Ron and Sally Jo Blog

We have been here about 2 weeks.  Is that all?  A lot has happened.  AND we feel we know so little!  First of all, we were hit with extreme heat, and we mean extreme heat!  Temps may have registered in the 90s but our phones said the “real feel” was closer to 110!  Part of it was the 90%+ humidity.  It also didn’t help that we did not have A/C in the bedroom for the first week and half.  However, we made it!!  And the last couple of days it has rained.  What a difference.

One of the first items on the agenda was to get some clothes for Sally Jo.  Most women wear a three-piece outfit: salwar (loose-fitting pants), kameez (long tunic top extending at least to mid-thigh) and an orna (a scarf worn over the chest).  Some wear saris but usually only for special occasions.  She had brought a few items from home that she thought would work but mostly they are too hot or not long enough.  There is a wardrobe at the guest house that has a lot of extra outfits so she started with those.  We went with a national staff woman to the market to buy some material.  One can buy sets of cloth that match to make the three-piece outfit.  The variety and colors were almost overwhelming!  However, it was so hot and we were still so “jet-lagged,” that decisions were made quickly.  A tailor then made the clothes.  (And yes, she finds the clothes hot.)

We arrived during Ramadan so that many of the local staff are fasting during the day.  The fast is broken at sun-down with a special meal called Iftar.  We participated in two Iftars—one in Dhaka and one in Mymensingh.  There are special foods and customs related to the Iftar.  People sit with a plate of food in front of them until the exact time (usually announced via the local mosque loud speaker or someone watching their watch).   People first drink a syrupy water and then eat some fresh dates.  Then on to the rest of the food.  There is a lot of rice (!), a vegetable curry, a meat or egg curry, dal, other fried food and a very sweet fried pastry,  (Iftar in homes, would most likely be simpler but always contain water, fresh dates, and rice.)  Food for Iftar can also be bought along the streets in many food stalls.

In these two weeks we also made a car trip to Mymensingh—about 75 miles or 3-4 hours.  MCC has three offices in Bangladesh—Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Bogra.  We briefly met some of the staff, and made quick visits to three partners and the Taize brothers.  We spent the most time with a small project (Probitra) that works with former sex workers.  Twenty women join a group for 9 months to learn life skills and some trade skills.  We visited Sacred Mark which produces soap and some recycled items.  We stopped by another office which cooperates with MCC on peace trainings.  When we visit again we will probably say more about each of these projects.  We ended our fast trip with a visit to the Taize Brothers.  We attended their noon prayers and joined in the common meal afterwards.

Here in Dhaka one day we visited very briefly with a group of Sisters who had been together to learn about reporting for their Global Family programs.  We then had lunch with them.  There are a number of Global Family projects in the country and hopefully, we will get to visit at least a couple of them.

Part of our settling in is that we are here for a number of farewells for MCC workers plus all the activities at the end of Ramadan.  (The last photo of this set was taken at the farewell for the former reps.)  In fact, our first full week in the office as official Interim Reps included only two office days—the rest are holidays!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 5th, 2016 at 11:39 am and is filed under Bangladesh. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.