Kurigram

Already past the halfway mark and the group is still going strong, or not. I few tummy aches here and there but that won't stop us.. Lol!

We spent the last few days in Kurigram. The boat ride from Kurigram to the Chars was the highlight of my week. A small "speed boat" with a long bamboo ore. We were all comfortable on bed, and the breeze was just perfect. I was kinda disappointed by how shallow the water was but I guess it's better than being there during the floods.

After a long and hot week of visiting different projects, schools, pharmacies and hospitals, the RDRS program coordinator for that district and one of the RDRS doctors invited us into their homes. I love the hospitality in Bangladesh. The people here are kind, welcoming and friendly people. These visits stood out for me mostly because before we left Winnipeg for Bangladesh I really wanted to get a broad understand of the society here and I was honestly fearful that we would end up only seeing and meeting with "disadvantaged groups". As we travel around and learn about the different programs provided by RDRS, we sometimes get a glance into peoples home or at least into their yards to get an idea of their lifestyle. So far, we've been invited into three family homes for tea. At the first house we met our translators family. Her father is a teacher at a rural primary school. Then we were invited for tea at the doctor's house then later at the program coordinator's house. 

Visiting all these families gave me a better understanding of the social classes in rural Bangladesh. From ultra-poor families to wealthier families the differences are hard to miss. For instance the concept of privacy, while some families all share one bedroom, or the living room is also the bedroom, others can afford to have their own space, parents don't have to share a room with their children. Availability of electricity in a country were power cuts are all too often is another difference. Others have generators and some get by with candles. Differences in prioritizing education for their children. Differences in the types of transportation used, ability to speak English and even the depth of the conversations we had and the attitudes about the state of their country. 

Visiting and engaging with different families has helped me overcome what I feared most, (second to falling sick of-cause), having a single story about the Bangladeshi people.

Tomorrow we leave for Lalmonirhat. I'm not ready to leave rangpur yet because they have the best food here. But I am looking forward to meeting new people, enjoying a new experience and learning how each project contributes to the betterment of the people.