High Definition

Ever since returning to Bangladesh a week ago, one thing has really stood out to me. It feels like when I left Bangladesh in April, everything was in analog TV mode but since returning it is like everything is in high definition. Maybe that is just the difference the rains make in cleaning up all the dust and dirt. Maybe it is just the result of having returned from the States where colors are very bland compared to Bengali tastes. Regardless, I find myself in just pure awe of it at times.

I also noticed that my Bangla pronunciations where terrible when I returned. A week later I'm starting to gain some of my confidence back again and finding that I'm able to start adding a bit more complexity to my sentences. It's all a good reminder that I need to practice and study Bangla more.

I've spent a grand total of about 15 minutes at my house since coming back. I spent most of the last week doing work in Dhaka and saying farewell to the Miller family. It is saddening to see them go but like I previously noted, I'm not one for being too caught up in such things. I trust God has a purpose for them and this move in their lives. I finally returned to Bogra last Thursday which is the end of the work week. I got back to the office in time to have a late lunch. After that I had an hour long talk with my boss. He then invited me to come with him to his parent's house for the weekend. Having vowed to do more of those types of things, I took him up on it. So I went home, threw my dirty clothes in the laundry, grabbed some clean clothes, and took off with him right after work.

He is from a part of Bangladesh that is famous for its mangoes and it happens to be mango harvest season. I had a great time hanging out with him and his family. The mangoes were everything they were billed to be (I didn't like mango last year but love them this year, funny how tastes change huh?). The only thing that didn't go so well was that they found out that a bunch of their mangoes got stolen. Having crops stolen is a real issue in Bangladesh which is why most people hire help to watch the crop as harvest nears. Fortunately, my boss, while sad and frustrated at this news, isn't some poor Bengali who will starve as a result of losing $15 worth of mangoes. I also had a new kind of flat bread while I was there. It was made from a brown rice flour, very delicious. His mother even made the best tasting beef dish I've had in Bangladesh. Overall, I think that part of Bangladesh is one of my favorites so far. We traveled through the 4th largest city in Bangladesh there and it felt more like a giant village than a city. That appeals to me.

I got back from this trip last night about 7 but since his wife and child were off visiting family and my roommates are both out of town right now, he invited me to his place to watch World Cup games for the night. I was hesitant to accept since I was out of clean clothes at this point but the draw of watching the England vs. USA game trumped those hesitations. In retrospect, it was very much worth losing sleep and wearing dirty clothes to work today. Seriously everyone, watch the World Cup games. They're amazing and kind of a big deal. I'll try to post later about how the Bengali people celebrate it all.