ready for a wedding?

attending a wedding ceremony with dear mr. and mrs. sinha last week...

i'm looking photogenic as usual...

Obama Reverses Rules on U.S. Abortion Aid
WASHINGTON — President Obama repealed rules on Friday that restricted federal money for international organizations that promote or provide abortions overseas, sweeping aside a pillar of the social policy architecture of George W. Bush’s presidency.

cool to see this headline in the NYTimes today... when i first got here i was frustrated to hear that the big Cholera Hospital in Dhaka (which functions as a sophisticated research center / free clinic for many hundreds DAILY) didn't accept US contributions to its project because of this former policy put in place by the Bush administration, which stipulated that any aid-receiving hospital couldn't distribute contraception.

hello! a little Dhaka update

hi guys! here's the latest...

after fighting some serious jetlag i've fallen right back into a routine here, and it feels very like a very nice routine this time, that some of the daily kinks have been worked out. school is great. the first semester ends this week, and with that ends my time in the middle school. now i move to the high school to work in the spanish department. i'm looking forward to that experience - i get to work with another great teacher. it might be much-needed practice, since it looks like there is some demand for spanish teachers in the charlottesville-area than for social studies teachers.

dhaka is a little bit easier to take in so far, this time around. there is much less shock factor about the way things are, in this second look at the place. it helps that the weather is quite beautiful now. except for vicious mosquitos (who like to bite my face the best), it feels a lot like balmy florida mornings all the time now.... we'll enjoy this for a few more weeks before temperatures go up up up. the flowers that are blooming now - oh my goodness, so pretty

i'm enjoying friends here, who are becoming better friends as time goes on - and i wish i could share them with Dave, and i wish they could join us for the wedding. there are many people in this school community that i like a whole, whole lot. adventurous, active, and caring folks. neat young families that have fun together

because i feel like i should post a picture or two, and i haven't gotten out to shoot any yet, i'm going to share the color versions of a few of the Eid photos that i showed before in black and white. pretty wild eh?

TED: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen

Here's a quick intro to TED Talks, and one really neat one that I recommend everyone to check out. Note that Dave is bringing the TED conference to his work this February as one of his first initiatives in his new position.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

Try this really great example of a TED Talk by clicking below:
Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen

peace, love, cockroaches

hello friends -
it's back to Bangladesh and back to blogging after 3 beautiful weeks in Virginia. there is some big news - Dave and I have decided to get married, and I am so happy about it. for me being engaged is a good place to be, it feels calm and right and exciting. we spent Christmas with both our families and had a wonderful time, and also started a little wedding planning. here's the date to save: December 19th, 2009. soon I'll have a great picture of my engagement ring to share with everyone here. we have loved getting the good wishes of everyone; we are so lucky.

except that saying goodbye was just tragic. and thank goodness it's the last time that Dave and I have to do that. for the first 36 hours alone i wandered through airports in a grumpy daze, not even cheered up by a big fat Bride's magazine purchased in Dulles. but on arriving to the apartment in Dhaka, i'm beginning to feel some life in me again. tomorrow i've got a big teaching day - the French Revolution! and so the fun routine begins: school, tutoring, yoga classes, running dates.

the journey here, from Cville to Dhaka, is treacherously long. my whole body has been cramped in one position or another and every body part has fallen asleep a couple of times over, each time with screaming slow pins-and-needle awakenings. how many laps did i walk around the little Qatar airport I wonder? 50? man did I miss my mom yesterday, she is the best airport roaming partner.

in Bangladesh itself I'm looking forward to watching the seasons change, to shopping for fabrics to decorate our 808 house, to watching more Bollywood films and learning more local music, to dahl and rice dinners, to funny outings with Mrs. Sinha, to meeting our cook Anna's new baby, to photography, to boat rides. I wonder how it will be to have Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League as the country's new president...? in march i get to chaperone a 7th grade trip to Rishakesh, India and then in april there could be a chance to meet up with mom and dad in thailand.

pray that the time will pass quickly, that the efforts I make will generate some good for the school and for Bangladesh, that all the homesick feelings won't get in the way of having fun, and that all will be healthy and safe - except the cockroach colony that has moved in with us