PRUITT, MY MEJHO (middle in Bangla) grandson playing games on my cellphone. He is wearing the Fatuwa which was a farewell gift for him from the MCC Sacred Mark project staff.
Archive for June, 2010
THIS WATER PUMP at the MCC Sacred Mark project in Mymensingh, Bangladesh brings back memories of many years ago. Water is such a necessary part of life. Many people in the world and here in Bangladesh have problems getting enough good water.
HOTEL GREEN IN TOWN HALL MARKET was where my friend and I had a great breakfast of curried beef, bhaji, and nan ruti. Little restaurants are called hotels. Actually this is one of the few that actually has rooms. This photo shows the hotel from across the street. I went back this afternoon to get this photo so you don’t see the action out front making the porotas and nan ruti.
More wrap-up things today, four more morning walks, farewells and Sunday evening at 10 heading for the airport.
BANGLADESHIS ARE ONE OF THE MOST HOSPITABLE people in the world. Most times when visiting in a home you are given a snack. Sometimes it is a nice sweet biscuit and 7-up, and sometimes biscuits with tea. Sometimes it is fruit or mishti (sweets). Here is a treat we enjoyed during our visit to an MCC project in Mymenshingh, Bangladesh.
After our early morning (4:45) walk I realized there will only be five more of those walks before we head for Ohio, via KL (Malaysian airport), Los Angeles, and Columbus!
ALICE AND I ARE CELEBRATING OUR 41st WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TODAY! Up at 4:30 AM for a 50 min walk and back by 5:30 AM. No sense wasting a good day by sleeping! 🙂
I had a great bean and cheese burrito for breakfast. We are trying to empty our freezer before we leave, and I think the last trip to the market I bought too many beans! If and when I run out of beans I’ll head for the local hotel (little local restaurant) for some dal, bhaji, and nan ruti!
We’re whacking away at our to-do lists in preparation for heading to America. We were hoping to be done yesterday but didn’t quite make it. Pulled out some cupboards, the fridge, etc. so Shaheen, our house helper could clean behind them. We want things “spic and span” when Lewis’ arrive. They will be staying in our apartment upon their return to Bangladesh, until they find a permanent place to locate. I just finished off some mango juice, which we will miss while in the U.S. After another bean & cheese burrito I think it may be nap time. I see Alice is on the couch fast asleep compensating for the early morning. This morning she had cooked up the rest of the veggies that were in the freezer into a nicy spicy veggie/potato mixture, which I will be enjoying for several days. It’s almost 4 am in the U.S. so I think I’ll post this since the 14th of June (our anniversary) has arrived in the U.S. as well!
This photo was taken last year as we celebrated with the Friday and Saturday morning footballers I play with. They gave us a beautiful red trimmed crystal vase.
PRAYERS SAID ON AUSTIN’S behalf as he makes his last visit to this former sex-workers’ MCC project in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. This is a great project to get these women off of the streets and give them a skill to provide a more respectable source of income.
EARLY MORNING CLOUDS OVER THE BANANI, DHAKA SKYLINE
A BIG DAY TODAY FOR US and for the FOOTBALL (SOCCER) LOVING FANS. This morning my son, Austin, and his family left for America after 2 1/2 years working with MCC. Also tonight is the opening of the WORLD CUP 2010 tournament. The flags are waving high here in Bangladesh as Bengalis are showing their loyal support for either Brazil or Argentina. There are a few that would support other countries but they are few.
Yesterday, I took my grandsons to the barber and here they are on the rickshaw that brought us to our apartment.
Pruitt drinking his MoJo, Jensen gazing at the playing field, and Riley grabbing his chin! Oh, also the rickshaw walla with the perfect pose! 🙂 I would have brightened up the photo more, but I would have lost the walla’s tupi!
MYSELF WITH AUSTIN’S FAMILY just before good-byes are said. They are leaving at 3 in the morning for the airport heading home to Canton, Ohio, U.S.A. It was nice to have them here the last 29 months. It will be different when we return in the fall and they won’t be here. Alice was the photographer so she couldn’t be in the photo. Alice had fixed a great breakfast casserole for our supper along with her special grape-nut pudding.
SOME NICE STITCHING BY former sex-workers learning a new trade at a MCC project in Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Today I enjoyed a sweet lassi at the Nando’s restaurant. Some of their slogans caught my eye as I entered the restaurant. “It takes longer to marinate our chicken than it does to fly to Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, or North America.” Another slogan said, “Power Supply Limited/Coke Supply Unlimited” obviously talking about the large amount of load-shedding in the city during hot days to conserve electricity and their new item on the menu (bottomless Coke). I heard last week while FACEBOOK was blocked in Bangladesh, they had a sign that said if you are missing “Farmville”, come in we have lots of chicken!! Hope you all had a great day!
FORMER SEX WORKERS quilt two layers of old saris to make throws, etc.
Yesterday, I visited the Bengal Gallery in Lalmatia, Dhaka, Bangladesh. There were photos featuring several issues including child labor. It mentioned that 17.5% of the children between age 5-15 work with the average income a max of $10 per month whereas the average adult laborer receives $50 per month. In the brick factories they get paid $0.90 for every 1,000 bricks they handle! Those working in the silver cooking pot factories get 200 taka ($2.80) per week working 10 hrs per day. In this poor country the families are desperate for food and so send their children to work, sacrificing the opportunity for education, etc.
MYSELF CAUGHT in the eye of the lens by Pruitt, my 9 year old grandson.
The Camerist's Collection 