In between trips

Today I'm headed to Dhaka for our MCC retreat to the the tea gardens of Sylet. Here is what I've been up to in the last week.

Friday: Carolyn and I went to Mymensingh and met Patrick and Nadine for ice cream. Then we rickshawed around the grounds and fields of the agriculture university.

Saturday: I went to Jolchatro/Piergacha to practice motorcycle. I was completely on my own this time, and nothing horrible happened. Lunch was arranged for me by an MCC worker. I went to an office guard's house and his wife made lunch for me. It was a weird experience because even though they were obviously poor, they still prepared expensive food (meat) for me. Their house had a bed, a few pieces of clothing, and some pots/dishes for cooking. We sat on the floor, and they gave me lots of rice, vegetables, fish, and chicken. They kept giving me food, but when the guard started eating, he only ate rice.

Sunday: Carolyn moved to Dhaka. Nadine came and spent the night on the Korean farm. (She used to live in my house when she was an MCC worker.) Nadine filled me in on good travels spots, Dhaka shopping, and stories of her experience in Bangladesh.

Monday: I went to Mymensingh to retrieve my bicycle. Then I rode my bike from Mymensingh to Muktagatcha (one hour), and then I rode from Muktagatcha to Ramchandrapur (40 minutes). Public transportation from Muktagatcha to Ramchandrapur takes about 35 minutes or more depending on how soon you can get a bus to leave. I'm ready to start riding my motorcycle to work, but it hasn't arrived from Sirajganj yet.

Tuesday: I made snickerdoodle cookies.

Wednesday: We had a Research and Development office meeting. I'm starting to become more involved in designing and making recommendations. Rofik, a technical officer, was eating an olive and he told me that people in Bangladesh use olive oil as a moiturizer. He offer me some, but the raw olive is so sour. Later that day I had lunch at Deepa's house (another technical officer). Her 6 year old daughter, Ritu, was rubbing olive oil all over her body. (She wants to be in beauty pageants.)