Nemesis!!!

Personal space. It really does not exsist in Bangladesh how it does in America. And I am going insane. I try not to snap but it just happens sometimes. I can't help it. I am wound up so tight it is not even funny. The neat thing is that Bangladeshi's don't hold grudges. So you can have a tantrum and yell and in 2 hours its all OK. The same, however; cannot be said of me. I do infact hold grudges and depending on the "offense" may hold the grudge for a long time indeed. Perhaps it is a New Mexican thing. For example when my brother was about 7 or 8 years old we were staying out at our uncle and aunts house in Glorietta. Well in the middle of the night my brother wanted to go to our dads house and he woke my uncle up and told him to get ready and take him home. My uncle, not being happy about being woken up at 1 am and not having children of his own responded with, " Daminit Che go back to bed, we'll go in the morning!" After this experience my brother coldly refused to stay over at my uncles house for months. HE was terribly offended at being called a "damnit" and never really forgave my uncle.

My latest grudge or rather sheer contempt is directed at ants. Yes gentle readers, ants. Being the tropics and never really getting cold or dry there are billions of insects and they pretty much all hate me. There are two species of ants that have my attention. They are the black ants and the loathesome tiny red fire ants. The black ants are annoying but they dont really bite. Its strange too because they have a "turbo" mode and can run really fricken fast. They like to hang out on my desk under all of my papers and then when I move something they scatter at warp speed 8. They don't really do anything but congregate under my books and papers and I have no idea what they are doing under there. Well it is about 65 degrees here so mabey they are cold. Now the red fire ants are my nemisis. I really do HATE them. The reason is that they have inflicted considerable monitary damage to the US taxpayers. Basically they destroy everything in their wake and they eat everything too. They got into my medical kit and ate all my cough drops. Any food is fair game and must be put in ant proof containers. They also ate my multi-vitamins and have chewed holes through one of my note books. AND they have eaten the crotch out of more than one pair of my panties!!! So in addition to being annoying they are perverts too. Gaaaaahhhhh!!! I make it a point to kill them on site. Fire at will. Destroy!!!! Of course it is really a war of attrition and they are winning. ..... sigh......

So moving along... today is X-mas eve and this after noon I am going to spend three nights in a tea garden. I will be with a group of B7's and it will be cool to meet new people and be with ONLY Americans. Well actually the Japanese volunteers (Jaica) and the British volunteers (VSO) will be there too but its all cool!! Its funny because many Bangladeshis that dont know me think that I am either Japanese or British. I can understand them misteaking me for Japanese but British?? Come on....... I got nice teeth.. really.

Then we have another security meeting on the 27th. I guess to review what is what in country. I have mixed feelings. Mostly that I don't know if we are going to finish out our two years here and that makes it really hard to get any work done or feel committed to anything. Here is what the US State Department has to say about Bangladesh. This is the latest report:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_2765.html

Its pretty scary actually and I think we will be touching base on many of these issues in our security meeting. Ok every one visualise Jamaica......... yeah........

On a better note I will be moving into my apartment in the first week of JAnuary. I am SO excited to have personal space again. And to be able to wear Western clothes. Sweet! I know that things will be better for me when I can control my mini home life environment and stop eatting rice. Really I think I am developing a rice allergy cause I am having similar symptoms that I had when I developed my wheat allergy. Meat please and plenty of it. Fine I will kill it myself. Whatever.

I Hope you all have a wonderful holiday and I will update you as soon as I can. I miss you all terribly and its hard during the holidays. However, I am planning on taking all of my 48 days of vacation. Whats on the itineray Miss Maya...? Well for starters an island off the coast of Thailand, then some serious clubbing in Singapore, major hiking in New Zealand and finishing up with Greece. Of course not all at one time I plan on breaking up my 2 years with these little rondevous......Oh yes Erin and I will be spending 3 to 4 weeks in the UK and Ireland but thats after I get home.

M

p.s. Here is my site mate Leif's website and blog. You can read what Leif has to say under the "me" section on his site.

http://lwaller.atspace.com/

You can also read my friend Zeke's blog. His site is just south of Dhaka.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ze6ke/