Longmire does Romance Novels

Longmire does Romance Novels

I thought this site was funny - although I think I'm a little offended by some of it. Good for a laugh though.

Damn the Mosquitoes! Damn All the Mosquitoes!

Today the electricity went out (it goes out every day for about an hour right after sundown) and I was so tired so I thought, Hmmm, I'll take advantage of the darkness and take a nap. I didn't want to put up the mosquito net because if I put it up too early, it's pretty inevitable that one or two nasty little mosquitoes will sneak in and torment me all night. So I covered myself in a thin blanket (sort of torcherous because it's really hot and there was no fan because of the current outage) and I wrapped my orna (the useless third piece of the traditional "three piece" outfits that is used to conceal the fact that I have breasts from the men of this country) around my head, leaving my mouth and nose exposed so I could breathe. It worked for about 5 minutes, until all of a sudden I realized that I was being bitten on my lower lip. Damn those mosquitoes! Damn them!
You know those commercials for Deep Woods Off! Spray where you can hear the annoying hum of mosquitoes in the background? Well, it's really like that here. If you tune out the car horns, the rickshaw wallah bells, the people hacking up loogies, the babies crying, and the men yelling "Coy mach", you can hear a high pitched hum - the song of thousands of mosquitoes just waiting for that naked foot to stop moving so they can perch and inject thier poison. And what poison it is, lethally strong - one drop and my skin welts up like I've been caned. Hydrocortizone does NOTHING. The only hope is to sit in agony and try not to scratch-rub-poke-touch the area until the intensity subsides and you can sortof forget about it - until the next bite comes along. Sigh. Inhaling lethal pesticides isn't that bad, is it?

Yesterday I was able to attend the convocation ceremony for all of the doctors who have passed both parts of the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons examination since 2002. These are a few of the graduates, Maya and Masud-bhai included. Khaleda Zia was there, how exciting for me! 

This is a badly photographed picture, but we're cute.  

Masud-bhai, Khalamma (Masud-bhai's mother), and Maya

I'm so proud of these two - they worked really hard. Masud-bhai is leaving for Singapore on February 26 to spend six months completing a fellowship in surgery. He is already a great surgeon, but now he will get even better. Maya is going to start her specialized training in gynecology and obstetrics in Chittagong, and is hoping to go to London to finish the second part of her training and certification from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Together they will help thousands of people, competently and fairly. And Masud-bhai's mother was so proud of them that she just cried the entire day. I felt lucky to be included in this special event.

When I have lots of boring work to do, I'm really good at wasting time. I call this one "Bangladeshi Bodhu" (Bangladeshi Bride) 

Happy Anniversary To Me!

Masud still has a few hours to remember that we got married on this day 8 years ago. Yes, 8 years. I'm really starting to feel old! The other Fulbrighters talk about being born in the '80's and don't know about "Different Strokes" - What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis? It has happened. I've always been "the young one" - skipped a grade and got my license a year after everyone else in my class, graduated early, went to college early, married an old, old man so all of our friends are, well, elder than me (no offense, friends!) ....and all of a sudden I'm the old one! It kinda feels good. I feel matronly. Okay, not really. I still think farts are funny.

Today, I tried to give Isaac the whole day - I took him to the American Club to play on the playground and eat American food, then we went and blew 500 taka on some new DVD's (don't tell Masud), and even still he's not happy. I am at my wits end with him. On the way to the American Club, we stopped at the tailor. She likes Isaac, so she made him a really beautiful shirt. When she gave it to him, he said, "No way, I hate Bangladeshi shirts." She was really offended and I was so embarrassed! He's got such a chip on his shoulder since his baba left. A nearly-five-year-old with a chip, it's not a fun combo. If anyone has any good ideas besides gratuitous bribery with cheap toys, please let me know.

Well, Mr. Chippy is fighting me for the computer. I think I've fought long enough and it's time to give in. More soon.

My dudes. 

We miss baba. 

Busy and Bored.

Life has once again settled into a routine, therefore I have nothing interesting to tell you about. But I know that some of you check my blog often, and it's nice to see a new post once in a while, so I'm at your service. Lately, I've been trying to get all of my data entry done (so I have a neck ache) and I've been buying lightweight fabric and having some comfortable clothes made. It's really hot here! Yesterday it was 90 degrees and I was complaining to the rickshaw-wallah. He started laughing and said, "Madam, if you think this is hot, you are going to die in a few weeks." Ha ha, very funny. I can't wait.

Isaac has become very excited about learning how to read. He's been working on his letters (something I never thought would happen), and has memorized a few easy books. He's also starting to draw, finally. I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that he does things at his own pace. Once he wants to do something, he does it right. The first thing he drew were his own business cards, complete with name and portrait. Then he got mad at me because I dropped his Yu-Gi-Oh cards and the got "out of order", so he drew my portrait and then made a ceremoniously huge "X" on top of it. I said, "Did you just cross me out?" and he said, "No, I TERMINATED you." Oh. Yikes.

I have a great idea for making this blog a little more interactive - In the next week or so I'm going to post a little project, and I'll need all of your help to finish it. So stay tuned. It will be a lot of fun, and emotionally rewarding as well!

Madman Across the Water

Yes, my madman is across the water. Sigh. I wonder if it would have been easier if he had not come to visit in the first place – then missing him wouldn’t be so hard. But, no, it was a good visit. We all got to reconnect a little bit, and dream about the day in June when we’ll be together as a family again. Isaac has been sleeping with one of his Baba’s t-shirts that got left behind. He keeps making plans for “when we go to America.” Absence really really does make the heart grow fonder.

I, on the other hand, have been really busy. I’m almost thankful for the upcoming two-day continuous hartal (strike) that will keep me locked in the house, once again. I plan to read a new book that I found yesterday – a real page-turner – called “Getting Health Reform Right”. Yeah, I’m a nerd.
Today is our last pre-strike freedom day, so we’re going to run some errands. That is, if anybody else wakes up. Isaac is snoring like an 80 year old man. It’s getting hot already. So much for “winter”. Yesterday it was about 80 degrees and extremely sunny. The kind of sun that makes you want to wear a burqa to hide your skin. My pasty whiteness reflects the rays like a mirror – I’m surprised I didn’t get burned yesterday. Don’t worry mom, I’m digging out the sunscreen.

So many epiphanies, so little time.

So we made a quick trip to Bangladesh's Liberation War Museum today. My friend Tanya (http://www.cybertanya.blogspot.com) had recommended it last week, so I thought it would be a good idea to take Masud while he was here. I was warned in advance not to take Isaac due to excessive goriness, and it was good advice. I was very impressed, though, by the collection of artifacts and the way they used music to enhance the somewhat haphazard visual display. The songs they were playing over the stereo were liberation war era patriotic songs - saying things like "we fight to save a dying flower". I overheard Masud talking to another spectator about how he got goose bumps...and they were both looking at a picture of a 5 year old boy who was standing next to a bomb, and Masud said, "I was about that age when the war started, I remember it." It was quite an emotional experience for both of us. I want to go again when I have more time - and more money. I want to buy out the gift shop.

After we left the museum, I lost my cell phone in a cab. Although I'm really upset because it's going to cost quite a bit to replace it, I'm kind of glad, because that cell phone was so old and ugly that it was a little embarrassing. Plus, all the numbers had been rubbed off, so text messaging was a pain in the ass.

In other news, I think I have some awful disease. I have not been "well" for two weeks - both my digestive system and respiratory system are out of whack, and I have an awful headache. Being sick for a long time SUCKS! I'm probably dying, so send me your last respects.

Dhaka - Land of Black Snot

I still don’t like Dhaka, but I’m really relieved to be here. After many fruitless phone calls, we were finally able to secure a truck and driver that were willing to make the trip from Comilla to Dhaka with all our worldly goods. Most truck owners were too scared of rioting to allow their trucks to make the trip. It made for a tense ride to Dhaka, but we made it safe and sound. Now I’m in the painful process of unpacking all the boxes and trying to decide where to put all my crap. In Comilla, I had 1500 square feet. In Dhaka, I have a 10 x 12 ft. room, which is already inhabited by other people’s stuff. My biggest problem is Isaac’s toy collection – even though I feel like I gave away half of it to his cousin in Comilla. Sheesh. New rule – if he must have a new toy, he has to get rid of one from his collection first to make room. He promptly agreed that he doesn’t need any more toys. J

Masud will be leaving on the 11th, and Isaac mentions it about every five minutes. It’s going to be rough this time around, because he realizes what it means to be apart for “a lot a lot of days”. It’s much easier to keep him happy in Dhaka, though. As soon as this political junk cools down, we’ll be able to go out to eat, go shopping (no toys! but dvd’s are okay, aren’t they?), and generally waste money. It makes us both feel good.