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...
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