Monday, June 9, 2014
Coming Home
It's been about a week now since we landed in Winnipeg and I've been trying to return to my everyday life as a student home for the summer from university. It's been an interesting mental process trying to reconcile my time in Bangladesh and my life in Canada. In a lot of ways I really can't believe the two places exist on the same planet with them being so incredibly different. I am overwhelmed with the large open space of the prairies and the quiet of fields and valleys. It almost feels like I have new eyes and a whole new appreciation for what I once thought was boring open space. There's been a few instances now of walking down the street and wondering where the call to prayer from the mosque is. I have been revelling in having water from a tap I can drink and if we're being completely honest, having no squat toilets anywhere is a huge and glorious relief. I know I learned a lot from the experience and that there are things that we did there I'll never forget but it's a little more difficult to explain in a nutshell what the trip was or how I felt about it to family and friends. I know it was a great experience in terms of personal growth and giving me more perspective but I don't know if I would go back. I don't regret my time spent in Bangladesh at all and I wouldn't mind travelling to more underdeveloped or third world countries but I found the culture of Bangladesh hard to work in to the capacity that I wanted to as a girl. It's also been difficult for me to think of what I plan on doing differently now that I'm home. For me, meeting the girls of the rehabilitation center and hearing their stories really resonated and I want to advocate and be a part of advancing gender equality here in Canada in tribute to them. Girls here aren't being tortured for dowry or trying to commit suicide in large numbers to escape arranged marriages and family pressure but there are still large inequalities and injustices that I think in trying to address for girls and women here is a way I can make a difference maybe in some small way, for the women of Bangladesh.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Coming Home
The last few days of the trip seemed to go by really slow because we were really looking forward to coming home. However, for me it also seemed bittersweet and I couldn't believe the five weeks had already went by. I was kinda surprised to realize I would miss Bangladesh quite a bit- the people we had made close connections with and a more relaxed way of life, where people live in the moment. I realized I would be coming home to a busy schedule where I actually had to be on time.
The last few days I really enjoyed and am glad we got to end the trip with such positive experiences. We drove to Dhaka University which was massive; we were told over 10 km and that it was government funded. While in Lalmonirhat, we visited a local college and I noticed there was a much larger male population attending and the different sexes never intermingled. But when comparing to a University in Rangpur and Dhaka University there seemed to be a more equal number of women compared to men and that they mingled together, which was nice to see because it demonstrates that society is slowly changing in regards to women's rights and their education. The liberation war museum was closed when we tried going so instead we asked to go to Sonargaon which was the original capital city of Bangladesh. We saw Panam City which was built in the late 19th century by rich Hindu cloth merchants during the british rule. The mansions were beautiful but it was tragic to see that they were crumbling and falling apart because they were not being looked after and preserved. Some threats to this sites preservation I found online include: flooding, vandalism, unauthorized occupation, illegal development, poor maintenance, and earthquakes. We also visited a palace that was built in 1901 and it was the first time I had seen renovations being done to preservative a historic site. There was also a nicely organized and well kept folk-art museum that had many ancient artifacts.
One of my favorite memories from the trip was when we visited a family that had a son who went to the University of Manitoba and knew one of the girls on the trip. The family was upper class and the Father worked as an UN peacekeeper. It was interesting to make the comparison of a family living in a rural village and a family living in Dhaka. This family was so friendly and excited to meet us. They prepared a fantastic meal and even gave us some to take back to the guesthouse. The Father kept telling us to come back and we could stay with them and they would take us around Bangladesh and India. This was a crazy offer and it shows the difference in culture; in Canada no one is that hospitable and friendly to guests. Coming as an international student to Canada would be a huge transition and everyone would seem cold and rude. After experiencing so much hospitality over the last five weeks, it has got me thinking about how I should be more inviting and welcome guests into my home.
Going from Dhaka to Dubai was a pretty big transition. Everything in Dubai seemed very clean, shiny, and organized. It was nice for the first time in a long time to be able to eat anything without having to think of the consequences. Sadly, our jet lagged choice turned out to be over indulging in McDonald's which was later regretted when I woke up a few hours later with a McDonald's hangover.
Driving home from the airport in Winnipeg I couldn't get over the calmness in traffic and how organized everything was. I kept expecting a rickshaw to be driving on the side or a goat to jump into traffic.
The next day was grad and when walking into the gym with people taking tons of photos I found myself getting overwhelmed and frustrated until I realized the photos were not because I was foreign but were of everyone because of the ceremony.
The last few days I find the little things have meant a lot such as: being able to put on a short sundress and walk around without people staring, being able to have a cold beer with a BBQ steak, taking a long hot bath (I realized probably most people in rural Bangladesh have never experienced a hot bath), being able to go into Wal Mart/ Superstore and find exactly what I needed, and eating in a food court without getting food poisoning. Right before we left I was talking with RDRS staff in Dhaka and I learned they pay for and eat lunch everyday at the office. They said the main reason was because the food was hygienic. Also, the family we visited said they hardly ever eat out because it's not safe.
I am really thankful I had this opportunity in Bangladesh and got to meet so many inspiring people and learn a lot about a different culture, way of life, international development, health care, and so many other areas. Specifically, as a pharmacy student I feel this trip has been eye opening for me because I had the opportunity to learn about pharmacy in another country. The pharmacy industry in Bangladesh is very different from Canada. The way medication is dispensed by local chemist shops makes me thankful for all the regulations and training that is available in Canada. The massive amount of antibiotic use was alarming, especially because antibiotics were the most common drug used there, they were not regulated, and anyone had access to them. The overuse of antibiotics is an area I am interested in studying in the future. I would like to go back to Bangladesh and do more research in the pharmacy industry, specifically the overuse of the antibiotics. As a women in Bangladesh I would not have the opportunity to study pharmacy and work in this industry. Pharmacy representatives told me their job was "too hard for a women". My pharmacy experiences that I learned in Bangladesh will be ones that I will be able to use in my future career and pass on to other students and colleagues. I am glad I did this trip as I believe it has been a life changing experience and my perspectives and thoughts have been questioned and changed. Over the next few weeks I will have the opportunity to share my experiences and stories from Bangladesh and I am excited to tell people what a wonderful country it was and how friendly and hospitable the people were.
The last few days I really enjoyed and am glad we got to end the trip with such positive experiences. We drove to Dhaka University which was massive; we were told over 10 km and that it was government funded. While in Lalmonirhat, we visited a local college and I noticed there was a much larger male population attending and the different sexes never intermingled. But when comparing to a University in Rangpur and Dhaka University there seemed to be a more equal number of women compared to men and that they mingled together, which was nice to see because it demonstrates that society is slowly changing in regards to women's rights and their education. The liberation war museum was closed when we tried going so instead we asked to go to Sonargaon which was the original capital city of Bangladesh. We saw Panam City which was built in the late 19th century by rich Hindu cloth merchants during the british rule. The mansions were beautiful but it was tragic to see that they were crumbling and falling apart because they were not being looked after and preserved. Some threats to this sites preservation I found online include: flooding, vandalism, unauthorized occupation, illegal development, poor maintenance, and earthquakes. We also visited a palace that was built in 1901 and it was the first time I had seen renovations being done to preservative a historic site. There was also a nicely organized and well kept folk-art museum that had many ancient artifacts.
One of my favorite memories from the trip was when we visited a family that had a son who went to the University of Manitoba and knew one of the girls on the trip. The family was upper class and the Father worked as an UN peacekeeper. It was interesting to make the comparison of a family living in a rural village and a family living in Dhaka. This family was so friendly and excited to meet us. They prepared a fantastic meal and even gave us some to take back to the guesthouse. The Father kept telling us to come back and we could stay with them and they would take us around Bangladesh and India. This was a crazy offer and it shows the difference in culture; in Canada no one is that hospitable and friendly to guests. Coming as an international student to Canada would be a huge transition and everyone would seem cold and rude. After experiencing so much hospitality over the last five weeks, it has got me thinking about how I should be more inviting and welcome guests into my home.
Going from Dhaka to Dubai was a pretty big transition. Everything in Dubai seemed very clean, shiny, and organized. It was nice for the first time in a long time to be able to eat anything without having to think of the consequences. Sadly, our jet lagged choice turned out to be over indulging in McDonald's which was later regretted when I woke up a few hours later with a McDonald's hangover.
Driving home from the airport in Winnipeg I couldn't get over the calmness in traffic and how organized everything was. I kept expecting a rickshaw to be driving on the side or a goat to jump into traffic.
The next day was grad and when walking into the gym with people taking tons of photos I found myself getting overwhelmed and frustrated until I realized the photos were not because I was foreign but were of everyone because of the ceremony.
The last few days I find the little things have meant a lot such as: being able to put on a short sundress and walk around without people staring, being able to have a cold beer with a BBQ steak, taking a long hot bath (I realized probably most people in rural Bangladesh have never experienced a hot bath), being able to go into Wal Mart/ Superstore and find exactly what I needed, and eating in a food court without getting food poisoning. Right before we left I was talking with RDRS staff in Dhaka and I learned they pay for and eat lunch everyday at the office. They said the main reason was because the food was hygienic. Also, the family we visited said they hardly ever eat out because it's not safe.
I am really thankful I had this opportunity in Bangladesh and got to meet so many inspiring people and learn a lot about a different culture, way of life, international development, health care, and so many other areas. Specifically, as a pharmacy student I feel this trip has been eye opening for me because I had the opportunity to learn about pharmacy in another country. The pharmacy industry in Bangladesh is very different from Canada. The way medication is dispensed by local chemist shops makes me thankful for all the regulations and training that is available in Canada. The massive amount of antibiotic use was alarming, especially because antibiotics were the most common drug used there, they were not regulated, and anyone had access to them. The overuse of antibiotics is an area I am interested in studying in the future. I would like to go back to Bangladesh and do more research in the pharmacy industry, specifically the overuse of the antibiotics. As a women in Bangladesh I would not have the opportunity to study pharmacy and work in this industry. Pharmacy representatives told me their job was "too hard for a women". My pharmacy experiences that I learned in Bangladesh will be ones that I will be able to use in my future career and pass on to other students and colleagues. I am glad I did this trip as I believe it has been a life changing experience and my perspectives and thoughts have been questioned and changed. Over the next few weeks I will have the opportunity to share my experiences and stories from Bangladesh and I am excited to tell people what a wonderful country it was and how friendly and hospitable the people were.
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