Illness and field visit
Trip Start
Jan 12, 2010
1
21
26
Trip End
Apr 29, 2010
Mymensingh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Been a while since i wrote on here. Arriving back in work after an excellent weekend i was feeling positive and optimistic. I was hit with a wall of language barriers. Most importantly the reports i need to read are all in Bengali. My language skills are developing here, but nowhere near good enough to do any work in. I'd like to be quietly getting on with things at the office, doing research on my own and producing some good work. But constantly needing translation has meant i’ve been rather beholden to Debashis and whoever else i can get to translate for me. Its was quite frustrating. I was staying late each day because everything was taking so much longer to get done. Things did start to happen towards the end of the week though and i got some time to hand in my visa extension application. Lets hope that works out an i can stay long enough to finish my work.
After a solid few days in the office, I had a good little escapade on the Thursday night. Went to a chocolate, wine and cheese party at a Spanish mans house. Was good to just sit and relax and talk with a load of westerners about the work they’re doing here. Didn’t have too much wine, but gorged on chocolate and moved on to the western hotel. This place is ridiculously lavish and luxurious. It was supposedly having a party by its open air 5th floor swimming pool, but few people were there. Drinks prices also made London look cheap, so Sam and I just went an sat on sun loungers an talked while looking at the pool. I got in about 1.30 an had some good sleep.
The next day i went about getting some things done, but i started to feel rough after my lunch. I’d wrongly be served some fish. It didn’t look like fish, so i had some, noticed it was fish an had no more. This was still too much. I still went an met up with a local guy called wasim who is helping me sort out some tickets for the England vs Bangladesh test match coming up. When i got back to the hotel i really start feeling bad. I could not sleep an spent an very unenjoyable, highly digusting night with the pleasures of food poisoning. I collapsed around 7am. I spent the whole next day in bed, drinking the brac oral saline and feeling horrendous. The staff at the Tarc made a big fuss over me, which was good as we went to a doctor in the evening who gave me a load of medicine and a drip to take to my room. The two hours hooked up to this i watched the film "tell no one" which Ollie gave me for Christmas. It is very good. Nice one bruva! I spent Sunday in bed as well, with some more drip to keep me amused. Luckily i didn’t miss any work because it was a 3-day weekend. People were celebrating international mother language day. The festival relating to the book fair i visited.
Monday i was woken up by debashis asking where i was at about 10am. I got to work by 11, still feeling rough, but determined to get some things done. We made a little progress an i began to feel better. In the evening i wondered over to the dev pro to play table tennis. I could not sleep at night, an had a war with the mosquitoes in the computer room. After 3 hours sleep i arrived at work for a big meeting with the Senior regional managers to get some last information before a 2-day field trip. The meeting was maddening. I’d ask a yes or no question, it would be translated, they’d all talk for a long time, maybe 10 minutes. I would get a proper answer. I really tried to explain that we needed to change the way we were doing the interviews but it fell on deaf ears. Humph. Anyway, afterwards I managed to get Putul to translate some of the reports for me which was very helpful. She had seen the twilight films since i last spoke to her and was in a haze about the bloke actor in them, she had also bought the book. She would not stop talking about them. For shame, i’ve never known such a thing people who like admit to be so awful to be so popular. Whats most worrying is how far it has spread. I thought i’d got away from it out here. Anyway, putul, michelle and i had a good meeting with our supervisor about the mobile phone microfinance project. Its a really complex possibility, personally now that we’ve done the work, i don’t think its viable for brac. Maybe for another, or a new MFI, but not brac. Also got some planning for the next days field trips done. By this point i was mostly feeling better and managing to almost eat entire meals...
Was up early on Wednesday morning to hit the field with debashis and put some of the research and ideas of the past 3 weeks to the test. We drove off in a mini jeep through the busy streets of Dhaka and back out into the countryside. We arrived at the sreepur district branch mid-morning and went straight into interviews with various levels of the local management. These interviews were categorised by the same frustrations. I felt like i was getting only a small part of the answers. I found out some interesting and useful things, but it was not enough. On the way to the next branch, debashis and I argued how he was translating, we agreed to change the process. After some lunch, we began again this time at the Bhalduka branch, which happens to be opposite a fish food factory emitting its aromas. The new method was much better, and i was able to build a much better picture of what was happening and what needed to be done. These interviews also threw up some funny quotes. The guys we were talking to were a little suspicious of us and wanted to give the impression that their branch was perfect and they were doing their job perfectly. “There are no risks in this branch, there will be no risks in the future” “we have 100% repayment rate on loans”. I guess they were worried, but they clearly were not thinking. Also during these interviews there was a sudden and brief hailstorm. The hail was roughly the size of cherry tomatoes and made quite a racket. I was quite surprised as i’d been tol there’d be no rain until after i’d left. It was good to have a storm as it helps clean the filthy air.
After we finished our work we headed into the city of Myemsingh. This is located in Debashis’ home district, so we met up with a couple of his old friends and co-workers. We went to a small restaurant and had some of the local sweets. They are the most sugary things i’ve ever eaten and hurt my teeth. They were quite tasty though. We then headed on to the Myemsingh tarc where we were staying for the night. This involved crossing the “man” river. The only river in the world that is considered male. I felt extra manly. After a light dinner, we headed back out to meet up with debashis’ friend and visit his uncle’s home on a motorbike. It was interesting to see how debashis’ family lives. His young cousins drawing, particularly copies of maps adorned the walls of a simple home. We snacked on local Bengali crisps and biscuits and relaxed. After some greetings (it is ont traditional for hosts to speak to younger guests) we headed to the friends house. This was located in the town, but had a hideous obstacle of a stagnant open sewer to be navigated by a rickety wooden bridge in front of it. I did not fall in, i hope no one ever falls in. At his friends house i was met but some incredibly excited children who spoke fairly good English and liked to arm wrestle. We then headed back to the tarc for some sleep.
The next day began with more interviews, more ideas, more questions, more potential good routes to work down. After a morning work we went to visit debashis’ father home. An hour drive along mostly dirt roads into the beautiful Bengali countryside revealed his village home. His family live in a 5 house compound. They are all made from tin and bamboo. I am greeted by about 20 family members, mostly children an we have a good laugh. Inside debashis’s house is his father. Unfortunately paralysed and sitting on his bed watching the tv. He is clearly quite ill but is very welcoming and kind to me. We sit and eat the local speciality and im assured “world” (read Bangladesh) renowned local sweet minti. (i think thats how its spelt/pronounced.) Again it is very very sweet, but makes a squeaky noise on your teeth and is quite dry. We take some photos and head back to the car as we are running late for our final meeting. We arrive at the last branch around 6pm. We quickly get to work, but in our haste leave the door open. A swarm of fairly large fat flying insects buzz in an cause some havoc. Their abdomens are so large that you can see them struggling to achieve flight with them dragging along the floor behind their outstretched limbs. The interviews are very successful and we enjoy a nice cup of tea and some fruits, including some questionable papaya before getting back in the car and heading to Dhaka. We arrived around 11pm, i needed some dinner but it was late so resorted to nandos once again. I was beginning to fell quite rough again.
I cant really remember Friday too well. It was mostly taken up by having food poisoning again. I think i slept pretty late. I stayed up an watched the live txt of the wales vs france game on the bbc website while keeping close to the loo and taking loads of medicine again. It seemed to work, Saturday i woke up early an headed to the Canadian club to join Sam and Chris for some brunch. I had a bit of a joke of a rickshaw driver who was convinced we needed to go south-west not north-east, i shouted myself almost horse giving him instructions, i think he really had no idea where he was going. The brunch was awesome. Pancakes, bacon, sausages, hash browns, eggs and good orange juice. Made me feel much better. The club itself was quite a nice place too. While we ate we watched the Olympic hockey and joked about curling. Afterwards i wondered over to the American international school to find out about some football. I went back to the tarc and spent some time sorting my life out, getting some washing done, cleaning my room. Headed over to the Nordic club to meet sam and a couple of Danish guys for some dinner. Had a tasty burger and then played one of the danes at table tennis while sam was playing chess. Was a good evening. Went back to the tarc and sat up watching the England vs Ireland live txt, thoroughly depressing, before going bed.
Just went to the post office to collect... a new camera from my
excellent girlfriend. Wicked, my old one has been struggling for ages.
How nice an thoughtful of her. I’ll use it take some pictures of Dhaka
and my life in general to show how my days are. Had a fun time at the
post office trying to work out what was in the parcel as they want
TK4200 (£42) for “customs”. After some shakey-shakey and feely-feely
(christmas present referenece) i bit the bullet an paid them. Its nice
to get things sent to you. But i’d recommend against anyone sending me
stuff. It takes yages to get here, and they slap on a big charge.
Back in work now. Putting together presentations for management about my recommendations for the microfinance program. Not enjoying the current level of emotional turmoil. Also, somewhere in this last week i lost my usb stick, awful skills, i really have no idea where or when it went missing. its partly why this has taken so long to put up.
Anyway, hope everyone is well. You are all well good. Visa hitting some problems. Probably back early april. In a bit. :)
