PC Wanderlust

So I bought a bicycle...

And let me tell you what an experience it is to ride a bike in Bangladesh! After having been in the country now for over three months, I am beginning to realize that there are in fact rules to the road - it just doesn’t seem like there are! I can see why PC requires us to wear helmets! It’s a thrill every time I go out, but wow is it liberating to have a bike and be able to go wherever and whenever I want to. This is city is pretty big, and the rickshaws are expensive here! Up until now I’ve been paying about 80 Taka a day for rickshaw rides, which is only just over a dollar, but considering my living allowance is only 200 Taka a day, that goes really quickly! (It still blows me away sometimes to think that I am getting paid pennies an hour!) I was a bit hesitant at first about getting a bike, because I haven’t seen any other females at all riding one. I’m not the only female who has one though! There is a British volunteer here, and we went together to buy bikes. As “bideshis” (foreigners) we are allowed to get away with so much more than Bangladeshi women are. It’s almost as if we are half-woman, half-man in what is expected of us, if that makes any sense. It’s a constant struggle for me to try to figure out just what I should and shouldn’t do - how much I should test the limits and show Bangladeshis that yes, there is another way to do things, and how much I should conform to Bangladeshi cultural norms. I’m not here to change major aspects of a culture that has been here for centuries. But it is part of my job to teach this culture about my own (and when I go back, to teach Americans about Bangladeshi culture.) For example, I am riding a bike, which is almost unheard of for women (in this city anyway. It’s a lot more conservative here than where we had our training. I saw at least two women riding bikes there.) But, I still wear my shalwar kameez and orna when I ride, no matter how much of a pain (not to mention dangerous!) it is to try and keep all that extra fabric out of the moving parts! Or when I go out at night, often times I will cover my head with my orna to let people know that I am a “good girl” and they shouldn’t mess with me, even though I am out after dark (never alone of course!). Anyway, it’s been great having the bike. I’ve already seen a lot more of the city, and even got out on a wonderful, beautiful tour of the city last weekend with two of my bideshi friends.
I’m not sure if I will be able to get online again before Thursday, so I’ll wish you all now a Happy Thanksgiving!! It really doesn’t feel like November though - it’s still gets up in the 80s every day here! It’s a bit hard to get in the spirit of things. I am going to Dhaka for the holiday weekend though, and having dinner with some of the other PCVs (wow, it’s still hard to believe we are actual volunteers now and not just trainees!). I’m really looking forward to talking with everybody and seeing how their sites are so far. It’s been a roller coaster everyday for me, though generally I think things might be getting better at school now. Anyway, my bike is calling me again, so I’m off to explore some more of this crazy, wonderful country! Happy Thanksgiving!

posted by Kathryn @ 11/21/2005 04:41:00 AM