Bangladesh 2024 pt. 3: Old Friends

DISCLAIMER:

I would like to say I’m sorry if my writing these days seems a little discombobulated, punctuation is off, or my grammar is rough. I am trying to write my Bangladesh memories so I can read them later, but I do not want to distract myself from my time here. Basically, I don’t want to be pressured to crank out an artistic, poetic post. Those take time (for me,) with the editing and drafts and giving it time to make sure it’s perfect. Those kinds of articles are how I express my creative feelings. With these Bangladesh updates, I am just jotting down a few things I want to remember. So, if it seems sloppy and rushed, that’s simply because it is. Thank you.

:)

SATURDAY, JUNE 8th, 2024

Khulna, Bangladesh

DAY 2

Whitney, Brandi, and I got the Wedel wake-up call bright and early. Today was the first day of fellowship. We got ready, mentally prepared for the 100*+ temperatures, and went to church

It was so good to see everyone. It had been a whole year since I’d seen Shanto, Shathi, Hridoy, Antor, and Spondon. I about croaked when I saw Spondon. He was only a little boy when I left, and now, he has grown almost as tall as me! And his voice changed!!! He is still as cute as a button tho.

We had our morning service in our little tin church room by the pond. Ah, so nice to be back. The windows were open to the honking trucks and passersby. The doors were open to the ducks and baby goats. The Bengali songs rang off the walls. Simply, I was Home again.

I ended up picking two of my favorite songs. I still have more to go :)

We went home in the afternoon to catch a break from the heat. I had forgotten the powerful grip of this heat. It seemed they chose the two hottest days of the whole year for fellowship. I dripped sweat as I stood talking. I had finally gone inside to get a bunch of napkins to keep with me to wipe my forehead. The thought of the A/C back at home kept me courageous.

We went back for the evening service. There was a little time before supper, so a number of us walked to the river. That was one thing we did often while I lived here, and it was good to catch up. We sat by the riverside for a long time as it grew dark. Then, we decided we had better go back, as supper was scheduled to start ten minutes ago.

We served and ate supper, another Bangla meal under the colorful roof of the tent. I sat with my old friends and talked and laughed and remembered old stories. Day by day, I’m finding the pieces of my heart that were left here.

SUNDAY, JUNE 9th, 2024

Khulna, Bangladesh

DAY 3

I am realizing how used to the American life I have become. When I lived here, I didn’t care much how my hair looked in the morning, because I knew the heat would ruin it by lunch anyway. Another thing I have forgotten is how nice it is to literally only have one pair of shoes. I don’t have to FaceTime my sisters to ask them which shoes go best with my outfit. I know I only have one option here: my white sandals. And, nobody cares if i wear floral stretch. In fact, the Bangladeshis think it’s pretty. So do I.

By the second day, My Bangla was slowly coming back. Understanding was no problem, but it seemed my speech was a little slow. Sometimes, all I could do was look at them in disbelief that I had forgotten so much. By now though, it has already almost come back to its fullness. I still slip a little, but the more I am hearing, more comes. I just needed a little practice.

Today marked the second and last day of this year’s fellowship meeting. We ladies stayed home in the morning. There were some mix-ups and business stuff in the morning, and Trevor told Lisa that the kids weren’t needed. We were happy to stay home with them and drink hot tea.

We went in time for lunch. Two of our village neighbor ladies were hired to cook all the food for fellowship, and for the last meal, they cooked three of Shati’s geese. Since I had stroked their necks and talked to them just before their brutal death, I didn’t partake in any of the meat served that meal. Some things just can’t be done, for moral reasons.

Everyone else went home, and Lisa and I stayed to help clean up. I washed dishes in the pukur (pond) with one of the cooker neighbor ladies. This is when she informed me that she had a boy picked out for me to marry, and she could invite him to her house to show me if I wished. I laughed and laughed. I couldn’t help it. I told her that was not needed, and America had lots of nice boys that I could marry. (Not that I have any in mind, OK MOM?)

Lisa and I took an EZ bike halfway home, and then got on a rickshaw van for the remainder of the trip. It was so much fun to ride those old and rickety chariots again.

Once I was home, I walked over to the incense stick factory next to our house. If you kept up with my letters, you will remember reading about my friends at the factory. I spent lots of time there when I was bored, and made some good friends.

“My favorite lady”, as I’ve known her, was working outside when I stepped inside the gate. She was surprised to see me. “They told me you had come, but I didn’t believe it!” she exclaimed. She took me by the hand and led me inside where people were working. I was greeted with a chorus of “AHAs!” and “OOOOOHs!” There were a few new faces I didn’t recognize, but most were good ole familiar ones.

Later, I obliged the kids’ begging and got in the pool with them. The pool is about 1.5 feet high and about 5 feet in diameter. They set it up in the carport and string the hose into it. It’s actually quite refreshing. I took my turn being 5 years old and running and doing tricks. It has been a nice break from my responsibilities back home ;)

MONDAY, JUNE 10th, 2024

Khulna, Bangladesh

DAY 4

Jared, Brianna, Layton, and Shania packed up and went back to Dhaka. About two hours later, our friend Emily arrived. Emily is an American married to a Bangladeshi man, living in Khulna City. Lisa met her at the grocery store one day, and they have been close friends ever since. When I lived here, we did a lot with Emily and her son, Noah. They would come for the day, we’d meet them in town for the afternoon, or we’d go to her place. Sometimes, her husband Alpha would come.

It only worked for them to come on this one day. They had plans to leave the next day for their trip to Europe. Emily’s parents are life-long missionaries, and are currently serving in the Czech Republic. Alpha, Emily, and Noah are going for several months.

I made lunch for the group, and we sat and talked for a long time. Trevor and Alpha went out to visit the sunglass shop, while we stayed home and played games.

Later, we went upstairs and Emily showed us her yoga routine. I was IMPRESSED. I tried some of the moves myself, and was pleasantly surprised that I could do some of them! (“Some”being the key word.)

We spent the evening in the living room telling horror stories of plane rides. Alpha has terrible trip anxiety, and was not looking forward to the journey. After we got done sharing our worst experiences, we tried reassuring him that he would be ok. He didn’t seem convinced.

Once we said goodbye to them, we cleaned up the house before saying hello to our next set of guests. Josna and Sumita, sisters from Dhaka; and Sumita’s niece, Angela, came for the night. Sumita had not been feeling well after fellowship, and the heat was really bothering her sleep. Lisa offered that they could come cool down in our house for the night, before leaving in the bus in the morning. They took her offer, and Trevor and Brandi went to pick them up from Brother Shanto’s place.

They game in smiling and giggling, like they do. We sat at the table and ate leftover cake and drank Gatorade. After a while, we all went to bed.

TUESDAY, JUNE 11th, 2024

Khulna, Bangladesh

DAY 5

After breakfast, Trevor and Lisa invited the Dhaka girls to stay for the day. They had been wanting to have them down to Khulna for a few days to visit, and now seemed like a good time to invite them; since they were already here and all.

I woke up not feeling the greatest. I didn’t eat breakfast and went back upstairs to bed. Suddenly, Lisa messaged me and said they were taking the girls to the zoo! Oh my, I thought. I can’t miss out on that. I convinced myself I wasn’t feeling too bad, even eating a muffin or two. I got ready to go, and we were in our way.

The Khulna zoo is quite spectacular. The few animals are in small concrete cages. My heart went out to them. Monkeys should be swinging from trees, not from chicken wire!

Perhaps the most interesting thing was the monkey that Trevor and the kids teased. They would spit water at him, and he’d get all riled up, jumping around and showing his teeth. We also saw three bears, and one tiger. There was an assortment of birds and monkeys, but it had nothing on Lee Richardson back home.

What really took the cake was the aquarium. We payed 20 cents a piece for tickets. I had heard tell of this amazing aquarium, but I could wait to see for myself.

All the fish were dead. They were encased in some kind of epoxy resin. I laughed and laughed as we trundled through. Every single fish, save some random goldfish-looking things, were as dead as a doornail. It’s not like they even looked nice and taxidermied or anything. They looked like they had already started rotting before they had been preserved. And then, at the very last, was the special exhibit: the shark.

The shark truly was the limit. It didn’t fit into its box, so the shout had been bent so the shark could be squished inside.I really couldn’t look away. The more I looked, the worse it got.

After the unique aquarium, it was time for the kids’ reason for coming: the pool. They couldn’t wait. We all changed and headed there.

The pool was a big, round, inflatable thing about 2 feet deep. The water had been out under the hot sun, so it felt like a bathtub. They were piping cold water in at one of the sides, so we took turns drenching ourselves with the hose. At one end of the pool, there was an inflatable slide!! Ever since I was small, I have wanted to go on an inflatable slide into a pool. Who would have thought I would experience it in Bangladesh, of all places.

We played in the pool for about an hour. I had almost forgotten about my hurty stomach. Only one time, in top of the slide, I felt a pang. Hm… I thought. I must be so much fun I’ve forgotten all about it!

We got out of the pool, and the kids, Trevor, and the Dhaka girls went around the park laid out by the pool. I wasn’t feeling too good anymore, so decided to stay behind.

I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. I drank 2 bottles of cold water and sat down in the shade. I thought I was feeling better, but then it hit again. I suddenly felt like I needed to throw up and faint. I couldn’t decide which one to do first. Lisa was sitting next to me, watching the children play. She kept talking about what we should have for breakfast. I couldn’t dare think about food. I knew I needed to cool off. I stumbled to the bathroom, where the was a shower. I stood under the water for a moment.

Finally, I put aside my pride, got the keys, and stumbled the far distance to the van. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. Honestly, I wondered what would happen if I fainted right there in the courtyard. I earnestly prayed that I could just make it to the van. I’d be fine to faint in there, far away from the Bangladeshi eye.

Only by some miracle, I made it and sat under the AC. Then, I realized that my heart was racing so fast. Whatever I tried, I couldn’t get it to come down. I focused on my breathing and thought happy thoughts. I drank more water. I wondered what would happen if I passed out with nobody around to help me. My mind danced between sleep and waking, and my dreams mingled with my thoughts and became one. Slowly, I started to feel better.

Everyone came back about forty minutes later. They decided on KFC for lunch. I didn’t feel up to eating, so I sat in the van.

But, extroverts get lonely if they’re by themselves for too long. I started feeling better, and joined the group in KFC. Whitney took one look at me and said, “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay out there by yourself!”

We returned home, and I went to bed. Towards evening, Whitney, Brandi, Brock, and I walked to the neighbor’s house: my first food invite! It was Brock’s first invite by himself, too. Brock’s best friend lives there, and so does Whitney’s. I had debated not going, but Whitney said Piyash—Brock’s best friend and the cutest little boy in the entire world (besides my nephew)— was so looking forward to me coming. I simply couldn’t disappoint him.

I told them I wouldn’t eat, as I wasn’t feeling well. “Just eat a little bit,” Piyash’s mom coaxed. I simply couldn’t disappoint.

After playing games and reading language lessons with 9yo Piyash, we sat down at the table. It would be my first food of the day. Would I be able to keep it down?

Again, I was amazed by the beauty. The FOOOOOOOD. I did a happy dance with each bite. We were served Egg Curry, soybean, chicken, duck, and DOI. (Those of you who have been with me since the beginning, you will have read about soybean and doi, my two favorites.) My heart and belly were full as I headed back down the trail for home.

Josna, Sumita, and Angela were still at our house, and Lisa had made pizza for them. We sat inside and out, sang a song in Bangla, and went to bed late and happy.

P.S.

For any newcomers, I am visiting Trevor and Lisa Wedel from Kidron, Ohio. They have four children: Whitney, 15; Brandi, 12; Brock, 9; and Kylie, 5. I taught here from Sept. 2021-May 2023.