Alright! Here we go!
(I promise to have pictures in the next post)
So, first of all I would like to apologize for not posting.. We had some serious Internet issues at the beginning of my stay in BD... aside from that I am all out of excuses. If it is any consolation, per usual, I have been journaling! Don’t think that I stopped recording my experiences all together!
At this point I have been in BD for almost three weeks? Wow… how did that happen already..
Where to begin?
So DC was wonderful. We listened to several panels of speakers, and of course met with the ambassador of Bangladesh at the Bangladeshi embassy.
I also had the chance to meet up with so many friends who all hold different places in my heart… Becca, Nevin, Stephen, Hasan, Alli, and Colin… So many reunions! So little time!
Some from Colgate, some from CLS, and even a high school friend that I ran into on the street!
Oh life, how you surprise me!
...
Right off the bat I was struck by the different dynamic that the CLS group has this year. I realized, as did one of the returners who was having similar feelings, that I was approaching this summer with expectations: Mistake #1
This summer will not be like last summer.
The end.
Once we got over that, all was well :)
Also, we flew through Qatar this year! NOT DUBAI, WHAT?!?
I actually had a pretty horrible experience with the man that I was sitting next to on the connection flight from Qatar… I think from now on I am going to start wearing a ring on my ring finger and telling people that I am married….
Now, three weeks later my current wedding proposal count (for this year) is
(drumroll)……….. 3!
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This next year is quite the trip for me. I am all over the place traveling and I will not be home until next summer (most likely). Home shall be wherever my feet are in the moment. All that is left to do is live in the moment, breathe, and soak it all in.
These past few months I have grown up a lot. This year was challenging for me in a lot of different ways and certain situations forced me to reevaluate my commitments and priorities in life. Not to mention, my first experience of this summer, spent in South Dakota, really pushed me out of my comfort zone in many different ways and has made me a better and stronger person.
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I love Bangladesh. Every time I go I learn so much, not only about the country, but also about myself. This is my third time in Bangladesh and I will actually be returning over my winter break with a group of Colgate students to study microfinance (Through BRAC) and the NGO sector in Bangladesh..
People keep asking me why I am going back and why I want to learn bangla? I am back for a second summer of CLS because I really want to be proficient in Bangla and there is no other way that I would rather be spending my summer! :) I had such an amazing experience last year that I knew I would not be sorry and that this is where I should be.
But WHY am I here? Because I always become so inspired when I come here! Because Bangladesh is the place to be if you are interested in development at the grassroots level and NGOs! Bangladesh is a breeding ground for NGOs. Some are good, some are bad, some play it by the books, and others are innovative and new.
Also, my first summer here spent as an intern for Grameen Bank showed me how much more I would get out of my experiences if I could speak Bangla.. relying on a translator really is not good enough.
Do I like Dhaka? Yes and no. There are things that I like and there are things that I find challenging. Do I like Bangladesh? No.
I love it.
In my opinion, if you come to Bangladesh and spend all of your time in Dhaka then you did not really see the country, and experience culture.
But that’s not all. There are so many reasons why I am here! I’ll talk more about them in future posts.
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For the sake of time (and the time difference since I get up every day at 6 am) I am going to make the next part kind of brief… I promise more posts soon!!!
- I am in the Intermediate Class this year!
- I LOVE the BLI crew :)
- My language partner this year is Shamima! Shamima shobcheye bhalo language partner! I will post more about her and our adventures.. I want to do it justice and can’t in this post.
- I really want to visit a village in Mymensingh that I stayed at for a week two years ago.. been trying to figure out exactly where I went… (I didn’t speak bangla then so I am facing transliteration difficulties)..
- I am going to the Chittagong hill tracks in two weeks!
- I am going to start drawing again.
- Made the rounds to Sonargon, Dhanmundi, and Old Dhaka for the CLS field trips.
- I have been leading workout classes every day on the roof at 6am sharp! Ok.. maybe more like 6:10.. I also do yoga in the evenings during the azzan.. and I’m choreographing a dance for the talent show at the end of the summer! If you have any song suggestions, send them my way! :)
- Also, I’ve been busy meeting up with all of my friends here! At this point it is a very substantial amount of people. Yay for two families on opposite sides of the world!
Lots of adventures! I think this is a decent first post… stay tuned for more!
Peace,
M
(Oh! How could I forget?! My name! This summer the name of choice is Margo)
