Perspective

Today some things had piled up and I was frustrated and I said "I don't like Bangladesh today." I spent the entire night on a less than comfortable bus, getting home around 7am. I then went to church, fought to stay awake, then had a 'normal' afternoon. I went to a shop where a week and a half ago I bought a water filter/dispenser. It was missing a piece so I took it back and have returned 3 times; each time he says "Come back ___ day and I will have the piece." I was quite annoyed that once again I'd made a special trip to the shop and he hasn't found it. He's willing to replace it with another model that is conveniently twice as expensive. He said come back tomorrow...if it's not ready I'll ask for my taka back and go somewhere else.
Back at the house I was going to make some salmon cakes I found at the store. I dropped the glass bottle of ketchup I was going to dip them in and had to clean glass and ketchup out of the kitchen. I tried to do a load of laundry and the power went out. The clothes soured so I had to start the wash over once the power came on. It went off again, but not for long so the clothes finished ok. Tonight I got on a rickshaw to come to the American club so I can have good internet. The police decided they weren't letting rickshaws go from one sector to the next and stopped me. The cop then stood there waiting on me to pay him a bribe so my rickshaw could go through. I angrily told him to go away, I wasn't paying him anything. I'd walk. I paid my rickshaw and walked 20ft and hopped on another one.

In the midst of frustration I felt the Spirit say to me "Really Bryan? These 'troubles' are getting to you? You're already getting agitated? Save a little injustice, you really have nothing to be annoyed at. I'm so much bigger than these things, get some perspective." I don't have to look far to get some perspective and realize I should be thankful. Just yesterday I walked through a leprosy hospital and talked with some patients while they soaked their ulcer covered feet; some were missing limbs. I should be thankful I can walk, have good health, and have access to good care. This morning on my way to church, I was surrounded by kids, women with infants, old men in wheel chairs, all begging me for money or food. They don't have clean water, or the money to buy a filter to eliminate the arsenic and diseases in the water they drink. Even though its taking a long time, I should be thankful I can access clean water. And the power? At least I have nice flat with a washing machine and AC. I have multiple clothes to wash as well! One of the rickshaws I took today, I see often. He is always wearing a white shirt that says "Ebenezer" on the back. As for the police wanting bribes, well, I told cop what I thought. I had to pay a few cents extra for taking 2 rickshaws, but I'm sure they each needed it more than I do. I could go on about beggars, homeless people, rape victims, girls forced into prostitution, people starving to death...Daily these are things I see, the people I meet, the people I'm here to help, and I want to complain? As I sit here quite comfortably now, what do I have to complain about? Nothing...


The pictures show a group of men I met at the leprosy mission. They are missing hands, feet, legs. They seemed happy enough to have a friend help them wrap their ulcers.

As much as I didn't like Bangladesh today, I am thankful for 'rough' days. It wasn't a nice thing to realize about myself, but it forces me get my mind off myself and realize how selfish I am; to put things in perspective.

The Commute

I live and work in different parts of Dhaka. It's not a huge city space-wise, but it does take time when you want to go anywhere. There are so many people and so many different types of transportation that they conflict with each other. Anywhere there are rickshaws, they are in the way of cars, busses, and cng's. Drivers of vehicles have to go slow enough to dodge pedestrians and beggars; and manholes are literally random holes that a man could disappear into.


On an average day it takes me 30 minutes to get to the office from the house assuming I don't have to get on a rickshaw and hunt for an available cng that early in the morning. This last week was a normally abnormal week though.

Monday I got a cng from my street and we drove towards work like normal. About 2 miles from the office traffic stopped. After maybe 10 minutes of not moving, I decided it would be better to walk than to sit in the hot cng. I made it a few hundred yards and discovered the reason for the stalled traffic-stalled cars and cngs trying to drive through knee deep water. This part of the city has bad drainage canals and clogged drains so the nights rain was hanging out on the main road. I rolled up my pant legs and trudged on. Thankfully I didn't fall into any of the above mentioned man holes or open sewers that were hiding under the brown water. I made it to the office to find I was only the second one there. After some shops opened I went and bought a new pair of pants and changed out of my wet, now brown pair I'd walked to work in. Total commute: 1hour 40 minutes.
Tuesday I didn't feel well so I worked from home on some balance sheets and P&L statements.

Wednesday I took a rickshaw towards a town center until I found a cng, then off towards the office. About where I'd stopped on Monday due to water, we stopped again, traffic wasn't moving. I could hear large crowds yelling. The cng driver said he wasn't going any further and I decided I'd have to walk it again. This time there were floods of people in the street. Some were sitting, some were standing, others were throwing bricks at buildings and smashing out the windows, but they weren't letting traffic through. I have been warned to stay away from large angry crowds, but I thought "I'm so close to the office, let's go for it...and keep camera in hand." A few factories had closed and workers had not been paid so they were rioting. There were riot police with AK's, shotguns, and teargas. Somehow I walked through the crowds nearly unnoticed and made it to the office. Total commute: 1hr 30 minutes.

Such is life in Dhaka...