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.