Halfway Point :-)

I have officially passed my halfway point in my international project experience. It's both a strange and exciting feeling to say the least! I feel like I have finally gotten the hang of some of the necessary logistics to living here, although I am very lucky to have a lot that I don't have to worry about like so many other people in this huge city. Last weekend I went on a tour of the old capital of Bangladesh, it was one of the most beautiful and happiest days I have had since arriving. It is incredible how different the more rural parts are from the city, the lack of honking and being away from all the different vehicles on the roads was a nice break. During this day trip I was able to see a lot of different Hindu temples and some incredible homes from the colonial times here that were abandoned but have remained in relatively good condition because of government intervention. What struck me most of all though on this day was the kindness of the people, especially of the children we saw. There were a lot of kids around some of the areas we visited, especially when we went to a school made entirely out of bamboo! The kids were so interested in why I was there, continually walking up to me saying "Hi" and "How are you?" in English. It was so sweet and although I don't think they understood very much when I responded back to them, they really made me smile. 

During my time here I have been able to see quite a few different sites. However, I'm not sure anyone could ever adjust to seeing so many disparities when out and about both within in Dhaka and the rural communities. It is challenging to find the words to describe what all you can see when going down the busy roads. What I have taken note of and discussed with different habitat staff is how some people survive with such little money but do so by working so incredibly hard. Take for example building a bridge. Back in the US a bridge would involve a lot of workers, big equipment, and lots of time. Here in Bangladesh and I'm sure in lots places in the developing world a bridge is made with many workers, bamboo, barely any big equipment, and a lot of time. I don't want to make it seem like back home building a bridge isn't a lot of hard work because I certainly realize that it takes a lot of time, hard work, and planning to get it all done and then add in the many hours of labor. However, here it is startling to see how the same sort of structure is built without such large tools. Instead of big concrete trucks you will see people carrying what I will describe as big plates of concrete from one communal concrete collection area and then walking it over to the area being worked on at that time. This process makes the process of the concrete structures take so much longer and to think about all the concrete necessary for that bridge, well it is a bit overwhelming to think about all that work. Instead of steal structures to support the workers you see bamboo structures used. This is just one example of the hard work here. Organizations such as habitat and so many other non-profits are so important because there is not a social security system here like we have back home. If something unexpected happens and the finances run out it can put a family into a very hard situation. Many people move to Dhaka for better access to jobs but in such a big city they face living in slums because of the inability to pay for other housing.  As a friend's blog recently reminded me, there are no simple solutions but I can certainly say that I am proud to know that organizations such as habitat are working hard to improve the lives and stability of people here in Bangladesh and around the world. 

I appreciate everyone keeping up with this blog and hope that this week I have been able to share a little bit more about the experience of being here. Ramadan has started bringing with it a whole new cultural experience to witness.

Best wishes to all I hope you will enjoy some pictures of the memories I made this past week!