It is officially my second last day in Dhaka and my last couple of weeks have seen a variety of experiences from being cooped up in my hotel due to protests over enjoying bacon - yes real bacon in a Muslim country! That was a big deal.
Stomach sickness had me bedridden for a few days, which is something quite typical. I was two weeks away from surviving the whole time without falling ill but low and behold next thing I knew I couldn't even keep water in. This tends to happen to everyone at least once because foreign immune systems are not strong enough to deal with the low food preparation standards here and parasites easily get all up in our business. This is typical of any country not as sterilized as the West. Hand sanitizer makes us weak, people. We will lose the natural selection battle.
There have been massive political issues lately and extra tension between the two main parties in government. This pertains to recent kidnappings leading to accusations, name-calling, and such. Recently a regional head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party went missing and his car was found abandoned near a park where some kid reported seeing him taken. This has led to huge "hartals" or protests that have seen cars and buses burnt, massive crowds in the streets, and many businesses closed. Basically the protesters are demanding that this guy be released because of course they are blaming the other party for his disappearance.
The whole thing is a huge scandal and all of the Grameen interns are generally told to stay inside the hotel during hartal days. It lasted from Sunday (first working day of the week) to Tuesday last week and will start again tomorrow. I haven't personally witnessed much more than 30 people marching down the street chanting and some riot police watching them to keep everything in order but some of the stuff I've seen on the news is pretty intense. I'm sort of glad to be leaving as things are really heating up. The whole thing is quite interesting and if you want to read up on it check out the Daily Star news source at http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/index.php
I finished my internship at Grameen Trust and handed in reports on Grameen America and Turkish Grameen Microcredit Program. I was able to sit down with the head honcho of the organization, Professor Latifee, and discuss the issues I found with both projects. It was reassuring to know that my work is actually being put to good use!
I and some other interns visited a microcredit project that operates principally in the Dhaka slums. It's illegal for Grameen to work in urban areas as stated by the law created at the time of inception so this project is not affiliated with Grameen but has a similar operating structure. It's called DSK, which stand for Dushtha Shasthya Kendra, which can be found at http://www.dskbangladesh.org/. Hey look, it's my name! Although spelled the same, it's pronounced quite differently. The slums reminded me of the Brazilian favelas in the way that everything was tiny and falling apart but the people were so happy.
Centre meetings are held in tiny houses and halfway through our visit the electricity cut out, something that happens all the time for hours on end, and we lost our beloved fan and air circulation in 38 degree, humid weather. The women proceeded to explain to me how difficult it is to perform such hard work in the heat and the troubles they face when the electricity goes out. "You stay in an air conditioned room but we don't have that. You have to understand how hard it is." With sweat dripping down my face from merely sitting, I tried to imagine actually performing a job in that environment. They don't have an option. Work or let the family starve?
I also had the pleasure of spending a morning with the children of the Maer Achol Shelter, an orphanage very close to the Grameen Bank that has three rooms to rent to interns. I received a tip from a friend that the kids would be making crepes one morning and went to see what was up. This place was really amazing and took such great care of the children, who all seemed quite happy. If you're looking for an organization to throw some money at, I highly recommend it. Look it up at http://www.maerachol.com/
Now that I have come to the end of my Bangladeshi journey I am entitled to answer the question that I tend to ask everyone else when they leave: "What was your favourite part?"
By far it was interacting with the extreme poor – putting a face to a number, really understanding the human aspect of the whole thing, getting to know their personalities and everyday lives. I feel very selfish in saying this but their situation was so influential that I can honestly say it truly changed me. Using the poor for self fulfillment? This really makes me feel like a horrible person, which is why I have tried to devote myself to spreading the word. I thank you for reading my blog and hope that I have transferred my experiences and realizations to the point that they have had an effect on you as well. If it got you thinking about the personalities behind the poor and the fact that they exist beyond your isolated walls of comfort, I feel as though I have done well and am proud of you for your own efforts.
I am terrified to return to Canada. I feel as though I will reject everything as everything is so trivial. This is something you realize once you've witnessed real problems. A very wise woman once told me, "We don't have problems. We have inconveniences." I felt it when I returned from Chile and I know the reverse culture shock will be tenfold more intense this time. For those of you who will have the unlucky pleasure of interacting with me when I get back, I warn you.
But mostly I am terrified of trying to squeeze myself back into the box of my old life and adapting my new self to fit into what I once knew. I definitely live differently now and I hope to maintain that. I am afraid of forgetting that which I have seen and learned. Time to plan my next trip?
In less than 48 hours I will be embarking on a 40-hour journey to take me to a completely different universe. See you on the other side.
-K