An American Peace Corps Volunteer

Well my friends and family I am now officially a Peace Corps volunteer. And it feels real good. It has been 14 months since I looked Peace Corps up on line and applied and now I am official. I am part of the family. What a long road this has been for me. The last year was very difficult in many many ways but here I am on the cusp of something new. We got up this morning (I am feeling fine by the way. A bit too much vino but all the better for ware and no food poisoning.) and got ready. The men in their Panjabees and the women in their Saris. What a fine lot we looked too all spiffed up and perfumed. All us rustic PEace Corps women wearing make-up. We were then bused to the American Embassy. We had a bit of time before the ceremony so some of us went to the cafeteria in the Embassy and ate real American food. I was sooooooo yummy. Then our ceremony began. There were of course speeches upon speeches but that is alright. My favorite part was when our two training managers Michael Walzak and Laura "Otter" spoke about each of us individually. It made things more personal and special to be recognized for our efforts over the past three months. Then we were given jasmine and rose leis and stood for our oath which was administered by the US ambassador. It was strange but going into the Embassy made me really homesick, which is strange because I have never been inside an Embassy before. But technically it is "American" soil and I just am missing so much right now. I know I am supposed to be integrating into Bangladeshi culture and I am but I miss so much about home at the moment. I just need to find some equilibrium. Find a bit of space just for me. I am not thrilled to be with another host family for another 6 months but I suppose the time will pass. The last 3 months did. I also just really want to be alone. I dont want to go out and party with my new American Peace Corps Volunteers. I just want to be in my own space. Perhaps it is because there are so many people in this country. There is no space and it is the thing that I want the most. It is the thing that I crave and miss the most.

So "Camp" Peace Corps is over. We have left our training site in Gazipur. We worked hard. We struggled. We supported eachother and we gossiped about eachother. Friend ships were formed and bonded. Crushes blossomed. We learned together and looked to eachother for support when all we could do was bitch or cry. Crushes withered and died. Training is a whirlwind and things happen quickly. Emotions are bigger and rougher. But we did it. WE survived it. We are the strongest group of Volunteers to complete training in Bangladesh. We have scored higher on language and culture than anyother group and less of us dropped out than other groups. Basically we are a rocken group of volunteers.

So today I am An American Peace Corps Volunteer. I am really proud. I can do a lot of things. I can speak some Bangla. I can find my way around in the worlds most congested and buisy city. I teach English to people who barely understand me and I ride around in rickshaws. It is pretty cool.

M

Dhaka day 2...

I am completely and utterly exhausted. I have been going round Dhaka all day and getting ripped off by the CNG (baby taxi thingies) all day long. IT really pisses me off too because Peace Corps dropped us off in Dhaka for 2 days with no money. They were expecting more of us to drop out and so are over budget. How typical US government. Blehhhhh!!!! It has been an adventure to be sure and I just got back to the hotel. They are of course working on the airconditioning unit in my room so I cannot take a shower or relax because there are dirty tools all over my bed. Yay. So I took over the computer here in the hotel and I refuse to pay the new "bideshi" charge!! I will be glad when Ramadan is over too because EVERYONE uses it for an excuse to over charge you. You must pay more to me because it is Ramadan and there are poor people suffering. Yeah there are and you my friend are not one of them and I am obviously not a muslim. Anyway I am frustrated too and so tired. When you go out onto the streets of Dhaka you are asaulted by begger children. They mad rush you begging for money. You are also followed by CNG drivers and rickshaws. Not to mention the repeated hoots and hollers from the packs of young Bangladeshi men who roam the streets everywhere.

So after hours of shopping for trinkets with Katherine we decided to buy some and find some alcohol. Now let me tell you what a feat this was. We had to find the foreign liquor store which not too many Bangladeshis know the location. Katherine and I got dropped off in a wicked scary neighborhood slum. We had to call one of the B7 volunteers that we know to help us find the store. So after blocks of walking and turning down a back alley we found it. And I have in my possession a bottle of red wine!!!! Praise Allah! I also have a big blister on my foot. Most of the CNGs want to charge you outrageous sums to drive your white American butt around. Which is fine except I am a PEace Corp volunteer making a Bangladeshi wage.

I also ate at a really scary burger place and I am still waiting to see if I will get food poisoning. Anyway, I am exhausted and I am going to go up to my room to drink some wine now. I feel kinda scared too. In 2 days I will be cut loose. Alone in my site far from the PEace Corps office. The language is different and my host family is still uneasy with me. It is really alot to deal with. Sometimes I just feel like hiding, though I do not know where this would be possible in Bangladesh and besided I would have to come out to do important things like pee.

Tomorrow I go to the Embassy and swear in. I guess I will give myself 3 more months at site to see how things go. If I cannot adjust better I can always come home. MAny of my fellows think we will be evacuated anyway as the Bird Flu is looming and the Bangladeshi elections are coming up. Part of me kinds secretly wants to be evacutated. Then I could come home and blame PEace Corps and not my own lack of strength and courage. So yeah Dhaka sucks. Did I mention that? So wine,..........

M

Dhaka!!!!!!

So this is another quickie... I just arrived in Dhaka and am at one of the hotels the Peace Corps checked us into. I have taken over the internet and am waiting for dinner. It feels nice to be in a place with air conditioning. When I first arrived to Dhaka I thought this hotel was crap. Now I think it is amazing and incredibly luxurious. Its amazing how your standards drop. Anyway, leaving Gazipur was a mixed bag. I am glad to get out of that filthy garbage infested *!@*# hole. Training was intense and I feel really drained right now. Hopefully we can find alcohol somewhere in this city. I have not had a drink in almost 3 months. My host family walked me to the bus and everyone broke down weeping as I got ready to go. My host father was crying in a "mannish" way and my host mother who I have been complaining about began wailing and weeping and gently caressing my chest. Beetee began to cry too and suddenly I was surrounded by all these weeping Bangladeshis in the courtyard of the Peace Corps training center. I had no idea what to do. But all of the emotion really got to me and I started crying too. Then most of the Bangladeshi staff at the center came out to see what was going on and did what Bangladeshis do best. Stare. The Americans were staring too and it was all very traumatic. I am not into public displays of affection let alone public displays of grief! And I have to say that I really did feel sad. Even though I have complained about my host family they never did me any real harm. And they showed me that they cared for me in their own way. Even if that way was strange and hard to deal with it was all they knew how to do. And I realized that I cared for them too in my own way. This society is really emotional. Damn it I am so tired of these emotional rollercoaster rides!!!! I am gonna go find food now.......

So I am back after several hours in Dhaka. Blehhhh what a nasty city. It is filthy dirty. There are people everywhere. Beggars every where. It is so strange too because we are in the diplomatic enclave which is the nicest part of the city and it is still really scummy. We did find food though. A nice Vietnamese restaurant that actually had forks. I have not eaten with a fork for 3 months. It was strange to be in such a nice restaurant but wonderful too. We walked around Dhaka after that constantly followed by rickshaws asking us if we wanted a ride. By the way if a rickshaw asks you if you want a ride beware it means they are gonna charge you us the ass for a fare. Anyway, I am back at the hotel now, which has free internet. Yay. Soon I will go to my room and take a hot bath. Oh yes my gentle readers life is finally looking up. Also my bathroom has a western toilet with toilet paper. Life could not get any sweeter......

I would also like to report to you that I passed my Bangla language test. I scored Intermediate Low which is passing. But since they speak a whole different dialect in the Shlyet district I will have to hire a tutor anyway. But hey I dont mind the American taxpayers are paying for that. Which reminds me... I would like to thank all the American taxpayers who are reading this blog. So far I have been having an awesome experience. I have traveled half way around the world. I have learned a new language. I am living and experiencing all sorts of new things all at your expense! You guys rock! I have not payed a dime!! Woo hoo! Don't get me wrong it has not been all peachy but what an amazing time.

So in a couple of days I will swear in. I will try to keep you updated with frequent blogs as it is free here in the hotel. However, the word is out and there will soon be a mass stampede to this computer by volunteers.

I am so tired it is not even funny..... So take care friends and family and I will write again soon.

M

Attack of the Shongskriti....

So my mom called me this morning. I woke to the sound of the theme to Star Wars, my mobile ring tone, blaring in my ear.... yes I will fight in the rebellion...... blehhh.... It was awesome to hear her voice as she has been having a hard time getting a hold of me here. I am fighting a chest cold and it made my day to talk to her. Anyway, we talked for a while and got caught up. During our conversation the subject of "what is it like over there" came up. I had to explain that things are VERY different and I know that people are curious. The Bangla word for Culture is "Shongskriti". It is used as a synonym for anything that does not work or is bad in this society. "Oh it is our Shongskriti".... "This is shongskriti you can do nothing..." etc..... I find this culturaly ingraned lack of responsibility EXTREMELY annoying. Here are some examples of why want to smack people on the back of the heads or just slam my head into some random wall. When Beetee learned of my friends head lice and saw how upset she was she just smiled and said in a very calm tone. " This is Bangladeshi shongskriti, and it is available in Bangladesh." Yeah well so is Dengue fever but I dont want no part of that shongskriti. You see my gentle readers the shongskriti often attacks in subtle and sneaky ways. One day when \i was having a bad tummy ache I decided to lay down and rest. I mean it is not suprising that I had a bad tummy ache in Bangladesh now is it? So I layed down on my bed (which I beat with a broom each day to ensure no bugs will sleep with me) , closed my eyes and settled into a comfortable position for a rest. Suddenly and quietly my host mother came into the room. My tummy must have been hurting so badly that I did not notice her lift up the front of my shirt and since there is no wind in Bangladesh and it is a million degrees I did not feel a temprature change as my bare skin became exposed to the air. All of a sudden I felt a sensation that I have not felt (nor will I for some time) on my tummy. The sensation of Freezing cold ice. My mother had gone to the freezer and got out a soda bottle that she puts water in and freezes for ice water and put it on my tummy!!! EEEEeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! I screamed and flung the bottle off my tummy. My mother said to me , "Tomar pet gorom! Tumi tanda pani lagbo". Which is Bangla for , "Your stomach is hot! You will need cold water." No you crazy bitch it is not and I do not blehehehehehehh!!!!. Shongskriti!!! Gotcha again.
Another example of a sneak attack of the shongskriti happened to Seth, a fellow trainee. You can get anything made you want in the bazar. Similar to a medieval market there are tailors, cobblers and all other sorts of craftsmen that are there to make what you want. And since it is the 3rd world it is dirt cheap even for Peace Corps volunteers. So Seth decided to get a pair of leather mens dress shoes made for swearing in. He went to the cobbler, had his feet measured and picked out a style he liked. He came back a week later to pick up his new shoes and put them on to show us at the training site. He was proud of his new shoes until it was noticed that the buckles had little swastikas on them. The funny thing is that Seth is Jewish. Shongskriti! Gotcha again! He wears his shoes less now that he saw they had a swastika on them.

Other examples of shongskriti are: Spitting: Bangladeshis spit all the time because swallowing saliva is bad for health. But spitting where people walk barefoot is just fine and dandy. Nose picking: It is perfectly acceptable to pick your nose in public. And because all Bangladeshi women have pierced noses they always have one finger up there rooting around. My personal favorite is when my host mother is "digging for gold" right before she prepairs my dinner. Shongskriti... Gotcha!!!

Sigh.... anyway, I am almost out of here and \i am glad of it. We go to Dhaka on the 28th for shopping and fun. Then on the 30th we swear in at the American Embassy and we will be full fledge Peace Corps Volunteers! On the 31st we seperate and go to our various sites. I made it guys. I did it. One of the hardest parts of PEace Corps is over. There are other challenges but I made it this far. I took my final Bangla Language test today and \i am pretty sure \i passed. I passed the mock one so \i am sure \i did fine. Just a few days more and \i will be at site and getting down to buisness.

I will write again soon when \i can. I have sent out letters to some people so you should be getting those. Also my mom and \i are working on a Maya newsletter so people can get pictures of me here in Bangladesh. It may be a few more weeks but be on the look out for that. My mom will have the details.

Yes it is cooling down. I have been taking warm baths because the mornings are so cold(my temp is so screwed now that cold is like 75 degrees I am sure). A warm "bath" here is boiling water and mixing is with cool water and bathing er dumping warm water on my head. I like it a lot. Its the little things that matter.

M

Site Visit Moulvibazar

First of all I want to appologize for the spammers that are hitting my comment section. I dont have the time to block them.

So its been an adventure in Gazipur but I am ready to leave that city. I have made several good friends there but training has been intense and I am glad I only have a week left. I am sure the friendships I have made here will last a lifetime, similar to the bonds soldiers form in war. Though I am not saying Peace Corps service is like war it is really difficult on so many levels. The other Americans I have met and I have been brought close together by a shared intense experience and it is a bond and knowledge that I will have with them and on one else. We have laughed and cried together and stuck up for one another and shared so much. Even though I am still hyper clean I have had to suck it up and do some pretty nasty things. For example on of my good friends here (i am sure she would not appreciate me naming her to the world on line) family gave her head lice. She was so upset and with that and all the other stresses of training she cracked and began to cry. I had no idea what to do I mean I had never even seen a louse and here was my friend crying and sobbing before me. So I did the only thing I could think of. I started hopping up and down and screaming like a monkey. OOOOoooo EEEeeeeee EEEEEEEE!!!!!!! And then I mimicked picking the bugs from her hair and eating them. She and I just started laughing so hard our tummies hurt. Hey if you are gonna catch anything I would say head lice is not so bad. I mean there are things here in Bangladesh that can kill you and flesh eating funguses etc. So later we got the special shampoo and washed her hair and I picked out all the nits. I mean come on people there is no older and Earthy primitive human bonding experience than picking out your friends bugs. I only requested one small favor from her in return for my services.... her first born child of course.

So Moulvibazar. I am here in Mbazar at another internet cafe. The bus ride was 5 hours from Dhaka and after about 4 hours we got to the little town of Srimongle with its chabagans or "tea gardens". They were absolutely amazing. All these terraced hills with tea shrubs. Yes tea is a shrub. I was even more amazed to see hills in Bangladesh. Once we left the Dhaka sprawl the land became more rural. With lush green rice paddies and fields of crops. The random village and the farmer slowly walking on dikes with a few cattle and some goats. Its like we stepped back in time.

John, Leif and I arrived in Mbazar around 3:30pm and were met by my counterpart, Mr. Abdul Malik, at the college I will be working at and my host brother Bulbul and my host father Abdul Mannan. My counterpart spoke really good english and he helped Leif and John to find their host families. My host father was there in his car with his driver. Yes that is right folks my new host family is wealthy. Upper middle class Bangladeshi to be exact. I got to the new house and met my new family. There are 3 daughters and 3 sons. The eldest son in a surgeon in London and the rest of the family lives in the house. There are several kids running around and my favorite is 9 year old Nazia who has taken me under her wing and become my new Bangla teacher. My family is super nice and I feel good to be there. My room is upstairs in the family compound and I have my own bathroom and kitchen. Rock! I am so excited and have more space. My new host mother is quiet and sweet and nothing like the "battle axe". The women still try to push tons of food upon me but I have learned to be blunt which is not rude in Bangladeshi culture. I have more freedom here than in Gazipure and its great. Also Mbazar is so much cleaner than Gazipur. Litterally there is piles of trash on the streets there but here there are public works and very little garbage to be seen. There is a lot more money here and the town is nice. It is surrounded by farms and to the East a huge jungle and to the south the tea gardens. The air is fresh and the people are kind and curious. We got a sweet deal coming here.
My college is great too. My principal (headmaster) Prof. Fazullah is a thoughful and sweet man. He wears this little cap on his head and has a long white beard which is the fashion for older Muslim men. He is really cool and really supportive. Mr. Malik my counterpart is the English teacher at the school. He is amazing. HE has been so helpful and wonderful in these two days I have been here. He is very excited to have me here and is passionate about teaching. The college is an all girls college and only has 600 students. It is tucked away in the hills away from the bustle of the town and is right next door to the co-ed college that John is working at. I am really happy so far with this set-up and situation.

Leif is teaching at the girls high school and he lives with the owner of a local restaurant. His host family is really cool too and he is happy about his arrangements.

John on the other hand well Johns new host family is the richest family in Mbazar. He lives in a mansion. Yes I typed that right a mansion. We were there last night. It is huge and worthy of being plopped down in Beverly Hills. The bastard has his own washing machine and dryer and air conditioning! The house has a full staff of servents and a butler and a driver for the families cars. His host dad owns half of the bazar here and yesterday we were driven around the town and introduced to some of the most powerful buisnessmen. Holy crap. John said his lifestyle has gone up since joining Peace Corps. I mean aren't we supposed to be living in mud huts or tin shanties and getting malaria? Hello! I think what happened is that since Mbazar has not hosted a volunteer since the B2's that the most influential families manuvered to host us because it increases their prestiege. Peace Corps carries a lot of clout in the developing world. While this is good for our safety and security I am not sure how we will integrate into this community. Yes we now know the "big" guys on the block but we did not come here to serve them. We came for the people. We came to educate the underprivledged. We came because this will look good on our resumes (oops did I write that?). Anyway, it will be interesting to see how things unfold here because there have not been any Americans here in a long time.

So yeah just doing buisness in the Mbazar. I opened a bank account. Met the rich folks. Started to move into my new host family's house. Three more months here and then I will move into my own apartment. Yes!!! I really cannot wait. I am also excited to start teaching. I met some of my students today and their English is really bad, but then again they may have just been shy. I have a needs assessment planned so that I can figure out where to start with them. Hopefully they will understand some and in time they will get accustomed to my accent as a native speaker of English.

I feel really good about being here and think that this is a good place. It feels like a good town. And I am ready to get out of Gazipur and get to work. Hopefully this place is not too good to be true.

M

Durga Puja

Yesterday was the final night of Durga Puja. The night when Hindus take the large often life size effagies of Durga and cast them into the Ganges or what ever river may be near. I went with a group of trainees to the Hindu temple near the bazar to see the image of the great Goddess. It was busy as it always is near the bazar. A kind of manic shopping, swindling, place of news and trouble. I hate going to the bazar I am always exhausted by the end of it. We passed easily into the temple grounds. The guards did not even ask us our purpose or try to get money from us. Being white here gives you a certain privledge, a certain importance, a certain visibility. I have never been this important before. I wonder what it will be like to return home to being another anonymous face... Upon intering into the temple we were surrounded by masses of people but the temple "ushers" spoke enough English to tell us what to do. There were two lines formed one for the "gents" and one for the "ladies". We were pushed into the prospective lines. At that moment as we rounded the outside corner of the temple i could see the effigy of Durga just a ways down. There were theatrical lights pulsating on her. Flashing blue, and red and yellow. On either side of the lines there were dokons (shops) selling candies, incense, and other religious items. A man walked up to me and leaned over the ladies line and said to me " After Durga you will come to my office and take tea with me." I just smiled and wiggled further into the mass of Hindu women. I at 5 feet 4 inches stand almost a head taller than most of the women. Suddenly a man shouted "Let the foreigners to the front!!!" He said this in English and miraculously everyone seemed to understand. The people parted to either side and the Bhramins ushered us to the front. There I stood before Durga. Her 10 arms extended with deadly weapons. Her face calm in the confidence of a warriors skill. The Demons faces contorted with fear and anger as she triumphed over them and her deadly Tiger to the side crouched and fierce. The priests were giving her offerings, chanting and walking before her. The lights began to flash more quickly now and some one placed round sugar bisquits in my hand. They were blessed by the priests and are sacred to Durga. I wonder if I should eat them. As I am a germa phobe and the woman who handed them to me lookes and smells like she hasent had a bath in a week. I take a tiny nibble and this seems to satisfy the priest and the people. I ask if I can take a picture of the guady Durga and they say it is fine. This religion is a bit too comercial for me but I want to experience it none the less. Of course the mass of people, flashing lights, body smells... it is too much so me and the other Americans push our way out. I then find myself infront of the actual temple. The Durga Puja is being celebrated in all the temples as it is the main holiday but not necessarilly at the temples dedicated just to her. This temple is dedicated to Kali and the Bhramin invites us in. We take off our shoes. The temple is quiet. No one else is in there but the priests. I am again pushed to the front. This time in the small crowd of American trainees. There are two rooms, the anti-chamber we are in and the main temple room for Kali. There is a gate protecting Kali's space from us, but it does not protect us from her. She is on an alter with her garland of heads, her fierce weapons and her foot upon Lord Shivas chest. Offerings are around her. Her tounge is extended with the taste of blood. Her incense enters my body her words whisper in my ears. She sees me as I see her. In this holy place I can feel the Goddess around my body pressing on my skin. I close my eyes but I can only see her more clearly. I realize that I am swaying. The Bhramin is looking at me intently. I take a deep breath. I steady myself. There is more power in this quiet room than is out in the square with the mass of spectators. I bow my head to Kali. Acknowledge her and pay her homage in her temple. I press my hands together and say "Namaste" to the priest he also puts his hands together in prayer position. Once outside I am asaulted by the insanity that is Bangladesh. I have had enough religion this night. My fellow Peace Corps trainees and I exit the temple grounds. We are emediatly rushed in on my beggar children as we look for rickshaws to take us home. Just another day in the Desh......

M

A Quickie....

Yes I am back to the internet cafe.... woo hoo twice in one week! Well I am ditching a class.... shhhhhh don't tell Peace Corps. They might ship me back to America. And that would be bad why? Ok So I wanted to address an issue that people keep asking me so here it is in bold:

Send all letters and packages to the Main Peace Corps office in Dhaka. This will be my address for the remainder of my service here. The address is located in the blog titled "logistics". Peace Corps will courier all letters and packages to my site in Moluvibazar. Sending mail to Dhaka is the best way to ensure nothing gets lost.


So yeah I am well. I am just super busy as usual and stressed but hey. Last night I left the light on in my bedroom while I was watching a movie. (my host family has a tv). And when I went back in there were hundreds of bugs!!! They were attracted to the light and my room was moving and swarming. Yay the tropics. Bangladesh: 1 Maya: 0. So I had to turn the light off and wait half an hour for them to leave then go sweep what was left off of my bed.

My Bangla language is getting better I am happy to say. I can sort of communicate and I got an intermediate score on my mock language test. Though I think the test is skewed. Anyway, if any of you have the money or the cajones to come visit me you are welcome to. (This invite is extended to friends and family that I know and not internet stalkers). REally if you are adventurous and want to experience a real 3rd world country (Mexico is not the 3rd world FYI) you can come and stay with me. I will do the hard work of dealing with the populace and making sure you dont get scammed. Also you can stay with me and we can do things like sweat and get mosquito bites. Che and my mom are already planning to come. Peace Corps lets me have visitors.

So I have been getting out of eating dinner. When the Muslims break fast of Ramadan each night they eat what is called "Iftar". It is a snack of special yummy food. Actually they gorge themselves on fried food and sweets. But it is pretty good. So I eat the Iftar and am too stuffed to eat the dinner. Bangladesh: 0 Maya: 1.

Alrighty... gotta go but I will be back soon to make more weekly reports. In 6 days I go for site visit and will let you know how that went. I am excited.

Kisses
M

Its Ramadan...

Hello Friends and Family,
First of all I would like to address the situation of the current bombings. The day before Ramadan there were bombings in the Southeast part of the country. They were directed at Bangladeshi government and not at foreigners or Americans. No Americans were hurt and all Peace Corps volunteers are safe and sound. For those of you who worry I would like to point out two things. One if you are American you are living in a paranoid society and this is re-enforced by your media. Also the American government is not that organized and neither are terrorists. Peace Corps is more concerned about Avian Bird Flu in Bangladesh than terrorists so cool your jets.

So yes it is Ramadan. Most of the population is hungry and thirsty and really grumpy. Last night was our Peace Corps training talent show. We opened with our "Burka Burlesque". It was a smashing success and the other trainees loved it. There were 5 of us swarthed in Burkas. We did our sexy number which was not too sexy in a burka but was comical to say the least. Not sure how P.C. it was to do it on the first day of Ramadan but hey it was funny. I also did a bellydance piece and everyone loved it. Some of the volunteers did skits, comedy routienes, played instruments, sang and did karate. Over all we have a talented bunch and it is amazing how creative you can be without a television around.

Speaking of Ramadan now there is more yelling from microphones atop mosques than there was before. "Allah Ouakba!!! Hachke Bhat Khaben!! Hachke Bhat Khaben!! Protom namas eck ghonta!!" (which is Bangla for "God is great. Eat your rice now! Eat your rice now! One hour until the first prayer") This happens at 3am of course and since there is a mosque two houses down from me I too wake up at 3am. Blehhhhhhhh......... There are some trainees who are participating in the Ramadan fast and all that. I however, am not and here is why. While I think that it is important to integrate into a culture whose populace you intend to serve I would never assimilate. For safety and security reasons I have adopted the Islamic dress of this country and i am learning the language and customs. However, I will never willingly participate in a religion that is patriarchal and views women as sinful and dirty. Will i be respectful? Yes but I will not participate in religious services or activities. Period.

Also we had a football match Americans versus Bangladeshies. And for the Americans reading this in your country you call "football" soccer. But in the rest of the world it is football. Anyway the game was fun but the Bangladeshis beat us by 1 point.

STUFF TO ALWAYS SEND ME:
I have heard a rumor that you all are afraid to send me stuff because of the Bangladeshi post. Well frankly I want packages and if some stuff gets stolen its better than no package at all. So get busy. Here is a list of stuff I can always use.
nice spiral notebooks, journals, nice paper for letters
400 speed indoor/outdoor 35mm film
snacks (WHEAT FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!)
cans of tuna
cans of tomato sause, paste
parmasian cheese
ziplock baggies
mayonaise
rice pasta
AA batteries
rice pasta
school supplies (nice chalk, colored chalk, posters, maps, magazines! Anything!!)
Music (please burn me Cds!!!!! I am really wanting to hear some Marilyn MANSON)
Nice pens and pencils
BOOKS (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, fiction, biographies...anything!!!)
insect repellent WITH DEET (lets not screw around natural food buying readers Malaria and Dengue Fever are real threats to me here and DEET keeps the Mosquitos off. I would rather have exposure to deet than get one of these diseases)
****Remember smaller packages get here faster*****

HOST FAMILY UPDATE:
So it has been interesting in the host fam. Beetee's story has de-escalated from horrible abuse to being in a crappy marraige. How many of you back home have been in crappy marraiges raise your hand? Anyway, its just hard because she loves me and i am her only friend and she does not know how to deal with her situation. People here are immature by American standards and if she could play with Barbies she probably would. I mean she was married at 14 for Christ sake. My host mother is still a pain in the ass. She dose not like that i do as I please and often trys to boss me around. By now I just don't eat all that is on my plate or if she serves me too much rice I scoop back into the pot what I dont eat. SHe may be bossy as hell but I am stubborn as hell. WHat she does when I frustrate her is emotionally beat up Beetee. Beetee is an easy target because she is powerless which is why she has learned how to be very manipulative. I have told her I do not like this kind of behavior and I will not play games. So I think we have come to a better understanding these last few days.

I also attended an NGO (non-government organization) fair. I am really interested in 2 types of secondary projects. First of all I am interested in sex. Yep that is right folks, sex in an oppressed Islamic society is riddled with problems. HIV is on the rise and there is a large and abused male and female prostitute caste as well as hijras who also sell sex. (Hijras are transgenders who provide entertainment as well as sex work). I am also interested in teaching teachers how to teach better here. That is sustainible work and these are some of the ideas that I am looking at. It wont be for a while until i get to these though.

ANyway, I am still really excited to get to site and get settled in. I want to get out of here and start my work.

I miss you all very much. Take care and thanks for the letters!!

Kisses
Maya

SITE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

I have discovered something interesting. I am going through a second puberty. That is the only way I can explain what is happening to my body and mind. My face is breaking out constantly, my weight is fluctuating I gained 10 pounds and lost 5. I am really moody, I think boys are yucky and I always smell!!! A second puberty is the only explanation I can come up with....... Oh yeah you want to know about my site....

Yes on Friday we got our site announcements. We went to the stadium where a giant chalk outline of Bangladesh was drawn on the grass. There were flags all over representing our sites. Our names were called and we found our sites. It was really cool because we could see how we were in relation to eachother. Anyway, my city is Moulvibazar, in the Sylhet district. Here is what I know. Sylhet is in the north east corner of Bangladesh and is the wettest part of the country. It gets an average of 5000mm of annual rainfall and across the border in India to the north is the town of Cherrapunja, which is the wettest place on our planet. Yay. Moulvibazar is a larger town and has all that you would need. Internet Cafes, black market liquor stores, western food choices and a large British ex-pat community. Actually, Syhlet is the "London" of Bangladesh, whatever that means... Anyway, my town is located in soft rolling hills surrounded by tea gardens (large tea estates established by the British when they owned this part of the world) and pinnapple groves. The area has jungle reserves and floods less than the rest of the country, it is also the "coolest" part as well. Another interesting thing is that there is a large indegenous population here as well. The tribes are wary of strangers and even Bangladeshies but it will be interesting to interact with them. Also they speak a different dialect in Sylhet so I have to basically learn 2 languages. Yay me.

I will be teaching at an all girls college, which is what I requested and my Bangladeshi counterparts are really excited. No Peace Corps volunteers have been to Moulvibazar since the B-2's (Bangladesh 2nd year) and I am a B-8 (Bangladesh 8th year). I also have 2 other B-8's John (who is quite possibly the funniest human I have ever met) and Leif. I am happy to have 2 guys as site mates as being a girl in this country sucks.

I am happy with my assignment and am looking foreward to it. Being here at training has been hard and living with my current host family has been rough. The day of site announcement when I got home Beetee came to me and sat me down and wept and wept. She told me a story that was so horrible I was shocked. About abuse and the horrors of her life. I am not going to go into detail here because I feel that would be inappropriate but I was very upset. I went to one of my trainers at the office and told him what she told me as it was VERY scary stuff. But once I began to talk about it I realized that it was very convienent and interesting that she would have chosen to throw a ton of bricks on my head the day of my site announcement. An emotional blackmail of sorts as I have never witnessed any abuse in my house. She does not want me to leave and she does not have the skills or experience to deal with her uncomfortable feelings. It just makes me sad. Being with this family is very difficult emotionally for me. But I am healthy. And safe so no one be worried!

Anyway, 2 weeks here then site visit then preparations for Dhaka and leave for site. I am so excited. I want to get started teaching and get into a routine here. Syhlet is one of the most beautiful parts of this country with terraced hills with tea gardens, groves of pinnapples, lush jungle tracks and mist that rolls off the hills. Exciting!

I hope you all are well and happy and enjoying things like hot showers and clean food. I will write again soon!

M