they work!

Six movies for $1.25.

Best part is, the descriptions on the back cover appear to literally be things Googled or taken from personal emails about the movie. This is my favorite.

Back-cover synopsis of the movie Come September:

We love the film and have watched it countless times. Last year we were lucky to find out where the location of Mr Talbot's "villa" was. It is in reality one of the most luxurious hotels in the world dominating the hill overlooking the bay of Portofino in the Italian Riviera. The staff in the hotel confirmed that the film was shot there. However, when we view the film, the shots from the terrace down to the harbour don't quite line up, so we imagine that another location was also used. If you ever get to Portofino, it is worth the climb to see the view and the coffee wasn't as expensive as it was down in the harbour. Best wishes, Peter and Ita Kay.

^_^ (eyebrows)

All my efforts at explaining eyebrow threading make it sound as though I pay someone to floss my forehead. So, here's a visual aide:


And I guess that's not too far from the truth. The woman holds a very fine, sharp thread with her hands and her teeth in a loop. She puts the hairs between the strands and pulls quickly. This rubs the threads together and plucks out the hair in the middle. In about 5 minutes, my eyebrows are a picture of perfection. And for only 45 cents!

Trekking in Nepal, Day One

While unsure of the textbook definition of Trekking versus Hiking, I do know that trekking requires added protein:

Breakfast, Day One: Ants in My Honey

After our interesting morning evading a strike, we stopped for a quick breakfast. Then began our slow ascent!

Our first "summit" by 9am. The flags in the foreground are Buddhist prayer flags. We saw them everywhere around Nepal.

Next came rice paddies . . .

Teachers hiking through the rice paddies:

Big Mountains! The whole group, our awesome guides included:

Can't get enough of the view:

We tried dried water buffalo meat, at one point. Here are some wet water buffalo:

Nepalese school children!

The tea house we stayed at, the first night:

View from our tea house:

The bathroom:

Cozy Room!