Back in Dhaka for Year Two!!!

September 4, 2011


Dear family and friends,


I am back in Dhaka for Year Two!  I thought I would attach some of my favorite photos from the past year in Bangladesh, ones you have not seen. 

My favorite of all places: Bhutan

I love this picture, taken on an evening stroll in
Bhutan.  The Himalayas are in the background.  I love how two blossoms remain on the tree.  I really want to go back to Bhutan; it is a true Shangrila.

I promise I will write more on my blog this year. All is going well in my second year of teaching at AIS/D.  Come and visit me!  I can give you lots of space, food, a driver, and no worries.

I love you all who are kind enough to view my
blog.  More adventures are waiting for me.

A busy student at the ABC School

Again, Bhutan!!

Got to LOVE this guy!

Bangladesh strength personified!

Beautiful children everywhere...even just walking around the lake.

A trip to the Sundarbans; just an early morning cruise to look for wildlife.

Someone in my building is getting married.  Felt like Christmas!

A trip to the ship-breaking yards in Chittagong with my friends Caroline and Rosemary.

A woman in the village cutting cucumbers the traditional way with a sharp blade, hands AND feet.

The Tiger's Nest in Bhutan...and YES!  I did climb it!  Absolutely breathtaking in two ways.

    Much love, Karen

Bhutan!!!!!

A glimpse into my trip to Bhutan, April, 2011...memories to last a lifetime.  A trip of a lifetime!!!

One of the many weavers in Bhutan.  Notice how everyone who works wears traditional dress?  So do students.  It's lovely.

This is Karma, my tour guide in Bhutan, plus me...on the balcony of one of our hotels. We laughed so much on this trip.  Karma was trying to come up with a "motto" a day.  He called himself "Son of the Himalaya."

I toured a temple and caught this monk sounding the gong for worship.  He was ok with photos.

The entrance to one of our hotels.  This is typical Bhutanese architecture.  We were greeted with a hot towel and tea.

A photo of the inside of a house where the local brew is made.  Sweet people!

One of many prayer wheels that you must turn clockwise.

Outfitting a little urchin for school in the traditional uniform for school.

Me, Karma, Rosemary, and our driver for the week.  Look at the Himalaya range in the back!!! We had picture perfect days.

A design at the Museum for Traditional Medicine.  Rosemary was sick and they treated her at no cost.  Did it work?  Not so sure.

Yes, I actually did climb to this place, the Tiger's Nest.  It was an all day trek.

I had such a wonderful time in Bhutan, a complete contrast from Dhaka.  I wish you could have all been there, too.  I feel so blessed to have been able to visit a country so untouched by the outside world for thousands of years.                                                             With much love, Karen

The Making of My New Cane Chair

January 23, 2011

I was enthralled by all the hard working cane factory workers and loved the results of their labor.

 

    

 I loved this salesman's kindness and sincerity.  Besides that, he delivered!

Here is the finished, comfy cane  chair in my living room.  

Come visit me in Bangladesh!  It is amazing.

Happy New Year!!!!

I'm Back and it is January in Bangladesh! 

                                                                                     

I love these little flowers in Minnesota.  Here they are in Dhaka in a month where we would be freezing cold back home.

Color is everywhere!!!

The vegetables are at their finest right now, especially cauliflower.  I buy veggies, but I have yet to buy a live chicken.

January 22, 2011

Greetings to all my family and friends,

So sorry that it has taken so long to put something back on my blog.  I went to America for Christmas and was so lucky to see my children and grandchildren, my parents, and my twin sister and her family.  What an adventure!  

I will write more later.  I am going to attach photos of my grandchildren in America and contrast their lives to a few children I see working or playing here in Dhaka.  

I love you all,

Karen

A young girl pulling the guts out of a fresh chicken for sale, while the live birds look on.

The Jones family playing at the beach, Christmas, 2010

Tatiana making Christmas cookies with Grandma, 2010

Young mother outside my apartment the day I left for America asking, "Take my baby to America?"

A ma and his daughter at the park, Bangladesh 2011

Hard work, 4 year old style in America (Sweet William at Christmas, 2010)

Hard work Bangladesh style in the life of a child (cane factory)

Happy New Year to all!

I'm Coming to America!!!!!

Fishermen Dragging in their Nets at the Sundarbans

Village Life along the rivers

December 4, 2010

Dear friends and family,

I really can't believe that I will be boarding a plane for America in a few days.  I leave on December 15, our last day of school before a long break.  I can't wait.  I have been so nostalgic for Christmas music.  I downloaded a few tunes and do have a live tree that I decorated with lights and little brightly painted stars and elephants.  It's not the same!

Since I last wrote, I have been to the Sundarbans, a Scottish ball (had a long dress made at the tailor), and have been volunteering to serve breakfast to slum children at a Mother Teresa Sisters of Charity Home.  The photos I have attached are from your trip to the Sundarbarns.  I have lots of shots of that very relaxing cruise to the Sundarbans. We saw wild boar, monkeys, 7 ft. long lizards, eagles, kingfishers, and dolphins.  The twelve of us on the boat got along really well for four days and nights.  We even took mud baths in the Bay of Bengal and went swimming in the ocean.  Food on board was excellent, prepared in Bengali fashion by some of the nine crewmen.

School continues to be wonderful.  The people of Bangladesh continue to be gentle and kind.  All is well, but I'm missing home.


Karen

November Eid: The Animal Slaughtering Time

This man is one of many hoping to sell oxen as Eid approaches. 

Setting up residence with the prized oxen

Can you see the head of the ox at the front of the truck as it approaches market?

As the November Eid approaches, animals of all kinds arrive in Dhaka to be sold.  Muslim tradition holds that on a particular day and time, animals are slaughtered and butchered.  Meat is shared with family, friends, and the poor.  My neighbor told me that on Eid morning last year she was awakened by a repetitive, clanging sound on the street.  She looked out her bedroom window to find the butchering in progress.  Seeing all the animals at the market reminds me of the county fair.  There is an obvious difference, though, and I am glad that I will be out of Dhaka when the killing begins. 

Cows, oxen, and even camels can be found in homeowners' garages now as Eid draws near.  Such an interesting time of year!!!

It's November Already!!!

This picture reminds me of The Kite Runner

These girls are in a school bus coming home from a day at school.

Dear Ones,

I can't believe that it's November.  I will be coming home next month!!!  Everything is going well in Bangladesh.  We are entering a milder season, compared to the hot, humid summer.  It is called early autumn.  There are fragrant blossoms appearing that the children have brought to school.  They remind me of plum blossoms.  Lovely.  It's sunny now and the livin' is easier.

I will be going to the Sundarban region in southern Bangladesh on Monday night.  Twelve of us will be sharing a boat on a four day trip to the mangrove forests.   This is another Eid holiday.  I will write about that next; it's very interesting.

Much love,
Karen