What I loved from my exchange experience in Bangladesh was that I got to do the typical things a foreigner do:
1. Eating chicken biryani in the middle of old Dhaka at 4am… and loving it!2. Wearing a Sari… and feeling pretty (and half naked) on it.
3. Learning bangla… or at least enough words to communicate with rickshaw drivers.
4. Getting stuck on a rickshaw jam… and stop thinking it is funny.
5. Eating spicy food every day, crying for it the first days… and having the usual diarrhea anytime during the first 2 months.
6. Getting awake every morning by the praying sounds of the nearby mosque.
7. Eating with my hands… and getting my hands smelly for hours after that.
8. Going shopping to large apparel brand’s sales … and almost pass out after seeing how inexpensive prices were.
9. Getting a henna tattoo… and having my parents going crazy after thinking it was real J.
10. Having a chicken Shawarma every second day… and actually like it.
11. Taking a bus between Gulshan and Bashundara… and surviving to it!
The fact that Bangladesh isn’t exactly the first destination people think about when deciding to go on exchange, makes it a place where only very special go to. And THIS was my favorite part of my exchange experience: THE PEOPLE I MET. From garments traders to NGO directors, from business consultants to social development students and from interns in bankruptcy to social marketing specialists, I met so many random still interesting people that when I tell the stories to my “back in home” friends I wish I could take pictures to their “I don’t believe you” faces. (You don’t know how often I found myself wondering: How did I come to meet this person here?)
Besides the special people, Bangladesh was also full of RANDOM experiences. Like celebrating my first Thanksgiving dinner in a Muslim country or eating a beef byriani after seeing the cow getting slaughter in front of my eyes during EID or smoking weed for the first (and definitely only) time in a remote island at the south of the Bengal bay.
And then you can add the “Not so random but still interesting” things that I went through. Like having power going off at least 3 times a day, having my picture on the newsletter shouting at the reporter after being mugged by 3 guys in a car, performing a Colombian Cumbia dance for the first time in my life or seeing my boss carrying his external drive in a Red Snoopy Dog bag (that now I got to keep J).
Despite the fact that every single person keeps asking me “Why did you go to Bangladesh?.. You're so weird” I still can’t erase the smile on my face while writing this note. And I know that this was for sure a UNIQUE and AMAZING experience that I would share with my grandchildren when I get old.
Anyway, the only thing I still have left to do (After meeting special people and Having random experiences) is to “Say goodbye to Bangladesh”. My phone didn’t work properly for the last 2 days and I couldn’t say goodbye to so many of these special people. But I’d like to take advantage of this note to thank a few of them:
- Judith, Anneke, Karen, Laura, Rafa, Melissa, Rikae and Diana: Thanks for being my flat mates (each one at her time), and being a support for each other during the short time we got to live together. Hope each one of you got a precious memory of this experience as I have.
- Boss, Wasim, Zayed, John and the others: Thanks for making of this internship an unforgettable experience.
- Sana: you are by far my favorite person in Bangladesh! If there’s someone that I would always remind with a smile, that would be you. I’m anxiously waiting to see you in Latin America soon.
- Adeel, Saad, Raisul, Usman: Thanks for the best trip to St Martin’s ever!
- Srijon, Nader, Niels, Nauman (mr. Nunu), Sameed, Saad and Paul: thanks for showing me the young side of Bangladesh. I love meeting each one of you guys. Hope to see you again somewhere around the globe J.
- Mafe: Gracias por darme todos los tips para llegar y sobrevivir en Bangladesh. No se que habria hecho sin. Espero que Dhaka te traiga lo mejor de lo mejor en esta nueva etapa… no dejes de pensar que te lo mereces!.
- Domenico, Filippo and Adele: Thanks for introducing me to Dhaka. Without you, I’d have probably be lost in such particular place. And wouldn’t have had as much fun as I did. I just love you guys!
- Rene: guey… gracias por estar ahi en el chat cuando lo necesitaba. Funny how circumstances can bring you closer to someone. Sigo en gtalk J, aunque no tan seguido, para que mantengamos el contacto. Tambien te deseo lo mejor en esta etapa de transicion, seguro que todo te va a salir super bien.
- Paola, Maisa, Juan Carlos, Jorge: Gracias por ser como la familia colombiana en Bangladesh. Que rico llegar tan lejos y saber que no se esta solo. PS: El baile nos quedo todo un exito, no?
- Paco y Carmen: Me encanto conocer un poco mas de la cultura Espanola con ustedes. Paco, gracias por acercarme de Nuevo a la literatura colombiana J. Saludos desde el pais de Macondo!
- Andreas: I had a great time meeting you. I know circumstances would make it difficult to keep in touch. But I do wish you the best with all your life goals and plans! And I hope we randomly meet somewhere else, just like we did in Bangladesh J .
There’s way more people that I couldn’t mention on this note (like AIESEC’s or the rest of the members of the Latin group). To all of them, there’s nothing more to say than THANK YOU!
