summer in Bangladesh (VAL)

I just booked my ticket! I'll be spending the last 2 months of Matt's adventure with him. One step down, about 1000 things left to do before I'm ready to go...

“Fair and Lovely” (MATT)

In the US, we have sunless tanning lotion and tanning salons. In Asia and the Middle East, companies sell skin-whitening creams instead. Similar to dental products, the ads promise to whiten your skin by several “shades” within a few weeks.

I guess this goes to show that marketers can prey on our insecurities in both directions. The company that really gets me though is Dove, with its “Fair and Lovely” product.

In the West, isn’t Dove the company that uses “regular sized” models and encourages women to be confident about who they really are?!

So much for inner beauty and global consistency in company values...

(The ads here are in Bengali, but I found one in English online.)

newsworthy, or not (VAL)

I've talked to Matt three times in the past 24 hours, and he has never once mentioned the weather. Which wouldn't be significant, if there hadn't been a major cyclone that killed hundreds of people and stranded thousands. (Here's a link to the NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/world/asia/27bangla.html?ref=world)

I had no idea about the cyclone until a panicked friend asked me "is Matt surviving the storm?!?" She began to recount the facts she remembered reading about the deaths and damages, and seemed pretty alarmed by the news story. She remarked that it had been on the homepage of whatever American news source she had been checking.

So I called Matt to check in and ask why he hadn't mentioned anything about this crazy catastrophe, which I was sure must be the main national concern in Bangladesh at the moment. "Yeah, it's a pretty mild one," he replied, and went on to explain that he's sure the death toll will rise by 100s once they are able to assess damages in the slums and the more rural areas. For Bangladeshis, this is a seasonal occurrence, as predictable as springtime allergies in the US, so therefore it isn't really newsworthy or even something that's brought up in conversation.

Again, I'm reminded of the amazing contrast in perspectives we have from those on the opposite sides of the globe...

Bangla is tough, especially when you’re still learning English! (MATT)

I’ve realized that I never systematically learned how to speak proper English. I know when to use eat vs. ate vs. eaten, but I sure can’t name the dozen or so verb tenses we use in English, nor can I fully “diagram sentences.” While these deficiencies generally do not affect my ability to speak English, they (ironically) sure are making it tough for me to learn Bangla!

I’m on my second month of intensive language training, attending classes for two hours each morning before work. With classmates hailing from Pakistan, Rwanda, and South Korea, the teacher sees me as “Mr. All-American” and turns to me anytime a question comes up about the English language.

The PROBLEM is that I learned English naturally over the years, rarely thinking twice about the structure of the language.

Teacher: “It’s just like the PAP in English, right Matt?”
Matt: “Sorry, the what?”
Teacher: “The P.A.P. You know, the Past Active Participle.”
Matt: “Excuse me. THE WHAT?!”

On another day I was asked to describe the difference between “genitive and accusative” nouns, and then later “serial, alternate, and possessive” relationships. (The underlying concepts are simple enough, but I sure am not fluent in such terminology!)

Accordingly, as we’re learning Bangla by mapping the structure, rules, exceptions, etc. to those used in English, I find that I’m trying to learn two languages instead of just one!!


UPDATE: I just looked up the “PAP” in English and it doesn’t really exist. HA! While gullible, perhaps I’m not as ignorant as I thought…


In case you’re interested, above is the Sanskrit-based alphabet used in Bangla. My training has focused thus far on phonetics (using the English alphabet), but we’ll start using these characters next month.

Bangla and Bengali are the same language, only Bengali is spoken throughout the Bengal region of the sub-continent (i.e. parts of India), whereas Bangladeshis like to refer to “their” language as Bangla.

Did-you-know fact of the day: Bangla/Bengali is the 5th most spoken language in the world. However, since it’s not spoken in places tourists travel – and most Bengali speakers don’t travel outside of the region – you sure won’t find a Rosetta Stone course!

the real reason Matt calls (VAL)

I got a call from Matt tonight around 9pm in NYC. That's 7am his time (on Friday, the first day of his weekend) so I wonder what's going on.

"Hey, I love you," he begins.
"Well, thanks! Good morning!" I reply. I'm starting to feel special, like he really misses me.
"I just woke up. Set my alarm to call you," Matt continues.
"Just to call me? How sweet..." I swoon. I'm thinking he must have something really important to share.
"Um, well, yeah... and... I'm calling to make sure you're not watching TV so that I can watch the Nuggets game live on the slingbox*," he adds sheepishly.

Ah, there's the truth. At least I know things haven't changed too much in our relationship; Matt's still found a way to dominate the TV remote from the other side of the globe. :)

*[the slingbox is a device that hooks up to our DVR/DirecTV receiver that allows us to tap into our TV through the internet, thus allowing ESPN to remain the most-watched channel on our TV even while Matt is away]

Bangladeshi Logic (MATT)

The office "water cooler" here is a tea stall out on the street.

For 4 Tk. ($0.05), you get a PIPING HOT cup of cha.

As it's part of the office culture, I usually go down with the guys once or twice a day.

On an especially hot afternoon (110 plus Houston-like humidity), I finally asked about the logic behind our sweaty little breaks.

Faruk's response: "In math, a negative times a negative equals a positive. In Bangladesh, we believe that hot plus hot equals cold."

Right... So if I really want to stay cool, maybe I should take a hot shower then build a camp fire??

UPDATE: Thinking about it more, some of the hotter places on the planet (e.g., India, Mexico) are also countries famous for their spicy foods.

Is there actually something physiological behind the idea of "cutting the heat with something HOT"?

If you have any explanations or ideas, let me know...

Pictures (MATT)

Here is a link to 40 pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38605956@N04/sets/72157618532183560/show/

Matt joins Twitter (MATT)

Sorry all -- I've been bad about posting lately. I've been busy with work and sick for the past week or so.

I'll post an entry or two this weekend, but in the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter if you're so inclined. Using my phone, I find it's very easy to post short messages while I'm out and about. My new Twitter address is

http://www.twitter.com/Williams_Matt

Here are "tweets" from the past week:

- By paying taxes properly in Bangladesh, u can become a "CIP" - Commercially Important Person. Skip lines, special passport, other benefits 4:27 PM May 7th

- Per capita income in Bangladesh JUMPED 13 percent to $690 per year in '08. Given the extreme inequality, the majority still live on $1/day 4:31 PM May 7th

- To save electricity (acute shortage), the govt floated the idea of daylight savings. Concept is totally foreign and people cant fathom it.. 4:52 PM May 7th

- Cell phones here: Nokia, Samsung (i.e. IT good) but zero VM msgs or call wtg due to cultural norms. Idea of talking to machine "repulsive" 9:18 PM May 7th

- At outdoor market. Friend just asked me to walk away so he could get a fair price 9:19 PM May 7th

- Manny tests positive - what a surprise... Bring 'em all out into the open. Bud Selig is the real dope. 11:41 PM May 7th

- At Dhaka Westin, having a beer. As I've said before, T.A.I.T. - Thank Allah it's Thursday. Ahhh.. (Btw, Thurs is "brihOSpotibar" in Bangla) 11:53 PM May 7th

- My fake, oversized wedding ring keeps slipping off 1:47 PM May 8th

- Conf calls w/ colleagues in the US from 7:30-9pm on Fri night stink... Alas, on a rickshaw now heading to dinner with friends 9:00 PM May 8th

- 1:30am. Just chased a bat out of my bathroom. Caught it all on video. I screamed like a girl when it flew into me from behind. Back to bed.1:33 AM May 9th

- Almost just bought Coca-Cola bottled in 2002. MAYBE it'd still be good... 2:42 PM May 9th

- Just got a good haircut at a nice salon for $1 5:04 PM May 9th

- al-Qaeda threatened to blow up the US Embassy 1/2 mile from my apt. Told all diplomats to leave within 7 days. lovely... 10:54 PM May 9th

- mom/dad: ignore last tweet. not the first or last annoying threat 10:55 PM May 9th

- A/C has been cranking in bedroom. Step into room and it feels frigid. Check Brookstone alarm clock -- it's 81 degrees! How relative things r 11:18 PM May 9th

- just saw an 8 yr old running a cigarette stand 8:20 AM May 10th

- The common cold is all too common here. Ugh - it's tough to stay healthy 3:40 PM May 10th

- There are people riding on the roof of the run down old bus I'm traveling on 10:01 AM May 12th

- Wow, what a wonderful day in the field! Bangladeshis are amazing people 5:09 PM May 12th

- My driver just hit a guy (side mirror hit arm, but hard). My reaction: "ooh, not good." Driver's response: "idiot, sky looking" 5:36 PM May 12th

- procrastinating. doing anything and everything BUT finishing my NYU b-school app, which is what I should be doing. 8:30 PM May 13th

goodnight this morning (VAL)

Matt and I have found that a convenient time for us to talk is during our commutes: as I head to work around 7:30 each morning, he is driving home at 5:30pm his time. I tell him about what I am planning to teach that day, while he recounts whatever work drama occurred over the past 8 hours. Because his job has been quite drama-filled lately, these conversations have continued as I get off the bus, walk to school, enter the building, and start unpacking my things in my classroom. I love the quizzical looks from eavesdropping coworkers who think I'm crazy or just not lucid yet since I'm saying "have a good night!" at 8 in the morning. I certainly never imagined that wishing Matt goodnight would become part of my morning routine, but that's what happens when you have a SpaHa-to-Bangla relationship.

Fast asleep, dreaming of a better life (MATT)

While walking back from dinner tonight, I just narrowly missed – and I mean by no more than two inches – stepping on a curled up little boy who was sleeping in the dark street. The kid, who looked no older than 1 ½ (but is probably actually 2 or 3), was literally sleeping by himself in the gutter.

Seeing the poor kid at the last second, I luckily adjusted my body as my foot was on its way down, stumbling awkwardly into the street. While the kid didn’t stir from his sleep, I sure was shaken up by the whole thing…

It’s so sad to see all of these kids on the streets, knowing that formal education is out of the question and they have essentially no real chance in life. From ages 0-3, these kids will be used as props by their mothers as the moms beg car to car in dangerous interactions. (It goes like this: The kids, who are typically naked, are held in their mothers’ arms. When the mom approaches a car, she’ll often subtlety dig her nails into the young kid’s leg or pinch his skin, eliciting a wail that the mother hopes will result in more money. It’s horrible.)


From ages 4-6 these kids will start begging on their own. I’ve had kids run barefoot next my rickshaw in heavy traffic for half a mile yelling “boss, boss – 10 Taka boss.” Reminiscent of times spent hanging out with my niece and nephews – only nowhere near as fun – I once had a kid grab my leg, slide down it and sit on my foot, then wrap his arms and legs tightly around my leg. As the kid's brothers and sisters quickly surrounded me, it became a very difficult situation to get out of...

From age 7 or so on, the kids that have survived the harsh life on the streets will have graduated to trying to sell you something, often flower necklaces or bags of who-knows-how-old popcorn. The sophistication continues into the kids’ teens, as they’ll move on to selling street maps or photocopied books. (The books I usually get offered are: Lonely Planet Bangladesh, Barack Obama’s “Dreams from my Father”/ “The Audacity of Hope,” and Khaled Hosseini's “Kite Runner.”)

Realizing my donations can only go so far in a country of 160 million people, I often set a limit for what I’ll give each day and then split up my budget into small amounts. Occasionally I’ll give a mother 100 Taka or so, which is only $1.50 but is equivalent to what a brick worker might make in an entire day. The look that flashes on a person’s face when they realize their kids will have something to eat the following day is pretty amazing…

Man, oh man. How lucky I am to have grown up in a country where opportunities abound (even in a recession) and “sleeping in the gutter” is only a figure of speech…