First few days in BANGLADESH!

After surviving the two day journey to Dhaka, Bangladesh I was very excited to finally be here and the trip finally started to feel real. My first impression of Bangladesh started in the airport when I began to feel awe struck and overwhelmed by the crowds of people and admittedly most of them were men. When driving to the guesthouse in Dhaka from the airport again I felt overwhelmed by the amount of people, the heat, and amazed by traffic- it was so chaotic and seemed like absolute madness to me but there seemed to be some sort of logic to the madness that I do not understand. The theme of my first week here is is that this is a trip of firsts for me- first time experiencing an over crowded population, witnessing massive slums, an elephant carrying people down the road, a city that seemed to be expanding in every direction- up and out with what seemed like no rules, humidity that made me sweat like never before, a mall that was 8 floors high and extremely fancy, witnessing a privately owned amusement park for the upper class in an area surrounded by what could only be considered the ultra poor. The temple, mosque, and fort we visited were absolutely astonishing and very beautiful. I am thankful we got the opportunity to see them. The eight hour drive to Rangpur was not a boring ride, there was always something to look at. When driving out of Dhaka we saw textile factories and tons of kilns and piles of breaks for the growing city. We crossed an 8 km bridge that had beautiful scenery around it. Almost the whole drive there were towns and tons of people, and stores all along the highway. Traffic was even more terrifying than in Dhaka because of the speed people drove and passed each other.
Yesterday was the first day we began to visit RDRS's project sites. We visited a rehabilitation center for young girls and women. The girls there showed so much courage and were so brave, it was such a privilege for us to visit them and for them to share their stories, which were heartbreaking. To me it appeared the center was doing an amazing job the girls seemed happy, well cared for, and were beginning to show confidence and self esteem- some got up and danced and sang for us which was beautiful. What the center is doing for the girls is wonderful, I am so thankful that it exists for them and they are able to learn a trade such as embroidering, sewing, or candle making to empower them and so they can support themselves and their children. Today we are starting out for Thakagun which is about a 2 hour drive. Looking forward to seeing and learning more!