Week One: Bangla, Rickshaws, & Friends

Hello all! :)

Life Update: I have officially concluded my first week of classes AND I have all of my luggage!

Name Update: Currently people have been referring to me as Margo or Margaret.. whichever way the wind takes them! I basically respond to anything that begins with an “M.”

Health Update: No ailments so far! I have been drinking LOTS of water (pani) to make sure that I stay Hydrated!

Thoughts:

Classes are HARD and I get lots of work but I am motivated by the prospect of being able to roam the streets of Dhaka and converse with people on a deeper level. It really is true that there is no better way to learn a language than to be immersed in the culture where it is spoken. There are countless opportunities for me to practice my language proficiency and skills. Whether this means practicing to read the script on store signs and packed items or chatting with the chai wallah and door gaurds, there are people who are accessible and willing to help me with every step along the way in my quest to gain a legitimate level of proficiency of Bangla. I try as often as possible to engage in conversation with people who have poor English skills (or are willing to speak to me only in Bangla) so that I can improve my conversational capacity. I spent SEVERAL hours this week practicing my bangla with the door gaurds of my apartment building. Joined by Jodi and Nate (my flat mates) we went down to the garage at 10pm or so and talked for 1-2 hours in ONLY Bangla! This opportunity has been invaluable as I have not only improved, but also I have made friends who want to help me and look out for me.

As far as the instruction, aside from moving at a fast pace, it is clear that all of the instructors want to do everything they can to help us learn. In an average day I have four classes taught by three different professors: alphabet, style, grammer, conversation. Each teacher has a different teaching style and while this can be somewhat frustrating at times, I have found that in the office hours they are more than willing to sit down with you and help work out your problems. The main problem that teachers and students of Bangla face is that there are VERY few credible teaching resources. The main reference book that we are using is actually catered to Kolkota Bangla (not Bangladesh Bangla) and thus not everything in the book can be taken as truth. Our teachers have made many of their own worksheets and we mainly rely on the notes that they give us in class.

In just a few short days, I, along with my fellow CLS-ers have learned to read and write the Bangla script as well as some basic grammar and tons of vocab. Now I know what you must be thinking: Really? That sounds like A LOT of material, and aren’t you going to be there for ten (dosh) weeks? Answer: YES! And YES!

The workload is steadily piling up and there is a pressing need to keep up with the class and meet the academic standards of the program. It is somewhat challenging to find the balance between mingling with my new friends, exploring Dhaka, chatting with our Bangla neighbors, and also being prepared for all forms of in-class evaluations. We have our first test on Sunday (after our full-day trip to Old Dhaka).

I am staying in Baridhara, an affluent community which is surrounded by an opaque fence. My friends and I have taken to referring to it as “Narnia” because Baridhara is relatively calm, clean, and peaceful, but the second you walk through the door to the street life… BAM! Dhaka city life IN YOUR FACE!! Why Narnia? Because walking through that door is like walking into another world. I did quite a bit of exploring in Narnia all week long, and it was not until the end of the week that I made my way out into Gulshan 1, Gulshan 2, and Bonani for a better taste of Dhaka.


In addition to morning classes which end around 1, we are expected to come back in the afternoons one to two days a week for additional lectures and small trips. This past week we had a series of orientation lectures including but not limited to: a panel discussion with former Peace Core volunteers and Boren Fellows (also former participants of CLS), a security briefing from the US Department of State, a lunch date with our instructors to practice our restaurant vocab, and a lecture from an esteemed professor from North South University on Hinduism in Bangladesh.

It was interesting to hear a religious lesson from a foreign teacher. After the talk, I sat down with him and told him about my plans to either major or minor in religion and my reasonings for doing so. I am not so much interested in Theology as I am in the study of the different religions in the world, their similarities and differences, and how religion has both shaped cultures overtime and caused uprisings and misunderstandings. (Unlike my brother Sean who remembers everything he has EVER learned haha) I am not one of those people who can remember all the important names, dates, and historical events that have occurred throughout history, and I realize that I will never know everything about the politics and cultures of every country around the world (including my own). That being said, I feel that by studying religion in all forms and placing it in the societal contexts in which it functions, I am better able to understand HOW to learn about other cultures. I have also become aware of the pressing need for patience and religious literacy and dialogue to ease some of the cultural tension we have going on in the world today. This year, I come back to Bangladesh with tools to be more culturally sensitive due to my deeper understanding of Islam.

Next week I will meet “my conversation partner.” CLS has essentially hired a Bangladeshi to be my best friend and show me a side of Dhaka that I would not have otherwise seen. I also hope to meet up with my host family from last year, some of my Colgate friends who are in Dhaka for the summer, and at some point shuffle off to Mirpur to visit my good friends at the Grameen Bank headquarters… I can’t wait!!!:)

I am happy to be here and I am taking life as it comes day by day. My close friends can attest that I am a girl who lives by a carefully planned schedule (and I have always chosen to make it this way). There are so many things that I want to do in this life that I try to make as most as I possibly can out of every day. Because of this, I can sometimes find it hard to just “go with the flow” and let life happen. Dhaka is forcing me to work on this. My life and experiences here are completely unpredictable and I NEVER know what new experience each day will bring. I am finding a sort of thrill in this inescapeable element of unpredictability. Maybe it really is okay to let loose every now and then… maybe I don’t always HAVE to know where my day is going to end. After all, what is the fun in that?

As the fortune cookie I ate the day before my departure so perfectly said:

“You only live once, but if you do it right once is enough.”

Although I do not know where I will end up, I feel confident that I am “doing it right” this summer, and I already feel myself growing from this.

PEACE,
M

Katie and Holly Anne walking through the Baridhara gate, and entering Narnia.

Getting some help from some friends! :)

Most of the Chai wallahs that I have seen are men, so it was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon this nearby stall.

Fresh fruit from the nearby market!  Buying fruit is a great way for me to practice my bangla skills in a practical way!

Stipend number one: Yep! That's your tax dollars!!!