of Melanie and uncontrollable laughter

Allow me to introduce you to Melanie. Melanie was in my grade one class last year and is probably one of the oldest kids here. She is really smart and catches on to math and English really quickly. When I was teaching her, I'd always have to come up with things for her to do when she finished her assignments so much faster than everyone. I'd also have to quiet her down when we were reading because she would holler out the words and most of the kids would just follow her lead, never actually knowing what the word said for themselves.

Melanie just turned 8 this last January. She's been at Bangla Hope since she was four years old and has a darling little sister named Savanna here. When Melanie was first born, her mother and father were SO happy to have her. While her mother was pregnant with Savanna, their father got sick with jaundice. He died shortly after Savanna was born. The mother had to go back to work but wasn't able to provide for her two girls so she contacted Bangla Hope to take them. This is one of the sadder stories to me... Parents that WANT their kids so badly but can't keep them because of whatever life has thrown their way. :(

Melanie is doing so well though. She has broken into anger or rebellion as some of the children have. Instead, she is bubbly and outgoing, boisterous and loving. I think she's going to be a good leader for the other children--if she chooses to... She's almost at that stage where she can either choose to goof off or accept her wonderful smarts and use them to her benefit. She's such a special kid!
Today was a blur for me. Though it was Sunday, we still had classes to teach :P But even moreso, we all were doing the flight of the bumblebees in order to get the Handicrafts catalog finalized and printed so the Handicraft manager could take it home down south with her. The first printing proved disastrous--pages upside down and out of order... Bad news bears. The second one was better but there were so many things that needed to be edited. If you know me well, you know I love editing, finding spelling errors, and meticulously going through each detail. Ah, with pen in hand I sat for a good hour just going through page after page. Good times.

This evening we had another great badminton game: Josiah and Mr.Waid vs Ryan and me. We ended the night 2-2. We didn't have a championship game because I was just too tired and the bugs were coming out with a vengeance. You should see the stairwells in the morning. The floor is black. I'm not kidding--Dad you'll have to back me up when you get here because it's only going to get worse by the time you get here! When they sweep all the dead bugs into the corner, it looks like black fluff mimicking snow drifts along the wall. It's absolutely incredible. I tried to take video of it but it really doesn't do it justice. Needless to say, I swallowed four bugs whilst playing badminton and had two run up my nose. What they were looking for, I don't know.

Afterwards, we headed up to the Waid's apartment to play some 5 Crowns (basically a version of rummy, just with special cards). I lost as usual. The rest of the gang left just me, Ryan, and Mrs.Waid to play another round before bed. Oh my goodness. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile, nor have I seen Mrs. Waid half stretched out on the couch, tears rolling down her face, and dying with laughter. So funny. You really had to be there so I won't try too hard to explain the situation but some classic lines were: "Mrs. Waid, what are you trying to do with that Jack?" and "Mr.Waid gave me one of those hysterectomy's today and it helped." I said the first, Ryan actually said the second line (he meant to say anti-histamine, you can see how he messed it up lol). Nonetheless, even if you weren't there, it was an evening to remember, full of side-splitting laughter and some great one-liners.

Tomorrow I'm heading into Dhaka because I need to apply for an Indian visa for when Dad and I go to Delhi. I'm not looking forward to that experience again, but I'm making SURE that I have 30tk exactly so I don't have to fish around the waiting room for 5 and 10tk notes. I'll only be gone about a day--leaving tomorrow morning 5am and coming back Tuesday afternoon. One of the board members, Jim Brewer, if flying home so Mr.Waid will be with me in Dhaka too.

It's still crazy to me to think that in TWO WEEKS I'm going to be showing my dad a glimpse into the life that I've been living the past five months. TWO WEEKS. I know I've said this before, but oh how the time has sped by (and gone slow as molasses at other times) and now I'm leaving in about three weeks. That's just crazy talk. Dear me... I'm still undecided as to if I'm petrified of leaving this place or busting for joy to get home. What if it's both...

prayers appreciated!
ami tomake bhalobashi

p.s. My pictures of Melanie aren't uploading right now for whatever reason... Bad internet :P But I'll be in Dhaka tomorrow with mosquitos and high(ish) speed so I'll upload them then :)

of Johnny and SAMS

Allow me to introduce you to Johnny. Yes, this is the same Johnny--the one who spits. Since that incident he's been very good with me, always wanting a kiss goodnight and telling me he loves me. I don't know what happened that night to this day... It really was the most random thing.

Johnny is almost six years old according to his case history and has been at Bangla Hope since he was about 10months old. His mother Reba has a mental illness and as she was on her way to another village to visit her sister, she left Johnny under a banyan tree. From what the file says, that was the last time Johnny or his father saw her. A man found the crying baby and took him home--Johnny was later claimed by his father after days of searching villages. The father couldn't take care of him though, so Johnny went to live with the sister-in-law for awhile. But she also wasn't able to take care of him so she contacted Bangla Hope.

I'm not sure what to think about Johnny. It's really as if he has a split personality--well maybe most kids do. They are little angels but suddenly will turn into stubborn, nonresponsive little demons. I know though, that when he is in a good mood, he is a really sweet little boy. I haven't taught him in any classes but he is outgoing and good-natured most of the time. I'm really hoping that with a little discipline, he will develop into a great little kid. Like I said, he has a great personality most of the time, but then slips into the darkest of moods, seemingly for no reason.

Ahhh the fourth commandment. The license to rest. I love it. That was the topic for my Sabbath School today but it's hard to get the kids too jazzed about it since Sabbath isn't very different than the rest of the week, aside from church and no school. Plus you get to wear pretty dresses. Okay, I retract my previous statement lol. Josiah delivered an incredible message about Hosea and the wife God instructed him to marry. It really made me think about how I am with God...

After church, NOT including a nap unfortunately, we all headed back to Branch Sabbath School. Last Sabbath, there were 97 mothers and children colouring pictures of Jesus. This week we had about half that number for some reason. The wind had picked up and was swirling dust like crazy and it was really really really hot out... Maybe that was it. Nonetheless, I told the parable of the lost sheep. I was really happy afterwards when Josiah complimented me by saying that I tell stories really well. I've never thought of myself as a storyteller but with these kids, it's easy to give myself over to doing big gestures, changing my voice, and really getting involved in the story. I really took that compliment to heart :)

After BSS, we ate dinner, wayyy too much dinner because Shati cooks SO well. Then we all piled into the back of the truck and headed to SAMS to see their campus. SAMS (or Seventh-day Adventist Maranatha Seminary) is a boarding school about half an hour from the orphanage and currently has about 800 students. It's actually quite incredible! The campus has full dorms, cafeteria, church building, high school and elementary buildings, and even 33 computers in a lab to teach kids practical skills. Shati's daughter Martina goes there so we were able to say hi to her as well.

I was just impressed that so many kids are there! That's like double the student population at CUC and half of the WWU campus. Plus, each kid is sponsored to be there so they don't have to pay for anything. They get a place to say, food to eat, an education, and an opportunity to learn about God. It's amazing how God blesses isn't it?

Anyways, I'm pretty tired from the day so I'm going to bed. I didn't sleep well last night because so many thoughts were rolling in my head: how to get all my stuff back home without lugging it around Asia, all the projects that need to be finished asap, Walla Walla, and a ton of other things keeping me awake until 2am. *yawn
ami tomake bhalobashi

of Shati and reverse culture shock fears

When I sat down tonight to write another blog, I realized that there are other people that have impacted my stay here besides the children I see everyday. One of those people is Shati. Shati is the one to blame for me not losing weight over here and I have enjoyed each and EVERY bite. Shati has worked with Bangla Hope for many years and even was able to come to America with the Waid's for six months a few years back.Shati is an orphan as well and was married very young to a very bad man. Eventually she took her beautiful baby girl Martina and left him thankfully. She is now married to a wonderful man here named Julian who treats her so well. Usually Shati keeps her hair up when she is cooking, but if you get a chance to see her smile with her hair down, she looks like a beautiful Bengali model. She's taught me about love and life, as well as how to cut using those floor knives and how to make Bengali potatoes. I can't say enough good things about her. She has become like a pseudo-mother, auntie if you will, for me here. I told her that when we all get to heaven, I told her that I'm coming to her house for lunch every day. She's an absolutely incredible woman through and through.

Ahh Sunday's... You gotta love them. lol With school still switched from Friday to Sunday, I took a break today to get some projects done, clean up, and rest overall. It's getting so hot here... Most of the electricity current goes to the pumps to fill the growing rice fields so we don't have power here in the daytime. And there is only so much you can do when there is no power and you're working with laptops. Nonetheless, Ryan and I got just a little bit closer to finishing the Handicraft catalog and brochure we've been working on. I also took time to read more of the book I've been neglecting to read that my aunt send with me called "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle." It's an interesting novel about a mute boy who is raised on a farm that breeds dogs. I haven't gotten more than 80pgs into this 566pg beast but it's pretty good thus far.

I know I'll have more time to read when I'm in transit around India and Thailand in a couple weeks. Dad leaves exactly two weeks from today (Friday) from YVR. Then we (the Waid's, Brittni, Dad and I) leave the orphanage exactly THREE weeks from today to go our separate ways. Oh dear. This really IS all coming to an end. Such a crazy thought.

I feel like I'm already experiencing reverse culture shock. I'm imaging how it's going to be on the ride home from the airport, how driving down to WallaWalla's going to feel, how stepping into my first day of classes back at school. Eating hamburgers, bagels, coffee, lettuce salad, and all the other things that haven't been apart of my diet for the past 6months. And what about my rice? I can count on probably two hands the number of days that I HAVEN'T had rice since arriving in Bangladesh. No jokes.

Honestly, I'm nervous to come back and spend time with people who have never been in a third world country or seen the kind of poverty I've seen. I worried I'm going to be harsh and incredulous that they live the their lives in such a way that they don't even think about the severe conditions some people live in. I used to be like that. I'm scared to go back to living my life like that. I'm scared of forgetting the lessons I've learned and the people I've fallen in love with over here. Ami boi pa (I'm afraid).

Elliot wrote me a message on Facebook the other day. It said there is no place in the world like Bangla Hope. Soak it in as much as you can because when you are gone you will miss it with everything you've got. You just wish to be back for even a second. Live each day to the max so you don't leave with regrets.

So three weeks left. I know I've said this before, and most likely will say this in the future, but I'm determined to make the most out of this experience. Pray for me!
ami tomake bhalobashi

of Marjorie and quiet reflections

Allow me to introduce you to Marjorie. Marjorie is in my grade one class and is such a sweet little girl. She's the kind that you'd never notice unless you took the time. Even as I looked through my hundreds of pictures from this trip, I regretfully say that most of my earlier pictures (back when I was so adamant about documenting each step) are of the "loud" kids. I didn't notice Marjorie until one Sabbath day, she quietly came up and held my hand as we were walking. And this was AFTER Christmas. I'm really glad I'm doing this daily blog because it makes me realize how many images I've taken for granted and I really want to make sure I take pictures of everything and everyONE who has meant so much to me.

Anyways, I can't find the case history for Marjorie but I can tell you the blessing she has been in my life. Over here, the first kids you meet are the loud and outgoing ones. They are so sweet, but they get overwhelming and slightly annoying quite quickly. Marjorie is one of those that is so so so smart but is so quiet that you think she can't speak a word of English. But she's also one of those that will sit with you, just enjoying the sunshine and company.

Lately in class, she's been taking longer to finish her assignments. I'm not sure why because I know she knows how to add. It's like she's afraid to get the wrong answer (reminds me of "someone" I know too..). Just a few days ago, she started crying in class because she had to go to the bathroom but was too afraid to ask permission to go (don't worry I haven't had an accident in class yet!). When Marjorie applies herself she flies through her work. And that's how I am too! I'll dawdle around, procrastinating and probably frustrating the people around me that need me to follow through--then at the final crunch time, pull all nighters to get it done and finished. Lesson for the day: don't be afraid to be wrong and don't procrastinate!

Today was relatively uneventful. We started a new story today called "Puff." It goes something like "Puff, Puff. Oh Puff. Puff, Puff. Look Jane. Look Dick. Look at Puff." And that's what we read for a half an hour. Over and over. Again, I'm trying not to complain because I know how important these baby steps are.. but come on! lol After than I came up to my room to take a shower and got to talk to my parents for awhile.

Josiah brought back a care package from WallaWalla again :) It had notes in it from people back home. It's amazing how such small things can make you smile sometimes. Just enough to fit on a sticky note is like gold here. I loved reading the Collegian and asking my roommate Banni which guys in the date auction she thought were good looking. She said none of them lol.

Class was canceled for the rest of the day so the teachers could get the "library" organized and all the books accounted for. I helped Mrs.Waid in Handicrafts and found a beautiful pillow set that I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy--pink lilies on a white case... so pretty. lol

And after that... just a free night to do laundry, brush up on some physics and translational motion. You know, the usual. lol Maybe tomorrow will be more exciting :)
ami tomake bhalobashi

of Luke and border patrol

Allow me to introduce you to Luke. I've never taught Luke in classes before but every time I walk by the boys' room at night, he comes out yelling "Jehanna Teacher, sing a song!" He is such a sweet little boy. He always asks me for a kiss on the nose, which started a epidemic among the other boys thereafter.

Luke just turned 5 on Feb.6 and have been at Bangla Hope since he was 9months old. His father left his mother for another woman soon after he was born and she was forced to take a job at a garment factory. She couldn't take care of Luke while she was working. When he came to us, he was very thin but started to fill out when he started eating good meals.

He is now a boisterous little boy, causing trouble when he doesn't get his way. He has a sensitive personality and cries easily when the older boys play rough with him. He's also very stubborn and has been spanked many times recently for just not cooperating :) Kids will be kids right? But the reason I love Luke is because he always says, "Jehanna Teacher, tomake ami bhalobashi." I think he means it the other way around but it always comes across to me as "You love me?" Then I give him a big kiss and say "Yes, Luke, ami tomake bhalobashi."

After lunch today, Mrs. Waid and I took a rickshaw van into Hili to get some things for Litton and Suborna's wedding. I can't believe it but they are getting married a week from Friday. Oh dear. We have so much to do. We bought a ton of ribbons and some fake flowers and Mrs.Waid is starting to arrange the bouquets for the wedding party.

I was looking for a couple shari's for my sister and a friend of mine throughout the shops. Oh man, I had a blast! Now that I can speak a little bit more Bangla, I was joking with the salesmen and bartering them down to about half their original price. First you ask for good price. Then you ask for friend price. Then you say "Uncle, tume bollo bhalo taka" (very loosely translated: Uncle, you tell me good price). lol And that's the way it's done!

We decided to take a rickshaw back to the orphanage because they are generally easier on the back than rickshaw vans are. Just outside of Hili we were stopped by the border patrol guards. Because Hili is so close to India, some people smuggle in cigarettes and sharis so the border patrol makes sure you pay customs and such. Anyways, we clearly didn't have any such merchandise but, hey, white people! lol

I asked them how they were doing in Bangla, then three guards were around our rickshaw. BP: "What your country?" Jehanna: "Amar deshi Canada." BP: "What you do Bangladesh?" JSE: "Mission." BP: "What your personal life?" JSE: "I'm sorry, what?" BP: "Married you?" Mrs. Waid: (nudging me and leaning in close) "Tell them you're married or they will try to get contact you after." JSE: "Yes, I'm married." BP: "Oh too bad. What your husband do?" JSE: "He's a student." BP: "Okay, thank-you. Have nice day."

Oh the joys of being a foreigner in Bangladesh.

That's the first time I've been asked about "my personal life" though. I've been asked my country, what my father does, why I'm in Bangladesh, but never so bluntly as these guys did. Good times... ahhh soak it in before it's gone right? lol

anyways, that was the biggest news of the day, only 18days until I see Dad!!
ami tomake bhalobashi

of Marisa and garlic

Allow me to introduce you to Marisa. She is probably one of the first kids you would meet upon arrival to Bangla Hope. She is a talker just like Kakoli. She was in my first Grade 1 class last year and is now doing well in Grade 2. Her and I connected over Christmas break when I was helping to sort the storage room while listening to Jack Johnson. She came over, grabbed an earbud and started chilling to music with me. Good ol' Jack...

Marisa is also around seven years old and came to Bangla Hope when she was almost two. Marisa's mother died in childbirth and the father left and went to India, leaving the baby with an auntie. She had been taking care of Marisa but couldn't any longer because she was planning on getting married. Thus, the auntie signed Marisa over to Bangla Hope.

Marisa is another one of those fun-loving, trouble-making, wonderful kids. She has a sassy little attitude and sometimes throws a fit when she doesn't get her way--what kids don't really? But she is such a beautiful little girl. She picks up songs and dances so quickly, paying attention to the small details that really make it into a good performance. She is definitely one of the more graceful little girls here. I think that she could grow up to be an actress or something in the entertainment business--I just hope the diva attitude doesn't go to her head!

Today was class. Again. "Go, go, go. Go, Dick, go. Go, go, go, Help, help." That's a whole story. I kid you not. But my kids are learning to read so I must be patient and realize that the small things are BIG things at this stage in the learning game. We also did English math today--how many different ways are there of explaining that 3 + 4 will ALWAYS equal 7? I've used counting beans, fingers, toes, lines... lol Kids...

After class though, I headed downstairs to get a drink of water from the kitchen. The kids were just starting to eat their lunch so I took a look to see what they were eating. It looked like some kind of potatoe and tomatoe mash.. Not too appetizing looking but I was feeling hungry so I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and was served up a small mixture of curry and rice. Oh my goodness. It was SO good. I have no idea what it was, but it was freaking delicious! I sat down with the big girls and ate with them on the floor. I finished off my portion quite quickly so they all kept trying to dump some of their food into my bowl. Silly kids. I would have taken it but I know that they needed to eat it... soooo good!

[Side note: I've been taste-testing some of the curries that are made for the caregivers each night lately. It just looks so good that I can't resist, plus they are usually more than willing to let me try on account of seeing my face afterwards. They don't hold back on the chili's with those curries. My goodness. Even Papri, the grade one teacher, can't handle the spice sometimes. Anyways, I've been eating some and I think I'm getting used to the spice! Some still knocks me on my butt but last night I had a pretty good size portion of alloo tacoree (potatoe curry) and lived to write this blog. Yay for Jehanna's tastebuds!]

Anyways, after I was finished stealing the children's food, I saw some of the cooking ladies out back so I thought I'd say hi. I ended up spending over two hours out there with them. I love those women so much. The main three cooks are from the village and barely speak English, but they are so sweet just in their mannerisms. This last Sabbath, I went out before church started and sat on the ground and help them cut up potatoes. My goodness, they are so fast on those things! And they slice them into such small pieces.. My pieces were big and they were laughing at me but we all still had fun.

So today, I grated carrots for salad, sliced tomatoes and onions, and peeled garlic. When I say peeled garlic, I mean my hands are going to smell like garlic for the next 80yrs. I'm pretty sure we peeled about 15bulbs. They use so much garlic here it's incredible. Surprisingly enough though, the food's flavour is not taken over by the garlic because there are so many other yummy spices added in. In Bangladesh, a kilogram of garlic is 120tk (just under $2USD). Isn't that incredible? I just thought it was a cool experience because it reminded me of peeling garlic for my mom when she cooks--granted she doesn't use as much garlic as these people do!

Patule, Shati's helper girl, made up a chutney out of this sour plum while we were working. Basically, it's the plum, salt, chili, and... I don't know what else is in there. All I know is that it's crazy sour and Banni tricked me into eating it once. I spit it out into the flower bed lol. We all had a laugh today because I was telling Patule that the reason she wasn't smiling was because she was eating that nasty stuff. Tume cabo, hasho nah(you eat, no smile) and ami cabi nah, coup boro hasho (I no eat, very big smile). lol I pointed to all the people that were eating it and compared their faces to the people that weren't eating it... Ahh I guess you just had to be there. It was coup moja monushe (very funny).

good day in the neighbourhood, 20days til I see Dad :)
ami tomake bhalobashi

of Kakoli and Olympic spirit

It's March 1. That means my dad will be here in 21 days and I'll be leaving this place in 26days. Scary thought. But I've decided to do something to commemorate my time and my kids that I've grown to love so much. I want you to meet them. If all goes as planned, I want to write about one of my favourite kids, in no particular order, every day.

Today, allow me to introduce you to Kakoli Bala, one of my grade one students. She is a energetic, smart, sweet little girl. Any time she sees me, she runs full blast at me and I always have to say "astay, astay" in order to get her to slow down even a hair. She is one of the fastest kids at math and is always so eager to show me her carefully formed letters.

Kakoli will be 7yrs old this June 21 and arrived at Bangla Hope six days after birth. Her mother was a maid for a rich family in Dhaka. The driver for the family took a fancy to Kakoli's mother and soon she was pregnant. When he found out, he suddenly disappeared. Kakoli was born with a severly clef palette and no one wanted her. The mother was able to keep her job as long as she gave Kakoli up when she was born. And Mrs.Waid had the privilege of taking her into the organization.


Kakoli has been one of the fastest to pick up on English and she is always trying to put together sentences to talk with us. She has a great sense of humour and seems to really love life--even if that gets her in trouble more often than not. She is very adventurous and loves to push her boundaries of what's okay. Nonetheless, her smile makes me smile. She loves with no limits and has captured a piece of my heart that is hers for the keeping. I'll miss her but I know God has great things planned for her.


When I logged into Facebook this morning, I couldn't believe how many times I saw "Canada" or "gold" or "proud" in everyone's statuses! But after hearing how the last day of the Olympics unfolded, I couldn't help but beam with pride for my home town and country. I can only imagine how "O Canada" must have rung throughout the arena. Not only did we beat America in an amazing game, but with that win, we broke the record for most golds won at a Winter Olympic Games. I'm so proud to be Canadian--not that there was any doubt really. I wish I could have been there to fully experience the spirit of it all but such is life. I savoured every moment I was able to catch a quite highlight snapshot in between cricket matches so I probably enjoyed it more!

21 days. I can't wait to see my dad at the airport. I can't wait to see his face on the ride back to the dental clinic. I can't wait to see his face even on the road to the orphanage. I hope I haven't overexaggerated things... I can't wait for him to see the newly planted rice fields. I can't wait for him to meet my kids and be able to put faces with all the stories I've written about. I can't wait for him to see just how many BUGS are here at night. I can't wait for him to try Shati's cooking, which will explain why I haven't lost weight over here. I can't wait for him to ride in a rickshaw and rickshaw van, things that have become such a way of life for me but are so completely foreign to him. I'm just excited to see my dad, someone familiar, someone who can now see a piece of my life the past six months and hopefully understand better the person I've grown into.

21 days. Crazy. Five months ago I couldn't see the end in sight. Now I can. Deep breath. Let's see what we can do with these last weeks...

ami tomake bhalobashi