dhaka weekend, following a strange week

hi everybody, it's saturday afternoon here - which feels like a sunday afternoon States-side.

...i want to check in after last week's conflict here in Dhaka. things have calmed down to something like normal - crazy Dhaka isn't ever normal. the school/embassy really made us a first priority during last week's happenings, so I never felt any immediate concern for my safety. here below is an updated article that gives a pretty complete account of the event and the aftermath - bodies in the sewers, gross and sad.

newly elected president, Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League, will handle the mutineers with quick, cold 'justice' i'm sure. expats and citizens here are all waiting to see if this president is capable of maintaining order in Bangladesh. for the last 2 years an emergency military government oversaw measurable improvements in the country - a refreshing relief: there was a decrease in violent uprisings, riots, etc, and advances in business and infrastructure. under the emergency government, many corrupt leaders - including the now-president Hasina, were jailed. people worry that the Bangladesh is headed back to same-old, same-old... others think this event gave Sheikh Hasina some impetus to unify her government and exercise her position in an effective way.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/27/bangladesh.mutiny.family/index.html

in other news! i'm getting ready to travel to Rishikesh, India with the 7th grade as a chaperone on their week-long discovery trip next week. whoah! Rishikesh is in northern India, it is the home of Yoga, at the headwaters of the Ganges, a favorite spot of the Beatles! im feeling a little excited for this :)

also, if you know my dear friends Jen Wilson or Ross McDermott, you might want to check out their blogs (they should be linked at the upper right of this page) because they each have been having some wild times lately. Jen went to Thailand to participate in the world's largest ultimate frisbee invitational... and Ross keeps on rolling with the American Festivals Project. holy cow

love to you guys at home

some links to yesterday's news

news:
Nearly 50 people are feared dead in Bangladesh after border guards staged an armed mutiny, reports say.

pictures:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7909557.stm


(i am fine and feel safe, please don't worry too much)

views of downtown dhaka, new market (from our car)

hi everybody! it was a nice weekend in Dhaka, full of soccer - as our school hosted the regional boys' soccer championship... this was so cool! kids came from all over - participating were 10 schools, international schools from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Colombo, Chennai, Dheli, Kathmandu, and Mumbai - I kept staring at the kids in wonder: "You're growing up in Islamabad??" As always there were Americans and Europeans, Africans, East Asians and lots of South Asians all mixed in together. It was cool to hear Urdu being spoken around us. EVERYONE in our school community came out to watch the competition - especially in its final stages. In the end, AIS/D lost the championship to Kathmandu 0-1. I've gotta say it was some of the best soccer I've ever seen, making me want to watch a lot more soccer. These tournaments happen 4 times a year, for different sports, but I found this one to be more fun since, with me working in the high school now, I actually know some of our athletes. I'll get to know them better starting next week when track season starts and I join the coaching squad :) That's the exciting news from the Desh.

On Friday afternoon Jimmy and I took advantage of lesser traffic (it's the holy day of the week) and drove downtown to big famous old market "New Market", in hopes of shopping for fabric - however, there was a big fire in one of the factories right across the street from New Market, and everything got a little too crazy for us to park and walk around in. here are some shots that i snapped with my little point and shoot camera as we navegated the Dhaka scene...

dhaka spring flowers, taken at the american club

a dhaka skyline

slum puppies: taken on friday, walking over a new bridge in banani neighborhood

good news!

hi!

it's been a really busy time here, and i'm sad that i haven't had a chance to take more pictures... but planning on that soon. last week i made the move to the high school, and i'm slowly figuring out my role there and how to interact with those older kids all over again...

the good news is that the CEO of QOOP.com, the site through which the calendars were sold, emailed me a nice personal note. he liked the project and the charity, and made a $60 donation from the company to the calendar project. so! in the end the calendars have earned $260 for the FFC orphanage - that's a lot of money that i never could have given otherwise - thanks guys!!!