Week One

I began my introduction to Dhaka with an accompanied trip to the grocery store and going to a coffee shop with a woman from our Embassy community. I noticed some new things here that are different from home. First, you see more men than you do women outside. Second, the larger of the public businesses have you pass through metal detectors upon entering. Third, I learned that the rate from Taka to the US Dollar can be converted approximately by dropping the last two digits of the price and then subtracting $1.00; for example, a bottle of shampoo here of 1500 Tk would cost approximately $14.00 USD. And lastly, because of the large Muslim population, an Islamic call to prayer can be heard in public spaces.

One evening, the kids and I ventured out for dinner with a family we were introduced to on our first day. This was my first time seeing other Bangladeshi children. 

The children I remember most sat on the street corner alone. As our car turned a corner slowly, the headlights illuminated the face of a young boy, perhaps six, holding a baby, on his lap. They were both without parents, and he was distracting her from the loud honking in the roadways. Other adults noticed them as they continued to walk.I asked our driver if it is common to see children without their parents, to which he responded, “Yes, ma’am, if they come out to beg”. As I lost sight of the street corner, the image of the two children became cemented in my mind while we entered our neighborhood. 

A large change has been hiring household help into our home. It is an adjustment for all of us, but a welcome one. I feel very fortunate to have additional support as I’m learning to facilitate this new dynamic. I felt nervous that I would fall into the temptation of entitlement and superiority in our privileged landscape, but the opposite seems to be true. Seeing how little I know here, and how reliant I am on those supporting our family, is very humbling. Each day, I am confronted by our affluence and the difference of the two worlds that are separated by the front door of our complex. 

We had an opportunity to walk to dinner as a family. It was my first time walking in the streets. There are some side walks here, but they are elevated off of the road, uneven, and blocked by people standing. With the intermittent heavy rains, the sidewalks are muddy, making the easiest way to walk on the road. I don’t see other strollers here. Between the presence of two young children and clearly looking like foreigners, we seem to draw attention. Walking home, I felt my first pang of homesickness as I watched a plane fly out of Dhaka. 

During our first week, I got to enjoy a mama-daughter date. We went to get our nails painted together. Most salons here are female-only. They exfoliate using turmeric and rice flour. Instead of sponges, they use sliced tomatoes and limes. The manicurists giggled amongst themselves about the tiny arms and legs poking out from the large chair given to our toddler. In order to paint both her toes and her fingers at the same time, she laid on her back with closed eyes while a fourth woman occasionally would come by to rub her head and bring her cookies. I thought about my mom as memories of me as a child emerged. I can recall sitting in the oversized chairs next to my mom as I watched her get a pedicure.When I got older, she would take me on my birthdays. Those pedicures felt like milestones for me in my childhood.

Since we arrived on a Sunday, this week was our first experience going to Mass. Outside of the church, parishioners took off their shoes. This was the first day that we had seen teenagers in the streets, some of which held on to the backs of trucks or sat on top of cars.

We are thrilled to report that the baby has been sleeping through the night, which is an unexpected and very appreciated change! He has two and a half teeth now, says ‘mama’,  crawls, and is pulling to stand. Our toddler is making friends quickly here. She is thankful to receive toys to borrow from other Embassy families. The jet lag seems to have affected her noticeably more than the baby. Our suitcases are unpacked, and the carseats are installed into our car. Our Unaccompanied Baggage and our Household Goods that were packed out in June will arrive in the coming months. In the meantime, we were given a welcome kit by the Embassy so that we have the basics of what we need until our own belongings arrive in Dhaka. 

Here are some of the most prominent cultural differences that are in our new home. You cannot drink from the tap water here, so we have a hot and cold water jug and a built- in water distiller that is frequently cleaned. In each main room is an air purifier and large dehumidifiers that are emptied three times a day. Over each bed are mosquito nets that our toddler calls ‘princess tents’. The light and fan switches are almost all placed outside of the room. To prepare produce, it all is washed in a bleach and vinegar bath of distilled water. Mangos are currently in season; they are my favorite. The brooms used to clean are called ‘flower brooms’. They are made of tiger grass and shaped like thin cylindrical dusters. Finding brooms with long handles here is difficult. Birds flying in small groups can be seen in the cooler parts of the day. Lastly, the electrical wires outside are a jumble of hundreds of thin wires all looped together. On one of my outings, I saw a man on a bamboo ladder adding a wire into the cluster of larger wires at the top. When walking on the sidewalk, live wires will occasionally hang down. I have been told these wires connect to the internet. 

Our positive first impression has remained. People are very eager to help us and welcome us in. The cultural differences are an exciting challenge to learn. Overall, our daily routines as a family have remained the same. We are thankful for two adaptive children who are willing to try new things with us. We are enjoying the fresh air that follows the rains, while they last. We have found a coffee shop that we love. Our neighborhood is approximately the same size as Sublimity. It is comforting to find that more things have stayed the same than have changed.