In conclusion............


As we enjoy our last few days and reflect on our weeks here in Bangladesh,  it is somewhat bitter sweet.To say that this experience was totally amazing would be putting it mildly, but I know I would do this trip again.One of the most difficult things we faced was to try and not make comparisons with things here and things in Canada. But how could you not make daily comparisons with life in Canada? I think this was something we were all guilty of at some point or another. In making the comparison , it was not to say that we were better but to be thankful- simply thankful for things such as our health care,air conditioning, running water, a toilet with a seat .....or simply feeling, believing and knowing that you had a world of choices and possibilities ahead of you ,instead of simply marriage,field work or child rearing.We are thankful for the fact that when we go to the doctor ,even though we may have to wait to see a specialist, we knew that we would eventually see one. That in our city, we have a choice of hospitals, doctors or clinics to go to.We were thankful for our dental and eye care and other health benefits that we took for granted and expect to receive in a sanitized facility that thousand of people in developing countries don't receive.
Our group got a first hand look at what its like to receive emergency care, maternity care and family planning at some of the rural hospitals.
This trip has  given me a new awareness of health care issues, race issues, gender issues, cultural  issues, poverty, environmental as well as economical issues.The positives are in knowing that the numbers are increasing in women who come forward and talk about abuse, and violence against them. Women who use the hospital for monthly check ups when they are pregnant and actually have their baby at the hospital instead of home births.Or those women who have taken micro loans to help improve the quality of their lives and their family's economic situation.
For me, being here has being a most exhilarating experience.Words can't begin to describe it.The people have been kind and very generous, always willing to open up their homes, to provide us with snacks, welcome us in for tea or coffee and a smile. The many schools we visited,treated us to a dance or a song or both. Any meetings, hospital tours, farms or clinic visits always ended with snacks, photos, handshakes and smiles . The colourful roadside markets, curried dishes, many lychees, abundance of jackfruit,power outages, and the generosity of the friendlyBengali  people has made this experience a very informative and an exceptional educational experience.