Friday is the equivalent of our Sunday in Bangladesh. So, this morning I went to church with Chad and Cyndi Tilley. The service is held at the American club - which sounds very grand, but essentially the clubs are a haven for expat staff living and working in Bangladesh. Its such a harsh country to be working in and there is nowhere for children to play outside in Dhaka as everyone lives in apartment blocks with no gardens. The clubs offer a little respite from every day life and provide somewhere safe for children to run around outside and burn off their excess energy.
Having spent the morning in the American club, any doubts I had about the realities of life for Bangladeshi's were brought swiftly down to earth this afternoon. I was taken on a tour of Dhaka to see the contrasts - but on a motorbike! And for those of you who may have thought I wasn't adventurous - let me dispel that myth now - as not only was I riding a motorbike (as a passenger), but side-saddle too (its the lady-like way to ride a motorbike)!
In all seriousness its a good way to see 'life' more closely! We rode through a 'settlement'. Falling down shacks, rotting rubbish, children sifting through piles of rubbish, small children collecting tin cans, mums and their tiny babies sitting on slatted boards which run across drainage ditches (at least I think its a drainage ditch - but it could very well have been something else!). Everything's so dirty and smelly, and the air is just thick with pollution.
Five minutes down the road and we rode straight into the garment workers rally - they're on strike at the moment over their working conditions. There was a big rally in Dhaka today and people were parading down the street with banners - much as they do in the UK, except it was a peaceful rally!!
Another five minutes down the road and we rode past the Bangladeshi premier's residence. The white stone wall, perfectly manicured green lawn, lead up to a magnificent building which you could just about make out in the distance. But even in the shadow of such buildings, there were make-shift tin shacks and I saw several people carrying handfuls of dead chickens!
It just brought home again the difference between the have's and have-not's. But I remember so well that the one thing I took home from my last trip was how those with so very little were so happy - its the one thing that stopped me from crying. And I will take the same sentiment away with me this time too - people smiling - greeting me with happy faces. Happy to try and share their limited knowledge of English, putting to shame my complete ignorance of Bangle!
As I reflect on today, I just need to go and check on my new found friend the gecko - who seems to be frequenting my bathroom!! It was a bit of a shock to find this creature in there just now, but as I gather they eat mosquito's I'm quite happy - and if it could tackle the cockroaches too then I'd be very pleased!!
