I have a house

Recently I moved to my new house in Bogra. I may have mentioned that the whole office in Sirajganj moved. Anyhow, my move was very easy since I have so little stuff to move. but then I had to look for new stuff to fit into my new home for the next 2 years and may be few more months in Bangladesh. Its small but new, has two bed rooms with kitchen and two toilet and I am having the kitchen to myself, whow, I love it. It needs more furnitures and more face lif but I will do that as daysgo by but for now who cares I have my own house and I am so excited about it.

transportation system

Here in Bangladesh, there are so many different types of transportation. From the smallest to the biggest and driving is so crazy, I mean you as a foreigner, you have to be aware of everything when you are on the road. Even if it is the big highway, you just have to cross the road raising you hand as a sign to slow them down, isnt thats amazing. I mean it fricks me out but it works here. The road is not just meant for vehicles or anything with wheels but its also made for human, both men and wheeled things.



There are transports for longer trips and transports for few minutes walk to your office or you home. When a person is walking on the road you have to honk for more than five times or rather continuous honking than they move aside to the side walk. If you have a big truck or tranportations that have big engine than the two lane road is all yours. Anywhere, I should stop here and say something about each of the transports.

Far trips

Big airconditioned buses or not conditioned, trains and airoplanes are available for long trips like going to districts. Train is the cheapest for the three transportations for long trips.

City transportation
Small buses, open vehicles that have been changed to carry passagers, taxises, CNGs, rickshas, vangari. The cheapest transports are ricksha, vangari and the local buses but slower so when thinking of going faster, take a CNG or a taxi. Some times they will reap you off because youre foreigner. Of course if you have you own vehicle/bicycle, motorcycle, scooter which also adds to the trasnport systems here.

Mobil Gari, local bus and CNG

motorcycle and Black taxi

Outskirts of the city
outside the city lots of ricksha, vangari, tempo gari and mobil gari(car) available for moving around and of course person transportations are also included.

village transportation
There is ricksha, vangari and tempo gari available.

Van Gari and Tempo


Ricksha is mentioned in all sectors of this country and therefore it is most popular transportation in the country. it is very strong unlike bicycles. It has a crank shaft which is powered by man. it can take you to a 5- 10 km and if youre good bargainer then you almost get there very cheap. However, rickshaw is now allowed in some roads, but they do a good job taking you where you want to go if the rickshawal knows the route well. CNG stands for compressed Nitrogen gas and it is enviromental friendly. it is a three wheeled trasnsportation which a hard seats built to it and it an carry one person to four.

What Am I Doing

What have I done? How much have I done?

So little may be, or nothing at all. Oh no!!! I have my first attampt and wasnt successful. What have I been doing the pass few months... I am thinking so hard trying to assess what I have done. Eating, sleeping, talking, walking, waking, simple daily chores but is that why I am here....I dont know. Who am I going to ask for help to put me back to the right track... ........

I have been fighting... fighting so hard that no blood is shed... Whats is this? Is this somekind of joke.. no it is not.... yes I have been fight but not physically involved, like throwing or hiting or arguing, its just been my mind. I ask God why have you created me? I dont want to go through this life that I am right now in... Yes I tell my self about the mercy of God and what God wants me to do... I feel like I am in the right track..... being with the poor and serving them... but whos taking care of my problems... Yes I have this huge problem.... a problem that I feel like so huge that it chocks me in..... I am trying harder... and praying harder asking God for wisdom... but in the mist of bombading my problems to God, it seems like God is not there or rather I am far away from God. Whats happening to me.. does that mean I am in sin... that God is not talking to me because of some hinden sin.....maybe, I dont know!!!!!

So I come back to myself again, where am I really???? What am I really doing????

Blessing in Disguised

I am so thankful that God brought me into this world 28 years ago. I am so blessed with such wonderful friends that God had provided in my life. Being in Bangladesh is a blessing in disguised. Each day of my fours months being here is such a heart ach. Every day in the bus or travelling in a train or just walking few block down my apartment, I see pain, a pain that comes with compassion because I see kids with no arms, no legs, mothers with half off their bodies melted away, young men without arms, legs begging. Sometimes its overwhelming that I just want to close my eyes and ears completely and walk away, sometimes I pray for God to interven in this suituation. However, I am so thankful that I am among this group and I am so blessed to be with them.

Visiting families

My past few days have been visiting families who have no land at all. They work for rich farmers who owned big acres of land. This particular group of families are special because after the seasons of harvest they have no work so they basically go hungry. What MCC did/doing is provided/providing livestock as well napier grass to them. Not just anyone but the selected families through a survey conducted two years ago. Its is such a blessing to see their happy faces as we entered their Basa (house/home). They are very much eager to provide you with anything and its sad because they are providing their best and I can not say no for that. We walked through villages to villages families to families for three days visit and have seen some amazing things they've done. They have done their best to take care of big animals like a heifer or a bull or goats of three or four. they have tried their best to try grow the grasses where ever pieces of land they can find. There was one family that I felt sad becaues their boss can not let them use unused land or even the side walks to grow the grass, but still their heifer is suriving but struggling. I am so thankful for everything that I have seen and involved with, its a great honor to be part of this group of families.

Thoughts exhaust the whole body

Today I go about my day to day activities then I was reminded of something that happened last night. Its not just last night it often happens to me but I try not to think about it. Anywhere. Last night I decided to go to bed early at 10 pm. Thats a normal night time for some people but not for me. For the past few months its been crazy. I've tried to go to bed early but never happens till around 1 or 2 am the next morning, so tired fighting my thick brain of to sleep. So last night was one of those nights. I bet sometimes you have that too. I didnt get to bed till 2am, I mean completely blank, not aware of what happened till to getup by the sound of your alarm clock the next. During the process of fight my thought, i physically got up and hit myself so hard on my head then i remember, a topic "letting the mind take over your soul and spirit", preached by one of my youth pastors from home. He said that mind is really dangerous and that involves mr I, if only you let your heart decides things and following what the hearts desire is can see the true nature of the world. so I talked so loud to my self for two minutes and told my mind that you are not off your own and that you are part of many parts that work together and your are bound to work together. Then I took a few moments to just silent myself and then was gone. all i am trying to say is that thinking can be contagious if we let the mind take over thus exhausted the whole body. so take a break and do a short meditation to clear off your thoughts, a short breath in breath out and expanding the second or matra, Lectio Divina...or other meditations that your know of.

Shubho Nob Borsho (Happy New Year)

Today the April 14th the first month of the Bangladesh calendar. We celebrated their new year today. I just learned the word Shubho nobo borsho yesterday so that I can say it today. In Bangladesh there are 6 seasons and each season has two months. Right now we are begining our summer and its going to last for two months and than the rainy season starts. Its been quiet a while to get use to the system here, but I am getting better at it each day. Basically, this morning was a quiet morning then as afternoon back, the streets came a live, lots and lots of noise from people scream to one another or rickshaws clashing to each other. We took a rickshaw ride to the river and we couldnt get through so we were dropped off at a different site and we walked to the river. Today there was no street empty, was quiet a day, people were walking so close that we could smell their body odor. Although it was packed and sweaty People were well dressed mostly in red and white, even their kids wore sari which is a women's clothing. It was colourful though, and we had a great time passing through people and just getting picture.