A teacher and toilet paper

A couple of days ago I had an interesting  but also depressing chat with a Bangladeshi teacher at an event. 

The young man comes from simple conditions but moved to the capital for an education, got a job and is raising a family. In addition to his wife and a little child, he has to support his parents back home and contribute to his in-laws. 



He also has a vast responsibility in teaching the next Bangladeshi generation so that his students can land to better paid jobs and get a life a bit easier than his is.

The teacher spends about an hour and a half to work every morning. He walks, takes a bus and a rikshaw. That is, when the traffic is good. 

In the evening the same distance can take up to two hours. Sometimes he needs to take an auto rikshaw which is faster but ruins his budget. The cost is about 120 taka (1.4 euro).

After work the teacher has a short break at home before he goes to his private students, to make the economy go round.

The dedicated teacher didn't tell this to complain but politely responded my  inquisition.

People have different hang-ups. Mine is toilet paper. For six months I have been looking for a good toilet paper in Dhaka. I was dreaming of a soft, thick, beautiful variety. 

The search was very little successful.

Now the hunt concentrates on something decent.

The local brands are thin, hard and not user friendly.

First you have to get rid of the glued part. The glue sits so tight that it could easily hold together tectonic plates. A lot of tearing and swearing.

The rest of the paper is rolled so loosely round the case that it all folds down in one, five meter long piece.

What has this to do with the nice teacher?

It shows how small my problems are and how  people struggle with real problems. In a very dignified and humble way.

Respect  and pray for the teacher.

And I try to keep that in mind while foraging for luxury bathroom tissues in Dhaka.

The pictures in this posting have nothing to with the theme. It's spring - trees are losing their leaves, flowers are blooming and an occational hailstorm whips the city. It's getting warmer.

Almost India

We had visas, passports, rupees, airline tickets. We flew to Kolkata, India, but landed in a place than could have been a suburb of Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

People in this Indian city look like Bangladeshi, they speak Bangla, they eat Bangla food. Kolkata is almost as chaotic as Dhaka, the streets are dirty and poverty is very visible.

Yes, everybody told me this before. Thanks everybody. I just had to see this with my own eyes.

Physically it's less than 400 kilometers between Dhaka and Kolkata but historically and culturally the cities are close. Islam is the dominant religion is Bangladesh, hinduism in India. But Dhaka has a hindu population, Kolkata a muslim one. 

Still, Kolkata in West Bengal was absolutely worth a visit. 

Our hotel was close to the area where Mother Teresa worked. She was an impressive woman but sadly enough there is a lot to do even now.

No rikshaws in Kolkata downtown, instead hoards of yellow taxis. 

But not for us since I insist on walking. I need to see, hear, smell and touch places I visit. Thus, many kilometers per day, a few complaints from my husband.

The British colonial time is very visible in Kolkata. Victoria Memorial is an impressive marble building surrounded by large gardens. 

Beautiful and at the same time a good example of the sharp division of the haves and have-nots. Wealthy white people lived in an area called the White City,  poor locals in the Black City. Very little has changed. 

Our visit coincided with the first spring days and Valentine's Day. Millenium Park by the Hooghly River attracted hundreds of young couples (or wannabes) in their best attire. The smell of hormones clearly defeated the scent of flowers.

Old days have their charm. 

So do the new.

Amazing art

 Never a dead moment in Dhaka. This city never sleeps, construction activities are a proof of eternity, cars honk night and day, prayer calls are organic alarm clocks.

Hyper activity also applies to the cultural scene. Dhaka offers exhibitions, shows, activities, readings, music, dance all and any time.

Enjoying culture is, however, not easy. In the crazier than crazy traffic even a short distance can take hours.

Like this week when I visited Dhaka Art Summit 2016.

The drive was about 10 kilometers but it took almost two hours, each way. 

But it was worth the effort. All the art from South Asia and beyond was  an joy and inspiration.

The exhibition consisted of solo projects, curated shows, performances and talks. It all showed both the versatility of the art and also the variety of the spectators.

The Art Summit lasted for five days, entrance was free. Everything was surprisingly well organized.  The venue was as overpopulated as Dhaka but actually huge crowds just made the experience better.

Bloody popular

For the first time in my life I am immensely popular. Almost anywhere and any time.
Fans come in hundreds and thousands, all of them want a part of me.

Winter in Bangladesh is the mosquito season. Actually, the mosquitoes are with us all the time, but they are especially numerous during the winter.
The Bangla species are very hungry and they seem to prefer foreign blood and appreciate vintage. The older the better, and I am definitely the better.


From home I am used to bloodsuckers that make life miserable outdoors. 
In Dhaka, mosquitoes reside inside. One meets them in large quantities at homes, offices, bathrooms, restaurants, cars, airports, stores.

Consequently, there is no need for perfumes in this country. I literally smell intoxicating since I bathe in repellents. I use sprays, lotions, cremes - probably not very beneficial for skin.




On a more serious note, mosquitoes are the most dangerous animals here. The bite of a bloodsucking female mosquito can transmit many diseases, not only the "trendy" zika virus but also dengue fever. 
The dengue season is usually from June to September but cases have been reported even outside the high season.






Spring here starts officially at the end of next week. Last days of the winter have been very pleasant. The temperature is like on a good Scandinavian summer day and the humidity is low. Winter flowers bloom and the sun is shining. 






But there is always a but: the air quality in Dhaka is very poor, trees are covered with a heavy layer of dust, many people wear pollution masks.