Chritsmas

Our first Christmas in Bangladesh has been different but better than I expected. It's different because you don't have the whole country celebrating. Funnily enough though, it's been the busiest Christmas ever with Carol services, Christmas parties and end of year break up parties. It does coincide with the Independence of Bangladesh so there are red and green lights and decorations on the streets since they are the Bangladesh flag colours so it feels festive.

On the 24th we had staff from the school for a meal and some games, on the 25th we had presents with the boys first thing followed by a group call with all our kids and Mum and Dad and another with D.C's family. 

The Christmas stockings were a little different this year as I could fill them with things that are treats here, things such as Milo and Tang. Badminton is huge here so we got them each a badminton racquet and a volley ball for them all to share. Then we were off to church for a Christmas service followed by a meal. The biggest difference for us is that we were guarded on the 24th and 25th by RAB (Rapid Action Batallion) They are the equivalent of the SAS here. It's a first to have Christmas with AK47s but it does remind you that we are a minority in this country and not everyone is going to like our presence so sometimes extra protection is given when groups gather. In saying that, we have been welcomed openly by the people we meet each day and everyone has been very friendly to us no matter what religion they are but also like any country, there are radicals that can cause problems.
These are not the guys guarding us but this is what they look like...

On the 26th we had a foreigners Christmas lunch. We had fried chicken, pototo salad, Cauli and cheese sauce (cheese is a luxury as we can't get it here, the couple we are staying with had some bought over when some visitors came) It was a lovely time.

Time is racing

So much has happened in this last week and a half. We've been to the school end of year concert and party, The district Commissioner was there and he called our boys up to unexpectedly talk. They did really well and we really enjoyed the concert from the pupils despite the power going off and not being able to hear the music for dances.  The District Commissioner has been very good to us and really wants to see change in the education sector.

We were also invited to a Holud pre wedding event. It holds a special place among many Bangldeshi wedding traditions. Normally it's held a couple of days prior to the wedding at the couple’s respective city, village or house.  Turmeric paste is mixed with sandalwood, milk and rose water and is applied on the bride and groom’s face, neck, hands, and feet by family members and friends. It is believed that the yellow colour of turmeric brightens the skin colour of the couple and its medicinal properties protect them from all kinds of ailments. It also helps alleviates their nervousness before the wedding. Remember that arranged marriages are the norm here so the bride and groom probably don't know each other very well so that's pretty scary.

We've also been to a pre Christmas "carol" service called a kirtan. It wasn't carols as we know it but was an event full of drums getting faster and faster with people clapping and singing. I can't remember the official name for it.

We also had a fun office party with the tranzsend team where we had a devotion time followed by singing and then sharing of gifts. Everyone had to bring a gift each which was numbered and what ever number you drew, you got that gift. This was then followed by a delicious meal. It was lots of fun.

An interesting fact....

Check out the population per land mass, crazy.

Video of what we are doing.

Here's a link to a video we put together for those wanting to know what we are doing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EXKyKPVVT375DcA5gGS0sVlFt0U1_OtK/view?usp=sharing

Attachments area

A little update

Last weekend we travelled up to Dhaka to meet and farewell people from the Tranzsend team here in Bangladesh. We did a day trip which consisted of a 3+ hr trip on the launch, we then picked up a midi keyboard so that Caleb can continue to record music, had lunch with about 20 people whom we met mostly for the first time and then a 3+hr trip back home on the launch. I really enjoyed the day.

The launch trip back was quite an event. We had a large crowd of curious onlookers in a semicircle around us and peering through curtains.  One young muslim  man spoke very good English and came and sat with us. It turns out he is studying English literature and has a passion to see a change in the education sector in Bangladesh. DC and he spoke for a long time and exchanged numbers. His family is from a village not too far from Chandpur and he studies in Dhaka. They exchanged phone numbers and email and have since made contact. On Thursday DC had an email saying he would be passing through Chandpur and could he come visit. He ended up having lunch with us and playing badminton with the kids. He's such a nice guy and we pray he might be someone who will work alongside us.