Caleb is about seven years old and according to his file, his birthday is February 2 so you know we were meant to be kindred spirits (my birthday is February 1). Caleb's father rented a small shop to have a tea house but wasn't able to pay back the money he had borrowed in the process. Thus he disappeared and Caleb's mother was left with the debt. She had to sell some of their land to pay the bill. Eventually Caleb's father came back and began to borrow more money, of which he also couldn't pay back. He disappeared again and later news came that he had married another woman in Dhaka. Caleb's mother couldn't work and take care of Caleb and his little sister Tanisha (the little girl Ryan fell in love with) so she begged Bangla Hope to take them.
Caleb is probably my favourite little boy here. He is so full of life and is always so willing to wrap his skinny arms around me and say "Jehanna Teacher, I love you soooooooooooo much!" He is such a sensitive boy and just a stellar kid through and through. I really think he has a chance to make something of his life here in Bangladesh. I think he has what it takes to do something great. I will miss him so much, yet he is tucked into my heart safe and sound forever. Just a fantastic little kid through and through...
I booked our bus to Hili for 7am this morning. So counting backwards, we had to leave the dental clinic around 5:50, so we should eat breakfast at 5:30 and get up around 5am. Dad set his alarm and we both fell fast asleep. The next thing I know, Shilpi is knocking on the door. I looked at my watch in the dim light, snapping into reality when I realized it said 5:45. Oh dear. I scrambled of bed, calling Dad to action and ran into the bathroom to get changed. We threw our stuff haphazardly into our backpacks, wolfed down some yummy food (Shilpi is an amazing cook), and ran to catch an autorickshaw to take us to Kalunpur. Luckily Ashok went with us again so we wouldn't get lost. Usually the trip takes about an hour, give or take 15min. This time, it only took us 35min and we made it with 15min to spare. God is good!Ashok got us safely on the bus and then our adventure really began. I've ridden the bus and the roads here so much that nothing really phases me. But it made me laugh to watch Dad's face as our bus careened around cars, missing head on collisions with other buses by inches. I told him the joke Josiah and I have about if the Olympics had Chicken as one of the events, a Bengali bus driver would take gold every year. Well, unless there was another Bengali bus driver--then they'd just have to clean up the mess afterwards lol. After that, we started handing out awards to the closest of calls: he deserves the bronze or wow, he definitely secured the gold with that one. If you don't laugh, you might cry :)
Even though we left early this morning, neither of us slept at all the whole way. Dad was soaking in all the strange sights and I was torn between soaking in my last views of Dhaka and watching Dad's face. When I asked him what he was thinking, all he could say was that my blogs don't do any of this justice: the sights, the smells, the atmosphere. Even a webcam wouldn't do this justice. The only way to fully get an idea of what it's like over here is to experience it for yourself. In a way it made me proud what I've accomplished in getting to know the ins and outs of this culture, but on the other hand, it's sad to me that people reading this at home really aren't getting an accurate picture of life over here.
But I still try my best...
Eight hours later (there was some delays near the markets) we pulled into Bangla Hope and were greeted by Mrs.Waid and Josiah. Dad and Josiah hit it off right away and talked all the way to the kitchen where Shati had food waiting. We munched on yummy japatee burritos and then I showed Dad the general layout of the campus and my room. It's so surreal showing him the space where at time this year I felt so alone and far away from home.
The rest of the evening was spent between the dental clinic (where the doctors were seeing patients) and the courtyard where all the kids were. We watched the kids sing songs for worship, then watched them down full plates of rice and dhal for dinner. They were so cute! Dad got to meet so many of the kids that I've blogged about but he really seemed to be drawn to little Sheba. I love that girl... Later tonight, he came around with me and said goodnight to all my special rooms with me. He even sat in the rocking chair in the nursery and rocked little Dolly as she sat with a big smile on her face. It was really precious--I wish I had my camera..
Anyways, it was a good day. It was interesting to see Bangladesh again with new eyes, even if they weren't my own. It's going to be a good week--that I can promise.
ami tomake bhalobashi
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