Well folks, I have finally arrived! What a journey... and I thought my trip to Africa years ago was long. At least I had stops and left the airport (which I will do on my way home from Bangladesh).
Sunday started off wonderfully with a few short errands and two hours of sand volleyball... heaven! Then my friend Punam dropped me off at the GNV airport to pick up my rental car to drive myself to Jacksonville where my flights all began. I got there an hour and 45 minutes before my flight and let's just say... that was cutting it close. It took almost an hour for the gal at the desk to figure out my bag situation... had to check 3 and 2 were overweight (due to fifteen 12V batteries, microscope, and other field equipment). It was not her fault though and after the whole thing went down she gave me a "fast pass" for the preferred security line so that was AWESOME... took me 2 mins to get through security. That began my 24 hour trip with 19 hours of flying. When I finally got to the last leg of my flight (istanbul --> dhaka) I was maybe 1 of three white people in the whole place (other two mere men) and everyone told me I would be stared at but my goodness was that 100% the truth haha. I was talking to a gal who grew up in Bangladesh and lives in the states now and she said that their culture believes you are more beautiful the lighter your skin tone is... wish that were true in the US so I wouldn't have to fake tan lotion my pasty legs lol. My icddr,b handler was at the airport with my name on a sign... have always wanted to have that happen... and he told me exactly what to do and say to customs and the VISA security. So glad he was there because not a lot of Bangladeshis speak english and that could have gotten hard. All three of my checked bags made it - I was in shock! So about an hour after my flight landed we were out of there and past the gates were so many people (even that early, about 6am) bargaining for their rickshaw, taxi, baby taxi, etc. We had a VIP exit (yes, that's what it's called) where a hired driver from icddr,b was waiting at the car. I swore our car was going to hit these children that run so close to the cars and people that are just everywhere around the airport. The near crashes didn't stop there... merging into the roads to leave there are no lanes like in the US and everyone just kind of goes and uses their horns to warn that they are about to pass or to "move the hell over" so I can pass. It was so bizarre though, I felt pretty safe oddly enough. About a 10-15 minute drive (streets are pretty empty compared to afternoons) and we arrive at my hotel... I am very impressed - $50/night goes far in Bangladesh. Running water, stand up dial shower, flushing toilet, an A/C box, wifi and cable with epic indian music channels. However, I got there before management and no one spoke english, so I had to wait for another hour and a half to officially check-in and get the wifi password and all that, though I capitalized on that time and napped. Free breakfast comes every morning and I had delicious authentic bangladeshi paratha (SO GOOD), scrambled eggs, and tea. I sat in the breakfast room at a table that looks outside so I could watch the busy streets and everything that goes with them... however, it seemed I was the one being watched. Even those in rickshaws zooming by seemed to notice the white girl sitting in the window haha... I don't know if I will ever get used to the staring. After a delicious meal I headed back to my room, showered, and hit the bed hard. I slept all day (Florida's night) and now I am struggling to sleep during their night (which is necessary if I want to adjust to the time!). Tomorrow I am getting picked up and get to start working at icddr,b and meet those who I have been skyping with the past few months! Cannot wait... and yes monsoons hit here with ferocity but are not all day (at least right now).
3 Comments
Diane Cinkovich
5/27/2015 09:55:27 am
Steph, so interesting and so busy already. Sure you would have been disappointed if a Monsoon didn't greet you. Hope they are few and far between. Love to hear all and hope your jet lag is taken care of. LU
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Lindsay
5/28/2015 02:50:13 pm
So freaking cool Steph! I am so excited to be able to follow your whereabouts across the world. Love you and miss you!!
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Michelle Weldon
5/30/2015 11:19:40 am
I need to come up with another word besides 'wow', but that's exactly what I feel when I read your blog. I'm amazed at your sense of adventure! P.S. You are beautiful and better get used to being stared at :)
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Steph CinkThis is my way to share both my personal and research experiences with my family, friends and those that are interested.
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