ahhh Christmas vacation. Things have been quiet here at the orphanage the last couple weeks. It has gotten so cold that the kids stay in their rooms, playing around the space heaters. With no school in session, Brittni and I have been assigned to the storage room. Mrs.Waid had cabinets put in that go all the way up to the ceiling and now all the clothes that were previously shoved randomly into bags have to be organized into 0-3months, 3-6months.... and so on... Oh what fun. I did that for about half a day and frankly got kinda bored. lol Brittni's the trooper that's been in there the whole time.
Instead of storage, I was in charge of labeling. I labeled the storage bins and cupboards in Handicrafts, and all the cabinets and drawers in the storage room. It sounds easy enough but somehow nothing ever is quite easy in Bangladesh. The protagonist? The laminating machine. Still. It ate two sheets of paper. Nonetheless, fighting with the laminating machine was better than sorting little girls dresses so I got it done. I've also been spending quite a bit of time colouring Bangla books that Mrs.Waid wants to use for Class 2 starting in a couple weeks. There aren't enough books to go around so she had each book copied and enlarged--but only in black and white. I've gone through with Elle's set of Sharpies and coloured just the important things: a t-shirt, vase, plate, etc. Slow going but again, at least I'm not in the storage room.
I've also started to play badminton at night. Surprisingly enough, there are a lot of people on campus who are really good at the game--one of which is Mr.Waid! The man may be 80years old but he puts me to shame with how quickly he can return that birdie. I try not to get too competitive with the game but have started to play because I know it's good exercise for my otherwise mundane day. I'm actually not bad though! I think it was all those years Jenny and I had to knock the birdie around, hoping one day Uncle Jon and Uncle Brad would let us play. I think I could give them a run for their money now :D lol
...and that's the extent of my exciting life right now. As I write this, I'm only about four hours away from 2010. Wow. 2010. I remember where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing when 2000 came. Does anyone reading this remember what they were doing January 31, 1999 a few seconds before midnight?
Honestly, I'm feeling really lonely. Brittni hasn't been feeling very well lately so she is going to bed early. Mr. and Mrs.Waid are going to bed because they don't feel the need to stay up til midnight lol. So I'm all by myself again--just like Christmas. I can help but feel so sad that I'm not home right now, playing games, laughing, singing. I just wish I could be with all the people I love most in the world. And I wonder, what am I supposed to learn from times like this? How to be okay with being completely alone? I don't plan on being alone for the holidays like this again. At the very least I'll have family, if not friends, to celebrate with.
I am going to try to make the best of it. I'm going to try to stay up, even if it's by myself, watch movies, each some junk food (New Year's diet starts tomorrow lol), and try to be happy. But right now, all I want to do is go to bed and just hope for a better New Year's celebration next year. Which plan I'm going to do... Well I don't know yet. I just know that I miss home, my parents, my family, my boyfriend, my friends--everything familiar--like crazy right now. I can only describe it as helpless loneliness...
I hope you all have a much better New Year's than I'm having. Say a little prayer for me, but then get RIGHT back to celebrating life and love.
Happy New Years,
ami tomake bhalobashi
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
of Christmas programs and Jack Johnson
Sabbath morning came faster than I probably would have liked. Well, truth be told, I was dreading it. I really didn't feel like my kids were ready enough to get up in front of everyone and do this play. They barely know their lines and don't even know when to come forward... Oh dear...
Luckily almost all the kids from KG and Class 1 are in my Sabbath School class so I took advantage of that and ran through the program with them quickly. I gave each 'scene' a number and then told the kids to look at me and if I called their number to come forward. I gave them the low-down of what was going to happen in hopes that things would be alright...
The moment of truth. When we were called the front, Banni and Brittni went to the podium and I sat on the floor. The kids were all still sitting as if they didn't know what was going on... Great start lol. But I hustled them all together into a choir-form in the corner. But now that I think about it, they didn't stay in lines for very long... lol Brittni welcomed everyone to our program and proceeded to start reading the Christmas story from the Bible and then Banni translated from the Bengali Bible. I called the number ones forward and instead of acting it out, the kids got scared and stood in a line. lol I had to basically sit there and tell each one what to say two words at a time, but the whole thing didn't end up too terribly. At the end of each scene, there was a corresponding song but since the kids had a hard time picking up the old English Christmas carols, Brittni and I had to sing a couple songs. After seven scenes and some jumbled up lines, the kids finished with singing "We wish you a blessed Christmas and a joyful New Year". We had to change a couple words to make it more church-appropriate :)
Banni dressed up little Marissa in one of her Indian-made dresses, put a scarf around Joseph's head, and "King Herod's" crown on Danny's head. That was the extent of our costumes lol. We had a small doll in a towel for Baby Jesus and four brightly wrapped gifts from the wisemen (yes I know there were 'three' but we needed all the parts we could to include everyone lol). I was proud of them though. Most of them had actually learned their lines but stage fright will take any victim it can. That's alright.. the only real cure is repeated exposure. I'm sure they will put on a fantastic Christmas program with next years missionaries--any takers out there for the 2010-2011 school year? :)
After church we took a walk out to the rice fields... We ended up meandering all over the place with no real goal in sight. Nonetheless it was still a relaxing walk. I took a picture of Josiah because I find it so funny we can have such good reception IN THE MIDDLE OF A RICE FIELD. Literally. It should be used for GrameenPhone's advertising or something... lol
I pretty much vegged out the rest of Saturday... I was so tired after doing stockings, the Christmas program, and all the presents for the staff here. But I also realized I had been absolutely dreading Christmas. Not only am I away from family but Elle's gone right now. I was dreading Christmas like none-other... But now that it's over (yet feeling like it never really came), I feel better. I still have to tackle not having a New Year's kiss from Michael but that should be easier now that I know I survived Christmas. That also means that I'm pretty much half way done with my mission experience. I have such contradictory feelings about that--I miss home and Michael and everyone so much so I can't wait to get back but my kids.. How can I say goodbye to them, not knowing when I'll ever see them again? I know people say they will come back but how many people stick to that? Life gets in the way, work never ends, and $1300 plane tickets don't just fall from the sky. I hope my kids will grow up to be great--grow up to change their world and the worlds of anybody that has the pleasure of meeting them.
Yesterday and today were pretty chill. I had a battle with the laminating machine when I was making labels for the storage room and Handicrafts. It full out ate a sheet of labels! It didn't just chew it up, burn the edges, and such--it just didn't come out the other side... Yikes. lol It won that round but I won all subsequent rounds! lol After taping up all the labels, I headed over to the storage room equipped with my Ipod to help sort cupboards and cupboards of children's clothing. Luckily Jack Johnson was there for me. As I was walking past some of the bedrooms, Marissa asked me what I listening to so I put one of my headphones into her ear. She was so surprised that music was coming from them but then didn't want to give the headphone back :) That's right, I'm not only teaching letters but I'm teaching an appreciation for GOOD music! lol It was so cute that I had to take a picture of her and me chilling to Jack Johnson. I know Abby and Tiffany would be proud of me for enhancing her cultural education lol.
in other words, if you haven't gotten his new album, Sleep Through the Static, you should look it up because even Bengali kids that don't speak English love it! lol
ami tomake bhalobashi
Luckily almost all the kids from KG and Class 1 are in my Sabbath School class so I took advantage of that and ran through the program with them quickly. I gave each 'scene' a number and then told the kids to look at me and if I called their number to come forward. I gave them the low-down of what was going to happen in hopes that things would be alright...
The moment of truth. When we were called the front, Banni and Brittni went to the podium and I sat on the floor. The kids were all still sitting as if they didn't know what was going on... Great start lol. But I hustled them all together into a choir-form in the corner. But now that I think about it, they didn't stay in lines for very long... lol Brittni welcomed everyone to our program and proceeded to start reading the Christmas story from the Bible and then Banni translated from the Bengali Bible. I called the number ones forward and instead of acting it out, the kids got scared and stood in a line. lol I had to basically sit there and tell each one what to say two words at a time, but the whole thing didn't end up too terribly. At the end of each scene, there was a corresponding song but since the kids had a hard time picking up the old English Christmas carols, Brittni and I had to sing a couple songs. After seven scenes and some jumbled up lines, the kids finished with singing "We wish you a blessed Christmas and a joyful New Year". We had to change a couple words to make it more church-appropriate :)
Banni dressed up little Marissa in one of her Indian-made dresses, put a scarf around Joseph's head, and "King Herod's" crown on Danny's head. That was the extent of our costumes lol. We had a small doll in a towel for Baby Jesus and four brightly wrapped gifts from the wisemen (yes I know there were 'three' but we needed all the parts we could to include everyone lol). I was proud of them though. Most of them had actually learned their lines but stage fright will take any victim it can. That's alright.. the only real cure is repeated exposure. I'm sure they will put on a fantastic Christmas program with next years missionaries--any takers out there for the 2010-2011 school year? :)
After church we took a walk out to the rice fields... We ended up meandering all over the place with no real goal in sight. Nonetheless it was still a relaxing walk. I took a picture of Josiah because I find it so funny we can have such good reception IN THE MIDDLE OF A RICE FIELD. Literally. It should be used for GrameenPhone's advertising or something... lol
I pretty much vegged out the rest of Saturday... I was so tired after doing stockings, the Christmas program, and all the presents for the staff here. But I also realized I had been absolutely dreading Christmas. Not only am I away from family but Elle's gone right now. I was dreading Christmas like none-other... But now that it's over (yet feeling like it never really came), I feel better. I still have to tackle not having a New Year's kiss from Michael but that should be easier now that I know I survived Christmas. That also means that I'm pretty much half way done with my mission experience. I have such contradictory feelings about that--I miss home and Michael and everyone so much so I can't wait to get back but my kids.. How can I say goodbye to them, not knowing when I'll ever see them again? I know people say they will come back but how many people stick to that? Life gets in the way, work never ends, and $1300 plane tickets don't just fall from the sky. I hope my kids will grow up to be great--grow up to change their world and the worlds of anybody that has the pleasure of meeting them.
Yesterday and today were pretty chill. I had a battle with the laminating machine when I was making labels for the storage room and Handicrafts. It full out ate a sheet of labels! It didn't just chew it up, burn the edges, and such--it just didn't come out the other side... Yikes. lol It won that round but I won all subsequent rounds! lol After taping up all the labels, I headed over to the storage room equipped with my Ipod to help sort cupboards and cupboards of children's clothing. Luckily Jack Johnson was there for me. As I was walking past some of the bedrooms, Marissa asked me what I listening to so I put one of my headphones into her ear. She was so surprised that music was coming from them but then didn't want to give the headphone back :) That's right, I'm not only teaching letters but I'm teaching an appreciation for GOOD music! lol It was so cute that I had to take a picture of her and me chilling to Jack Johnson. I know Abby and Tiffany would be proud of me for enhancing her cultural education lol.
in other words, if you haven't gotten his new album, Sleep Through the Static, you should look it up because even Bengali kids that don't speak English love it! lol
ami tomake bhalobashi
Friday, December 25, 2009
of Happy Christmas and happy faces
As I write this, Christmas is ending for me and beginning for most of you back home. Hence, I'm sure no one will read this for a couple days... Nonetheless, I feel compelled to tell you about the last couple days.
With the kids on vacation, Brittni and I haven't had much to do. We worked some more in Handicrafts for a day or two but then some new girls came to take over--yay as far as I'm concerned! lol I'm glad to help but Handicrafts is definitely not one of my gifted areas. So I've been working on stockings and other Christmas presents, as well as trying to organize a Christmas program with the kids.
By the way, the village school kids LOVED their gifts. I didn't realize this, but not many of these kids have ever opened a wrapped present before. Wrapping gifts isn't too common in Bangladesh I guess. Most of the kids were so hesitant to ruin the pretty paper so it took some prodding :) lol My kids sang beautifully, only slightly bumping over the last few lines of Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.
After working on the stockings for hours and hours (104 is a LOT) I took a much needed break. In a fight for some Christmas spirit, I had an idea. I grabbed a sheet of green construction paper and got to work. After cutting up a square of yellow paper and a bunch of red and green ribbons, my Christmas tree was complete. I even cleaned off my bedside table to display my art and put my presents on. I grabbed a couple of extra stockings and made one for me and Brittni, later Josiah and Elliot's stockings joined the bunch :) While my paper one couldn't compete to the beautiful tree we usually have at home, this little one helped the next few days to feel more like Christmas days instead of just normal Bengali days.
Just then I was talking to Mom and she told me she wanted me to open the package she had sent me. She was curious to see if everything had made it intact through customs and such. After reluctantly ruining my gift setup (just kidding Mom) and opening the package, I was shocked as to what I found! The customs people had made a nickel sized hole in a package of Mr.Noodles so there were pieces of dried noodles dispersed among the whole thing! Not only that, Mom had made my FAVOURITE Christmas cookies, ginger molasses cookies, and put them in a special tin for the journey over. Well the tin looks like someone hit it with a baseball bat and the customs people put the can in upside down so most of the cookies fell out! So not only were tiny pieces of noodles all over, but everything was coated with a thin layer of sugary ginger molasses cookies crumbs. Awesome. lol But I'm so excited and thankful for what was in the box :) I got a couple cans of Fri-Chik, candy cane hot chocolate, a few wrapped gifts, and A BOTTLE OF MOCHA STARBUCKS! Heck yes please! Jehanna has been coffee-free since Oct.5 when she had her last cup of Timmy's--not for long!
Last night was Christmas Eve (of course lol) so after saying good night to the kids, the Waid's had a special surprise for the caregivers. Mrs.Waid had bought a variety of seloar kamees fabrics and sharis for each of them. Hence, Brittni and I got to model each piece as people would call out when they saw a fabric they liked. I was trying extra hard to get into the Christmas spirit so I put on my red petticoat and blouse (what you wear under a shari) over top of my green seloar kamees outfit and put red and green ribbons in my hair :) Everyone laughed at me because I looked ridiculous but laughing somehow brought the joy into Christmas Eve. Anyways, we had a good time modeling the fabrics and afterwards I did the dance the kids taught me--again probably looking like a fool but who cares :)
I had brought down all the stockings with me so I had some of the housemothers help me matching the stocking to its owner. I don't think it had the intended surprise that I wanted but I think the kids enjoyed it :) I heard some of the boys got up in the middle of the night to shi-shi and ate their chocolates :P Nonetheless... haha the tradition of stuffing stockings remains! On some level I think it helped me to bond with the housemothers too--I've always tried to show them that I care about the kids, hoping actions really do speak louder than the words I don't know. Call me crazy, and it might just be because it was Christmas, but some of them seemed a lot friendlier with me today than in the past.
Mrs.Waid gave the housemothers another special treat last night too. They got to make pita. No, we are not talking about the wonderful Greek bread that goes really well with hummus and tzatiki (mmm I'm pretty sure I want that to be my first meal back!). We are talking about a sweet batter that is dropped into a deep-frier, then grated coconut put on top. I didn't have the finished product--but the freshly deep-fried (and scorching hot) batter is freaking delicious! They were also mashing up this almost caramel-ly substance that would also be mixed with coconut, and then wrapped inside perogie shaped shells. The caramel stuff tasted like gritty caramel-flavoured sugar--not bad in other words, but not that great lol.
I didn't stick around the whole time because A. I was getting cold and B. I was wanting to come back upstairs and write a blog post about my day and message some people on Facebook to say Merry Christmas. Well, upon turning on my computer, I was informed that I needed to pay my internet bill... Shoot. The sucky thing is that Friday's are the Muslim day off (aka today) so I couldn't go put money on and then tomorrow is Sabbath so that won't work either. Luckily Josiah is having troubles with his computer's internet (well not luckily... but it worked out well for me lol) so this afternoon he let me borrow his internet card until I put more money on mine. Really, it works out well for both of us because I need the internet card and he needs a computer to use internet on so we end up taking turns :) BUT I did open up one Christmas present last night (thanks Mom, I love the black and white damask post-its!) as per tradition! Tradition is not put on hold by being in Bangladesh... let me tell you! :)
Anyways, back to Christmas... This morning I woke up and went down to breakfast in my comfy WallaWalla sweats. All I could think of was homemade pumpkin waffles with hot apple syrup like I know my house will be having in a couple hours. Don't get me wrong, our food is FANTASTIC here--it's just hard not to compare :P I also had "Happy Christmas" by John Lennon playing in my head over and over... "So this is Christmas, and what have you done...? Another year over, and a new one just begun..." Over and over in my head.
But I realized this Christmas isn't about me. Right after breakfast we handed out winter coats to all the kids because it has actually gotten quite cold here! If we weren't in the dry season we would definitely be seeing a lot of snow here. Or... maybe it's just that I have like two pairs of socks, two hoodies, and uber-thin pants here... Something along those lines.
When that task was done, we ushered all the kids into the cafeteria and handed out presents. All the boys got new shirt and pant sets and all the girls got a new dress :) The boys also got a bouncy ball that lights up when it's hit and a toy car. The girls got a cute little doll set :) They were all SOOO excited :) I couldn't help but be happy along with them!
I headed back up to my room to open up my presents because I knew Mom would be calling soon to A. see if I liked what I got and B. remind her what she sent lol. I really feel blessed and spoiled at the same time. I know how much it costs to send packages over here and for that I feel guilty--but I really wouldn't have it any other way... So thank you to all who sent letters and packages. I also got to read all the notes that WallaWalla had sent me from an SM vespers a couple months back. And I just got the package--yay for Bengali mail systems :P I'm so grateful though to all my friends who wrote notes of encouragement, love, and even updates from the Valley :)
Just as I was getting to Abby's and Michael's notes (I know their handwriting so I saved them for last lol) I started to tear up. I miss everyone back home so much--especially today. I miss making memories, laughing, taking road trips, going for walks, going for coffee... all that amazing stuff. And for some friends back at WallaWalla, this is their last year and are moving on to bigger and better things--how I will miss them :( I have to keep reminding myself that this is 6-8months of my life, one Christmas of many... I remember my kids' faces and things begin to come back into perspective :)
After opening presents, I cuddled up with my tin of half broken cookies and watched the Grinch like a good girl :) I didn't make it through the whole movie but even the first part just made me happy... Again, I'm a tradition kind-of-girl :)
I didn't watch the whole thing because I had to go downstairs to work on the Christmas program. Oh man... the Christmas program. We've never actually gone through the whole thing and I'm not quite sure the kids even know how they are supposed to act the story out... but I'm going to fall back on their cute faces smiling and singing and Brittni narrating the story.. This would be a lot easier if they spoke English--or me speaking Bangla.. either or! So church tomorrow will be interesting to say the least... oh dear! lol I'll let you know how it goes down!
Anyways, to all who are at home with those they love most in the world, hold onto that--cherish every moment... Have a wonderful Christmas and save some turkey for me!
Merry Merry Christmas,
ami tomake bhalobashi
With the kids on vacation, Brittni and I haven't had much to do. We worked some more in Handicrafts for a day or two but then some new girls came to take over--yay as far as I'm concerned! lol I'm glad to help but Handicrafts is definitely not one of my gifted areas. So I've been working on stockings and other Christmas presents, as well as trying to organize a Christmas program with the kids.
By the way, the village school kids LOVED their gifts. I didn't realize this, but not many of these kids have ever opened a wrapped present before. Wrapping gifts isn't too common in Bangladesh I guess. Most of the kids were so hesitant to ruin the pretty paper so it took some prodding :) lol My kids sang beautifully, only slightly bumping over the last few lines of Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.
After working on the stockings for hours and hours (104 is a LOT) I took a much needed break. In a fight for some Christmas spirit, I had an idea. I grabbed a sheet of green construction paper and got to work. After cutting up a square of yellow paper and a bunch of red and green ribbons, my Christmas tree was complete. I even cleaned off my bedside table to display my art and put my presents on. I grabbed a couple of extra stockings and made one for me and Brittni, later Josiah and Elliot's stockings joined the bunch :) While my paper one couldn't compete to the beautiful tree we usually have at home, this little one helped the next few days to feel more like Christmas days instead of just normal Bengali days.
Just then I was talking to Mom and she told me she wanted me to open the package she had sent me. She was curious to see if everything had made it intact through customs and such. After reluctantly ruining my gift setup (just kidding Mom) and opening the package, I was shocked as to what I found! The customs people had made a nickel sized hole in a package of Mr.Noodles so there were pieces of dried noodles dispersed among the whole thing! Not only that, Mom had made my FAVOURITE Christmas cookies, ginger molasses cookies, and put them in a special tin for the journey over. Well the tin looks like someone hit it with a baseball bat and the customs people put the can in upside down so most of the cookies fell out! So not only were tiny pieces of noodles all over, but everything was coated with a thin layer of sugary ginger molasses cookies crumbs. Awesome. lol But I'm so excited and thankful for what was in the box :) I got a couple cans of Fri-Chik, candy cane hot chocolate, a few wrapped gifts, and A BOTTLE OF MOCHA STARBUCKS! Heck yes please! Jehanna has been coffee-free since Oct.5 when she had her last cup of Timmy's--not for long!
Last night was Christmas Eve (of course lol) so after saying good night to the kids, the Waid's had a special surprise for the caregivers. Mrs.Waid had bought a variety of seloar kamees fabrics and sharis for each of them. Hence, Brittni and I got to model each piece as people would call out when they saw a fabric they liked. I was trying extra hard to get into the Christmas spirit so I put on my red petticoat and blouse (what you wear under a shari) over top of my green seloar kamees outfit and put red and green ribbons in my hair :) Everyone laughed at me because I looked ridiculous but laughing somehow brought the joy into Christmas Eve. Anyways, we had a good time modeling the fabrics and afterwards I did the dance the kids taught me--again probably looking like a fool but who cares :)
I had brought down all the stockings with me so I had some of the housemothers help me matching the stocking to its owner. I don't think it had the intended surprise that I wanted but I think the kids enjoyed it :) I heard some of the boys got up in the middle of the night to shi-shi and ate their chocolates :P Nonetheless... haha the tradition of stuffing stockings remains! On some level I think it helped me to bond with the housemothers too--I've always tried to show them that I care about the kids, hoping actions really do speak louder than the words I don't know. Call me crazy, and it might just be because it was Christmas, but some of them seemed a lot friendlier with me today than in the past.
Mrs.Waid gave the housemothers another special treat last night too. They got to make pita. No, we are not talking about the wonderful Greek bread that goes really well with hummus and tzatiki (mmm I'm pretty sure I want that to be my first meal back!). We are talking about a sweet batter that is dropped into a deep-frier, then grated coconut put on top. I didn't have the finished product--but the freshly deep-fried (and scorching hot) batter is freaking delicious! They were also mashing up this almost caramel-ly substance that would also be mixed with coconut, and then wrapped inside perogie shaped shells. The caramel stuff tasted like gritty caramel-flavoured sugar--not bad in other words, but not that great lol.
I didn't stick around the whole time because A. I was getting cold and B. I was wanting to come back upstairs and write a blog post about my day and message some people on Facebook to say Merry Christmas. Well, upon turning on my computer, I was informed that I needed to pay my internet bill... Shoot. The sucky thing is that Friday's are the Muslim day off (aka today) so I couldn't go put money on and then tomorrow is Sabbath so that won't work either. Luckily Josiah is having troubles with his computer's internet (well not luckily... but it worked out well for me lol) so this afternoon he let me borrow his internet card until I put more money on mine. Really, it works out well for both of us because I need the internet card and he needs a computer to use internet on so we end up taking turns :) BUT I did open up one Christmas present last night (thanks Mom, I love the black and white damask post-its!) as per tradition! Tradition is not put on hold by being in Bangladesh... let me tell you! :)
Anyways, back to Christmas... This morning I woke up and went down to breakfast in my comfy WallaWalla sweats. All I could think of was homemade pumpkin waffles with hot apple syrup like I know my house will be having in a couple hours. Don't get me wrong, our food is FANTASTIC here--it's just hard not to compare :P I also had "Happy Christmas" by John Lennon playing in my head over and over... "So this is Christmas, and what have you done...? Another year over, and a new one just begun..." Over and over in my head.
But I realized this Christmas isn't about me. Right after breakfast we handed out winter coats to all the kids because it has actually gotten quite cold here! If we weren't in the dry season we would definitely be seeing a lot of snow here. Or... maybe it's just that I have like two pairs of socks, two hoodies, and uber-thin pants here... Something along those lines.
When that task was done, we ushered all the kids into the cafeteria and handed out presents. All the boys got new shirt and pant sets and all the girls got a new dress :) The boys also got a bouncy ball that lights up when it's hit and a toy car. The girls got a cute little doll set :) They were all SOOO excited :) I couldn't help but be happy along with them!
I headed back up to my room to open up my presents because I knew Mom would be calling soon to A. see if I liked what I got and B. remind her what she sent lol. I really feel blessed and spoiled at the same time. I know how much it costs to send packages over here and for that I feel guilty--but I really wouldn't have it any other way... So thank you to all who sent letters and packages. I also got to read all the notes that WallaWalla had sent me from an SM vespers a couple months back. And I just got the package--yay for Bengali mail systems :P I'm so grateful though to all my friends who wrote notes of encouragement, love, and even updates from the Valley :)
Just as I was getting to Abby's and Michael's notes (I know their handwriting so I saved them for last lol) I started to tear up. I miss everyone back home so much--especially today. I miss making memories, laughing, taking road trips, going for walks, going for coffee... all that amazing stuff. And for some friends back at WallaWalla, this is their last year and are moving on to bigger and better things--how I will miss them :( I have to keep reminding myself that this is 6-8months of my life, one Christmas of many... I remember my kids' faces and things begin to come back into perspective :)
After opening presents, I cuddled up with my tin of half broken cookies and watched the Grinch like a good girl :) I didn't make it through the whole movie but even the first part just made me happy... Again, I'm a tradition kind-of-girl :)
I didn't watch the whole thing because I had to go downstairs to work on the Christmas program. Oh man... the Christmas program. We've never actually gone through the whole thing and I'm not quite sure the kids even know how they are supposed to act the story out... but I'm going to fall back on their cute faces smiling and singing and Brittni narrating the story.. This would be a lot easier if they spoke English--or me speaking Bangla.. either or! So church tomorrow will be interesting to say the least... oh dear! lol I'll let you know how it goes down!
Anyways, to all who are at home with those they love most in the world, hold onto that--cherish every moment... Have a wonderful Christmas and save some turkey for me!
Merry Merry Christmas,
ami tomake bhalobashi
Monday, December 21, 2009
of visas and stockings
We got back from Dhaka halfway through Friday and I for one was absolutely exhausted... I fell asleep almost as soon as I got to my room and didn't wake up until Patule (Shati's helper) knocked on our door for dinner. The night before had been exceptionally stressful and I think I can finally explain what happened.
After dropping Elle off at the airport, we went to the Bengali Immigration and Passport Office to see about my visa extension. It was after 3pm when we got there so they were only passing out visas that had already been approved and not accepting new applications. I didn't want to get the extension right away but I did want to ask some questions about my visa. Simson told me to muscle my way into the door so someone would talk to me but that's not really how I roll... I just stood near the door, and meekly said "Excuse me, I have a question about my visa" whenever the guard opened the door. Probably not the most effective way of getting things done but these people scare me on some level.
There was a man from Spain that was running into the same troubles as I was so he was standing near the door with me. He started talking with Josiah and me and soon I was lost as the two guys spoke a combination of Spanish, French, and English. Josiah's mother is from Mexico and St.Lucia was passed between English and French hands a bunch of times so he can speak both pretty fluently. Anyways, when the Bengali spokesman for our new Spanish friend came out with his settled visa issue, the Spanish guy muscled HIS way into the door, pointed to me, and said "She has a couple questions for you guys." I tried to explain my situation and then a representative for the office came out to talk to Josiah and me.
After hearing most of our case, he said he couldn't talk about it in the office and to meet him down the road. We met him a couple minutes later and at first he seemed willing to help us. But then he... I don't really know what happened but things went downhill. He said my options were to either pay 45,000tk and write a letter to the High Commission of Bangladesh and petition for a 3month visa, invest about $100,000 USD in a textile business, or to get married. As awful as this is to admit, I actually did consider the marriage option for about a minute before completely dismissing it from my mind.
This guy proceeded to tell me that I was in Bangladesh illegally because my 60day pass had run out. I tried to explain to him that I had two 60-day passes but he said I didn't and proved as such using my passport. Then he told me that for each day I was illegally in Bangladesh, I would have to pay 500tk (which is about $7 USD). So at that point, I was up to a 6000tk debt. My mind started racing, panicking at the thought. All of a sudden I felt pressured to find an answer, an option, anything because for the time being, time IS money!
The whole ride back to the Dental Clinic, my heart was in my throat. I really didn't know what to do. We stopped at another pizza place for dinner but the food was tasteless in my mouth as I slowed chewed halfheartedly through an otherwise delicious pizza. When I got back to the Dental Clinic I went upstairs to talk to Litton to see if he had any advice or a different perspective to offer. He looked over my passport and visa and then explained that I DO have two 60-day passes. He pointed out that if I only had ONE 60-day pass, they wouldn't have let me back into Bangladesh after my Indian expedition. I had been thinking that during the meeting but my irrational self disregarded the thought and readily returned to panicking. Looking back to when I crossed back into Bangladesh, the border guard DID say that I had until January 3 until I had to be out of Bangladesh. [That was when I was trying to argue to stay using the logic that my visa expires 3.1.10 which to North America means March 1st not January 3rd lol.]
Anyways, I've stopped panicking now and am still looking for options on how to stay in Bangladesh longer if that is where God is leaving. I contacted the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal to see if they would give me a two month visa and they said that I could get one in the same day if I arrived before 11am. So that's one option! I could use my Christmas/birthday money and some of the money I made during the summer to pay for a ticket over (they are ridiculously cheap!), especially because they offer 15-day visas for only about $30 at the airport. We're still looking at other options but I ask that you pray for Josiah and I as we try to find God's will for us over here!
So that's why I was so tired when I got back to BanglaHope. Saturday was a relaxing.. I did Sabbath school, took a nap, and went for a walk with Josiah and Brittni into the rice fields (or what's left of them). We didn't really know where we were going so we just meandered across the field until we came upon a road. Papri just so happened to be going by in a rickshaw van, jumped out, and walked back with us. We got some fun pictures on the way back :)
Saturday night I uploaded a TON of pictures to my new Facebook album "We Want Some MORE! Bangladesh Part 2". The public link is [http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=171272&id=549112159&l=908d7b94fe] so feel free to check them out even if you don't have a Facebook account :)
I started a new project too :) I cut out 108 stockings out of blue, red, yellow, orange, and green construction paper. I'm now in the process of using puff paint to draw a ruffle-like line on the top of the stocking and writing each kid's name on the bottom under some holly. I've done about 30ish so far... After everything's dry, I'm going to tape a hard candy to each one and hang it on their bed posts while they are asleep on Christmas Eve :) Well that is the current plan... Hopefully it will all work out. I should maybe be working on it right now but I need a break! lol
Tomorrow will be a good day I think. We are taking the preschool, kindergarten, and grade one class to the nearest village school so our kids can give Christmas presents to the village kids :) The girls will be given little porcelain dolls and the boys are getting Hot Wheels cars wrapped with a couple marbles and a balloon :) The Waid's want the kids to learn to share their blessings with those around them so they don't grow up with a false sense of wealth. I think it will be a good experience for the kids.
Merry Christmas to whoever reads this.. I'm so lucky to have each one of you in my life, supporting and praying for me each step of this journey.
ami tomake bhalobashi
After dropping Elle off at the airport, we went to the Bengali Immigration and Passport Office to see about my visa extension. It was after 3pm when we got there so they were only passing out visas that had already been approved and not accepting new applications. I didn't want to get the extension right away but I did want to ask some questions about my visa. Simson told me to muscle my way into the door so someone would talk to me but that's not really how I roll... I just stood near the door, and meekly said "Excuse me, I have a question about my visa" whenever the guard opened the door. Probably not the most effective way of getting things done but these people scare me on some level.
There was a man from Spain that was running into the same troubles as I was so he was standing near the door with me. He started talking with Josiah and me and soon I was lost as the two guys spoke a combination of Spanish, French, and English. Josiah's mother is from Mexico and St.Lucia was passed between English and French hands a bunch of times so he can speak both pretty fluently. Anyways, when the Bengali spokesman for our new Spanish friend came out with his settled visa issue, the Spanish guy muscled HIS way into the door, pointed to me, and said "She has a couple questions for you guys." I tried to explain my situation and then a representative for the office came out to talk to Josiah and me.
After hearing most of our case, he said he couldn't talk about it in the office and to meet him down the road. We met him a couple minutes later and at first he seemed willing to help us. But then he... I don't really know what happened but things went downhill. He said my options were to either pay 45,000tk and write a letter to the High Commission of Bangladesh and petition for a 3month visa, invest about $100,000 USD in a textile business, or to get married. As awful as this is to admit, I actually did consider the marriage option for about a minute before completely dismissing it from my mind.
This guy proceeded to tell me that I was in Bangladesh illegally because my 60day pass had run out. I tried to explain to him that I had two 60-day passes but he said I didn't and proved as such using my passport. Then he told me that for each day I was illegally in Bangladesh, I would have to pay 500tk (which is about $7 USD). So at that point, I was up to a 6000tk debt. My mind started racing, panicking at the thought. All of a sudden I felt pressured to find an answer, an option, anything because for the time being, time IS money!
The whole ride back to the Dental Clinic, my heart was in my throat. I really didn't know what to do. We stopped at another pizza place for dinner but the food was tasteless in my mouth as I slowed chewed halfheartedly through an otherwise delicious pizza. When I got back to the Dental Clinic I went upstairs to talk to Litton to see if he had any advice or a different perspective to offer. He looked over my passport and visa and then explained that I DO have two 60-day passes. He pointed out that if I only had ONE 60-day pass, they wouldn't have let me back into Bangladesh after my Indian expedition. I had been thinking that during the meeting but my irrational self disregarded the thought and readily returned to panicking. Looking back to when I crossed back into Bangladesh, the border guard DID say that I had until January 3 until I had to be out of Bangladesh. [That was when I was trying to argue to stay using the logic that my visa expires 3.1.10 which to North America means March 1st not January 3rd lol.]
Anyways, I've stopped panicking now and am still looking for options on how to stay in Bangladesh longer if that is where God is leaving. I contacted the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal to see if they would give me a two month visa and they said that I could get one in the same day if I arrived before 11am. So that's one option! I could use my Christmas/birthday money and some of the money I made during the summer to pay for a ticket over (they are ridiculously cheap!), especially because they offer 15-day visas for only about $30 at the airport. We're still looking at other options but I ask that you pray for Josiah and I as we try to find God's will for us over here!
So that's why I was so tired when I got back to BanglaHope. Saturday was a relaxing.. I did Sabbath school, took a nap, and went for a walk with Josiah and Brittni into the rice fields (or what's left of them). We didn't really know where we were going so we just meandered across the field until we came upon a road. Papri just so happened to be going by in a rickshaw van, jumped out, and walked back with us. We got some fun pictures on the way back :)
Saturday night I uploaded a TON of pictures to my new Facebook album "We Want Some MORE! Bangladesh Part 2". The public link is [http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=171272&id=549112159&l=908d7b94fe] so feel free to check them out even if you don't have a Facebook account :)
I started a new project too :) I cut out 108 stockings out of blue, red, yellow, orange, and green construction paper. I'm now in the process of using puff paint to draw a ruffle-like line on the top of the stocking and writing each kid's name on the bottom under some holly. I've done about 30ish so far... After everything's dry, I'm going to tape a hard candy to each one and hang it on their bed posts while they are asleep on Christmas Eve :) Well that is the current plan... Hopefully it will all work out. I should maybe be working on it right now but I need a break! lol
Tomorrow will be a good day I think. We are taking the preschool, kindergarten, and grade one class to the nearest village school so our kids can give Christmas presents to the village kids :) The girls will be given little porcelain dolls and the boys are getting Hot Wheels cars wrapped with a couple marbles and a balloon :) The Waid's want the kids to learn to share their blessings with those around them so they don't grow up with a false sense of wealth. I think it will be a good experience for the kids.
Merry Christmas to whoever reads this.. I'm so lucky to have each one of you in my life, supporting and praying for me each step of this journey.
ami tomake bhalobashi
Thursday, December 17, 2009
of Tim Horton's and sad goodbyes
This last week we had the special opportunity to give out over 50 blankets to some of the poorest villagers around our compound. A man in town comprised a list the poorest, sickest, and oldest folks and arranged for them to come at 3pm Monday afternoon to get a blanket. Keep in mind that while Bangladesh is a somewhat tropical country (complete with palm trees and coconuts) it is about equal distance from the equator as we are back home. Therefore, it gets pretty chilly at night and these villagers barely have one sweater or blanket to keep them warm. One by one, they filed through the gates received a blanket and retreated through another gate to the side. Some shook hands and expressed humble gratitude while others simply took the blanket and turned to leave. Nonetheless, Elle and I made sure to greet each person with a big smile and a fuzzy blanket. Once again, we were reminded just how lucky we are to have been born in North America--we could have just as easily been born in Bangladesh and where these villagers are today.
And now we're back in Dhaka. Elle had to catch a plane to Madrid today and Josiah and I are trying to figure out our visa situation still. We left Tuesday morning at 7am, which is a big improvement from how early we've left in the past (4am = a very sleepy Jehanna lol). We were hoping that some of the fog would have burned off by 7am but it hadn't! In order to get from our small country road to the main road, we had to use the trees on the side to navigate where the road should be. After a couple close calls, I decided to close my eyes and truly trust that God would keep us safe.
[Not-so-funny story: The picture you see below is a picture of the biggest spider I've ever seen first-hand IN MY LIFE! I noticed it by Banni's bed as we were leaving on Tuesday morning. The outlet by it is probably about 5"x5" and even the biggest circle I can make with my forefingers and thumbs touching is smaller than this massive beast. Not fun.]
The trip to Dhaka was fairly uneventful... I got to check my Facebook and email along the way. That's always so incredible to me that while I'm driving on country roads through rice patties, I still have fairly decent internet. When we arrived at the Dental Clinic, Litton brought in an armful of packages for me :) I was so happy! I got a package from Grandma Niemann, Mom, Brianna, and WallaWalla! Thank-you SO much you guys for taking the time and money to send me something over here--it means the world to me to know people care so much :) I haven't opened the packages yet because I think it will be fun to wait a couple days until Christmas. Then maybe if I close my eyes real tight I can imagine that I'm at home with all the people I love most in the world...
Wednesday morning we headed to the Canadian embassy to get advice from our consulate in how to deal with this visa issue. In order to get in through the gate, you had to flash your Canadian passport and hand in your cell phone and camera. As Josiah and I walked up the steps to the front door, the whole atmosphere changed. For the next couple minutes, it was as if we were back home at a regular office building. It was incredible how different the patio and foyer felt compared to the rest of Bangladesh.
We were told to wait in a room for a consulate official to come talk to us. We couldn't figure out how to turn on the light so we waited in the dark until the official came into the room. He looked at us in a funny way and then asked us to turn on the light. lol We felt like idiots for a fraction of a second... We proceeded to explain our situation to him and he told us what we thought he would: that the Canadian government cannot get involved with these kinds of things and that we need to bring our issue up with the Bangladesh Immigration and Passport Office.
We told him we understood but then Josiah asked if there was anyone else we could talk to--anyone maybe in the Canadian Club or something. We were told that's only for expats thought. Josiah explained that I had brought over some Timmy's coffee and was wanting to share with some fellow Canadians that may have been missing home. As soon as we mentioned the coffee, he excused himself for a minute. After about five minutes passed, he came back into the room with a sad look on his face and said that he had checked the policy and was not allowed to accept gifts. But he completely opened up, offered us more options on how to help with our visa, and even joked around with us a little. It's truly amazing the power of Tim Horton's :)
Wednesday was also Victory Day in Bangladesh so after noon, everything shut down. We decided to go to the local mall (an amazing new 8-storey building) and look around. Most of the shops on all 8storeys were closed and blocked off so we rode the escalators to the top and looked around up there. They had a movie theater on the top floor! Transporter 3 and SlumDog Millionaire were playing but we opted out of sitting in a movie because Josiah wasn't feeling too good. Instead, we found a pool room/restaurant. We paid 100tk to use a table for half an hour and Josiah proceeded to kick my butt at two games. Well technically, I won the last game because he scratched on the 8 ball but I don't count that as really winning.. Nonetheless, we all had a blast chilling, playing pool, and feeling just a step closer to home :)
The top floor had a food court with a full selection of fried food. I know that sounds gross but in this country fried food is the safest because not many germs can survive the hot grease. We chose to opt out of fried food and chose another form of hot grease: pizza! We've had pizza at the orphanage but it's really not the same when made with process cheese. Mmm again, a little piece of home can make your day absolutely fabulous!
Finally the day I had been dreading came today... The day Elle jumps on the plane for her fantastic adventure to Spain. Don't get me wrong, I am totally and completely genuinely happy for her--I just know I'm going to miss my best friend here... Driving back the airport to drop her off made me think back to my first night in Dhaka. I was so terrified of the sights, sounds, and smells. I couldn't believe that I was actually in BANGLADESH. Bangladesh! Who goes to Bangladesh? lol But now, almost three months in, I feel like I can hold my own here. I know the basics of the language and feel more confident walking through the streets. What a difference! Anyways, I'm going to miss Elliot like crazy but I know she will have an absolute blast this Christmas with her family and Jon :)
We had a pretty long rest of the day, ups and downs, and have decided to go back to BanglaHope tomorrow with Litton. At first Josiah and I were going to stay until next week so we could go pester the Immigration Office some more but we're going to look into some other options before we nail this one down. When I make a decision I'll let you know what's going on :)
Happy 8 Days until Christmas,
ami tomake bhalobashi
And now we're back in Dhaka. Elle had to catch a plane to Madrid today and Josiah and I are trying to figure out our visa situation still. We left Tuesday morning at 7am, which is a big improvement from how early we've left in the past (4am = a very sleepy Jehanna lol). We were hoping that some of the fog would have burned off by 7am but it hadn't! In order to get from our small country road to the main road, we had to use the trees on the side to navigate where the road should be. After a couple close calls, I decided to close my eyes and truly trust that God would keep us safe.[Not-so-funny story: The picture you see below is a picture of the biggest spider I've ever seen first-hand IN MY LIFE! I noticed it by Banni's bed as we were leaving on Tuesday morning. The outlet by it is probably about 5"x5" and even the biggest circle I can make with my forefingers and thumbs touching is smaller than this massive beast. Not fun.]
The trip to Dhaka was fairly uneventful... I got to check my Facebook and email along the way. That's always so incredible to me that while I'm driving on country roads through rice patties, I still have fairly decent internet. When we arrived at the Dental Clinic, Litton brought in an armful of packages for me :) I was so happy! I got a package from Grandma Niemann, Mom, Brianna, and WallaWalla! Thank-you SO much you guys for taking the time and money to send me something over here--it means the world to me to know people care so much :) I haven't opened the packages yet because I think it will be fun to wait a couple days until Christmas. Then maybe if I close my eyes real tight I can imagine that I'm at home with all the people I love most in the world...
Wednesday morning we headed to the Canadian embassy to get advice from our consulate in how to deal with this visa issue. In order to get in through the gate, you had to flash your Canadian passport and hand in your cell phone and camera. As Josiah and I walked up the steps to the front door, the whole atmosphere changed. For the next couple minutes, it was as if we were back home at a regular office building. It was incredible how different the patio and foyer felt compared to the rest of Bangladesh.
We were told to wait in a room for a consulate official to come talk to us. We couldn't figure out how to turn on the light so we waited in the dark until the official came into the room. He looked at us in a funny way and then asked us to turn on the light. lol We felt like idiots for a fraction of a second... We proceeded to explain our situation to him and he told us what we thought he would: that the Canadian government cannot get involved with these kinds of things and that we need to bring our issue up with the Bangladesh Immigration and Passport Office.
We told him we understood but then Josiah asked if there was anyone else we could talk to--anyone maybe in the Canadian Club or something. We were told that's only for expats thought. Josiah explained that I had brought over some Timmy's coffee and was wanting to share with some fellow Canadians that may have been missing home. As soon as we mentioned the coffee, he excused himself for a minute. After about five minutes passed, he came back into the room with a sad look on his face and said that he had checked the policy and was not allowed to accept gifts. But he completely opened up, offered us more options on how to help with our visa, and even joked around with us a little. It's truly amazing the power of Tim Horton's :)
Wednesday was also Victory Day in Bangladesh so after noon, everything shut down. We decided to go to the local mall (an amazing new 8-storey building) and look around. Most of the shops on all 8storeys were closed and blocked off so we rode the escalators to the top and looked around up there. They had a movie theater on the top floor! Transporter 3 and SlumDog Millionaire were playing but we opted out of sitting in a movie because Josiah wasn't feeling too good. Instead, we found a pool room/restaurant. We paid 100tk to use a table for half an hour and Josiah proceeded to kick my butt at two games. Well technically, I won the last game because he scratched on the 8 ball but I don't count that as really winning.. Nonetheless, we all had a blast chilling, playing pool, and feeling just a step closer to home :)
The top floor had a food court with a full selection of fried food. I know that sounds gross but in this country fried food is the safest because not many germs can survive the hot grease. We chose to opt out of fried food and chose another form of hot grease: pizza! We've had pizza at the orphanage but it's really not the same when made with process cheese. Mmm again, a little piece of home can make your day absolutely fabulous!
Finally the day I had been dreading came today... The day Elle jumps on the plane for her fantastic adventure to Spain. Don't get me wrong, I am totally and completely genuinely happy for her--I just know I'm going to miss my best friend here... Driving back the airport to drop her off made me think back to my first night in Dhaka. I was so terrified of the sights, sounds, and smells. I couldn't believe that I was actually in BANGLADESH. Bangladesh! Who goes to Bangladesh? lol But now, almost three months in, I feel like I can hold my own here. I know the basics of the language and feel more confident walking through the streets. What a difference! Anyways, I'm going to miss Elliot like crazy but I know she will have an absolute blast this Christmas with her family and Jon :)
We had a pretty long rest of the day, ups and downs, and have decided to go back to BanglaHope tomorrow with Litton. At first Josiah and I were going to stay until next week so we could go pester the Immigration Office some more but we're going to look into some other options before we nail this one down. When I make a decision I'll let you know what's going on :)Happy 8 Days until Christmas,
ami tomake bhalobashi
Friday, December 11, 2009
of funfetti cake and sugar cookies
Wow... a whole week since my last post... I'm really sorry guys! Nothing this week really jumped out at me as blog-worthy and while that is no excuse, I had a pretty boring week :) lol A boring week in Bangladesh... that seems like it should be an oxymoron!
The weather has definitely gotten colder than I ever thought it would here. The seloar pants of the traditional outfit are NOT very warm at all and I didn't think to bring leggings over here. Luckily, I brought over a couple long sleeved shirts and one big comfy hoodie. In the mornings, it's amazing to look out the window and not be able to see even 50 feet in any direction. It takes so long for the fog to burn off and some days it just stays round the clock. I really had no idea they would have a resemblance of winter here. But surprisingly enough, it has helped me get into the Christmas spirit the last couple days. Christmas lights have even been set up on a couple trees on campus but check out the picture below and you'll see why we laugh every time the lights come on.. Yes that is a big tri-coloured fluorescent bulb on the top of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Special eh?
Last week I put "Jehanna Shaelah is trying to find some Christmas spirit but unfortunately it jumped the last plane heading home" as my Facebook status. And that's really the way I felt... The beginning of this last week was probably the hardest time I've had in Bangladesh on a personal level. The combination of visa troubles and the Christmas season starting sent me into a dark depressed mood, unable to see the many blessings all around me. I'm so thankful for my roommate Elliot helping me through my hardest night when tears were the only thing I could use to express myself. She made me say five things I'm thankful for or am glad for. She was my number one thing right then and there. But slowly as I whispered four more through the tears, breathed a couple deep breaths, things began to come into perspective.
The next day she dragged me downstairs to the kitchen. We were going to make the treasured funfetti cake Elle's boyfriend sent with her. We ended up only making half the cake because we didn't want it to go to waste. We laughed, took pictures, and made every effort to really think about how many blessings we have here. Plus, the cake turned out pretty amazingly! We ate it at dinner with the Waid's and Josiah as they had just gotten back from Dhaka. Mr.Waid took my visa back to the embassy to see what could be done but as it stands right now, I have to be out of Bangladesh by January 3 (I plan to apply for an extension but I thought my current visa would take me to the beginning of February). Josiah and I are going to call the Canadian embassy to petition that Canadians get the same kind of visas as Americans--in a nice way, you know. He is trying to help me as much as he can because he knows that in a couple months he will be in the same situation.
Even though it seems like we don't do much here, we are always pretty tired. It may have been the cold but on Thursday we bounded back down to the kitchen with hot cocoa packets in hand. We wanted to make hot chocolate, curl up in fuzzy fuzzy blankets and watch a movie in our spare time before conversational English. Mm. And that's exactly what we did. We piled back on Elle's bed and watched 21 on my computer. Again, sometimes it really is just the small things in life that help you work your way back to happiness.
Today for art we came ready with a special surprise. Mrs.Waid bought us red and green food colouring in Dhaka and we found a yummy sugar cookie recipe online--we were going to have a Christmas party. Last night we got the dough made and put in the fridge to chill overnight, then this morning we rolled it out and used a cup to made circles. Unfortunately, there's no Walmart around to go buy tree-shaped cookie cutters or sugary sprinkles. C'est le vie. We made it work. I whipped up the icing then separated it to add the food colouring. I had just finished with the red colouring and headed to the sink to wash off the bit that had dripped onto my thumb. Shati's helper Patool was washing the breakfast dishes so I thought I'd play a little prank. I ran up to her and showed her my thumb saying "owie owie!" She freaked out and ran to grab a towel but I ran my thumb under the water before she could put the towel on. She doesn't speak any English but I communicated to her that it was just a joke--not sure how funny she thought that was.. But we both laughed :) lol
The cookies weren't all baked by the time art was supposed to start so we had Brittni go ahead of us to start singing Christmas songs with the kids. The kids have fallen in love with English Christmas songs and though they already know Silent Night and Away In A Manger, we have added Oh Little Town of Bethlehem and Hark the Herald Angels Sing to their repertoire. Then Elle and I headed up with our special surprise and sheets of white paper. Before decorating the cookies, we gave the kids each a piece of white paper and explained how to make snowflakes. The kids were so timid to cut their papers so again Elle and I had to help them get started but they were so excited to see the tiniest knick turn into a repeated decoration on their snowflakes. When they were finished we used every little nail, tack and corner around the room to display their wondrous works of snowy art.
Then we handed each kid a cookie and put either a pot of red frosting or green frosting and told them to share the colours between tables. They didn't make any particular patterns--they were just amazed to see how the frosting could be spread over the sugar cookie. The night before Elliot and I took a mortar and pestle to a bag of milk candies. We were trying to make "snow" to put on top of the icing but the humidity here is so brutal it came out pretty chunky. But the kids still LOVED it. We got so many cute pictures of our kids decorating and pretending to take huge bites out of their cookies--we had so much fun.
So today I'm thankful for cookies and cake for helping me get out of my SM depression. I was told everyone goes through hard times away from home but I really didn't understand what they meant--I do now. One day at a time, one piece of "paper-bag happiness" at a time, and every breath as a prayer... That's how I hope to survive my time in Bangladesh.
I mean it when I say,
ami tomake bhalobashi
The weather has definitely gotten colder than I ever thought it would here. The seloar pants of the traditional outfit are NOT very warm at all and I didn't think to bring leggings over here. Luckily, I brought over a couple long sleeved shirts and one big comfy hoodie. In the mornings, it's amazing to look out the window and not be able to see even 50 feet in any direction. It takes so long for the fog to burn off and some days it just stays round the clock. I really had no idea they would have a resemblance of winter here. But surprisingly enough, it has helped me get into the Christmas spirit the last couple days. Christmas lights have even been set up on a couple trees on campus but check out the picture below and you'll see why we laugh every time the lights come on.. Yes that is a big tri-coloured fluorescent bulb on the top of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Special eh?
Last week I put "Jehanna Shaelah is trying to find some Christmas spirit but unfortunately it jumped the last plane heading home" as my Facebook status. And that's really the way I felt... The beginning of this last week was probably the hardest time I've had in Bangladesh on a personal level. The combination of visa troubles and the Christmas season starting sent me into a dark depressed mood, unable to see the many blessings all around me. I'm so thankful for my roommate Elliot helping me through my hardest night when tears were the only thing I could use to express myself. She made me say five things I'm thankful for or am glad for. She was my number one thing right then and there. But slowly as I whispered four more through the tears, breathed a couple deep breaths, things began to come into perspective.
The next day she dragged me downstairs to the kitchen. We were going to make the treasured funfetti cake Elle's boyfriend sent with her. We ended up only making half the cake because we didn't want it to go to waste. We laughed, took pictures, and made every effort to really think about how many blessings we have here. Plus, the cake turned out pretty amazingly! We ate it at dinner with the Waid's and Josiah as they had just gotten back from Dhaka. Mr.Waid took my visa back to the embassy to see what could be done but as it stands right now, I have to be out of Bangladesh by January 3 (I plan to apply for an extension but I thought my current visa would take me to the beginning of February). Josiah and I are going to call the Canadian embassy to petition that Canadians get the same kind of visas as Americans--in a nice way, you know. He is trying to help me as much as he can because he knows that in a couple months he will be in the same situation.
Even though it seems like we don't do much here, we are always pretty tired. It may have been the cold but on Thursday we bounded back down to the kitchen with hot cocoa packets in hand. We wanted to make hot chocolate, curl up in fuzzy fuzzy blankets and watch a movie in our spare time before conversational English. Mm. And that's exactly what we did. We piled back on Elle's bed and watched 21 on my computer. Again, sometimes it really is just the small things in life that help you work your way back to happiness.
Today for art we came ready with a special surprise. Mrs.Waid bought us red and green food colouring in Dhaka and we found a yummy sugar cookie recipe online--we were going to have a Christmas party. Last night we got the dough made and put in the fridge to chill overnight, then this morning we rolled it out and used a cup to made circles. Unfortunately, there's no Walmart around to go buy tree-shaped cookie cutters or sugary sprinkles. C'est le vie. We made it work. I whipped up the icing then separated it to add the food colouring. I had just finished with the red colouring and headed to the sink to wash off the bit that had dripped onto my thumb. Shati's helper Patool was washing the breakfast dishes so I thought I'd play a little prank. I ran up to her and showed her my thumb saying "owie owie!" She freaked out and ran to grab a towel but I ran my thumb under the water before she could put the towel on. She doesn't speak any English but I communicated to her that it was just a joke--not sure how funny she thought that was.. But we both laughed :) lol
The cookies weren't all baked by the time art was supposed to start so we had Brittni go ahead of us to start singing Christmas songs with the kids. The kids have fallen in love with English Christmas songs and though they already know Silent Night and Away In A Manger, we have added Oh Little Town of Bethlehem and Hark the Herald Angels Sing to their repertoire. Then Elle and I headed up with our special surprise and sheets of white paper. Before decorating the cookies, we gave the kids each a piece of white paper and explained how to make snowflakes. The kids were so timid to cut their papers so again Elle and I had to help them get started but they were so excited to see the tiniest knick turn into a repeated decoration on their snowflakes. When they were finished we used every little nail, tack and corner around the room to display their wondrous works of snowy art.
Then we handed each kid a cookie and put either a pot of red frosting or green frosting and told them to share the colours between tables. They didn't make any particular patterns--they were just amazed to see how the frosting could be spread over the sugar cookie. The night before Elliot and I took a mortar and pestle to a bag of milk candies. We were trying to make "snow" to put on top of the icing but the humidity here is so brutal it came out pretty chunky. But the kids still LOVED it. We got so many cute pictures of our kids decorating and pretending to take huge bites out of their cookies--we had so much fun.
So today I'm thankful for cookies and cake for helping me get out of my SM depression. I was told everyone goes through hard times away from home but I really didn't understand what they meant--I do now. One day at a time, one piece of "paper-bag happiness" at a time, and every breath as a prayer... That's how I hope to survive my time in Bangladesh.
I mean it when I say,
ami tomake bhalobashi
Friday, December 4, 2009
of Hindu temples, "There's no green in India" and 8 new stamps
Today was the day. Yes, THE Day. The day I go into India. Banni, Mr. Waid, Josiah and I all piled into the van and headed to the border around ten this morning. We would have gone earlier but since Friday is the holy day, the bank was only open from 11 to 12. The bank? In addition to the 3130tk I had to pay for the Indian visa, a 320tk tax is put on top. When Nelson arrived at the border 20min after us, he took me to the bank to get my tax receipts. Then we headed back to the border to get me across.
No one at Bangla Hope had a valid Indian passport so I had to go across by myself and would meet up with a relative of Nelson's on the other side. (Nelson works in the office here and his wife Rosemary is the nurse here--both are really nice people.) I had no idea how difficult it would be to get across. There are a bunch of houses on either side of the border and I just assumed they were shops. I was wrong! I had to go to the customs office, then cross the road to the immigration office, then to the border crossing hut. Then the relative met me and took me to the other Indian immigration and customs offices after stopping at the Indian border crossing hut. I had to go to seven different places, including the bank, just to get across!
Now Nelson and Rosemary both speak fairly good English but no one took the time to teach their relative (how he was related I don't know..) any English. Luckily, Nelson gave me their Indian SIM card to put in my phone and gave me his number for any time I was in trouble, physical or conversational. His relative seemed nice enough, saying "seloar kamees? shari?" and taking me to the market. He didn't speak much more than that so I had to point to my own seloar kamees to tell him I was looking for green outfits. We went from shop to shop but no one had anything but really ugly lime green or dull split pea soup green. I couldn't believe it. That's when the slogan for the day became "No Green in India" between the two of us as we would share a laugh.
The real downfall of the day was when we were walking between shops and happened upon the fish market. Ugh. Right there on a tarp in the hot sun, fish were being butchered and sold as birds played tug-of-war with fish entrails. And the smell... I like eating fish back home but here I am definitely staying vegetarian! The meat market we passed wasn't much better as animals were being slaughtered and skinned on tarps as blood flowed down to make a muddy red mess. It was pretty gross...
I ended up finding a pretty green shari that I got for 350rupees. Rupees, not taka. I had to exchange money with someone who has no idea what I'm saying and no one to translate. He showed me on his calculator what I was getting and it seemed reasonable so hopefully I didn't get ripped off too badly! But nonetheless, my green shari is quite beautiful and I'm happy I got it.
After we were done, I asked to buy some "tanda pani" (cold water) so he took me to a shop and I bought my cold water. I didn't know how long I needed to stay in India to make it count but I assumed it was for a couple hours. I thought the relative would take me back to his house to hang out for a bit but when we were finished shopping he took me to the border. I hadn't called anyone to pick me up yet so we had to wait. As we were waiting near the border, I saw a picture of one of the Hindu gods and asked the man to take a picture of me. After he did, he led me back towards the market, stopping at what looked like a Hindu temple.
After we took off our sandals he showed me around and let me take pictures of the different gods, which I hear is uncommon. It was pretty cool though to see something I hadn't seen in Bangladesh yet. The rest of what I saw in that particular part of India was pretty similar: garbage all over the streets, rickshaws, stray animals all over the place, and many many fabric shops. Anyways, I got pictures of three of the gods before we got the call that Nelson was back at the border.
When we got back, we had to do the same procedure only in reverse. Customs, immigration, Indian border hut, Bengali border hut, immigration customs. Good times. I also had to give the relative 100rupees for showing me around and 100tk to a man who helped me and Nelson around the Bengali border offices. All in all, I'm so thankful I'm safe--not that there was any serious threat... I just know I would have had more fun and felt more safe if someone that I knew and spoke English would have come along. Nonetheless, that's how I now have 8 new stamps in my passport!
The unfortunate news though is this: I misread my Bengladesh visa... As did Simson.. I thought my visa worked like a swipe card--I have four months in Bangladesh and can use them as I wish. I found out today that is not the case.. My Bangladesh visa expires January 3, 2010, aka I have to either leave or get a new visa/extension. Shows me for trying not to procrastinate for once! I applied for my visa in July even though I got into Bangladesh in October and now it runs out in January... So I really don't know what I'm going to do at this stage in the game. I was going to have to extend my visa anyways, but that was only going to be for a month or two--now it has to be for three months. Mr. Waid is going to take my passport into Dhaka again this Sunday to see if there is ANYTHING that can be done... Crummy eh? I guess we'll just have to see how the cards fall this time, see what God has planned for me either here or maybe back home :(
keep me and my stupid visa troubles in your prayers,
ami tomake bhalobashi
No one at Bangla Hope had a valid Indian passport so I had to go across by myself and would meet up with a relative of Nelson's on the other side. (Nelson works in the office here and his wife Rosemary is the nurse here--both are really nice people.) I had no idea how difficult it would be to get across. There are a bunch of houses on either side of the border and I just assumed they were shops. I was wrong! I had to go to the customs office, then cross the road to the immigration office, then to the border crossing hut. Then the relative met me and took me to the other Indian immigration and customs offices after stopping at the Indian border crossing hut. I had to go to seven different places, including the bank, just to get across!
Now Nelson and Rosemary both speak fairly good English but no one took the time to teach their relative (how he was related I don't know..) any English. Luckily, Nelson gave me their Indian SIM card to put in my phone and gave me his number for any time I was in trouble, physical or conversational. His relative seemed nice enough, saying "seloar kamees? shari?" and taking me to the market. He didn't speak much more than that so I had to point to my own seloar kamees to tell him I was looking for green outfits. We went from shop to shop but no one had anything but really ugly lime green or dull split pea soup green. I couldn't believe it. That's when the slogan for the day became "No Green in India" between the two of us as we would share a laugh.
The real downfall of the day was when we were walking between shops and happened upon the fish market. Ugh. Right there on a tarp in the hot sun, fish were being butchered and sold as birds played tug-of-war with fish entrails. And the smell... I like eating fish back home but here I am definitely staying vegetarian! The meat market we passed wasn't much better as animals were being slaughtered and skinned on tarps as blood flowed down to make a muddy red mess. It was pretty gross...
I ended up finding a pretty green shari that I got for 350rupees. Rupees, not taka. I had to exchange money with someone who has no idea what I'm saying and no one to translate. He showed me on his calculator what I was getting and it seemed reasonable so hopefully I didn't get ripped off too badly! But nonetheless, my green shari is quite beautiful and I'm happy I got it.
After we were done, I asked to buy some "tanda pani" (cold water) so he took me to a shop and I bought my cold water. I didn't know how long I needed to stay in India to make it count but I assumed it was for a couple hours. I thought the relative would take me back to his house to hang out for a bit but when we were finished shopping he took me to the border. I hadn't called anyone to pick me up yet so we had to wait. As we were waiting near the border, I saw a picture of one of the Hindu gods and asked the man to take a picture of me. After he did, he led me back towards the market, stopping at what looked like a Hindu temple.
After we took off our sandals he showed me around and let me take pictures of the different gods, which I hear is uncommon. It was pretty cool though to see something I hadn't seen in Bangladesh yet. The rest of what I saw in that particular part of India was pretty similar: garbage all over the streets, rickshaws, stray animals all over the place, and many many fabric shops. Anyways, I got pictures of three of the gods before we got the call that Nelson was back at the border.
When we got back, we had to do the same procedure only in reverse. Customs, immigration, Indian border hut, Bengali border hut, immigration customs. Good times. I also had to give the relative 100rupees for showing me around and 100tk to a man who helped me and Nelson around the Bengali border offices. All in all, I'm so thankful I'm safe--not that there was any serious threat... I just know I would have had more fun and felt more safe if someone that I knew and spoke English would have come along. Nonetheless, that's how I now have 8 new stamps in my passport!
The unfortunate news though is this: I misread my Bengladesh visa... As did Simson.. I thought my visa worked like a swipe card--I have four months in Bangladesh and can use them as I wish. I found out today that is not the case.. My Bangladesh visa expires January 3, 2010, aka I have to either leave or get a new visa/extension. Shows me for trying not to procrastinate for once! I applied for my visa in July even though I got into Bangladesh in October and now it runs out in January... So I really don't know what I'm going to do at this stage in the game. I was going to have to extend my visa anyways, but that was only going to be for a month or two--now it has to be for three months. Mr. Waid is going to take my passport into Dhaka again this Sunday to see if there is ANYTHING that can be done... Crummy eh? I guess we'll just have to see how the cards fall this time, see what God has planned for me either here or maybe back home :(
keep me and my stupid visa troubles in your prayers,
ami tomake bhalobashi
Thursday, December 3, 2009
of oatmeal cookies and India
So today started out like any other day.. Who knew it could end so awesomely :) Mrs. Waid charged Elliot and I with the task of creating the Christmas cards for all 104 kids here. It doesn't sound like too hard of a task but when we got started yesterday we realized how difficult it was going to be. After all, all we have here is Paint, Word, and Powerpoint lol. We tried searching for cool templates and designs but found nothing... We had a couple ideas going but Mrs.Waid didn't seem to like them. We hit gold when Elliot found some premade templates on her Mac and we went from there.
In other words, all of our spare time today was spent working on getting all 104 kids separated into their respective files. I'm not going to lie, I've been here for two months now and I swear I've never seen some of these kids YET! Also when there are names like Tonna, Vonna, Donna, and Lana you can see how you can put the wrong name with the wrong face. After we were making some headway, we decided to try to print the cards. Again problems arose between Elle having a Mac and trying to get two pictures on one page to print--but once we made it through we began working quite quickly. And even though we worked most of today, we still have about 25kids left to go :P
As of 6:30pm tonight, I still didn't have my passport. I had to leave it in Dhaka with the mean embassy people and then it was picked up this last Monday. No one really had to go to Dhaka this week but luckily, a young Canadian guy flew in last night and will be staying with us at the orphanage for a couple months. He brought my passport to me :) Yay! I didn't get to talk to him much tonight but his name is Josiah and he's a theology graduate from CUC. I'm sure we will have a lot of the same friends so it will be nice to have another piece of home here.
Speaking of HOME, Josiah brought in a package from WallaWalla for me too :D As I ripped through it, I couldn't believe how excited I got! They sent Elle and I the Barn party edition of the Collegian (better late than never), three laminated leaves from WallaWalla, instant mashed potatoes, cornbread muffin mix, OATMEAL COOKIE MIX (just add eggs, butter, vanilla and water and voila!), Jello, and some hot drink mixes. But by far, I'm so excited about the cookie mix :) What a great idea eh? Elliot and I are going to make the cookies in the next week or so before she leaves to Spain for Christmas. My package looked like it had been opened up in customs but I hope everything stayed intact!
[Funny story, I had to do worship for the caregivers tonight. I was so excited that I began to pull out stuff, my smile growing bigger with each item. I pulled out the newspaper and explained where it was from and showed some pictures from the Barn Party. When I got to the center page, which was packed with pictures, I realized my boyfriend Michael was in one of the pictures. When I told the caregivers that he was my boyfriend, they all got really excited and passed his picture around the whole circle--it's a big thing in Bangladesh to have a boyfriend because marriage is really important in their culture. I heard "shoonder, coup shoonder" a couple times and I even pretended to fight Melotie for Michael at one point :) lol it was really funny... Ah good times!]
I also got a letter from my grandparents at home. I wish I could fully explain how I felt to see that someone had taken the time to actually write me a card and send it all the way across the world. They said they had been reading my blog and how proud of me they were. In that moment, I began to miss home and family so much I actually started to cry. So thank-you to Grandpa and Grandma White for thinking of me and for giving me an early Christmas present :) I appreciate it SO very much! I love you guys!
Tomorrow I have to go into India to renew my 60-day pass in Bangladesh. Unfortunately, no one here at BanglaHope has an Indian visa. The nurse here has family just on the other side of the Heli border crossing, so they will be meeting me as I venture into India. I'm not sure how long I need to be gone for in order to qualify that I've been out of Bangladesh but I'm hoping it's not more than a couple hours. I'm a little nervous to be going without Elliot but I know I'll be in good hands with these relatives. Still keep me in your thoughts and prayers as you go through your day...!
I'm heading to bed now to get some much needed rest before my adventure tomorrow. If nothing else, I'll have an Indian stamp to add to my passport collection :)
ami tomake bhalobashi
In other words, all of our spare time today was spent working on getting all 104 kids separated into their respective files. I'm not going to lie, I've been here for two months now and I swear I've never seen some of these kids YET! Also when there are names like Tonna, Vonna, Donna, and Lana you can see how you can put the wrong name with the wrong face. After we were making some headway, we decided to try to print the cards. Again problems arose between Elle having a Mac and trying to get two pictures on one page to print--but once we made it through we began working quite quickly. And even though we worked most of today, we still have about 25kids left to go :P
As of 6:30pm tonight, I still didn't have my passport. I had to leave it in Dhaka with the mean embassy people and then it was picked up this last Monday. No one really had to go to Dhaka this week but luckily, a young Canadian guy flew in last night and will be staying with us at the orphanage for a couple months. He brought my passport to me :) Yay! I didn't get to talk to him much tonight but his name is Josiah and he's a theology graduate from CUC. I'm sure we will have a lot of the same friends so it will be nice to have another piece of home here.
Speaking of HOME, Josiah brought in a package from WallaWalla for me too :D As I ripped through it, I couldn't believe how excited I got! They sent Elle and I the Barn party edition of the Collegian (better late than never), three laminated leaves from WallaWalla, instant mashed potatoes, cornbread muffin mix, OATMEAL COOKIE MIX (just add eggs, butter, vanilla and water and voila!), Jello, and some hot drink mixes. But by far, I'm so excited about the cookie mix :) What a great idea eh? Elliot and I are going to make the cookies in the next week or so before she leaves to Spain for Christmas. My package looked like it had been opened up in customs but I hope everything stayed intact!
[Funny story, I had to do worship for the caregivers tonight. I was so excited that I began to pull out stuff, my smile growing bigger with each item. I pulled out the newspaper and explained where it was from and showed some pictures from the Barn Party. When I got to the center page, which was packed with pictures, I realized my boyfriend Michael was in one of the pictures. When I told the caregivers that he was my boyfriend, they all got really excited and passed his picture around the whole circle--it's a big thing in Bangladesh to have a boyfriend because marriage is really important in their culture. I heard "shoonder, coup shoonder" a couple times and I even pretended to fight Melotie for Michael at one point :) lol it was really funny... Ah good times!]
I also got a letter from my grandparents at home. I wish I could fully explain how I felt to see that someone had taken the time to actually write me a card and send it all the way across the world. They said they had been reading my blog and how proud of me they were. In that moment, I began to miss home and family so much I actually started to cry. So thank-you to Grandpa and Grandma White for thinking of me and for giving me an early Christmas present :) I appreciate it SO very much! I love you guys!
Tomorrow I have to go into India to renew my 60-day pass in Bangladesh. Unfortunately, no one here at BanglaHope has an Indian visa. The nurse here has family just on the other side of the Heli border crossing, so they will be meeting me as I venture into India. I'm not sure how long I need to be gone for in order to qualify that I've been out of Bangladesh but I'm hoping it's not more than a couple hours. I'm a little nervous to be going without Elliot but I know I'll be in good hands with these relatives. Still keep me in your thoughts and prayers as you go through your day...!
I'm heading to bed now to get some much needed rest before my adventure tomorrow. If nothing else, I'll have an Indian stamp to add to my passport collection :)
ami tomake bhalobashi
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