Jon's Blog

 Have you checked out the Sea Salt Nomads blog that I have a link to (on the right) lately? Well I have and it really has me thinking about the "blogworthyness" of all the things I rant on about! Not only does Jon Ryan (a former colleague from Dhaka) have some truly informative stuff to blog about, but his skill as a writer makes it a really great read.
 
At the time that I am writing this Jon's latest post is titled, "Enter the Trash Can" in which he writes about the state of waste disposal and pollution in Bangladesh (specifically Dhaka). The image below immediately came to mind and I just had to hunt through my picture files to find it. I took this last year when we were on an excursion in and around Dhaka. As you can see these people are bathing in this questionable body of water and I took the photo as we drifted by on our "tour boat" (basically a flat canoe type boat that we sat on the floor of). When I saw this group I shuddered to think that they would actually get in this water, while hoping to God that our rickety boat didn't put us in the drink!
 

 
Perhaps the reason I am enjoying Jon's blog so much is, not just because he is an excellent writer, but because the stuff he writes about Dhaka is so familiar to me. His piece about "Rattia" was heart wrenching to anyone, but I actually saw this kid all the time. My husband used to buy pieces of fruit for her when he went to the market. His pictures of the crowds of people on the train with many of them actually riding on top are also familiar sights. Sometimes it's hard to believe that we actually lived there for a year!
 
As I shop in the pristine environment of the Super Store now, or walk down an uncrowded street without having to watch where I step (lest I encounter something too foul to mention), once in a while I think about what it was like last year in Dhaka. While I am thankful to be living in such a clean, well organized environment, there is a part of me that misses the adventure. How can enduring the daily hassle of maneuvering through the noisy confusion of filthy streets, dodging animals and (unfortunately) beggars, putting up with constant power outages and the odd cockroach be an adventure, you might ask? I'm not sure! I guess, for me, it was about the incredible wonder that little old me actually lived in a place that is so foreign. And then there's the people! I loved working with the students at my school who were wonderful, the camaraderie with the young teachers, and the encounters with other interesting expats and locals. So ....while I am enjoying shopping at the Super Store, making art in my "woman cave", felting soap and complaining about the weather, there is a little part of me that is envying Jon and the adventure he is still having.
 
Is it just the weather or do I need another adventure?
 
Ross and I on our way home from the Nordic Club - a regular watering hole!
If you are interested, check out my blog posts from last year:
 
  • 2013 - Jan. to June
  • 2012 - Dec.
 
 
 
 
 

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