Friends, Family and whomever else it may concern,

Please come in. Have a seat, stay a while, for we have much to talk about.

"Such as?"

"Why, relationships of course,"

"I thought you wrote only about your adventures in the Desh?"

"Since when?" What blog have you been reading?

"Since ... (A lulu quietness an almost confused look) ... OK so why relationships? Why bother?"

"Because every day we have countless relationships to maintain, strengthen, or watch deteriorate. The success or failure of these daily social interactions is based on one thing and one thing only: communication."

"I see."

"Do you? Because in a truly successful relationship one side does not dominate the communications paths, but in fact, each side shares a mutual respect for what the other has to say. Even if both sides agree to disagree"

"Are you trying to save the world?" I know you are in Peace Corps and all, but isn’t this all a little bit extreme?

Ok, you got me, I’m just trying to be interesting so you’ll read my updated and complete blog.

"Carry on then,"

"I appreciate your imaginary support."

"No problem, I’m here to help”

With a little help from my friends (due to circumstances beyond my control will be with myself. A long running theme for return readers) I will delve into what I consider the most important relationship: The office vs. the volunteer. Because after all Peace Corps wouldn’t exist without the volunteers.

How will you achieve this?

I offer you, to my own bewilderment the method behind my madness:

Point-Counterpoint

Topic #1 Why was Peace Corps taken out of Bangladesh? Side note: Peace Corps I.E Travis and his buddies were taken out of the Desh on March 12. Now that I have brought the formerly pacific nation of Bangladesh to the verge of a revolution, right now seems like a dandy time to tell you about it.

Point: (Merlin, the wizard, prophet and adviser for Arthur himself) It will be very easy to answer your question. It’s obvious really, due to your (Travis) amazing English teaching Bangladesh no longer needs your help in strengthening their forces in the English power. Your control, wisdom, and infinite knowledge over Grammar and the English language are proven with each blog entry.

Counter point: (Knowledge better know as reality, or a donkey) The decision to suspend the program was because of Bangladeshs broader security environment or lack their of. (Please refer to previous blog entry on ‘Safety and security in the desh’)

Point: Someone didn’t have much luck in Teaching their English classes while they were in the desh. Clearly someone didn’t integrate into their site/town very well.

Counterpoint: Sounds to me a certain Volunteer has lost touch with reality and all common sense. (point me, Burned!)

Point: Only if reality means playing badminton with the locals and varying degrees of attention deficit disorder. So what, life in the desh was a little Krazy, it’s the developing world after all. Yeah they almost have running water and squat toilets. But we all know it’s not going to be like America, that’s why you go there for an Adventure like no other (shameless self promotion, coming summer 2006 to a bookstore near you).

Counterpoint: I see how it is. We're playing prison rules. Listen, it is our job to keep the volunteers safe and that is the most importation thing. It is always easier to be a Monday morning quarterback. Well, here in reality there is no re-set button. And I don’t like going to funerals.

Topic #2 Why were the DYD (department of youth and Development) always complaining about the TEFELS (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) not doing anything?

Point: (a TEFEL volunteer) I would like to say that I did next to nothing during my service. In between dodging bombs and pooping all the time, I couldn’t find much time to do anything else. TEFL volunteers didn't do anything...not lying.

Counterpoint: (my Father) If the schools were a joke and didn’t do anything. Why didn’t you take some of that American zest your always talking about and start your own school? You were always talking about how everybody wanted to be your best friend and how you stopped traffic when you went places. Why didn’t you use your star power for good instead of just being lazy sitting under the fan all day?

Point: It's not like I enjoyed doing nothing, the schools are the masters of the TEFL volunteer's destiny and when the schools do nothing(which was frequent) the volunteers do nothing (though, they could do other things, but that required a little more time than what we were given).

Counterpoint: Should TEFELs even be considered teachers when most taught class once or twice a month?

Point: Neither should be considered teachers because they aren't...that's just how it is.

(Bonus topic for my own personal curiosity) Who is was the bigger star

in the desh, the TEFEL or the DYD?

Ben: Neither TEFL nor DYD were greater than the other. This is not due to the mutual respect held by colleagues but rather because Ben was the biggest star and he considers all below him: they are equal in that they are both not Ben.

Counterpoint: (my Father) If you are worried about who was cooler or signed more autographs in the Desh, then you missed the point of your adventure. There are no stars, you all were working together to give hope and help uplift people that wanted the chance to make a better life for themselves.

Each day started with unlimited potential for happiness. Just like the beginning of a spring day. The only thing that could soil a day was people,(or the lack of toilet paper). And if you could keep from making engagements each day had no limits, people were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as a (nice Top-City) spring day itself.

Post script: More to come, I have no idea what my next move is or will be. There is a good chance I may be going on another adventure.

Salutations,

Here in Bangladesh, I seem to suffer from a space-time continuum. I am well aware that time is passing, but I have lost touch with it... Anyways, each day here is miraculously odd. One day I might actually teach and have a great class. Have some fun learning and despite my best efforts learn something. (all this is surprisingly tricky if you've never tried it) The next day I might be laid out in my bed in the wee-hours of the morning with stomach pains swearing that I'm going to die. One time it was so bad, my bones even hurt.(can your bones hurt?) A day here might be wonderful or terrible, but I have had very few that are boring. Each morning I wake up with a thought: What's going to happen today to make me go "WTF" Strange things always seem to happen to me. Even back home. (just ask my parents) Living in Bangladesh works out rather well for me in this aspect. I don’t' have to go out of my way to find something strange. I just have to leave my house. And sometimes leaving the house isn't even required.

I think it is only a matter of time before I do one of 3 things:

1. Kill my sitemate

2. make out with my sitemate (did I just type that? did you just go what!? good I still have your eyes)

3. Nothing

Ok, I can't bring myself to kill her, she does have a few things going fro her. She loves to cook and always wants to have me over for dinner. But, this in itself is a catch. I have no problems getting a free meal. Everyone wants to feed me here, I'm not talking about just snacks either. People want me to eat each and every meal with them! I turn down offers for food everyday. My sitemate can cook American food really well I might add. The other day she made Banana Pancakes that were Amazing! Also, she speaks really good English, which is a plus. Yet, I also have several local friends who speak strikingly good English. All and all, this country is nothing but a bunch of Catch 22. However these 3 things will be noted next time I see her (which will be in a few hours, because she cannot go an entire day alone..)

I went to a wedding yesterday in the village. It was a good 30 min motorbike ride out there. On the way out, I got to see the natural beauty of Bangladesh that everyone is always "hyping up." It was over the river and through the woods to grandfathers house we go. Except, I really did go over a river and through many rice fields in order to arrive. I even got to cross a bamboo bridge. Now calling it a bridge, really is giving the structure to much credit. I was a single piece of bamboo with a sort of railing along one side that flexed like a rubber band when you touched it. I’m really glad that I took that tight roping class back in high school (please note the sarcasm and bad spelling) Anyways, I made it across with no problems and with my pride more robust then before. Shortly after walking around and over a few more rice patties, a kind of canal system and many other things I cannot describe here we arrived at Grandfathers house. The house was nothing more than a tin shed. Granted, a nice one. Like you can by down at the local hardware store. It has a nice view of the rice patties that surround it and shade is provided on all sides by palm tress.

I admire the people that live in the village. They live very simple lives. They have very little, they need very little though. These people survive in Bangladesh largely as their fathers did, and their fathers before them. As I watched one of the kids go running up a palm tree (calling it climbing would be an insult, because climbing infers effort was made) once to the top smack, smack, with the machete. Down came two coconuts. Then it was back down and two more whacks with and before I knew it I was drinking fresh coconut water straight from the source. This made me realize that I would never make it in the village. First, I'm a wimp, a real city boy. I can climb a tree (I think) but as far as chopping a coconut in one or two fatal whacks and substance farming.... NO CHANCE! In the same light, this kind standing before we with a machete smiling has no idea how to drive a computer (locals are always asking me to teach them how to work a computer) has no idea who Walt Whitman is and most likely has no idea how to read. But, he has or is mastering the skills required for survival in his environment. Which made me even more jealous. He is sure about his world. (or at least I think he is) Rain comes from the sky, food is rice it is good for you and comes from the ground. Yes, things are difficult, but if my father can do it, so can I. My life back home in the state is so much more confusing...

My moment of Zen was short lived, it was now time to walk back to the wedding party where upon arrival I found that they had made a special table for Travis and Fayez (my host father) After eating way to much fried rice it was time to go to the VIP room. Side note: myself and other older men went into a separate room, Why I have no idea, I am not an elder nor am I that importation. Either way I got to sit in a soft chair which was under a fan so who am I to complain. Upon sitting down I faced the same Questions and stares from at least 47 people. One man came up to me and said or mumbled in his case. Desh, Desh, Desh, to which I replied Ki (what in Bangla) then he said it again to which I realized that he wanted to know which country I was from.(it's really rather odd, everywhere I go. People claim to speak Bangla but I have no idea what they are saying....everyone and everyplace has a different dialect. More so then a listening to someone from Minnesoter ah) Back to the topic at hand. I tell him America and he says "Bush" (who is our president) and I reply that I don't like him and that he is pogo (mad in Bangla) to which everyone in the rooms starts laughing really loud.

People here find it amazing that I don't like our president. It's really something for me to speak out against our leader in their eyes and minds. Then it hit me. In America whether we know it or not, we have complete confidence in the system. (yes, that was a rather bold statement) You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. Example: America. If I don't vote or do anything really, the system will go on just fine without me. Back home things are Stable. Not so here in the Desh. People are fanatically dedicated to politics here because their system of life and democracy is in doubt.

On our way home the motorcycle picks up a flat tire. We have to push the cycle maybe half a Km or so to get it repaired. We take it to a place that fixes rickshaws (the village we were nearest didn't have a cycle shop) The guy takes out his hammer and other tools, then proceeds to start banging and downing whatever else is required to rip off the back wheel of our motorbike. After getting out of the way of a couple parts that were flung at me, I decide that I have seen enough and walk over to a tea stand and get a cup of tea along served with some thoughts on morality. While, I’m enjoying my hot beverage on a hot afternoon. I can't help but find my mind wondering what exactly my chance are of this rickshaw guy fixing a motorbike. These thoughts are only made worse when I see him taking spokes out from the wheel. Now I will admit that I don't know much about motorcycle maintenance. but, I'm pretty sure you need those, and while where at it, I don't think that goes there, and don't you need that screw? I’m so going to die on the way back home. I can see it now, we hit a bump go over a rock and it is goodbye Travis, there is no way that that a rickshaw fixer can fix a motorcycle.... However, like most things, Ignorance is bliss. And riding the motorcycle sure beat walking the 10 km back to town. In the end I escaped death in the desh once again. So I've got to put this in the win column. (it does make you wonder how they fix other stuff though)

As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day. I got the chance to go over to one of my students houses for tea and snacks. as, if you are wondering if it is correct for me to do this, I am right with you. But, like most things. Bangladesh plays by different rules. Here it is expected that a teacher visits the students homes. I make my way over to the house 2.5 hours late (see above) on my way over I had to stop and pick up my sitemate (we really do almost everything together, kind of like that doll commercial from way back. you remember the jingle? Kid sister, wherever I go she goes, kid sister and me) Mental check: After being here in Bangladesh for 8 months I am well aware that I have taken a step or many steps from reality... Anyways, once at the house we were severed cold Tang. Which is a really good thing, I've always been rather fond of Tang and my appearation for the drink has only grown here in the Desh. For some reason or another cold things seem to taste so much better here then in America. Most likely because A/C doesn't exist. In order to give you an idea of just how hot it is and how hot it is going to get I turn to Robin Williams and a quote from Good Morning Vietnam; " It's hot, it's damn hot, and tomorrow it's gonna' be hotter! You got a window? Opent it!! I'm gonna' do some crotch pot cookin' it's good if you with a lady... (that's pretty close to what is says, also please refer to this movie for a protrail of how my English classes run) It is just something that the developed world has (A/C), along with toilets, lots and lots of toilets that you can sit down on...

After two hours of "gossiping" as the locals like to call it, it was time to teach the Teachers at Ideal school. And hour long class where I give advise to 6th and 7th grade teachers on how to make their classes better and more interesting. Yes, I have no idea how I am qualified to do this. The government trust me though... Once class was over it was time to walk back home with the good feeling that another day was completed and wondering what will happen tomorrow to make me go "WTF!"

One-Worlders,

Nothing has happened yet everything is different.I got sick for the first time in the desh. It was not to fun at all I must admit. I threw up and pooped a lot. Did you know it's possible to poo and throw up at the same time? Nor did I. At one point I was so dehydraded that I fainted which was pretty scary. Right now I'm taking Syprio and that seems to be doing the trick. I'm trying to push the fluids.Both the medical office and I think I just had a bad case of the flew... But, if I get sick again in a few weeks I will have to do a MEF kit. Which means I get to poop in a can and a lab get to check it out... Pretty exciting... In other news Bird flu found it's way into India. Which means that it is ever closer to the desh. If Bird flu come to Bangladesh, Travis will be on his way home. The desh has no way to stop on outbreak and with so many people the death toll will be worse then when the black plague hit Europe so long ago. Bangladesh does have one thing going for it though. No birds that migrate fly through the desh, so even the birds know not to come here...

In truth what do I see? At least I am not nourished in the same way as the tourists (not that Bangladesh gets that many anyways) and I find it strange, on the few brochures that I do find or any travel brochure for that matter what they show. They only seem to highlight the high points, they show only the best, pay no attention to anything else...No, one doesn’t come to know a country or find an interpretation of life in this way. That is a luxurious facade, while its true soul is reflected in the everyday citizen, the farmer, and the anxious passer buy one gets to know.

Being from America means that I have a very privileged status. Add the fact that I am a white boy and my status only grows. America really is the best and worst of all worlds. Everyone wants to live there and be an American. We are the trendsetters, the kids that sit at the cool lunch table. Our soft power extends into the deepest part of all cultures. Please note that there is hard power, I.E. guns and bombs. Then soft power is the media, newspapers and things of that nature, basically our way of thinking. It’s how the cold war was won without a single shot being fired. Soft power lets people decide for themselves if they want to follow or buy into your ideas. It’s the idea of what America is and what it represents that makes us so powerful. Sadly our current leaders have done little to embrace this. In fact they have done more harm then good in my opinion.

America is unlike any other place in the world. We really don’t have a class structure. In the Desh I often here people talking about their dream of going to America and the American dream. Rags to riches. I have yet to hear a Bangladesh dream or an English dream. (In fact they don’t even have the same ring to them) Europe and people in general love to make fun of our optimism, or krazy notion that every problem has a solution, that tomorrow can be better then yesterday, the future is bright and is something that should be welcomed, not feared. I think that’s a big reason why some people/counties hate the USA. They envy us and want what we have. (America has done a good job of beating down everyone in everything for the last 50 years or so) What’s more is, the world needs Americas optimism. If America goes dark as a society, the world will not only become a darker place, it will also become much poorer. Our current leader has taken something away that is very dear to the citizens of the US and the world for that matter. America has gone from Exporting Hope to exporting Fear. That’s the reason why the rest of the world hates Bush so much and cannot understand how we ever elected him.

For the first time in my life I am witnessing the harsh reality of the have and have nots. I have crossed the divide from Western Culture and have been thrown into this ignored, backwards, indigenous culture. In the crowded busses I travel, carrying produce and humans the same as cargo I always get the best seat, wait in no line and it is the locals that ride on top or are forced to stand wherever open space is at. For all the lack of money I have, Mine is still a privileged journey, and I know it. As a white American, I am a “social superior” of all these around me, and this mean I am able to obtain favors and concessions beyond the imagining of a local Bangladeshi.

Speaking of how life here compares to life in America. Comparisons are odious. It doesn’t make a difference whether you are in Bangladesh sitting under a fan trying to sleep inside your misquote net or your are laying on your super posh couch back home in the states. Nothing is ever complete. Anyone can live anywhere. I’ve realized this (Peace Corps) would do me a lot of good and get me away from drinking and maybe make me appreciate perhaps a whole new way of living.

Hello everyone,

After yet another blogg of trying to be funny and looking on the lighter side of things. This one will read more like a term paper. But, insightful none-the-less.

Bangladesh has been ranked 141 out of 161 countries in the 2005 index of Economic Freedom. A little report done by the Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation. Bangladesh was placed in the thrid of four categories: Free, Mostly free, mostly unfree, and unfree expressed in terms of Economic freedom. Hong Kong was ranked first along with 16 other counrties dubbed as free.

Bangladesh has a weak rule of law, this is evident in some of the worlds worst official corruption, civil crime, and poilitical violence continues to burden Bangladesh's democracy. The report went on to say, "Until the government addresses Bangladesh's many structural weaknesses, there is little reason for optimism about the counrty's future."

Bangladesh was ranked 17th in the global ranking of failed states by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Bangladesh was grouped with 20 other countries deemed as most critical and vulnerable. This failed states index used 12 social, economic, political and military indicatiors to rank 60 countries in order of their vulnerability to violent internal conflict. Bangladesh scored highest in the two indicators of uneven development and criminalization.

The reprot stated that these failing states were breeding grounds for terrorism, organized crime, weapons proliferation, humanitarian emergencies, environmental degradation and political extremism that threaten everyone. Bangladesh has also been named "the most Dysfunctional country in Asia" by the Asia Times. Bangladesh has been dubed, Champions of Corruption. It has ranked first by Transparency International for 5 successive years. I'm sure this title cannot be good for the courtries image abroad... Many have argued about Bangladesh being the most corrupt or more corrupt. But, one doesn't have to look very hard to find corruption. It's anywhere and everywhere, I even have it in my classroom. What I mean by this, is I am supposed to be able to choose my own students, but for some reason or another, I am told I will have these students in my class.

The Economist a great magazine based in London that I hope you read or at the very least have heard of published an article entitled "Bangladesh: State of Denial." Among the many quotes and statements that stuck me from this article, one stands out. "Bangladesh is among the most sparsely covered (countires)by the international press. This is in part the government choice. It makes it hard for foreign journalists to visit. When they do, it tends not to like what they write, especially recent suggestion that Bangladesh is witnessing a rise in Islamic extremism, and becoming a heaven for International terrorists." If a countries press is supposed to be the nationas conscious, Bangladesh has a slight problem...

Let's expand on the "state of Denial" I experense this Denail everwhere and everyday. No matter where I go people ask me how I feel in Bangladesh, if I have any problems and other questions of that nature. If I tell them the turth, your education system is a mess, you treat women like crap and the vast majority of your popultaion can't read and write, not to mention that most people here have the mind-set of a middle schooler... If I said that a local wouldn't believe me and tell me that is not Bangladesh. It's like having a huge elephant in your room and paying no attention to it. Not admitting to yourself that's it there, hoping that by not admitting it's there it will somehow magicly disappear.

Bangladesh scored the lowest marks among 209 low income countries in 2004, in the World Banks governance situation survey. Bangladesh PRSP forum Economic Update: Recent Developments and Future Prespective. The surevey was conducted on six indicators of the governance issue which were: voice and accountability, political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption. Bangladesh scored the lowest in 4 out of 6 and second to last in the other two. The report went on to say that Improved governace is essential for the success of Bangladesh's economy and poverty reduction, and more of Bangladesh's major development partners will be not able to sustain its support if the government does not squarely address the governance agenda.

After reading all of this the future does not look bright.... Which begs a few questions.

1. Is Bangladesh a failed state?

2. Is Bnagladesh a failed society?

3. What can be done to get the desh headed in the right direction?

4. How does Peace Corps and Travis Schultz fit into this picture...

Hello one and all,

This weeks blogg is going to be completely different. First some background... I'm in Dhaka for a meeting with the head safety and security guy from Washington. So I'm taking this chance to write more clever and stunning insights about the lighter side of Bangladesh.(is their any other options?) Or the maddness as I have "coined" it... Today I am joined by Ben "ron" Mexico. A fellow PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) who is just trying to live his fashion dream in the desh.

Recent events in the desh has brought us to a few questions about sercurity.

1. What is sercurity?

2. Why is it a myth here in the desh?

3. What is time?

4. Why are we here?

All these questions however are going to be delt with later(when we actually know the answers...so never) or hopefully this afternoon when we have our meeting with Pat hogan...perhaps related to Hulk Hogan, also rumored to be Crocodile dundee... Who still is inferior to Chuck Norris anyways.

Until then, let's review my journey through the looking glass so far:

August: a tornado picked up my house and landed me in oz. Well, oz minus the emerald city and the yellow brick road...and anything remotely sweet or resembling Kansas in the mid 1940s. If you see some ruby slippers plese forward them my way(This is most likely to be done in vain because customs will steal them). Actually, just take a concrete oz and throw trash everywhere.

September-October: training comes and goes in a fury of heat induced insanity fits that causes me to speak bangla, wipe my you know what and eat with my hands, and tear up/repave a perfectly good road several times simply cause that's what i do (what other reason is there?) but, i swear in as a volunteer and laugh hysterically at my friend seth eden as he manages to prove over the course of 8 hours (or more; in fact it's uncertain when he started drinking or if he ever stopped for that matter) that alcohol poisoning is a myth and drunken wandering of the streets of dhaka (emerald city - emeralds - wizard + trash + misery) won't necessarily get you stabbed in a ditch by morning.

November- Present: I go to site. Bombs go off. Volunteers quit. I don't quit. I go to Dhaka (see formula above) for security meetings. Learn that I actually died yesterday. Went to American Club and drowned my bliss (happiness - joy + misery)in Hienekin. I was also really sick,( a 102 temp to be exact. And I woke up shaking because I was so cold) but I got better only to realize I was still in Bangladesh (which it seems no medicine can cure but the malaria meds give me nice dreams).

I'll leave you with some eternal words... "When the boogie man goes to sleep at night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris"

The maddness continues...

Now for the weekend update. The big news is that I now have a site mate. Yes, after being the only American at my site I now have a buddy. Her name is Emily and she will be teaching at a private school. I'll be honest with you. I was begining to like being the only American in my town. I read and wrote a lot and did whatever I wanted. And now I have this person who wants to hang out everyday(dare I say she cramps my style?). I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to have another American to kick it with. It's just a change. I'm still on the fense if it is a good thing or not.

Greetings,

After coasting my way through the hoildays and the new year I promise to bring you more stunning insights and events from Bangladesh.

Life here is more boring then the 2nd week of winter break. I have no classes to teach and no homework to do. I was supposed to start teaching in Jan... But, after having a couple pointless meetings and when the dept head says... I don't see how my students can benfit from taking an English class from you. My students are more interested in English Lit. than English... Please keep in mind this was in the English dept.... Believe it or not that isn't the best line. One professor told me to wait 5 min. he would be right back. I finally gave up after 2 hours... After talking with the economic dept I find out that the college has a cultural program for the rest of this month and I might get to start teaching in Feb.... Yeah, so needless to say I don't do much of anything. The college is always closed and I might teach 100 days out of 365. I'll be honest here. I'm starting to like sleeping late and reading a few hours a day.... So far in a little over 6 months I have read about 16 books...

Now on for the excitment of new years in the desh. After throwing up all day on the day before the new year... I took it easy. I went to some sort of program that had a debate which I was a judge at and I also gave a 20 minute speech on whatever I wanted... I found out about all of this on a walk that one of my buddies and I went on It just happened that we were walking to this cultural event... The daily star (english speaking paper of the desh) is launching some magazine and of course they want the American front and center and they want me to be writer for this publication as well...

I played badminton with my host fam and won the block badminton tournment... Sidenote: Yes, I am happy to report that I have a lighted Badminton court in my front yard. After much bickering on my part.Did you know that you can get a university schlorship to play badminton in Bangladesh? Back to the subject at hand, After badminton we ate rich food which means fried rice (yes, anything and everything can be fried and it is in the desh) and had soda or cold drinks as they like to call them...(or at least they had soda, I had Gatoraide!! One of the best X-mas gifts I have ever gotten!!) Everyone was in bed around 11:30. SO I brought in the new year watching a EPL game on TV all by myself..

Which brings us to EID day. I survied bloody eid day.It is the second biggest muslim hoilday and Ahalla demands that you make a great sacrifice.... So everyone buys a goat, cow, or camel if your really rich. I named our cow George Bush. I found it very fitting that he was going to be sacrificed in the name of Allah. The sacrifice itself wasn't freaking me out as much as the fact that it was going to happen in our front yard the place where I play badminton everynight!, and my host fathers were going to kill this cow with rusty daggers that looked a shank or whatever those things are called that prisioners make.. It was a little to midevil for my liking. The weirdest part was that after they got done cutting up the cow, beggers came and we just gave out beef like it was halloween candy...

Today, I will leave you with this thought from my bus trip to the office. As I hopped on the bus and slid my way to the window seat. The bus driver took us through the maze of side streets and partial highways, I gazed out the window and happened upon a phenomenon: Bangladishes like to stand in the street.

Sometimes they're moving, or jaywalking to us Americans, sometimes they're sitting on the middle divider of a highway(or just standing where a divider should be) having a conversation with their 3 year old, and many times they want to get my attention by saying HELLO! has loud as they can. But, most of the time they tell their friends and point. Leaving me to wonder, what are all these people doing??

In previous bloggs, due to having to pay for internet time, I stopped writing once the money had expired, and all of my anguish and inactivity was banished to the outer reaches of my mind. But now, with the outright graciousness of Peace Corps. (free internet at the office) I'm like the Love Boat: exciting and new.

For the first time I can be a true columnist(just like the ones you read every day in the local paper) and not be restrained to personal experience, group gatherings or intimate conversations with myself. I can talk about my outrage over the things that make no sense in Bangladesh,I can even spell check my blogg for the first and only time ever! And even more thrilling (for me), I can communicate my subtle bias in a variety of true columnist ways:

1. Do extensive interviews to propel a purported point and push an agenda.

2. Inject a dose of morality (perhaps with photographs) to pull on the heartstrings.

3. Make stuff up.

I'll be honest, I find option No. 3 the most intriguing. So now the question is, should I write what I really feel or what people come to expect from me and my blogg (an issue I'm positive everyone has been debating since hearing about my blogg)? Hmm. Since I've never been one to pander to the masses, I am going to write what I really feel -- in a format that is expected: a David Letterman-style/Top Ten/VH1/E! Entertainment/Best-Of List. AKA The Daily Show!!!

A list has order, a top-to-bottom hierarchy, and manifests itself to us on a daily basis. Lists are everywhere, and the pull is strong. Everyone wants to know what, when, where, why, how and who No. 1 is, then we can talk about it. But not just talk:

1. Speculate.

2. Argue.

3. Agree to disagree.

4. Provide evidence for why someone or something else should be No. 1.

In essence, lists create a diversion to the mundane and give us a reason to hear ourselves talk. So in the spirit of hearing my own voice, I will address all the topics that come fast and furious during the rumor and speculation-fueled life of a Peace Corps Volunteer one list at a time.

Reasons why Travis joined Peace Corps

6. Free T-shirt

5. I always wanted to eat rice 3 times a day everyday

4. I wanted to live off of the taxpayers and this seems to be a better option then walefare

3. Does this country called "Bangladesh" really exist?

2. I always wanted to read War and Peace

1. I don't want to get a "real job"

Most annoying ailment/injury to Peace Corps Volunteers in Bangladesh

6. abandoned construction

5. rickshaws

4. hartals

3. malaria

2. diahrrea

1. bombs

Reasons Travis will be successful as an English Teacher in Bangladesh

6. Peace Corps has gaven me the green light to wear sweats during class

5. I speak better English then the locals

4. I won't beat the students

3. I'll be honest here, they are at rock bottom already so there really is nowhere to go but up

2. I'm Travis Schultz

1. In the Desh teaching 100 days out of 365 is a success.

Places not to go in the desh

7. Close your eyes and point. Don't go where ever you point

6. Hospital

5. D.C. office

4. your place of work

3. a ride with RAB

2. the butcher

1. jail

Best thing about being in the desh

5. mango bars

4. sweet man love

3. all the rice I could ever want

2. autographs

1. No matter what I do people won't stare more

All I want for Christmas is

7. Has it been 2 years yet?

6. Pizza Hut gift card

5. Bird Flu shot

4. more sailor suits

3. college football

2. cold beverages

1. package from America

** I got the idea for this blogg after reading Jimmy Conrad's article on ESPN.com**

Today I will leave you with this quote from a fellow PCV AKA a fellow hardliner :

"The reasons for quiting are inconsequential.(leaving the desh early) The reasons for staying illogical. I've vowed to stay till the bitter end and a bitter end that may be since the bombers have upped the antie with suicide bombers, a new feature to the Bangladesh dark comedy, and I'm laughing. I'm laughing like a mad ass hiyena on the ruthless salvannas."

So their you have it, yet more maddness from the Desh. Stay funky and spread the love

Hello all,

It has been a few weeks since my last post... A lot has been going on over here on the other side of the world...

To start off with a little clearing up on what exactly I"m doing over here. First off, I'm teaching Spoken English. The classes I teach are nothing like what we had growing up. Most of the kids that I teach can read and write. They just can't speak English. Students start getting english drilled into their heads during class 2. Most have good gramer because they memorize the textbooks, but hardly anyone can speak because nobody speaks english in Bangladesh... That is why the government asked Peace Corps to send English speaking people. In my classes we don't even deal with gramer or spelling. Which is a bonus for me. My goal is to make the students better speakers.

Now some history about the desh. In 1953 several students were killed during a protest. Please note that in 1953 Bangladesh as we know it today didn't exsit yet it was still part of Pakistan or East Pakistan as it was called. Well some university students were protesting and they called this protest to say that the people of East Pakistan should speak Bangla and have their own country. Some people didn't take very kindly to those words and many people were killed. So if you ever wonder why we have the U.N. world language day it is because some people died in Bangladesh for their language. And from what I have found out, they are the only people to have ever died for their language. with the seeds of Revolution already in there minds the people of Bangladesh started a war with Pakistan and on Dec 16 of 1971 Bangladesh became it's own country and quickly took out english in the schools... People in Bangladesh are so proud of bangla and the revolution of 1971 every single town has a some tribute to it... It is kind of funny to think some 50 years after this struggle to speak their own language I'm being brought over to Bangladesh to teach English...

Now for some updates on my life. My room inside the house is now complete. I must admit that is a bonus. The shit has finally come to the Desh... It's a little chilly in the morning but by mid afternoon it's hot again. I must admit that makes it rather hard to get in the X-mas spirit...

One of the many things that make no sense to me about bangladesh is the fact that there are no trash cans here. In the States you can get fined or even thrown in jail for not throwing stuff away. Here all of Bangladesh is your trash can. I have yet to see a sign saying Keep Bangladesh beaufiul... But, everyone talks about the natural beauty of this place... Back home I just throw stuff away and never think twice about it. However, in the Desh all I have to do is look out my window and I can see the conquences of my consumption. The more complex and developed a society becomes the less responsibility people have to take for their actions. In Bangladesh, all I have to do is look out my window and I can see the trash... This was all brought full circle to me when I got lecutred about it by one of my fellow volunteers. This person saw me throw the wraper of something off the second floor of our training site... Well, after 5 minutes of being told why I shouldn't do that I had this thought you just read...

I will leave you today with some numbers and other bold statements

Originality seems to count for very little here, the community is much more important, conformity, and accordance and compliance. Everybody sounds the same here. It seems impossible to get people to think/write with there own voice

When I make my trip into Dhaka for X-mas it will have been 5 weeks since I last saw an American or spoke with somebody that is a native English speaker...

Now for some more weekly highlights... Two viliages got into a fight over a crikcet match... Something didn't go right so they were out for blood... Well I see the lowlights if you will on TV and they are charging each other midevil style with bamboo sticks. It is all put into proprecitve by my host mother when she says, "they don't have modern weapons so the use whatever they can find" (are you kidding me!)

Lastly and most troublsome... The other day they found a bomb/cocktail in the highschool of my town... The highschool is in the same complex as the college. We share a courtyard together... I found out about it and asked the vice principle what the deal was and he didn't even know about it, shortly after he was shown the news paper which talked about it, he called all the people that he knew to figure out what was going on... YOu can see the highschool from the window of his office.... So yeah, needless to say things here are interesting to say the least... I'm just sticking around to see what happens next....

Hello one and all,

I'm still living in the garage/shed/classroom in my host families house. The best part about this room that I"m living in is the fact that at night or in the morning I"m locked out of the house and get to pee in the yard... Also, their is the skin of some dead animal nailed to the concrete wall, I have no idea what kind of animal this used to be... I have 3 of them (concrete walls the 4th wall is a garge door)with a tin roof, so when birds or anything else land on the roof it sounds like I'm being attacked... And of course no room would be complete without metal bars on the window... My room is to be completed very soon though... Yeah right....

Moving on to teaching and things that just don't add up. The other day our first class had so many people in that there weren't enough benches for everyone. THat's right Standing room only for Travis and his spoken english class. I still haven't figured out yet how exactly I"m supposed to have a spoken English class with over 100 students in it.... Hopefully this maddness will stop in Janurary when the new sechdule comes out. If everything goes like I want it to I will be in charge of my own classes and teach 3 in the morning and each class will have 30 or so kids in it. Because after all everyone says I can do whatever I want so I'm going to call them on it...

Thurdsay I showed up to the college early because like the idiot that I am I didn't read look at what time I was supposed to teach. So after kickin' it in the teachers lounge for some time... These two students come up to me and start talking to me a little over excited and after about 5 min of this they ask me for my ideanity? Yes, that's right my identy or however you spell that (yes, I am getting dumber by the day here) I ask what they mean by ideanty and then they procced to shove some paper and a pen, it turns out they want my autograph... Yes, I am that big of a deal in the desh... Their is so much disclipine here that when I'm walking to class, students move to the other side of the hallway or catwalk as I like to call them (more on that in a sec) and stop while I pass... You have to see a photo of the school. It's built in a horseshoes, or a large U shape. With a courtyard in the middle Sidenote, lawmowers don't exist here, if you need to mow the law just grab a farm animal, I.E. goat, cow, or anything else that eats grass.... Back to the school, there is a large wall surrounding the school and a huge iron gate that I walk through eveyday. This gate has a doorman that carries a bamboo stick just incase anyone get any ideas.... What's even better is the iron bars on the outside of the classrooms. Ok, you know those outdoor shopping malls in the states, or strip malls?? Well, imagine the overhangs that you can walk under so you will stay dry when it is rainning... Those are fensed in much like a prision. The school looks just like an old school prsion... One can olny enter at certain points and everything I mean everything is barred or closed off some how.... Yeah, a really nice place to learn in...

Next up on our tour is family life. Mines pretty easy, my new family isn't as cool as my first host family, but they are super nice so I really can't complain. Right now my biggest problem is trying to figure out how I can do something on my own. Everyone wants me to teach English at their school/place and nowhere else. It has gotten rather silly, grown men are fighting over me like school childeren fighting over a toy. What's even better is that my host family is trying to make friends for me. This one kid who I found out is a brother in law or something is really trying to hard, within two hours of meeting him he wants me to make some life decision for him that is way to long to explain in an e-mail. ANd today he comes over and takes me to this other school that wants me to teach there. Then I am off to check my e-mail and he decides to come along for that and sits right next to me, to this I'm like, what are you doing? His comment "oh, you have a problem if I sit here/" I'm like yeah, their is no need for you to read my e-mail....This I know for sure, once back at home in the states, I will never hassatle a movie star or anybody like that, it happens to me daily and it gets old!! However I'm not saying that I still won't get star struck...

That will have to do for today install ment, I have to run... But, I will leave you with this... Last night we had some people over for dinner and after dinner my host father asked me to sit down he had something to ask me, "travis, would you be willing to share your bed with another man?" I reply, what? so he repeats and I say back, NO Travis house is for Travis only and walk off to my shed/classroom/garage or my house as I like to call it.

Trainnning is over and I am offically a volunteer, for whatever that is worth. I have gone from having something to do every minute of the day to having nothing to do... I had quite the time in Dhaka, I hope you enjoyed reading about it on my blogg... That is the P.G version.. But, the U.S embassy really does look this a real life Mario Brothers castle...

Now for the meat,the other day I went to work with my host father in Dhaka. He works for Janta bank. He works in the mail office for all of Bangladesh and Janta bank in general. Needless to say he is the man... With that being said, I'm not excatly for sure what he does. When I was there I saw him sign some papers the rest of the time was spent drinking tea with various other bosses of people. I got to meet that man that is in charge of all Overseas banking for the Janta bank, as well as the man who is in charge of all the branches in Italy.... They all love americans and I really had a great time talking with them.(who doesn't love Americans?) One guy who happened to be muslim openly questioned his own faith as how he doesn't really believe he only follows because that is what is expected of him.... So that was a trip... I got some good numbers and business cards of people to call and kick it with whenever I'm in Dhaka or just need to hear a friendly voice. One guy even quoted Walt Whiteman to me. I must say that won me over. They took me out to lunch and said thanks for coming and next time I'm in Dhaka be sure to look them up.... Just for my own personal benefit, the Janta Tower is one of the tallest buildings in Bangladesh.... The only bad thing about the bank office is that it is in Old Dhaka, and I have no idea how to get their or get around... You see a privite car bus picks up my father and some other of the workers in front of their street each day. It's really rather posh. Even though I don't know if you can call a double decker bus posh.. (just like the ones in England)

Jumping right along to the highlights of my site. B-baria. I took the train to get here which is much nicer than the bus... Once at the station all hell borke loose, the locals here have no idea what a line is and each time one would make ones life more simple things turn into a grade school recess... Which is a mess in way you look at it... So I hand my bags through the window and then I myself go through the window to get out and walk to my privite car awaiting to take me to my house.... That's right Travis is Big time in the Desh... After talking to the host family for a while it was time to eat lucnh with Mr. Matin... (I've dropped his name once or twice in my blogg) it turns out lucnh was going to be at a wedding and he just forget to included that detail... Thankfully he speaks really good english and was expainning everything to me... Bangli weddings are weird and it would take me too much time to explain all the oddness... BUt, I will tell you that he asked me if I was married and I said no, he then asked me if I would want to marry a Bangli girl... I was like, ummm I'm still trying to find the girl that is in my head. To this he said, I would like to look for you a wife. I will find you a very lovely bangli girl. They really are super nice and he went on for almost 5 min about how bangli women are better than American women. I had no reply to any of this... I was just shocked at how it was all brought up...

Anyways, after making the short walk back to my host house it was time for some more funny stuff to go down. After having tea, (which I drank 8 cups of yesterday) I saw all my stuff in a room that is attachted to the living room. It was being build durin my site visit, now it just needs one more wall to make it sepeate from the living room... I was told that this will be my room for the time being... So right now I'm living in the living room. It gets better though... Soon after finding this out I find out that my one of my host fathers is getting married on Friday and they will need my bed because so many people are coming over... It ends up that they put a bed outside in this other room that is not attached to the house at all. I'm in this shed type building that is used by one of the host fathers for tutoring physics... It's really not all that bad, I have a table a bed my misquto net, and it really is a place to excape the desh which will be nice... Now for the catch, because like everything in the desh their is a catch... Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and had to use the bathroom. Of course the house is locked so I had to pee outside in the bushes of my own house... And taking a shower is an adventure as well.... All of my stuff is still in the added room of the living room, so I have to take all my clothes into the bathroom with me and their is only one bar to hang a towel, along with the sink... So this is going to be an interesting week to put things nicely... But, hey it's Bangladesh and Anyone can live anywhere right?

The past 4 days have been a blur, "I cannot be awake, for nothing looks to me as it did before, or else I am awake for the first time, and all before has been a mean sleep." W W

All 55 of us depart4ed Gazipur on friday afternoon, around 2:30. Aftr watching the b bus driver do something to the engine while the bus wa going down the highway. We arrrived in Dhaka at our hotel. It's amazing that some of the buses even run here. I've ridden in some vechicles and busses that I wouldn't even attempt to get on in the states.Anyways, at 5:00pm we had a meeting in the lobby of the main hotel... The boys are in one hotel and the girls are in another and the married copules are in yet another hotel as well. No worries though, all 3 hotels are located on the same streeet and are so close you can see the signs for each of them standing at one... We are on our own for dinner, a couple of people along with myself decide to have some mexican food. It was really good, the inside of the place looked authantic and could easily pas for a mexican place in the states. This included a mexican flag and a huge cow skull above the door. I got 2 borritos, rice, and re-fried beans. It was really good, and not all the expensive. Only 350 teka for that and an apptiser plus a plate of nachos. Lots of meat but hardly any chips, I counted only 6!!! The place was about a 30 min walk from the hotel to Gulshan 2. Gulsahn is one of the districts in Dhaka. It's funny, people that work in the Embassy are not allowed to leave the Gulshan or Bannani districts for safety reasons...After getting back to the hotel and unpacking we excitledy turned on the TV and looked for ESPN! The american one!!! after flipping through the channels we stumble upon it! But, there is no sound!! Like all good things in the desh, there is always a catch. It turns out that none of the hotels we were staying at had ESPN with sound.. The rest of the night was spent relaxing and enjoying the A/C, soft pillows and beds along with coffy chairs. Our hotel rooms were pretty big and way posh. When I say posh, I mean like a motel 6.

The next day we have no programs whatsoever so most people go shopping in New market or some other place I cannot remember the name of... The big event of the day for me was: watch the Arsenal vs hotsuprs soccer game. After that it was off to buy some booze. Normally this would be so simple, that it wouldn't even be worth talking about... But, Bangladesh is a muslim country and one cannot really drink here. They have a few places that sell booze, you just have to find them. In order for "locals" to drink they must have a signed dotors note saying that they need to consume alchol for medical reasons. THis also includes having booze in the house. One must obtain a permit. I'm a foreginer so they look the other way for me... I"m told to just be smart about it. We are off to find a place called Da-beers(it's not spelled that way but it sounds like that) After taking a 5-6 min CNG ride we get to the bottom of the flyover (a huge over pass in Dhaka) Get lost several times but finally come to it after seeing the sign. One note the sign says "foreginers only" We have no idea just what we are getting ourselves into. We walk into a place that looks like an office. It has a high counter with desks behind it and a few guys at computers. A man walks up and asks us, "hi, may I help you?" then he pulls out a sheet of paper with prices and what can be bought. It is very much like high school all over again. After much debate and looking at the "display" bottles and cans. We dicide to get a case of beer and a couple of bottles. The booze is directly from America. Gilbilys gin, Simmeroff vodka and I've never seen or heard of the wiskey or scotch they had.. The beer on the other hand was more on an adventure. They had one of two choices: ONe was 8.5 percent alochol and brewed in Holland, and the other kind began with a B and had spanish orgins. We choose the spanish and we later were happy to find out that we made the right choice

Time for check out, we each were given a sheet of paper and told to walk around to the side of the building. Once to the side a man walks out of a door under a carport and asks us for our papers. He takes the papers and comes back with our beverages and asks us were our car is at. We don't have a car so we put everything in our backpacks( yes, a case of beer can fit in my backpack) Success! We set off back to the hotel all very proud of ourselves. After unloading everything and taking a quick nap we aer off to check out a place called the horseshoe. It is some shopping complex that is in the shape of a U. It was alright, nothing all that special. It would be safe to say that my room back in the states is much coolier! At one of the stores they had nothing but every fake jersey you could think of. At some place I did pick up a Bangli National Cricket team jersey!

After shopping it was time for Iftar and we were off to A&W for the Iftar special. All you can eat burgers, fires, chicken sandwiches, fried chicken, and a bottomless glass of root beer! All this for 316 teka. We put on a true display of American power and eat well over 1,500 worth of food. We kept score. We each ate (5 of us) 4 chicken sandwiches, 5 burgers, 2 plates of fires, 3 pieces of fried chicken and 5 glasses of rootbeers. We were so stuffed that James threw up on the walk back home. ON our walk back home this little kid (beggar) follows us the whole way home. Keep in mind that this is a few mile walk... Walking beside us the whole way fake crying asking for money...The beggers here are instense. They come right up to you and are often mad at you if you don't give them any money. To make matters worse they are eveywhere! This little kid ginally stopped at the gate of our hotel by the guard and stood there for a few minutres...

After taking some time to let all of our food deigest. It was time to start partiing hotel style. This night was a warm-up for the next night when we would be offically Peace Corps Volunteers. The next morning we had to be up and ready to go at 9:15 because we were getting the Offical office tour. And they had some money to give us or wwe had to sign something saying that our Bank Account was opend and make suer eveyone had/has the proper account number.

Back to the hotel to change and get ready for the embassy. No cell phones or cameras allowed inside... The U.S embassy looks strikingly like the castle you must conquer at the end of Super Mario Brothers, the first one... Once through the security and talking to some rather large marines it was time to take our seats in the US Embassy Atruim. First I had to buy a Gatoradie though. It was expensie but is was so worth it! (It's funny what I miss about the states) The ceremony lasted a little over an hour. The best speech was by Gene Geroge who is in charge of USAID for Bangladesh... Many other VIPs were presnt as well, it was such a big event that it was on TV. It's safe to say that I am a big deal in the desh.

Next up on the list of events was to check out the American club. A place that anyone can join but its more exclusice than any country club in the states. After putting away a few cold beverages it was time to head over to the X-pat house for the REception. One more comment about the American club. Inside the walls, thier is a gym, 2 tennis courts and a bar and resturant, plus a pool with a slide! All this can be yours for 80 US dollars a month. On the very rich and X-pats are members. WE get a comped membership because we are Peace Corps Volunteers. (which is a bonus)

The life of an X-pat is very nice and I could see myself making the adjuestment reather quickly and without many problems... After we drank and ate everything that the house we were off to the Marine house were things really got silly. They were nice enough to ponen up their house and bar for us. The house would put some frat houses to shame. On the top of 5 levels was a game room with a ping pong table, darts, pool table, and some other stuff I cannot remember. Each floor had a lobby type area that had a huge flat screen TV and this place is nice is when thinking like an American. Your tax dollars really do buy some nice stuff.

Finally, some days when I don't eat lunch at my host famlies house, they always aske me what I had to eat and if I don't say rice they become bery worried and start telling me that I must be very hungry and how in order to be healthy I must eat at least rice twice a day. In Bangladesh, Rice really is life...

HI from the Desh,

Moving on to the site visit and all the sillyness that is Bangladesh... Ok,

I'm going to a town called Braimabria... It is about 2 hours by train East

of Dhaka. Yes, right now I have gone so far away from home if I go any further

I will be on my way back home... My train left at 7:40 am so I had to leave

Gazipur (training site) around 6 (it takes an hour to get to Dhaka) for some

reason there is no direct train from Gazipur to Braimbaria even though there

is a train station in Gazipur.... Like most things if you want something or

need to get someplace Dhaka is the place... Alright so I get up at 5 am and

take the coldest shower ever, yes I have no hot water and to make things

worse the handle is bright red that I get to turn every morning... After

doing my pump up dance to get ready for the coldness.... Yes, I do a dance

and I don't think I will ever get used to cold water... Anyways, I'm out the

door and off. I have with me one of my bags, (you remember the bag we took

to LA and Chicago? this one is twice that) so I lug that to the end of my

road which is a couple blocks, catch a rickshaw, and the poor rickshaw wally

guy tries to lift my bag and has no chance at it, it has to weigh twice as

much as he does, (keep in mind that average Bangladesi is about 5 foot 6 and might weigh 120 pounds dripping wet) Next stop the bus station and since it is ramadant right now, everyone is late or does nothing... Which ends up being a bonus for me.. I get to ride in style to the bus station, or so I thought, after riding in a mini van where the driver thought it was Crazy taxi (a great video game to play) I got droped off in Old Dhakawith my escort (yeah, I had someone with me to make sure I got to the train ok) some comments about Old Dhaka... It's old run down and I don't recomend visiting, I"m glad it was early morning.... to call Dhaka dirty is like

calling grass green. People here don't use trash cans, or for that matter

even know what trash cans are, so trash or anything else one doesn't want

just gets thrown on to the ground...

Alright, so after being hasleted for money and getting the same questions

that I always get it was bus riding time... The train is much more gentle

compared to the bus, Once in Bramimariba or however you spell that silly

twon a member of my host family was waiting for me and we where off to his

home... Once there a guy by the name of Johnny meat (he is a B6) and we were

off to see the highlights of the town... I was introduced to some

importation people, and saw some things that made me go ummm... For example

did you know that a swasitka, (Nazi symbol) is also a Hindu symbol and they

have some large ones outside their timples?? Neither did I....

Anyways, I meat up with this cat named Martin and he really is the man, he

runs a couple things speaks really good English and has things figured out.

He will be the reason why I stay in the Desh for two years. He's the man, so

basicly I spent all 3 days riding around with him in his priviate

car....Please keep in mind that his car is something like a 95 toyota

corrola, the small one and he and the people of the town view it like a Benz

or BMW... When riding it in, I could only ride in the back and by the way he

has a driver to... Moving on to some high lights and funny stuff from the

trip, I took Iftar at a Mosk... I was the gust of honor but, on first glance one could of thought I was at a taliban traninning site, you know those guys you see on TV... That's what this place looked like, anywho, they were all chill and asked some good questions which lead me to this comment. One cat asked me if I liked the desh (these aren't exact words) and I said yes, then he followed up with how do we know you are speaking from the heart. " You know I am geniun just by me showing up" To

which I got total sinclence... Thanks for coming out, next!

So first day I get my host family serves me water I ask if it is

boiled and they say "it is very good water" Well, it wasn't boiled and I

spent some time in the bathroom.... The next morning they serve me water

again and I ask, Is it boiled? This time they say no, it's fried. What in

the world does that mean? Can you even fry water!??! To make a short story

shorter, I don't take any water and after that I got my open special jug of

boiled water! That's right What Travis Wants Travis Gets!!! (yes, I said

that)

we were coming home from visiting some other teacher guy and about 6

of us were cramed in a CNG and this idiot says to me twin towers 9/11 boom!

to which I reply, AUg 17 (there was a massive bombing attack all around

bangladesh 4 days after I showed up) to which he looks at me like Oh, my

god, I can't believe you said that... ANd then is quite for the rest of the

ride, after returing home my host brother makes a point to tell me that his

friends are just joking around and they mean nothing by what they say....

Life right now in the Desh is starting to wind down. This morning we all took our final LPIs which is how they test us on how well we speak the local language.... Mine was much like a roller coaster. It started off pretty bad. I was asked (in bangli) please compare PST (peace Corps training) with your life back in the states. I start laughing and say back that's funny what is my real question?? I hear back that is my real question. After stumbling along for a couple minutes and putting together some sentences that make no sense what so ever we move on to talking about the things I know. I.E what kind of foods I like, what I do all day and why I am here. (Peace Corps english teacher) basicly, I have the vocabulary of a 6 year old. Which I'm fine with. I hit a home run with my role playing draw. I have to buy a bus ticket back to Gaziupr. This is one of the more simple tasks that exist. For example, the last time I had to do this for real the guy spoke english to me. I go up to the stand and ask gazipur jabo? He responseds to me yes we have a bus to Gazipur and it will be along in 15 min, that will be 12 teka. (this is all in English) My inner thoughts: Are you kidding me, why in the world to I need to learn this language when anyone and everyone speaks english!!! Ok, so that most likely isn't true, but so far I must adimt I am surprised at how many people do speak english here....

Hello all,

After being put in my place for some comments I had coming to me, I have decided to give you all some background information on Eid.

Eid is the biggest holiday of the year for most of the Muslim world.Eid is a fun holiday with lots of great food and happy moments. Eid means Joy, Happiness. Eid-ul-Fitr means "festival of the breaking" It is the celebration at the end of Ramadan, which is the fasting period. All muslims are supposed to fast during Ramadan which lasts a month. Fitr comes from the "Fitra" which means "special alms to the poor" I take fitra everyday at 5:45 even though I'm not fasting. Neither is anyone else in my family... Back to Eid for a moment. It happens the first couple of days in November. It is the reward for fasting all month long. It is a festival of Sacrifice celebrated on the 10th of the mulsim month, Zilhaj. It is the sacrifice made to Allah as an offering by the Pilgrims in connection with the ceremonies of the "Hajj" (Pilgrimage to Mecca) The animal they sacrifice must be without any defect, one small animal (sheep or goat) for one person and several people join together (max 7) to sacrific a large animal (cow or camel) the muslim calender is determind by the moon, so every year the festival comes almost 10 days earlier.

Last thursday I made a trip to Dhaka, we skiped out of language class early so we could make it to Pizza hut for the Iftar special. 299 teka for all you can eat Pizza. A group of about 10 of us went to Dhaka for the night and on our day off. What is great about Dhak is a soft bed and people falling overthemselves to do something for you. Which I must admit it is nice to be pampered... Our room included a free breakfest of eggs anyway you liked them and toast. The orange juice was out of this world. It tasted so good and was SO cold! The hotel is called the MOnero and is pretty posh for the Desh.

Everyone says that if you want something Western it will be in Dhaka. The city is huge, over 10 million people. Bangladesh has a population density of 755 people per square km so to say that you are never alone is an understatement. After making a few stops (our group split up) I make my way to Pizza Hut on foot, and much to my surprise I see the other group members in a CNG at Gulshan 2. This is a hughe interecetion that looks like a ghetto version of Times Square, compete with a large stature and a huge TV... Pizza Hut is about 2 miles from here. I'm on foot and I end up beating the group to pizza hut by something like 30 minutes... It turns out the had no idea where they were going, they went left instead of right and ended up nowhere close to where they should of been going. Anyways once I get to Pizza Hut it is packed and there are no tables to be had. After talking with the host and the mananger for a while, they inform me that people started showing up at 3:30-4:00 to save tables. Come back around 6:30 and we will have a table for you. It's 5:15 right now... The special runs from 5:00-7ish.. Thank goodness there is a bookstore next door, so I go and check that out while I'm waiting for the rest of the group to show up. I'm happy to report that I picked up paradise lost fro 150 teka. After a while we make our way back over to Pizza hut and get a table. I procced to eat pizza and drink pepsi until I become sick and don't want to see any more pizza. We return to our hotel after this to hang out and watch cable tv and enjoy A/C. Thursday night I was able to experience "cool as the other side of the pillow."

Friday was spent walking around Dhaka and going to the Peace Corps office and kicking it is the volunteers lounge. Using the FREE high speed internet and taking a couple of books from the library there. Because on does not want to be stuck at sight with nothing to read.

Friday night was a quick night becuase I had to be up at 6 am and over to the HUB site by 6:30 to catch a bus back to Dhaka fro the Supervisors Conference. This was an all day event highlighted by me meeting my "boss" if you will. It was a worshop that covered topeic from the role of the supervisor to Culture and Communication.. Most meetings dealt with theory/ideas of the Peace Corps and what exaclty I will do once at site. My guy is super nice and overly excited about me coming to his college. He is the Principal of Brahmanbaria Govt. College. It has class (grades) 11 and 12 plus honors students. the enrollment is around 5,000 students. Currently they have 8 English teachers and I will be put in the English dept. Together with the English teachers we will come up with the best way to use my knowledge/talent. Basicly, we will make a work plan. This plan describes how I will be using my time in the school and community. I am no to stop gap or fill gap (be a sub) I am considered a part time teacher, kind of like an advisor working 4 or 5 days a week with a minimum of two classes per day and a maximum of 4. I will also work in the community 50% of my time at site. My work plan must have these three things:

Regularly scheduled classes, these can be existing classes already offered at the school. But, I cannot replace an existing teacher.

Special Classes: this provides an opportunity for the students to benefit from my additional skills and talent outside regularly scheduled classes

Co-teaching: this would be when I and another teacher work together by observing each others classes and sharing technical support as needed. That is a brief overview of my mission. The work plan is half of the story. The other half is a secondary project which can be anything I choose

Moving on to the next topic. Before I left people kept asking me why are you going to Bangladesh. In fact I still get asked this question all the time. I give most people the answer why not? to give something back. I believe in Human Ability. That is what I have to offer and I can help to improve. To what better purpose is there? (I know you liked that line JEN!) I want to do something different. I want to learn about development. I want to travel and not do the tourist thing. It is more than a feeling that I am going to wake up one morning trapped in my future. For all my years of education(I've been in school for as long as I can remember) Do I truly know anything? I want to throw myself into the unknown and learn in a way that will cost me something...

Greetings all,

The other day marked the first day of Ramadan which is a month of fasting for the muslim faith. Here is how things break down. One cannot eat, smoke, chew gum or even drink water during the day light hours. Mohammad the great prophet of Islam decided this so people could feel what it was like to be poor (yes, I do know that I"m in Bangladesh) However one has the saving grace of chewing on a stick. Apparently, that is what our boy did . Also, everything becomse more expensive around this time as well, (the whole helping out people not as well as yourself) Everything ends with a huge muslim holiday called Ed, which is much like our X-mas, but not really.

Around 3 am everyday a guy come on the loud speaker and says you can start cooking and eating for the day. This follows the air rade sicrens. Keep in mind that it is still dark out because the fasting starts with the first break of daylight. We were informed that it is not respectful for us to consume anything outside during this time. Which I can fully understand. Also, during the daylight hours all the restraunts and tea stands put sheets on their windows so people can't see in. That way us non-muslims can eat and do what we normally do and not make anyone mad that is fasting, or if you want to cheat nobody can see you. I asked my host father about the "cheating" and how much went on. He told me that Allayh knows/sees all.

Many people asked me if I was going to fast, I always say "NO" and I wish them luck with their fasting. Shortly after this I find myself defending my faith. "It is a great feeling to eat after fasting all day" To which I say, "I bet it is, but I for one enjoy drinking water whenever I want to" Most times this ends to conversation but once in a while I really get some different questions...

Lastly, some other random comments and happenings for this week. The other day while we were walking home from the Hub site (the place where we train everyday) so guy comes up to us shaking his finger at us and saying that he doesn't trust Americans, to which I reply how many Americans do you know? He pauses and looks at me for a sec. and then just goes on shaking his finger at me. So I say Good, I don't trust you either because your ugly. (When your Bangli is as limited as mine, you have to stick with what you know)

The last story is about the head dude from USAID came to talk to us, he showed up in a bullet proof GMC SUV followed by two trucks! It was just something out of the movies, (I so want that!) he talked to us a while, and gave us the skinny on what USAID did in the Desh, I've got a couple ideas, so that could prove to be worth while, but the only thing I wanted to you to get out of the story was, armored

trucks and an army esscort!!!

Right now training is starting to wind down and our teachers are just killing time until our site visits next week. So not to much news to report on. Tomorrow our site visit info will be passed out, and what is even better is the fact that I"m taking my weekend leave to Dhaka for some much needed R&R. That right, for 10 dollars US I'm getting a room with cable, a soft bed, hot water and A/C... What's best is that Pizza hut does an after 5 special where it's all you can eat for 299 teka!

Today I will leave you with some closing comments from my fellow trainee Andy, " Keep trying, don't worry to much about the cow pies, you have to have something to put the PB on..."

Here is the much awaited update in my life... Once again the peace corps gave me a taste of freedom and then took it away... Model school ended when the last update I gave you and since then it has been back to 4 hours of language class a day... It was nice not having anything to do everyday until noon and then being done with the day in an hour....

So here you go!

For one of the last things we have to do in our training is a Community project. Well, 5 of us decided to put on a soccer game. It started out small but soon became very bery big. It became so big that we rented a rickshaw and had two megaphones put on it and rode around twon adversting the game! We got help from our language teachers on what to say. We rented both the microphones, speakers, and rickshaw for an hour. 2 of us went for 30 min and then we switched. Here is what we said in Bangli

Football match Football match!

America Boneu Bangladesh

Amgical Charr tin October

Beshi tecka

It was nuts! you have no idea how many crazy looks we got, we had people running along side of us, people wre chering us and running up to us with the biggest smile on there face! We even had a run in with the locals!! Ok, so one cannot microphone (that's what they call it) during last call to prayer or in front of a Mosk.. Well, we were told about being quiet during the call to prayer, but we had no idea about no in front of a mosk... So there just happens to be a rather large mosk in the center of the market. And train tracks spilt the market into two sides... We come rolling up with speakers blaring and have to stop and wait for a train, this guy comes running out of the mosk with a brick and throws it at the speaker and starts yelling at our rickshaw walla (we had to use a local, because our country director would not let us pedel ourselves) Right now I'm thinking this is it. Mob justice in action. I can see the headlines now, two Americans beaten to death for not respecting the muslim culture. So we turn more white than usual, and start saying I"m sorry and I didn't know. The guy turns and looks directly at us, his face changes from anger to a very kind almost sweet look and says, " It's alright, calm down, you didn't know any better." Then goes back to ripping into the rickshaw driver! So we go for a couple of blocks in slience not to for sure wether or not that happened... Shortly after, we recover and are once again back to making our nosie polution

Moving on to game day and things of that nature. It didn't rain for almost a full two weeks. To make up for the dry weather, it has rained for 4 days straight, and I"m not talking about scattered showers here. Eveyone keeps on telling me that the moonsoon season is over and the shit (winter, that is really what they call it) is coming. Persoanlly, I think they are lying. It has rained so hard here that one couldn't see to our security wall (every house has one) which might be two arm lengths from my window! Now some background on the soccer game. It was going to raise money for a local orphanage... Well, a few hours before kick off we get a phone call from the stadium ower and he wants to talk/meet us face to face. It turns out that we can't charge people money for the game. If an organization is going to do a fundraiser they have to collect the funds, somelse cannot collect money and then give it to some other group. So in short, the game became free... And also we were supposed to get a permit and let the city comissionar know about our little plan.... After all that their was one more surprise waiting for us... When we came walking into the stadium there were riot police there to greet us! Yes, I said guys with big guns and bamboo sicks to be exact!!! All and all about 12 of them, we even had 2 of them to guard our stuff! Now, I have no idea why these guys were their but it sure was great!! I felt pretty cool!! I must admit it...

The game itself was alright... The atosmphere was Awsome!! to play in. There were about 3 hundred people stuffed into this tiny stadium and they were very very loud! Just like the crowd at Wizards games during the Papa Johns magic minutes! (A couple of you know what I'm talking about) We ended up losing 2-1 but that's really ok, only 4 or 5 of us have ever played soccer before in our life. And of course it rained on us a couple of times!!! There were a lot of camaras there so I will do my best to try and get some photos of the Desh for you all!. I would have to say that our Community project was a hit and it is going to be hard to leave all these great people behind in less than a month.

Which bring me to my next point. Last Friday we got or sight placements. I'm off to Brahmanbaria. It is located 2.5-3 hours East of Dhaka by train... Keep in mind that that Bangladesh is smaller than most of our states. I don't know anything about the place other than they have cheap internet and I will be teaching at a coed college. It his the hometown of my Program Manager, which could be a good thing or a bad thing... Currently there is a B6 there They are done with service when I swear in. That means I will be all by myself. (I am a B8, Bangladesh 8th group here hints B8)

Two posts in one week, WOW!! I do it all for you!!

After many weeks,my language class finally made a trip into Dhaka,

the place where you can get anything or at least so they say... So we left

at 8 am and got into dhaka around 8:45 or so... Our language teacher wanted

to have all 5 of us over to her parents house, this included breakfeast and

lunch. more on that in a bit... So I was not allowed to leave the house

without taking breakfeast so I forced down two eggs and some bread, once we

show up at Jhumes house, we get fead again... This time we have toast,kola,

and 7 or 8 other things we sit around and talk for a while about nothing

then we head off to this shopping mail that only 1% of bangladesh can afford

to shop at... It was alright, one bonus was the fact that it had A/C but

other than that I really didn't see anything that was all that special...

We took two priviate cars to get there, her family has one and then her uncle

has one as well, they come competely with drivers as well, now I know what

your thinking, I'm riding around Dhaka in a new benz or something. NOT even

close!!! We were in a 1987 corolla.... complete with smached sides.... their

are traffic laws but nobody follows them it is so KRAZY!!! There are no

traffic lines on the roads, it's much like a video game in real life, what's

even better is the fact that the cars don't have any seatbelts and in our

car we didn't even know how fast we were going becuase the tack was broken....

Moving on to the highlight of the day, PIZZA HUT!!! we went their and I

never thought I would be so excited to eat there in my life, it was really

good just like the states, it was also the cleanest pizza hut I have ever

been in all my life, every pizza hut in the states should strive to be like

that one.... They had this bell that you rung if you had a good time, ring

away my friend ring away...

Next up I tried to track down some booze, I came within a glass window of

getting some, they have a store called duty free, you've most likely seen

them in airports... Well, they exist in Dhaka, I saw one and ran up to the

window, I could see in and I say booze, but it was closed because Friday in

the holiday in Bangladesh.... So back to my teachers house for yet more

food.... We were in Dhaka for 5 hours and had 3 meals.... What is even more

funny is this... Yesterday I was walking home and I ran into one of our

neighbors and he said, travis you look as if you've lost weight, are you

feeling ok?? you look very unhealthy you need to eat more!! I had no reply

for that one!!!

So after the soccer game everyone kept coming up to me and saying you play

so beautiful, one guy come up with the biggest smile, said how beautiful I

played and how happy I made him and then he said some other stuff that I

couldn't understand... I have fans in the desh!!! Last night was topped off

with a birthday party were I was in at least 35 photos and was feed birthday

cake by the birthday boy and I feed him cake as well, I'll be honest with

you, it kind of freaked me out!!!

Tonight and tomorrow will be wonderful, it's thursday and that means movie night at the hub, and Friday our day off!!! And I get to find out where I will be posted for the next two years!!!

Wish me luck,

Greeting all,

Thoughts on the first day. HOLY COW!! there is no way that anyone can be that shy. I must tell you what the classroom looks like and what the girls wear. The classroom is pretty good sized and I will be team teaching for the first couple days. The classroom doesn't have desks. They have wooden benches with a horse like desh that is bolted down to the floor... The classroom could fit over 200 students which is the normal class size, but they have cut ours to around 60 (which is nice) In the fron is a big chalk board and a platform which is raised a foot or two above the ground. So that the teacher "looks" down upon the students. Another thing that seems out of place is the fact that the studdents enter the class before the teacher, and whne I endter everyone stands until I tell them to sit back down. All the the girls wear uniforms with white shoes which isn't a good idea in the desh, nothing white is... And the stage or plateform even has a mircophone which I don't use because I am loud enough with out it. As most classrooms their is nothing on the walls except rusting paint...

Class went pretty well, it was more quiet than church. Most of the students looked at us like a deer caught in headlights. Most students have no idea how to come up with something on their own, but they sure can say what you say very well. We did an acitvity that worked on past and future tense. You had to write two sentences down, one in Future tense and one is past tense. The tough part was that one sentence had to be untrue. So after giving directions and seeing if the class understood. I asked for example of past and future tense. (they gave me examples) so we set them loose and while they were doing their work I wrote two of my own sentences on the board. I will play football this friday, and Last year I was president of Bangladesh. So after 5 min we asked some students to share their sentences. Nobody had anything, we called on one poor girl and she just stood there.... No worries I said, and together we came stumbled to come up with two sentences.

I don't know if this is good or bad, in a class around 60 or so we have 4 or 5 students who know what is going on and always want to talk, it all realities they run class, kind of like a teachers pet in America but way worse. If students were like this in America they would for sure get beat by other classmates... To wrap up class we played hangman. It went better then our first activity. But, it was still rough. It's like asking students to think has never happened before.

Sorry about the short blogg this week, last firday I went to dhaka and it was a blast I will update you on that later, but this week has a sad note to it... One of my friends from USM had passed away. Cody was a freshman last year at USM and we kicked it a lot in the dorms and on the soccer field... I really like Cody and I feel kind of stuck here in the desh right now... So peace to you all for today

Firends,

After getting some much needed questions and thoughts from my readers, fans, parents, and some other people who will remain nameless,(master) I have decided to make this blogg entry a question and answer session between me and myself... I'll be the minster of information....

MI: (minster of Information) Travis, thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to talk with us. First question, how has your views of Islam changed?

Travis: Before coming over to Bangladesh I really didn't have any views on Islam, I have only meat a couple muslims in my life and they were all very nice people, one of them was a teacher at my college. Wasiq was his name and I have very fond memories of him, he had some different ideas that I found very different from him, I always enjoyed his classes and learned a lot about economics and life in general. My views have only gotten better, the main idea of Islam really isn't that different from Christanity, besides the praying 5 times a day, the values are still the same, I.E live a good life, help out people who aren't as lucky as you and so on and so fourth... My host family is muslim and they are some of the nicest people I have ever meat, after all they did open up their house with open arms to me, and i'm pretty sure that I kicked the parents out of their room, so I could have my own bathroom and shower... The word "Islam" means peace and in the Koran it says that other religions are fine for other people to pratice... So I would say that my view has become only more positive.

MI: How have your views of poverty and wealth inequality changed and do you still think Globalization is a good idea?

This question is a tough one, Bangladesh is a very poor country,With that being said, The family I live with is pretty well off. We live in a 3 bedroom house with a living room, kicthen and dinning room. Plus one other room to hand wet laundry when it is raining outside. Granted everything is concert and we have no washer dryer and things of that nature. We have fans that do a pretty good job of keeping me cool which is nice, I have running water all be it cold water. and no window only bars...My room is good sized and i have a bed so no real compaints.

yes, I am very poor by American standards.68 tecka makes one US dollar I make a little more than a dollar a day but I get a walk around allownace of 1500 tecka each month. Furher more Peace Corps will pay for my room and board with spending money each month. So really I'm pretty rich in the desh if you stop and think about it. And most of these people have never been outside Bangladesh and never will, so if you have never had something how can you miss it or be sure that your life isn't pretty good with out it?

MI: very nice, it should be interesting to see how you deal with that after sometime, maybe right now your still enjoying ruffing it, by the way do you still enjoy doing laundry?? Moving on, What is Tv and music like way over there?

We have a TV, we don't get cable though. We only get the state run channel. It is sort of like public access in the states. only worse, it looks like a bad version of wanyes world....(that's probabbly a little harsh) One can get cable for around 200 tecka a month. And with that you will be able to watch BBC, skysports, star sports, star movies which shows bad american movies from 5-10 years ago. People here love the worst movies, for example Babies day out, look who's talking and Home alone three, (I didn't even know home alone 3 existed) Moving right along to music and movies, Titantic is huge here. Everyone loves it and nobody believes me when I say that I've never seen it. They all think I'm joking or something... The next biggest thing is Bollywood. It is the Hindi version of Holloywood. Except they make about 100 more movies a year and they are all musical and last about 4 hours! In the same light, women in these Bolloywood movies dress just as poorly or different as Americans do in their music videos which brings me to an intersting question I ask many locals. How do you feel about the women in bolloywood dressing like that, to which they reply I could care less,(that's not what they say but it gets the point accross) Keep in mind how funny this is. A women in bangldesh must be fully covered with an ornar and everything else on. To say that Bangladeah is conservative by our standards is an understatemnt!

the music here can be summed up best by saying Micheal Jackson, one day my host brother and I watched every micheal Jackson video ever made, many of which I have never seen before. Their is a lot of hindi music which is alright, I have no idea what they are saying but most people seem to enjoy it. Very few people know about Bob Marley but so far no one has said that they don't like him after I play some for them.

MI: So how are things in the bathroom dept? Do you still use your left hand?

The toilet still freaks me out. Have you ever been camping?? It's kind of like that, you squat like a cather does in baseball and make sure that you hit the hole, one cannot use toilet paper becasue it will clog up the pipes. And I for one am not going to clean that!! So far I have been able to time my "2" so that i can teak a shower directly after... (but I know the day is coming when that won't happen) Some numbers for you to think about, according to the Peace Corps numbers I have a 106% chance of getting dieariea... Bangladesh is the highest in Asia and Europe but, Chad takes the cake with a 300% chance of dierriea....

MI: Are there and opportunites for you to make suggestions to imporve the Peace Corps or the Bangladesh Education system?

After sitting in on a class 9 English class. I know that by just showing up I will do a better job than the teacher they had. the teaching here is something I found shocking to put it nicely. During one of our training sessions, a PCV(Peace Corps Volunteer) can and shared some of her expericences with us. He and taugh first grade back in the states, so they decided to have calss pin pals with one another. The PCV taught class 9, so about 2-3 months it became obivious that the 1st graders were light years ahead of the class 9 student in English and this pin pal stuff just was not working... So to make a short story shorter, they had to do class letters so the pin pals would work..

The other day I got the text book I will be teaching class 11. After looking at a few chapters. I came to the conclusion that if I were to give this book to a grade schooler and asked them to do some of the assignments they would be insluted!! starting this week I will begin model school. yes everyone hold your breath I will be teaching real students!!

So I will I be able to have some type of imparct here. Ithin that it migh me dangerous to thin of it in those terms. My teaching will really have no impact on the fact of them passing the national exam or not. I get kicked out of my class 2 weeks before they are to take exams. Ad the vast moajority of students will have memorized the text anyways. Or gone to some private coach (tutor) to learn what they need to know, things are made even worse but the fact that every student gets and answer key to the book. So I have the freedom to do what I please, which I think is a very good thing...

MI: Ok, folks I hope you have enjoyed our chat as much as I have. If you have any questons comments or otherwise you know how to get in contact with him. Best wishes, Travis do you have anything else you would like to add??

Thanks for reading my comments and thoughts, and as always, keep them coming, this blogg is for all of you!

And who is Wilford Brimely?

Greating and warm thoughts today from the Desh,

It is Friday here, the my one and only day off... Yes, here in Bangladesh they have a 6 day work week with Friday being the national holiday... Yet, nothing ever seems to get done...Today I thought I would type about my host family and some highights from my week.

Training is as boring as ever but, I don't or haven't thought of any way to make it exciting... I still have about a month and a half before I become an offical Peace Corps volunteer. I have made many friends and everyone here loves me or at least says that they love me. For example, today Bill (my host father) took me to some high ranking goverment officals house, (yes, I am meeting some VIPS) that was around 9:30 or so... Today, I got to sleep until 8:45 which my host family thought was SO late, everyone had a good laugh about it!

We took a 10 min rickshaw ride and arrived at this mans house, I would tell you his name but I have no idea how to spell it or what it was... He spoke very little english and we chatted about nothing really, Right now I can only talk in Bangli about my family, where I come from and what kind of food/fruit I like, so conversations are very short, Thankfully, my host father speaks good English so we talked through him. The man we went and visited had a son who was so shy that when we walked in he went running and hid under his bed for the whole hour and a half I was there. Today I have been eating since I got up. I had breakfest around 9 which was some rutti and two eggs along with coffee, (yes, I now drink hot tea and coffee at least 4 times a day) Here at the government officals house I had water, cookies, some type of fired bread, and something that looked like chex mix, along with coffee and Kola (bannana) He was very happy that I took the time to stop by and told me that I must stop by everyday and have tea with him because I was such a nice and gental person

On our way back home we stoped by Shubos (host brother) music teaching and I stopped everyone in their tracks when entering. His teacher had the biggest smile when he saw me and took me to the front of his class so that I could listen to them pratice. My host brother has a great voice and knows his way around the harmonium (a cross between and pinano and an accordenan)

Finally around 1 or so we start our treck back to the house only to be stopped by another shop owner who I have been introduced to, this time I get taken by the hand into his shop and he will not let me leave until I sit and have tea with him, this man whom I know has Shalmi is very nice and I often sit and chat with him while my host father does his marketing....

Now for the thoughts part of the blog. This week one of the other volunteers started a spoken english class that meets twice a week. A couple others along with myself attend on Tuesday nights, during this weeks class we worked on talking on the phone. The class is at BARRI which stands for Bangladesh Rice Research Instuite. So we worked on how to call people and proper phone talking.... A good time, everyone here wants to talk more like an American.

Some bickering about my host family, they have no idea what no means when it comes to food, everyday they still want to give me more and more rice! I'm up to two-three plates a meal, they still think I should eat more thought. They will lose face if in the community if I leave their house weighing less than when I showed up... I always have someone wanting to do something with me. For example, I will come home from class and they will say to me you are very tired, go and take rest now, then about after 5 min I will hear a knock on my door and "Mr, Travis sir what are you doing?"

Lastly and most upsetting, everyday around 5 pm or so I get taken on a walk, yes that's right taken for a walk!! Shubo and money (host bro and sister) come get me and walk with me to the end of our block and then back to the house, all and all maybe 100 yards, and on this walk Shubo talks to me as if he is my father telling me who I can and can't talk and how to address people and what I can and can't do! Are you kidding me?!?!? I'm gettng bossed around by a 10 year old!!!

Some numbers to end todays entry, Bangladesh has so many people (300 people per square mile) that if you gathered up everyone else in the world and put them all in Austriala, it still wouldn't be as populated as the desh!!!

I must tell you all about what has been going down at my house.... Last week my host father brought home 3 chickens. After a few hours my host family and a neighbor came to my door asking me to come here for a second, they wanted to know if I wanted to help or watch them kill he chickens. I said no thanks I know what goes on outside and I have no intentions of watching it. Keep in mind that my host mother has a rather large knife with here. It kinda of looks like a machete, a very medevil one at that. I've never seen them clean it, and who knows what the original color it should/was...So after a couple min of loud noises everything went silent... Shortly after that everyone comes to my room with a big smile on their faces. They procced to question me why I didn't want to help them and how we get chicken in America. I reply that I go to the supermarket and do all my shopping, everything come prepackaged. They followed up this with a question of how do you know if it is fresh or not?? I didn't have a reply back for that one.... Strangely enough though we did not have chicken for dinner that night, but today while at the market we bought 7 of them. Yes, I did say 7.....

I can already see great things waiting for me at KFC when I get back, I can hardly wait for the interview with them asking, "so what is your expierence with Chickens?"

Hello all,

First off, thanks for all the love with the posts, I'm glad that you all are enjoying my insights into this strange place....

I'm going to start off right where I left off, describing what the school looks like. It is concret like everything else in this country. It is unfinished with nothing hanging on the walls, it looks like a jail cell from one of those old western movies complete with iron bars in the windows, nothing hangs on the walls except rusted cement and flaking paint (I don't know if cement can rust but, I'm saying it) As far as the class goes. I"m pretty sure that I grade school student could do a better job of teaching than the teacher. Most teachers do not have their degress in the subjects that they are teaching. With that being said, the class is very boring and the teacher reads to them stories that are far from interesting... The teacher has his favorite couple of students and they are really the only ones who talk, and when you talk in class you have to stand up... The story we got to hear was about gradmother going to the market to buy a computer. After reading the story the class was asked who the main charter was and what they were doing in the story (the title was grandmother goes to town) and then after talking about what gradmother did, they had some fill in the blank.... (that is all I have to say about that)

So Friday is the national day off for all of Bangladesh, I'm up earlier on my one day off than I am when I have to go to language class.... Now the big thing for my host father likes doing with me is take me to bajar or maket and drop me off with one of his family members, ( I sit down in the coner of their store and watch people stare at me) I have no idea if these people are really realted to my host father, I have be introduced to over 20 people.... So after sitting and looking and people look at me for 20-30 min he come back with the supplies he needed to pick up.... One of the more interesting people that I got to meet was so guy who claimed that he worked in Saudia Arabra and how much he loved the American and to not trust the Bangloi because they were only after my money (boy, if he knew that I wasn't getting paid to be here) He spoke really good english (for some reason only the really crazy people speak good english) after talking with him for about5 min my host father came up and took care of him, they bickered for a little while and then we were off headed back home. And the journey home was flat out scary. We took a baby taxi home... A baby taxi is a 3 wheeler with a place in the back for people sit in/on with a roof over you.. (it is kind of like a golf cart with 3 wheels and they cram like 20 people in the back of them) To make things more intersting, their is a kid that hangs on the back and yells and people to get out of the way.... So after that ride I was ready to walk home for lunch.... Speaking of food, my host mothers life revloves it. She does not leave the house, he must wake up around 5 or so, because Bill my host father leaves for Dhaka every morning by private car (yes, he's pimpin') and that is at 7 am, I take breakfeast at 7:30 in order to be a school by 8... My host sister goes to school about once a week.... She sleeps a lot (boo her) I don't really know what she does while I"m at school, but I return home around 12:30 and have a snack before I eat lunch which is around 1 or so.... I think she takes a nap in the afternoon but I cannot prove anything... When I return home from tech. training she is waiting for me by the door most days saying "Travis you are so very late," (making it home by 6 pm everyday is a joke and most days I come rollin' in around 7:30 or so... It's more cha (tea) and snacks before Bill gets home and we chat about what I learned in class that day..... So I don't really know what she does with herself most days, I asked her and she just kind gave me something in bangli that I couldn't make out.....

For the past couple of days I have been in Jalokati, it is only about 150 kg away from Gazipur but it took us 8 hours to get there... To start off with traveling here is KRAZY!! We are the only Americans to travel by public transportation. The U.S embassy says that public transportation is to dangerous to take (so props to us) Nobody follows traffic laws here. The bus drives as fast as he can, passing people whenever possible and the best way I can describe it is like forgger or so other video game where you throw caution to the wind and drive things like you stole them... They have a guy next to the driver who stands on the little steps up and bangs on the bus once or twice depending on who or what is coming at us. One of the biggest problems is that the roads are not wide enough for two buses to pass each other, so it is a mess to say the least... Their were at least two occiasions where I jumped out of my seat into the seat across from me becasue I thought we were going to get smached, and speaking of wreaks, if I or anyone else ever gets in them we are advised to run away... (the court system is so bad here that "mob justice" is the only true way to take care of things) That will get you to sleep at night....

I'm happy to report that I made it ok, now on to the highlights of my trip. Adam the cat that I went to visit, has a super nice pad and even for standards in the States....He lives on the top floor of a 6 story building with a verandea all around. He has a big main room with another room that he has made into a weight room,complete with homemade weights from his students (can you say welcome to the flinstones) he has a living room which is pretty big, all and all not bad digs for 55 U.S dollars a month.... We got to hear him talk at some event that I"m still not quite sure what it was.... All I know is that I made a speech and said how great Kansas was and how nice it was to be in the Desh....We had burgers and fries which was excellent... It was washed down with a bottle of bad gin.... The next time we really got silly with a bottle of RUM... (shout out to Zach it was captian morgans) and watched the Man U vs Newcastle game. Yeah, he has cable with about 50 or so channels, I felt right at home in the states.... We drank with an irish volunteer who runs a hospital in town. He talked funny and I loved every minute of it..... I cannot wait to get to sight. It is just like college was, except I won't have any homework this time.... More on that later, I have to get to debrifing of my trip.... I will leave you with this note, all spellling mistakes are intentional and made for the reader as a intellectual challenge.

Everyone,

It has been almost a week since my last post. Bangladesh is crazy, they have these things called hartals where a bunch of people just march for some political reason. These things happen almost everyday crazy!!

Ok, I will start off with my typical day here in the Desh. I am up at 7 am and take a shower, I have running water but only one temp. Cold, I don't think I'll ever get used to that or the TP issue.... One thing of note, I have a sticker of the IRAQ flag on my bathroom door... Ok, bad to the subject at hand. I get breakfast at 7:30 so that I can make it to language class by 8 am. Language class lasts for 4 hours. I'm picking up the local language but very slowly....

At 12:30 it is back home for lunch with my host mother, she doesn't leave the house.... So that is weird, my host father works for a bank in Dhaka, which is about an hour away. He leaves each day at 7 by personal car... I take rest for a short while after lunch before going to the HUB (it is where all 57 of us meet in the afternoon) for tech training. That lasts until 5 or so and then it is back home for tea and more visitors... I am really a rock star here. People just stop whatever they are doing and stare like they have never seen a human before. The other day I was at market with my host father and this little kid came running up and just walked beside me looking directly at me for about a block, who knows how long he would of walked next to me. He ran straight into a beam that was holding up a sign for some shop....

Just some random comments and thoughts about life, my house and things of that nature. Everything here is concrete, I have my own room a pretty good sized room at that, running water and my own bathroom. The weather here is just like Kansas in the Summer except that we have no A/C... The power goes out at least two times a day... Nothing looks like it is finsihed. More on that later. I have to run. I have a family crewfew of 6 pm everyevery day!!!

Good evening,

After tonight I will be living with a host family, this place is crazy!! The past few days have been a blur. Training started yesterday with a big welcome bash. This morning was the first offical day of traning.

My morning started a little sooner than I wanted when my roomate said Hey! Trevor It's like 6:30 I"m up, so I roll over and look at my watch, much to my surprise it was really 5:30 in the morning, who get up 2 hours before you need to?? I reply back to this, "Napolean, it's only 5:30 go back to bed. (my roomate looks just like Napolean's bro from the movie Napolean dinminate....)

Breakfeat was grand, of course there was plunty of rice and tea for everyone, after that we all headed down to the classrooms for language training. Unlike most Lanugage classes this one is very different. We all are getting broken into groups of 5 and the focus is on talking not grammar, so we repeat alot and work tons on talking to one another. This first session last for about 45 min. Today we learned how to say hello, where we are from and how to ask for names. Which is a good thing seeing that tomorrow afternoon I move in with my host family. After the first session we break for tea which requires at least 30 min. Shortly after that we get some more Banglai. Followed by lunch at 12:30. After lunch we had to take care of some legwork stuff. I checked in my valubles which were my credit card my ID and some cash that I won't be needing anymore... I'm pretty sure being poor is going to suck! You all will have to wait and see how that plays out. Lastly, I got a cell phone and got a talk about host family rules and a talk about proper pooping... Things were sumed up the best with this, "you touched it when you were two, so get used to touching it again..." Also, I was strongly advised not to use TP because it will clog the toliets....

As hungry as that makes one dinner was up next and much to my surpirse we had pasta and I was all excited about it. But, all for not:( the pasta was not very good at all. But, as usual there was plunty of rice to go around... After dinner we got the chance to Bangladesher Ridoy hote perform. They are part of Proshika aa centre fro human development. The pieces they performed was the Soul of Bangladesh. It had seven parts representing the seven seasons of Bangladesh. The first couple were kinda slow and no matter how hard I tried I kept on falling asleep.... I finally came two for the last two songs and really liked what I heard, plus I got this really cool bracelet!

I will post another blog with thoughts and comments later tonight because I am not for sure when I will have the net again....

Cheers

Hello all,

First off, inside these are ( my own personal comment or thoughts)

Tonight marks the first time I will be coming to you from Bangladesh, after being in a plane for over 24 hours we have finally made it. It all started with a 10 and a half hour flight from San Fran to Toyko which only ended up taking about 9 and some change. After hearing/finding out that booze was free on this flight, several of my future volunteers decided to have a few to many and get themselves cut off and become very loud.... Mom, Dad, I am very proud to say that I stayed sober and took several naps and watched some sub par movies....

Once in Japan, we had a two hour wait in the airport, nothing really of note happened there but I can now say that I've been in three different countries in three days. (which is nice) Next up was a flight to Bangkok which was a 7 hour flight, I'd like to tell you about it excpet for the fact that I feel asleep before we took off and woke up when we landed.... Things pick up when we get off, Bangkok the airport did not have a jet way, (all of my supposeded peace corp trainees don't think it's called that but, since they cannot come up with anything better, a jet way it will stay) we got to walk down a bunch of steps and take a bus to the terminal, and all this from an airport you have to pay $13 bones to get out of! The guy in front of me shorted the last step and face planted in front of me onto the pavement, I asked if he was alright, he said yes (personally I think he was hurt mentally) so on the terminal which I almost never got into.... So we all get in line to check in and what not, finally after 30 min of waiting it is my turn to talk to the little lady behind the desk, they even have a place marked were to set your feet, so one doesn't come to close to the desk. So the passport lady startes asking questions like, what's your business, where are you going and stuff like that... To which I reply, I'm with the peace corps and we are staying the night here and in the morning we are flying to Banglaesh. She looked at me as if she had no idea what I just said ( I'm sure many of you have had that same very feeling when talking to me) Moving on she called over some other super short lady (sorry kate) and they both talked for a little bit, keep in mind that the line next to me is moving right along and I am watching as all the other Peace Corps people walk right by. Finally, a lovely girl name Francie came to my rescue and called out to these two ladies, "Hey he's with us, and we are all right over there," the short ladies replied back, where are you going? Francie," We are staying at the Amri hotel and flying out to Bangkok in the morning." After that exchange my credit was good once again and I was offically in Bangkok.

Once inside the Amri we get checked in and everything is well, (now I know where some of my parents tax dollars goes, how in the world does the Peace Corps afford this place) This place has a fully stocked mini bar, a komno and two really really small beds, these beds are so small they make the Dorm beds look big! Enough bed bashing, they were very soft and had a very pretty flower on top, so pretty I bought one and will be mailing it back to the states to one lukcy person! I make a couple phone calls and soon it was almost 2 am, we had to be up at 5 because our flight to Bangladesh left at 7 am. The flight to Bangladesh was rather boring, only 2 hours and 25 min. But, I did have some tasty rice and chicken and somthing that had shrimp in it.

Finally, we see Dhaka (and for all of you wonder what Dhaka looks like, it looks strikingly like the movies Full metal Jacket, Platoon, and Good Morning Vietnam) Everything is flooded, in fact 70 pecent of Banglaesh is flooded right now. Our airport looks like it is carved out of the jungle and it is so humid that when we landed the windows fogged up. Once again waiting in customs lines something funny happens, we are all being good little volunteers when this guy just walks right by us and right through customs, I'm like "holy cow!" did anybody else see that cat!?!? A couple people did and we just looked at each other confued, if people do that why even have lines?? And speaking of lines, I swear to you all that we were the only people there. Anyways, I'm happy to report that everything went smoothly this time, in fact the guy at the desk didn't even talk to me! I said hello and he just looked at me in a slightly indifferent tone....

I got the chance to carry all 76.8 pounds of nike bags which has all my stuff I will need for the next two years or at least a 6 month supply of TP and old spice. Once this trek was competeled I haded my to bags to a man that could of easily been packed in my bag, I offered to help but he was having none of it. I have to admit I felt pretty cool walking throught the airport with all 15 of the peole there stairing at me, once outside the heat hit me like a coffee table (your never going to live that one down Mr. Murry) and once again everyone wearing glasses could not see due to the fog on them. Their were people everywere, the only way I can describe it is like this, Have you ever been to a really big concet and you look backwords and all you see is a sea of people? Well, it looked just like that except on all sides. After loading our bag onto a truck we have about a 10 foot walk to some busses that are going to take us to the hotel, I must of taken 4 steps and these little kids start comin up to be saying, "boss, boss, can I have a dollar, I'm an orphan" I keep on walking and don't even look at them, another person give this little kid a coin, and before he even gets a chance to see it he gets punched and after that I rush of people just dog pile, all this for just a little coin....

Now for the 15 min bus ride to the hotel, not to bad really. I am greated with a very cheerful hello and the biggest bottle of water I have ever seen. It's MUM water and it's bottled by RC cola, (thought they went out of business in the 80's, must not of, they are HUGE in Bangladesh) Once we left Japan I could no longer drink anything except bottled water. More on that later, back to the subject at hand. Traffic here is crazy!! They have lines on the street yet no one pays attention to them. We played chicken with 4 or 5 cars on the side street that our hotel is located on. What really freaked me out was the fact that every building has armed security in front of it (later I was informed that is normal and don't worry those guns are bolt-action and pre WWII and most likely don't even work. In short all for show) one buliding that caught my eye had glass cememted sticking stright up on the wall outside, scary!

Once inside, our hotel is nothing but first class a little cramped but the staff is super nice, you have to out run them if you want to open a door by your self. Which I could for sure get used to. That is all for today but, I will leave you with some silly numbers.

Bangladesh is roughly the size of Wisconsin except it has half of the USA population forced in it

USA total population293,027,571

The average home has 3 kids in it, down from 6 10 years ago

This will be the 8th and largest Peace Corps mission

My group has volunteers from 27 states

On our flight to Japan I saw two sunrises

We are 11 hours ahead of Kansas (that means I could fly from Japan to L.A and it would be a day earlier than when I left)

Tomorrow I will give my insights on the first day of training and what the Peace Corps office looks like in Bangladesh