Settling in

Sorry!!! Time is different here and i had not realized that over a week has passed since my last blog! I really do not have a "normal" concept of time or money or anything for that matter. I am still in sureal mode most of the time. Anyway, yesterday my Dad called me worried (really Dad you worry too much!!) Which reminds me that if any of you who have my number call me and i answer in a mean and bitchy voice here is why. Bangladeshis have gotten my phone number. Yes they pass it around WITHOUT my permission to their friends and sometimes they call me to hear the novelty of my "American" voice. Or perhaps it is a status thing to have a foreigners number. I dunno. So if i answer my phone like this: Hello what the HELL do you want??!!! Don't be offended. Tee hee. Anyway my Dad wanted to know why i had not written in my blog. So here I am bright and early at the internet cafe. The internet dokon is bringing me my tea shortly.

So yeah settling in... I experienced Eid with my new host family. This is the biggest Muslim holiday akin to Christmas or Channuka. It is celebrated after Ramadan and involves lots of eating. Are you supprised? So Eid morning bright and early (6:45am) there was a knock... knock... knock... at my bedroom door. I stumbled to it and opened it to find my little host nieces Nazia and Samia bright eyed and bushy tailed who proceded to yell "EID MUBARAK!!!" (Happy Eid)... sound familiar? So up I was and later fed a large breakfast and then the women of my house came into my room and proceded to dress me up in a new sari they had gotten for me. The whole process included doing my hair in a ridiculous curly fashion with bobbles and jewlery and putting an obscene amount of make-up on my face. I was then whisked away to the family village home. Actually that part of the experience was really cool. We drove into the jungle and through tea gardens to a family farm outside of the village of Fenjuganj. And when i say "rustic", whoa mamma it was like going back in time. There were no modern amenities anywhere and people lived like they did back in the day when they had to do every thing themselves. Suffice to say i was taken to about 6 different homes and ate an amazing amount of fried food. Blehhhh..... Thank goodness the holidays are over... they are killing me.

Moving foreward....

So yesterday was my day of college. Interesting thing was that half of the teachers did not show up and neither did the students. There was also a national program on tv about the South Asian nations conference or something. So the Principal of my school decided that we were all (students and teachers) to watch the program in the teachers lounge. So we all piled in and watched this ridiculous program which was a big waste of time. By the time it was over most of the students had left and no one in the school held a single class. Umm I thought school was about teaching or something. Oh well guess I was wrong. After the program there were some teachers in the lounge and Malik my counterpart informally introduced me to them. I got a lot of "I am Mustafa Khaled Chowdry Rhaman of Mymensingh and my cousin lives in London". Okay... I am so not remembering anyones names ever. Actually most of the Bangladeshis here have relatives in the UK, London, Brick Lane to be exact. I also got introduced to the "bachelor" teachers. Ahem. Oh hell no.

After that Malik took me with his wife and daughter to a Bangladeshi wedding. Actually it was more like we rushed in to make an appearance. The bride and groom are seperated in two different rooms and there are tables where food is served and where people eat furiously and then observe the bride. At least that is what they were doing in the womens section. And let me say that it was a chaotic nightmare. Children running and screaming and fighting. People packing food into their mouths as fast as they can (Bangladeshis believe eating slow is bad for health). Imagine this: Your sitting at a table with crazy women and screaming children. You are trying to eat but are afraid that the food might make you sick so you are picking at the parts you know are fresh and can identify. There is an old woman next to you hand around a dripping chicken leg who is gnawing on it as the juices run down her arm and drip off her chin. The bride is sitting on this dias looking like a doll. She is trembling and looks like she might faint. People are swarming around her taking photos and video. A screaming child pinches my leg and reaches for my food. I know his hands are NOT clean. Yep I am NEVER getting married.

So just getting into things here in M'bazar. I still like it a lot so far I was a little sick a few days ago, something i ate suprise suprise but i am fine now. My new fam is pretty awesome I will write more about them later. They leave me alone for the most part and give me my space. I am beginning to feel more a part of their family and its nice. I am also teaching English to the girls or trying to anyway. Just bonding really. Oh yeah i do have a stalker. Yeah its my old host family. They call me and text me and message me all the time. Beetee was texting me all hours of the night too and waking me up. So i had to tell her to not text me past 10pm. "Maya why have you forgotten us? We love you and feel you but you do not feel us. "..... Yeah guilt is SO much Fricken fun. If they keep bothering me i will have to call Peace Corps to mediate. Its hard and i dont really want to do that. I am discovering that concepts like "love", "affection" and "friendship", are viewed quite differently here in the East than in the west. You have to be careful even in platonic relationships.

So yes gotta do some work now... mabey.... college has classes today supposidly.

Oh yeah i wanted to say to Mrs. Burden. No your daughter did not have head lice, so rest easy. Actually Katherine is just north of me in Shlyet and quite close. We hung out a lot during training and I consider her my friend. And please know that i am very fond of your daughter and if the need should ever arise I would be more than happy to de-louse her.

So take care all and i will try to be more consistent in my blogging. Also i have sent out a stack of letters from M'bazar this past week. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU GET A LETTER FROM ME SO I KNOW THAT THE POST IS WORKING!!!!

Take care all.
Love
M