Life has certainly not been on the highway for us over
these last few days. 3 days of Hartal in a row, Sunday to Tuesday... plus the
previous Thursday which cancelled our first scheduled clinical day. During our
time we have had PLENTY of moments to ponder over our life AND because we are
so generous we have shared the wealth and pondered over every other person's
life as well. During our Sector 10, Road 9, House 2 team talks we have managed
to solve word hunger; end all wars and create the blueprint for sustainable
peace laws; we have re-established the Canadian-USA country border (We get the
entire West Coast), and we have pin pointed the primary corruption that exists
in nearly all countries of the world. But.... hartals are not just only used
for exciting world changing discussions! We've also learned some real practical
skills during the last 4 days: how to french braid your own hair, how to master
being your own gym, and the top best friend handshakes- theory AND practical experience.
It's all about REAL LIFE examples (that one's for you Nancy and Jim). For the
right price we're sure that we could probably solve your problems too during
the next hartal stint.
We did spend a wonderful day at the Spa last Saturday,
the two of us and Nancy. And by day we mean it was actually very close to an
entire day. Hartal got you down? Try a three hour spa package for 65$. It was
an easy sell. And it was worth every penny! For all you folks at home this
might be the only post you feel truly jealous of us: foot soak in flower
petals, one hour sea salt body scrub, HOT STEAM shower (we all agreed we would
have paid 65$ just for the shower- we have no hot water in our house), one hour
hot oil massage, and then finished off with a facial. Now you may be
wondering... all that for 65$... was it legit? Fair question. Our answer is one
word: dynamite. We can guarantee that we have never been so clean and smelling
so lovely after those three hours in heaven. I even took a second shower when
it was all done. No way are we passing up opportunities like that!
But we should at least take one moment to remember
that we are still in Bangladesh... there were still a moment of nervous
confusion. How was this going to work?!?! We know it's a spa.... we know we signed
up for the full body scrub and massage, but do the same rules apply inside
these walls? Nope they sure don't. Women here know how to do it up right. We
wish we could say that we are "rough'n tough enough" for a spa day
not make a long lasting impact on our quality of life here, but let's face it,
those moment were bliss. In fact, half way through this blog we actually went
to the spa for a second time. Yup, hartal's got us reeeaaallll down. We got a
pedicure and threading of the eyebrows. For those who are not familiar with
threading; its like plucking in bulk with two pieces of thread. Not exactly
fitting with the rest of the spa relaxation but my eyebrows have never looked
so good. We are hoping they have some sort of frequent flyer program.
The spa was great but in reality this last week has been an interesting week for us. It is actually really easy to get a bit down in the dumps when you try so hard to get a head and are completely deflated with a hartal. We had no idea that one of our biggest challenges here would just be getting into the classroom. We could not have been prepared for this level of adaptability required. Language skills, study techniques, course material (the list could go on) only mean so much if there is no classroom to teach them in. We have had to shifts our expectations of any sort of schedule and accept the limitations. Despite this we actually do consider ourselves lucky to be here during this time. Although we are not teaching on the allotted time given and our classes are more often cancelled than not, it has forced us to live true life here. We have stepped out of our comfort zone and have prioritized our goals: what is the most important information we need to teach and how will we teach it in the most effective way, because time is limited. We have maintained our expectations of the students and are working hard to help them achieve them. Fridays and Saturdays are just as good of days to teach.
It is clear that with adequate education will come better problem solving skills and real life thinking; knowledge that can be applied to make decisions and confront obstacles with an intellectual strategy, not aggression. More than ever we see the true power of education here and have fully embraced the task of creating a strong foundation for our students.
We've had some great cups of tea, lot's of laughter, and fun moments with the kids. Here's some photos that capture our last week:
It's just like tobogganing!
This little sweetheart spends most of her time wrapped around her big sister. She's just started to venture out and shake our hands.
Rocks and gravel do not exist here for concrete making. They break bricks to make their own gravel.
This little guy is consistently doing two things every time we see him: grinning ear to ear and eating. We'll take it!
These 2 photos above are from our breakfast joint. Chili's cooking in a pot in the back room, and directly above the delicious pratta in the making.
Here is one of our good friends Robbie. Himself, his older brother Bischal and father live together in a small shack where they serve tea, other snacks, and also have pigeons. We visit the often and have developed a very warming relationship.
The father made this one day. Before it was all dirt.
One is hot water to rinse the glasses, the other full of delicious cha.
Hello cute boy and baby goat. We don't think we have ever seen such a proud young boy before. It is unlikely this goat touched the ground after being born.
We cross our fingers every day when we turn the corner: hoping that this chubby baby will be there. Heidi made her giggle and smile the other day; which then of course made our day as we giggled and smiled.
Mum's might want to look away and not focus too much on this photo. The 'adventure' route we take to the market.
Further down our path.
Heidi with Shoriff and friend. They have developed a special bond. He is a very interesting boy and we can see at his age probably going through some tough realizations.
More to come. We miss you all and love you all.
Ricki and Heidi xoxo
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