Well, I'm over halfway through my first week on the job. It has been, not surprisingly, very busy. I've pretty much been running from one meeting to the next. Some meetings have been internal, others have been with partners and folks that I'll be working with from outside my project over the next couple of years.
Today and tomorrow are nationwide hartal (হরতাল), or general strikes, in Bangladesh. These are in protest to recent court rulings about individuals who participated in the war of independence in the 1960s and 1960s. They generally don't affect those living near the office too much, but people who have to travel across town or across the country can be significantly affected by them. The restriction of movement is one of the biggest challenges, though in some parts it can result in demonstrations and, at times, riots.
General elections will be coming up in the next few months (sometime between the end of October and mid-January) and it is likely that there will be more of these between now and then.
With a bit of luck, though, I'll be traveling down to the division of Khulna in the southern part of the country after this strike has been called off.
Most of our work is done here in the south, so I'll probably be traveling down here quite a bit.
The two main ways of traveling in the country are by ferry (or 'launches', as they call them here) or plane. Because of all the water in the country, though, there are many places where a long enough stretch of land for a plane simply doesn't exist, so you have to take a boat, which can often be 12 hours or more. That, or you take an amphibian plane, which has you take off on land and land on water, but that of course costs a lot more. I've only done it twice but it's pretty fun!
This morning I'm supposed to go look at a few apartments, so hopefully I'll find a few good candidates. The hotel where I'm staying is great, but I'd also really like to be able to unpack and settle in. I think it will help me feel more like this is 'home' and help me adjust. I'm really hoping I can get something in place by October first, but we'll see. We're trying to find a place that would be walking distance to most places so we can avoid traffic as much as possible. Fingers crossed!
Today and tomorrow are nationwide hartal (হরতাল), or general strikes, in Bangladesh. These are in protest to recent court rulings about individuals who participated in the war of independence in the 1960s and 1960s. They generally don't affect those living near the office too much, but people who have to travel across town or across the country can be significantly affected by them. The restriction of movement is one of the biggest challenges, though in some parts it can result in demonstrations and, at times, riots.
General elections will be coming up in the next few months (sometime between the end of October and mid-January) and it is likely that there will be more of these between now and then.
With a bit of luck, though, I'll be traveling down to the division of Khulna in the southern part of the country after this strike has been called off.
The two main ways of traveling in the country are by ferry (or 'launches', as they call them here) or plane. Because of all the water in the country, though, there are many places where a long enough stretch of land for a plane simply doesn't exist, so you have to take a boat, which can often be 12 hours or more. That, or you take an amphibian plane, which has you take off on land and land on water, but that of course costs a lot more. I've only done it twice but it's pretty fun!
This morning I'm supposed to go look at a few apartments, so hopefully I'll find a few good candidates. The hotel where I'm staying is great, but I'd also really like to be able to unpack and settle in. I think it will help me feel more like this is 'home' and help me adjust. I'm really hoping I can get something in place by October first, but we'll see. We're trying to find a place that would be walking distance to most places so we can avoid traffic as much as possible. Fingers crossed!
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