Re: Committee members please review your time slots for Saturday draft and rsv

Just to clear up the mystery of the Agenda:

Beer hour 6:00 - 7:00  
Chow 7:00 - 7:45
7:45 -7:50 Bryan Crawford - Introductions

7:50 - 7:55 Alice 
7:55 - 8:15 Jim Halverson - Paul Harris Fellow Awards
8:15 - 8:30 Rob Long - Year in Review
8:30 - 8:35 Reggie time
8:35 - 9:00 The passing of the baton to the new and glorious leader 
Get the heck out a here.

From John's cell phone 

805 798 0886 

Jlkenyon@aol.com

Follow John's photos at 

Www.johnkenyonphoto.blogspot.com and at www.YouTube.com/jlkenyon1

The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means.

– Georges Bernanos, French novelist (1888-1948)

On Jun 17, 2010, at 7:32 PM, attadjshop <attadjshop@aol.com> wrote:

John, May I just have a few seconds after Bryan? Thank you, Al

 

 

 

In a message dated 06/17/10 17:30:36 Pacific Daylight Time, JLKenyon writes:

Just to clear up the mystery of the Agenda:

Beer hour 6:00 - 7:00 
Chow 7:00 - 7:45
7:45 -7:50 Bryan Crawford - Introductions
7:50 - 8:10 Jim Halverson - Paul Harris Fellow Awards
8:10 - 8:25 Rob Long - Year in Review
8:25 - 8:30 Reggie time
8:30 - 9:00 The passing of the baton to the new and glorious leader
Get the heck out a here.

If this needs adjustments please give me a reply and it will be done.

Gracias

John Kenyon

Cell and text # 805 798 0886
Fax 720 406 3515  

 

Andrea Barkan's photo of me

I make it a practice of always asking if I can take a picture and then showing my subjects the picture I have just taken.  I have found in some very poor areas people have never seen photos of themselves and in some cases don't even have mirrors to see themselves in.

Jim and Kevin both went out and enjoyed the surf with the local surf club. This is the beach right off of the town of Cox Bazar and can be easily reached from the downtown. Jim and the lads and lassies all took to the rickshaws for transportation to and from the beach, but a surf side hotel can easily be had here. The beaches were clean, broad and very, very long, something like 26 miles long. There were horses to rent on the beach as well as food to be purchased at beach side cafes. The nonsurfers among us, rented covered wooden chaise lounges to relax on and in my case shot the dudes and dudettes in the water.

Another snap of the surf club including Honorary Member Jim Bailey. Jafar Alam is second from the left and please note the young girl surfers as well. The girls in particular are fighting an uphill battle, not only are women adults surfers nonexistent as role models but the society frowns upon adult women swimming in public. Additionally all of these heroic young surfers have come from and are still in very very poor home situations, so putting food on the table is an everyday chore. There are no days off in this life style.

We hoped that our presence might escalate the status of the club and it's members. We talked with the Rotary Clubs as well as local officials about the economic value of having a group of young people who could help to develop the area as a Bangladesh surf spot. We feel that Cox Bazar has all the ingredients it needs to take off. Young skilled surfers, surf equipment, good waves, a beautiful beach and Cox Bazar is a well known and easily accessed beach vacation area for Bangladeshies.

Cox Bazar Surf Club

The first of a movement. Surfers in Bangladesh. If anyone ever doubted that there could be surfing in Bangladesh just ask these young surfers or if anyone ever wanted a surf lessons, just ask Jafar.

We were out and about and I took this photo out the car window. People stay up and out late into the evening and it does not become quiet until after 11:30 at night.

Locals bus

Buses ruled the roads in Bangladesh, This is a snap I took from our bus probably in Dhaka.

Tis the season for weddings. It is easy to find the homes of the bethroved because their entire apartment building will be covered in lights as you see here. This was very close to our homes in the Gulshan, an area that we lived in in Dhaka.

We are all home now but I will post some of the photos from my DSLR which I could not do without my computer.

Followers club meetings

Now that we are all back safe and pretty sound we are looking at
scheduling speaking engagments at clubs in our district. Andrea has
graciously offered to be the keeper of the calendar. We all want to do
programs, so ask Andrea to check the calendar and book us in. Sooner
is always better, but we will be available for awhile.

Andrea.barkan@gmail.com, jlkenyon@aol.com

From John's cell phone
805 798 0886
Jlkenyon@aol.com

The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that
the end justifies the means.
– Georges Bernanos, French novelist (1888-1948)=

landing

"Maybe I rub my face as though I have been asleep. But I have not been asleep. I have been, as I say, inside the cloud, or, perhaps, the lily floating on the water. Then I go back to town, to my own house, my own life, which has now become brighter and simpler, somewhere I have never been before." - Mary Oliver

Me with my host family in Dhaka, right before a teary goodbye.

So we've landed back in our own beds, on our old streets, returned to the care of friends and family left for a little while ...

The silence is the most unexpected, noticeable, difference. Coming home from LAX on the 405, I found myself thinking the freeway seemed empty and calm. Never thought I'd see LA like that, but compared to the crush of Dhaka, it is. Then arriving at my doorstep on a sunny Southern California afternoon, and being so struck by the quiet.

Kevin and I both woke up this morning thinking the same thing: Where's the noise? No crows cawing, no call to prayer, no heavy equipment, no generators humming, no construction workers singing outside my bathroom window, no household help making us cha.

And no team. Which is, I admit, a little tough today. Each member of my little-while family is tucked back into their rooms; we're all finding our way back into our lives, which, inshalla, will become brighter and simpler. It might take a while to unpack such an extraordinary, crazy, intense, beautiful experience ... at least for me (and I can only speak for myself :).

My greatest hope is that I integrate and absorb this experience so that it makes my life bigger in a way I can share. I pray that it doesn't become the kind of gift that stays wrapped up and tucked on a closet shelf, taken out only on special occasions.

And it is, truly, a gift. No money could purchase a trip like this. Because this trip had little to do with currency, and everything to do with connection.

As I looked out over immigration at the Dhaka airport, having just passed through the threshold of a nation, all I could wonder was whether there was a way I could have been more open, more present, more involved in this experience. There was a time, especially in the beginning, when it all felt too overwhelming to absorb. Absorption was the last thing I wanted, in the chaos and dust of Dhaka ... but that changed. Standing in the airport, I saw something else: our coordinator Waseque Ali, waving us goodbye. I know it's important to all the team to mention this. Waseque bhai, as we call him (bhai is Bangla for brother), was the first face we saw when we arrived - waving to us from the other side of the arrivals gate. And he was the last face we saw when we left, waving to us from the other side of departures. I know I wasn't the only one who got a little choked up. As we famously quoted the entire trip, Waseque told us that first night, "When you are in the hands of Waseque, everything is okay." And you know what? It was true. Down to the last moment, when he paid airport staff to cocoon two pieces of my luggage together in plastic wrap so I wouldn't have to pay $150 to check an extra piece.

We were extraordinarily well cared for. I, for one, feel like I have a kind of family back in Bangladesh. And for an only child from a single-parent So. Cal family, I don't use that word lightly. We just don't have the same family set up here (have I mentioned how quiet it is at my house?) ... that's just one of the many things I'm inspired by.

Here's something else: On our way to the airport, my teammates Kevin and Jim both seriously questioned whether the city had been cleaned up since our arrival. (A little midnight trash pickup for the South Asian Games perhaps?) The hood seemed nicer somehow, to all of us. I laughed. Of course the streets hadn't been cleansed - our vision had. Our focus had shifted from seeing the trash on the streets to seeing the treasures, namely the family and friends we'd acquired in both the shortest and longest 30 days of my life.

As Proust said, "The journey of discovery lies not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Well, Amen to that. Here's to new vision that lasts, and a journey of discovery that never ends. I'm grateful to know that the journey is the destination. And to my fellow travelers, you all know what gifts you gave me, and what you left in country. You are extraordinary, each of you, and I am proud to have been part of such a team. I salute you.

all my love,

andrea.

Last Legs

It's now 6:45 am here in Dubai, UAE. And if we didn't tell you before
let me tell you now, this airport is SWANKY! "How swanky is it?" you
say. It's sooo swanky even the wall clocks are Rolex! Bam!

That's all I got. I'm tired and haven't slept yet so.... goodnight,
and see you all soon. Jim and the Gang

John and Mahleka

Bangladesh

Would I recommend that any one come to Bangladesh? Absolutely, but with a caveat, if you come here and stay in a hotel and view the country from the other side of the glass, then I would say do not come here. This is only seeing the superficial face of this incredible country. You would not see the beauty of Bangladesh. The beauty of this country is not in the sites that you see but in the hearts of the people. You will never be able to experience, the warmth, the generosity, the family, the joyousness, the spirituality if you do not reach out, literally, to the people here. You must stay in their homes, eat their food with your hands, and sleep on their hard beds. You must speak their words, know what happened here in 1971 and understand why is dinner at 10:00pm and why "Gulshan is for Lovers". That was our experience here and we feel honored to have had it. Alhumdu lillah. I miss my family in the states so I want to go home, but I'll miss my family in Bangladesh as well and don't know when I'll be back.

Now it's time for let's eat....

With an abundance of 2-hour car rides and a dearth of American-tummy friendly snack foods, we've all ingested more high-fructose corn syrup and partially-hydrogenated oil in the last 4 weeks than likely in the last 4 years. If it's packaged and tasty, it's going in the pie hole.
Doritos, I'll miss you ... Love AB

The Kind of Friendship I'll Miss

Ok, so we're all starting to wax a little sentimental right now. Go figure. The irony that many of you have likely experienced before, is that when you finally get used to a place it's time to leave. Right? We are finally getting to know our way around Dhaka, we know where all
the basic neccesities: grocery, laundry, reliable coffee, and we leave in two days. Allah!

Being the friendly sort myself (what you say?), I think I will most miss the ease of making friends in this state sized nation of 150,000,000. Below is a photo with a man I met in the hallway of a Rotary Club hospital for physical rehab of those unable to afford health insurance. This was in Sylhet. And though I may have found Sylhet to be the most challenging chapter of my time spent in country, this moment of "ginger bearded brotherhood" brought me back from the brink. Just moments after this photo, which was taken because we were comparing the red in our beards, this man bear hugged me with all the joy of an Olympian who had just taken the gold. I'm not a bromantic man by nature, but I have to admit that I hugged right back. This is
the unexpected heart of Bangladssh: that when you are feeling low or disoriented, suddenly the beautiful face of the human is there to bring you back into the fold of mankind. Bangladesh is all mammal. It doesn't matter if you're Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, or Baul if you are mostly behaving you are a brother. I have a few friends in Ojai, a couple more in Ventura. What I find most surprising is that I'm wondering if I'll be feeling a little lonely compared to how it is
for me here, halfway around the world from my home. I said it at the conference and I'll say it again here: I love you Bangladesh. Jim

My moving experience

A word (or several) about dance.

This is my passion, and I'm pleased I got the chance to dance here. I keep thinking about the movement of my experince here, for example how my perspective - how I see this corner of the world - has shifted in the last three-and-a-half weeks.

Dance is naturally a very obvious embodiment of a moving experience. And as usual, here as at home, it teaches me. I first danced with the young Bengalis on the boat cruise through the Sunderbans. The "stereo" was comprised of speakers and a mic amplifying the soundtrack of a
Hindi movie playing on the old DVD. Pretty lo-fi, but with a good beat and some willingness to get silly it hardly matters. Some willingness crawled into me that night (as if I can ever stop that) and I got to move with some raucous fun-loving people. I was pretty introverted on
that trip, on the heels of my intense stomach bug. I was hardly eating as I recovered physically. So I didn't feel like I shared much of myself (grateful to my teammates who did). But that night, for that moment, I got to share.

Next we got to dance with some lovely folks in Dhaka during a birthday party, and then there was dancing with the Rotarians and Rotaractors during the cultural program at Cox's Bazar. At that gathering, women sang in Bengali and played the harmonium. It went from melodic and
ethereal to so kickin I could no longer sit still. Luckily the Rotarians felt the same way. I have to say, it's nice to be in a country where the men seem to feel a bit more free to pick up a beat.

And there's been an added element of delightful surprise because these are the men in suits who run the Rotary meetings, take us around to noteworthy projects, engage in all the formalities ... Nothing beats an inspired dance with a suited Bangladeshi Rotarian who is suddenly
shouting and clapping and raising his arms and waving side to side.

We've shared in many ways here - this just happens to be one of my favorites. At the district conference yesterday, a Rotarian approached me from Sylhet and asked if I remembered him. Despite the fact that we met literally 200 people that night, I absolutely remembered him
because I danced with him. I didn't even get to talk with him that night, and I did not know his name, but I knew him.

It's reminded me that language barriers mean nothing when we can employ the universal language of the body. Not to get too gushy, but when I dance with someone, I witness their joy. I reveal my authentic self, and I share in a kind of communion with them.

--
andrea

Seven Layer Tea (text)

(Scroll down for the photo.)

Hey kids! Here's some famous seven layer tea from Srimongol, Bangladesh. Say it out loud, it's fun. This is the land of tea. And apparently the land of science as well. Extra credit for the first student who can explain the science behind the beautiful cup of "cha."

Electromagnetism in Bangladesh (text)

Tubla's birthday present from moi was a few pairs of sweet diffraction grating glasses. Here we are witnessing the electromagnetic spectrum in all it's glory. The gratings in the lenses allows for the "diffraction" or differential bending of the various wavelengths of light thereby showing cool rainbows all around any white light you look at. Blue wavelengths being shorter are bent more and red being longer are bent less. Of course all of this light rushing around our world is the result of electrons being energized to higher orbitals, jumping back down, and then transforming this energy of motion into self propagating waves of electricity and magnetism that work at right angles to each other propelling through  air or space or glass at 186,000 miles per second or 300,000 km. per second (speed varies with medium).

So, to review light comes from the unceasing ping-ponging of electrons in their unending "orbit" around the nucleus of the atom. Little bits of matter condensed from an over abundance of energy that flowed forth into the Universe, like love, some 13.7 billion years ago. Love to us all, Jim

Electromagnetism in Bangladesh

Andrea

Henna and And

Andrea getting her hand hennah'd last night at Mahleka's birthday party by Tubla. Tubla is really quite the master artist here. I will send an update of the final piece in the morning.

Using Henna, to paint on hands for decoration is very common. We first saw it here at a wedding. It is very common for men to henna their hair and beard, which gives it a very orangey color.

I did not see tatooing at all, though people are very covered up, which may mean there is no reason to do it or I simply could not see it.  Women wear a good amount of piercing jewelry, though not overly so.

No public drunkeness or intoxication. Little public beligerience or anger, despite the traffic. A lot of public patience. I never felt threatened or in danger from the people. A lot of courteousy to me. Helping and cautionary hands, strangers holding my hand to stop me from jumping into traffic. Many kind looks and nods of the heads. People of all ages coming up and asking in english where I am from and how do I like Bangladesh.
Even the word stranger is losing it's meaning here because unlike many western cities the "collectivistic" tendency of this society makes you feel that you are not living in a world of strangers as I would in big American city with no trespassing signs around our necks but in a society without these invisible barriers so people will come right up to you and engage you. This can be disconcerting for us but you get use to it and I'll miss it. It's harder to feel lonely here once you are adapted.

See you all very soon

From John's cell phone
805 798 0886
Jlkenyon@aol.com John's Bangladesh cell is+8801710308215

From John's cell phone 

805 798 0886 

Jlkenyon@aol.com

Seven Layer Tea

A not so quite revolution

Grameen Phone's mission was to bring the technology of the modem in the form of the cell phone to the rural country side people. I don't need to tell any of you the value of being able to call work, home, parents, children or doctors for that matter and we must realize that this is valuable at any economic level. In the Us the cost of a cell phone is actually the average wage of what I consider the middle income group, about 30 US dollars। But Grameen has done something truly remarkable, they have made these phones affordable for everyone। Now cell phones do not have any class distinction, I've seen beggars on the street and field workers using a cell phone। Here my Grameen phone is being modeled Munie, one of the domestic staff। Check out the web site www.grameenfoundation.com for more info.

The tea gardens

This may look like at an uninteresting photo but if you can blow it up there is a lot here. The two rows on the bottom are raw rubber drying, the cut cane on the banks of the creek will be sold and used for a multitude of purposes including roofing. The hill sides are covered with tea trees (bushes) and tall thinly leaved shade trees. This picture was taken outside our bungalow that we stayed in for two nights. This typifies agriculture here, every square hector is planted from the ditches on the side of the rode, to vacant lots in cities. This is how you feed 150 million people on 55000 square miles of land say the size of Michigan.

Notes from the tea estates

In Sylhet, We learn the word for moon: Chad. Moonlight is Chad ni, and
this is what they call a beautiful woman: Chad ni.

We visit the hilly regions - just over the mountain range is India.
Our host pilots his small sporty car down a two- lane road and from
the backseat I smell fresh asphalt, dust, livestock, and traces of old
spice aftershave. On either side of the road are wide fallow fields
separated into squares and tended by men in loungis casually watching
a few head of lazy cattle.  People do their washing in tributaries
that traverse the dusty fields or the green rice paddies. Thin cows
wander.

We experience, and enjoy, the cultural quirks:
Leaving our house at the appointed time, for our grand dinner
reception, only to be whisked back into the house for tea. Being told
to sit, waiting for said tea, and just when tucking into tea (khub
moja) being told everyone is waiting for us - it's high time to go! We
enjoy a sight-seeing tour that includes Adventure Land, a dilapidated
amusement park that the government took over from the bankrupt
proprieters. It's filled with rusty rides, odd statues of an ostrich
and a sort-of T-Rex. The only thing still working was the stereo and
the fountain - which was semi-synched to kickin hindi music.

On the road, We narrowly miss hitting a goat. I stare out the window
at the fields and think about home, about being back in regular life.
What i come up with is that I'm going to miss all of this. The loud
Bangla, the crazy driving. The men with bricks on their heads, the
rickshaws carrying long loads of bamboo, the rickety pickups defying
physics with leaning towers of eggs (dim) that somehow stay upright.
And what of me, and my uprightness in this sideways country? The sun
sets on raw fields framed by billboards for shampoo or cell phones.
Bangladesh is the land of contrast. It is the sound of honking and
singing. It's the smell of burning trash and clean-shaven rotarians
bowing down for 5:30 prayer before the evening meeting. It's fast and
weaving car rides, when we're lucky, and it's also sitting in
standstill traffic in the crush of Dhaka.

It's shouting and inadequate sanitation. It's also laughter. It's
simplicity like we saw from the viewpoint of our narrow boat bound for
a remote river village that borders India. The boat came equipped with
a boy to bail out the water. It's people who courier stones across
that river all day in boats just like that, barely staying afloat.

For a while, in the beginning, I also felt I was barely staying afloat
in the unhinged chaos of this place. Something has shifted. Bangladesh
is unhindered and I am caving to the beauty swirling at the core of
all the chaos. As we head back to Dhaka for our final week, a
contemplation takes root inside me. What will my old world feel like,
framed by all this newness?

--
andrea

Ah me balo achee (I'm fine) we've been out of wifi range for some time now but we are back in Dhaka for the rest of the trip.

Unfortunately everything here is late and hence rushed, so there is no time to plan out something and then do it. An example we have only once shown our PowerPoint and frankly they were not much interested in it so we decided on to not use it even at the District Conference. In this country those pics seem a bit superfluous. They want to hear what we think about their country and the connections we have made, period, so that is what we give them.

This is a great team. They all think on their feet, they give thoughtful and spontaneous speeches. It has worked better than I could have imagined. The team is a perfect blending of strengths and
characteristics. Perhaps this is because of the destination, only certain "types" would want to come, it's also amazing that we picked these four as this trip would blow away even many older and more seasoned travelers. I've taken and gone with groups to India for those ten to twelve day short trips, but thirty days here is a challenge.

We are anticipating the end soon but with melancholy. We will miss our team, we will miss our hosts and we will miss Bangladesh. It has been an experience that we always take with us. Alhamdu lililah and thanks to Rotary

From John's cell phone
805 798 0886
Jlkenyon@aol.com

Faisal: Fresh Prince of Gulshan

Here is Faisal and his two sisters. He is as fly as they come here in
Bangladesh, or any other country for that matter. Don't even think of
challenging him on the badminton court, you'll be choking on feathers...

Nahian Take 2

Nahian of Sylhet

This is Nahian. She is a typical Bangladeshi girl in the 6th grade.
Nahian lives in the north east corner of the country in the city
Sylhet. Her father is a very earnest, sweet, and bro-mantic man named
Delawar. On our first night in Sylhet my host father, Rahim, took me
to their flat next door. After tea, and cookies, and conversation,
Nahian brought out her Harmonium and played and sang the Bangladeshi
National Anthem, and We Shall Overcome (which is a very popular song
in this historically tragic country). Her voice, unlike the ultra-high
pitch practised by many female singers here, instead was strong,
smoky, and of course sweet as only a childs voice can be. Afterwards
we talked about school and her dreams to be a science teacher someday.
Okay, so I made up the science teacher part.

On the day that we left her father took her out of school early so
thought she could join us for lunch and see us off. I gave her
Beatrice Land's letter and a necklace from Rhianna Shariff. You can
see the necklace in the picture below and the letter in the one above.
Like so many of the young people we've met here, Nahian is polite and
sweet and very friendly. She is a great kid, and if she lived in Ojai,
she would have a lot to add to our class. I'll always remember her
beautiful love of her country that she expressed through song and
spirit. Jim

Picnicking hosts

Here is a "glamor" (my word) shot of Mahsima, Faisal, and Sariya that I took at last nights picnicking party in front of Waseque's house. Mahsima is Waseque's older daughter, Faisal is Waseque's nephew and Sariya is Waseque's niece. The girls all danced for the family last
night something they would never do in a public non-family environment.

This time of year the weather is very pleasant so many Fridays, Friday is the weekend, weekend being Friday and Saturday, people will have a picnic and invite relatives and friends to outside partys. The food is plentiful with BBQ chicken, rice, chapati, and soft drinks being the
mainstay. Desert is automatic at every meal with our Rotarian host familys. Everyone sits on chairs outside and laughs and sings. Children run around without any concern or scolding. It's very nice and relaxing, the love of family is obvious.

The juggling surfer

Just give this guy a quarter and he'll juggle anywhere. Here we caught him juggling for street kids at a truck stop in Dhaka. We promised him food if he'd come with us on the rest of the trip. He took us up in it.

CNG

Bangladesh has made a commitment to the reduction of hydrocarbons and the use of renewable resources. To that end they made the use of disposable plastic bags illegal and they are gradually converting all gasoline and diesel powered vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas, CNG. All the gas powered rickshaw style taxis have been converted and many of the automobile and buses as well. Hence the belching exhaust that I found in many cities such as Mexico City, Kolkata and Los Angeles simply is not seen here. There are plenty of other environmental problems but those two big problems, solved.

To convert the Toyota you see here costs about $600 US. Amazingly cheap when you consider the fantastically lower emissions as well the significantly cheaper cost of CNG. This obviously begs the question why the USA cannot do this? Think about that, Bangladesh can do it, but we cannot? I think I smell a conspiracy.

Marjorie

I'd say Marjorie and her counterpart at DemocracyWatch both got the memo

Kevin

Kevin is a reporter through and through, where most if us rely on memory Kevin is writing it down. Check Kevins VC Star blog link on the right.

DemocracyWatch

I liked this photo of both Marjorie in front and Andrea in back because you can see how deeply engaged they were with there counterparts here. Out of site is Kevin equally engaged.

We have found the professionals that we have met to be intensely passionate and insightful, yet pragmatic about their work and their country and we have highly enjoyed these encounters.

Dhaka

This is the dichotomy of Bangladesh, we just went to a wonderful world class restaurant across the street, with our Rotarian host, the food, co mojja (very good) far more than I could eat, though my thin Rotarian host, Shibili, had no problem. Across the street they are building a tall office tower. Much of the construction techniques are primitive, as you see here, with these women carrying the sand for the concrete into the building where it is mixed.

An educated guess is that these women are paid less than a dollar a day, which is why it is far cheaper to use man/women power than machinery (horse power). And, though back breaking, they are happy for the employment.

Dear Leader

He's not Kim Jong Il, but he's ours, and we'll keep him. Here's John
doing his thing like the pro that he is at yet another Rotary meeting.

Child labor poster

This is a poster I saw at the NGO called Democracy Watch. It is a cautionary poster about child labor rights. We visited this organization so that Andrea could have some time with people in her field, but as we all went along everyone found someone in this excellent organization to have good conversation with.

Nursery school outside Cox's Bazar

Last week, John and I visited a one-room school house about 20 kilometers south of Cox's Bazar. The rural classroom was built for children of impoverished area fishermen, many of whom are illiterate.

The school, including all materials, the instructor, even the building, is funded by the Rotary Club of Cox's Bazar Shaikat.

It's just one of dozens of schools various Rotary clubs have constructed in rural areas across Bangladesh, especially in remote tribal areas where the government cannot afford to do it.

Our visit was unexpected, and the children's faces lit up when we walked in. Some 60 students were seated on a hardened dirt floor -- no desks -- in organized rows split by a walkway down the middle of the room. In front of them lay simple workbooks and a pencil.

A couple of students were selected to come before us and count to 10, first in Bengali, then in English. The children, ages 4 to 6, get two years of school, free of charge, our Rotarian guides tell us.

For some of the children, this may be the only formal teaching they receive.

By age 6 or 7, they're old enough to assist on the boat, which is the family's only means of income.

An education is often their best chance for a different life.

It's particularly important for the girls to continue on to primary school, because they often are kept at home to care for younger children and can pass on their knowledge. Before we left, a girl sang for us.

Letters

Here is another letter and a pencil from one of Mr Baileys students in the USA.

Reading a letter from America

Mr Bailey gave out some of the letters from his students in the USA to students at an English Medium School in Dhaka. He also had the opportunity to teach science here. It was quite a great day for him. These were very sharp students and had an excellent awareness of every subject Mr Bailey spoke on.

Rickshaw rides: check

it's 7 am in Dhaka and I wake to roosters. Do you know another city of 14 million where that would happen? From my bathroom window I hear construction workers readying heavy equipment while singing Bengali tunes. Lots of construction in this ever growing city. We got back in Dhaka two nights ago after a week long adventure in Cox's Bazar and Chittagong. We saw many schools and even got to assist with the lottery admission at a village school tucked down a long dirt road in Chittagong. My chittagong host, Khan, is a baker - I had the best cha at his elegant and comfortable apartment; thought I died and went to heaven when he busted out a tray of exquisite cakes with evening tea.

Yesterday my beautiful host mother Asma took us to Democracy Watch, which works for social justice and against election fraud. We met yet more of the impressive 20 and 30 somethings here in Bangladesh - they are activated and passioned.
Our Cox's Bazar hosts were a group of several rototactors (under 30). So much energy in the Bazar. So much heart, vitality ... And plenty of trash. The beach was clean and gorgeous but the town surrounding it was a bit rough on all of us, with in-your-face street kids (will sing for 10 taka) and half-clothed people rolling on the sides of dusty streets strewn with trash. And yet, my memories are of the people we met, from Rotarian president Mahfouz (sure I'm spelling that wrong), an award-winning shrimp farmer, to our primary guide Moji, an accomplished 24-year old Rotaractor. We got our rickshaw rides in there - the preferred method of transport. And my memories of those rides are of sunshine and wind and motion as the rickshaw drivers
dodged trucks and pedestrians. It's amazing how even the most intense squalor starts to seem bearable from the seat of a racing rickshaw. Bangladesh is definitely a land of light and dark, and when I stop placing value judgements on the extremes of it all, my exprience becomes richer.

--
andrea barkan
805 - 815 - 9876

Ramjan: Bangladeshi Surfer (text)

So, just as I suspected, surfers are pretty much similar everywhere you go. Must be something in the saltwater. This guy not only looks like a brown skinned version of my buddy Simon, but he acted just like him too.  Always smiling.  I ended up surfing with the surf boys and surf girls of Jafar's club on two different occasions. We had fun little LEFTS! both days, about knee to waist.  The water was warm and the the Sun was out. I couldn't have asked for more. They loaned me a 9'4" single fin so those of you who know me know that I was right at home and knew just what to do: get loose!

The Bangladesh Surf Club was so stoked to receive the many and generous gifts from the Ventura Surf Club, the Bolsa Chica T18 crew, and the alaia that Dan and Jon donated. When I visited them later that night at the surf club, they were all looking good in Ventura Surf Club t-shirts  and some of our stickers had made it on the door. Jafar is a man of character and is really trying to help the families of the less fortunate surfers in the club. He is struggling against extreme poverty, girls being pressured by hunger into prostitution, and local politicians who who try and take a slice of graft at every step. There were quite a few big wigs at the board giving ceremony, and John and I really tried to impress upon the crowd that Jafar was an international celebrity in the surf world and by HELPING him support surfing in Bangladesh they would be increasing economic opportunity for local business. It is difficult to know what long term effect our efforts and the ongoing work of Surfing the Nations will have for these brave young surfers, but for now they have some renewed supplies and a little more cash in the account to do the good that they are trying to do. Love to all, Jim

Science: the Universal Language (text)

Touring a high school that receives some Rotary assistance I found this poster in the science lab: the Bohr Diagram of the Atom. My students back home will coming across this same idea very soon.  It is used to show the energy levels of electrons in their "orbit" around the nucleus. We have visited several schools in the last few days and even went to a talk on the effects of Climate Change on Bangladesh (it's not good news), so science education is very much on my mind. I am realizing that science literacy is so important for everyone everywhere. It is a language we can all speak no matter our country or religeon. Though it turns back the veil of mystery it increases the awe. Properly understood it does work against religeon but can bring it's students closer to God, closer to Allah through the knowledge of his workings.

The students here are so thankful for the opportunity to go to school. It is not available for all like it is in the states. The ones that are able to go seem so genuinely thankful, and work hard to master their subjects. Do you hear that kids? Don't make Mr. B move over here to do his science teaching! JK. I do miss all my students, my family, and my loved ones... I know I'll see you soon. Mr. Bailey

Ramjan: Bangladeshi Surfer

Science: the Universal Language

Longer video of the ukelele man

Kumira Chittagong

Here is a snap of the team at the before mentioned school you can see by this photo that we are all still alive and looking good!

Three cups of tea

Every where I go we have a cup of tea. There is always time for a cup of cha with milk. "You must have a cup of tea, please, I insist."Okay, Dohnovad(sp), sugar no"

RCC Masajidda Literacy Center

We spent most of the morning in Kumira, Chittagong Region, visiting the Agraba club's projects. This club does so many projects here it would take an entire page to list them. And as we are riding a very bumpy bus back to Dhaka I won't. Suffice it to say this club would put to shame many clubs in the states. They've built a school for girls, a school for boys, a school for very poor rural students, deep water
wells and lavatories. By the way we are going quite fast, weaving in and out of our "lane", an E ticket. Here is a snap of Jim as we await the arrival of this bus.

As Andrea, said so little wifi time so much to tell. Here is a photo of Andrea and a sweet heart of a young bride at a wedding in Chittagong. This wedding had the normal 2000 plus guests. They asked how many at my wedding I said that there could have been less than the front row. The bride was concerned that we were being taken care of. Are you having a good time? Have you eaten yet? 2000 people here and she was concerned about our comfort! She was having to sit on the dais for hours for photo ops.

By the way, Andrea's and Marjorie's host family's totally dressed the ladies for the occasion and they looked good. Represent! Marjorie's host took her out and did the complete spa treatment! Marjorie was in heaven. It's not all hard here. We are being well taken care of and everyone is in good health. Inshallah.

Cox Bazar

From left to right, just kidding, you can see Jim Bailey on left, me, John K in back and Jafar, the main reason that we are here, the international surfer, in the green shirt on the right. We are all
assembled here at the meeting of the RC of CB to view the movie "Gum for My Boat", a movie that Jim brought about Jafar and the Bangladesh Surf Club, to watch.

Experiential build up

So many experiences, so little blogging opportunity. We're nearly on the road to Cox's Bazar now - an overnight bus ride is in our near future. A few standout snippets from the last few days:
walking the narrow, lantern- lit hall of our Sundurban steamer ship before dawn, and hearing the voices of our wiry and tough ship hands speaking Bengali on the dark deck ... One of those moments when I was reminded just how remote and exotic our excursion is. The Sundurbans was ... calm, grey- brown waters, narrow canals, outings in a rustic motor boat, ducking wayward Mangrove tree roots
...
Saying I like coconut and receiving juice from a bushel of fresh green ones liberated from a tree In Joymudi - the riverbank village we visited on said motorboat. We got to say what's up to the locals there, who live in mud huts with thatched roofs. They fish and gather. They are happy and pretty gregarious ... We enjoyed staring at each other. It's amazing how many barriers get broken down with smiles and impromptu juggling (thank you Jim Bailey). What else about our 4-day adventure through the national park? ... We experienced: Huge slick mud flats dense with palm trees royal Bengal tiger prints a very dusty crocodile roughing it with basic cold showers (or no showers) We hear lots of people visit the Sunderbans to calm their Dhaka-distressed nerves, and indeed we all dug getting some needed downtime.

--
andrea barkan
805 - 815 - 9876

Shahreen studying

Shahreen is seven. She is in grade 1. She is doing her math homework
which is subtraction with exchange, (borrowing). She is a very good
student.

Asma's roof garden

Andrea's host mother has a wonderful garden on the roof and they are very excited because they will have some excellent strawberrys soon. On her left are tomatoes. She also has among other things a lemon tree in a pot with blooms. Reminds me of my own trees in Ojai.

Shopping at Pink City

Marjorie: shopping for an outfit in this stall. Material for three pieces was about 2700 taka and the tayloring was 500 taka (for dollars divide by 70)

Host family

From left Sariya, Andrea,Jim ,Samira, John

Andreas host daughters

These are Andreas and for awhile Marjories host daughters Sariya and Samira not pictured little sister Shahreen, "monti" who was at school at the time. Sariya was there all the time and even though she was a little under the weather herself she allways was helping us out. Samira came in later and was also an absolute gem our families here just took us in and made us feel like part of there family.

River cruise in Sundarbans National Park

Read John's elegant post below. This will give you a taste of the forest. The Internet connection is very slow and finicky here, so I had to keep this short. Will try to add more soon. ~K

Talking w/ some physics students in the local park.

Sundarbans

Photos soon to follow.
We returned last night to Dhaka and will miss the Sundarbans. The Owner and entrepeneuner Md (Mohammed) Faruk talked yesterday morning about his love for this forest and all forests in stating that he thought of the forest as a mother, something you would treat with care and respect, protect it and love it.

The outboat dropped us off on the shore and we all trekked across the land through fields that gave the feeling of hiding a tiger or two, to a wide open beach. We always had avoupke of guards carrying old enfield rifles. There were other groups there as well and the consequential litter. Faruk had his people picking up trash the entire trip so that when we left the beach and trails were clean. He then took the large bag of trash out on his boat and back to Kulna. Md Faruk was very impressive he not only talked the talk but walked the walk. I hope he understands what I mean by that. Make this man a Rotarian!

Thank you to the great man DG Huda the Governor who made this happen. An inside joke was that the DG always gave credit to his District Rotarian staff and they all said the DG should get all the credit because he is the Governor.

I just heard an update on Haiti. Awful news. In reflection on Bangladesh at first you have the impression of chaos and there is that, but you realize it is not mayhem. There is order in this and the people are living by code and ethics, Allah Jane(e), (praise to god) because with the sheer amount of people everywhere, if people here did not have it in their hearts to do the right thing, well then it would be mayhem.

With every Banladeshi that we have met there is a deeply felt concern for the wellfare and eventual uplifting of the poor. This manifests itself in many ways but it certainly isn't idol musing of the upper the classes. I believe that there are 159 Rotary clubs, 4500 members and 5000
Rotoractors (a college age Rotary Group), very impressive numbers for a single RI District. These are all people who have dedicated themselves to the Rotary ideal of 'service above self'.

I will try to stay away from becoming too political but I must say that large corporations with distant and passive ownership must realize that their long term interest will be met when the people and the country that they are using is cared for as if it was their own. Think: clean water, sanitation, education for all. Clean water, sanitation, education for all. Clean water...

Service above self
John

From John's cell phone
805 798 0886
Jlkenyon@aol.com John's Bangladesh cell is +8801710308215

Traffic in Old Dhaka

Here's a taste of the traffic and street scene in Old Dhaka. ~K

The District Governor

District Governor Huda lavished us all with gifts. Here he is giving a gift to Andrea. He will be traveling with us at the Sunderban, quite an honor for us. DG Huda is the District Governor for all of Bangladesh, one district. He and our District Governor Luz Maria Ortiz-Smith and her husband E Russel, became good friend and are doing joint projects in Bangladesh. John

Mahleka

Mahleka is one of the daughters of my host Waseque. She is seven turning eight shortly. Last night she stayed up until midnight (a school night) because it was her sister's seventeenth birthday the next day and at the stroke of the clock everyone sang happy birthday. John

Looking good

I promise Jim will wear this to school! I can't promise the same for
Kevin. John