What I can conclude from the past month and half is that I'm not as keen on writing as I used to be. I just no longer write...but keep it in my head. I can't get things down on paper anymore. It's not quite writer's block because plenty of material is present...and accumulates all the time. It's that I'm so used to needing to get my words right and organized, that they never get written. An annoying conundrum, that. At least this blog is still ongoing, despite the breaks in between. Still, don't expect more frequent entries. With work, and other responsibilities to family, making time for them, etc., I doubt I'll get more than one per month written.
Changes are inevitable...and the biggest one came with a new internship. Earlier this fall, in September, my uncle Shaheen (mom's sister's husband) who is already a big industrialist and businessman, became the new Honorary Consul of Poland in Dhaka. Early this November, he hired me to come to his office and the Consulate to work for him. The motivation of course is that I get out of the house, keep busy, stop dwelling on things that are out of my control, help him out at the same time, and network with people for better job opportunities.
Work days in Bangladesh have always been Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday off as the weekend. However, in his office, we only get Fridays off, though hours are from 9 am to 5 pm. His office, which is also the Consulate office, is located near his home in the Banani Residential Area, a 10 minute drive. However, from my grandmother's house in Dhanmondi where I prefer to live, the commute is a good half hour (light to no traffic) to one hour atleast (during heavy traffic).
I spent the first two weeks staying with him and my aunt, commuting from his home, and leaving for the office with him. Then last week, I moved back to Dhanmondi, to my grandmother's home, and began commuting from there in a CNG auto-rickshaw, a smaller three-wheeled vehicle that seats up to three people in the back.
This past week, I've noticed chinks in the wall I've put up around me...the wall that represents a fear of getting out of the house and being unable to manage moving around and traveling around the city. My courage is returning and I no longer feel that scared, though I'm still not as used to it. Only time can help me, I hope.
These past three weeks I've been working at the Consulate. From the start I've been kept busy with Consulate matters. The Acting Ambassador of Poland to New Delhi (also the Charge d'Affaires of Poland) Mr. Opalinski, and the Head of the Polish mission in New Delhi, Mr. Kaminski, came to Dhaka to inaugurate the new Polish Consulate and to celebrate the 90th Independence Day of Poland (November 11). The main Polish embassy is located in New Delhi, India and oversees the six countries of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
My first day, and half of the second day was spent preparing for his visit and then assisting the delegation on their visit, going with them as they called on various government officials, and visited Dhaka companies. Their visit to the National Monument in the town of Savar to honor the martyrs of the Bangladeshi Revolution was photographed as was the official opening of the new Honorary Polish Consulate. Photos of the two events were sent to the media and printed by newspapers throughout Bangladesh. If I get around to scanning any of the pictures, including the Savar picture in which I appeared, I will post them here.
The Consulate organized a grand independence day celebration dinner inviting dignitaries and officials from across Bangladesh and Consuls of different countries in Bangladesh. Here, the Polish cultural song and dance troupe, JEDLINIOK, on tour through India and Nepal, stopped in Dhaka for a few days to perform at the celebration, and the next day at the Dhaka Club. Since I was sick on the 11th, I wasn't able to attend either the inauguration or the independence day dinner. I was, however, able to attend their Dhaka Club performance. What follows are three videos of different folk dances from their Dhaka Club performance (see if you can find me in Video 1) and a picture of them with myself and my uncle. :-) For other pictures, if you have a Facebook account, you can access them through my account.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
1 comment:
That job sounds like a great opportunity! You also look cute in that pink thingy!
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