"a"-kar'ed out

This week, I started my Bangla script lessons. I'm not going to be in Dhaka for very long, so I'm doing the accelerated version. Two hours a day, three lessons per session. Just one question for all you Bangla speakers out there, why do you have to have SO MANY LETTERS? And all those combo deals, it makes my head swim. But I'm proud to say that I can make out a word here or there on my way home and in the newspaper. Not that I understand what I'm reading. One thing I'm realizing is that I really did learn "gram" Bangla. Gram Bangla is the equivalent of a southern accent in english (or as they say in Bangla "engriji"). If a person learns to say "I ain't gon' eat no fish head", they will have a hard time learning to say "I do not wish to partake of the head of the fish". My teacher is constantly correcting me. "It's not 'buchi', it's 'bujhechi'. Its not 'kaisi', it's 'keyichi'." And she's always telling me to "boshun", "porun", "bolun" (which I know as boshen, poren, bolen). OK this won't make much sense to people who don't know Bangla, but my Bangla buddies will get a laugh out of it.
In other news, I've been tooling around Dhaka by myself. My brother in law showed me the ropes (he took me to my Bangla class on the first day) and then I was on my own. The second day, I tried to take a rickshaw to the American Center, which is about a 10 minute walk from my language center. The rickshaw wallah drove around in circles until I asked him if he knew where he was going. He finally admitted that he didn't know. I had to pay him 5 taka, and then get another rickshaw, who took me to the American Center and charged 10 taka. It should have been a 6 taka ride. Oh well, live and learn.
Isaac fits in well in bangladesh. It's a corrupted country, and people take bribes. Nowadays i have to bribe Isaac to do everything from eating his cereal to taking a bath. He used to get toys but that got too expensive. Now I bought him a little wallet, and each time he does something that requires a bribe, I give him 10 taka. He's saving up to buy a 550 taka airplane. It won't be long, let me tell you. Is it bad that I have to bribe my four year old to bathe? Yeah, probably. My excuse is that I'm in a third world country without my husband. Bad parenting is acceptable. Hopefully the cultural experience will make up for it in the long run.
Well, time for my evening cup of tea. Keep those emails a-comin', friends. I live for them.