As soon as you arrive in Bangladesh, you will notice that the air there is filled with excitements. You will hear all sorts of noises, car honking, people talking, buses filled with people, streets jammed with traffic, everyone seemed so intense. It's a great energy everywhere. I used to feel the same way whenever i would return to New York City from Philadelphia or Boston, the energy to move faster and faster.
Dhaka, the Capitol of Bangladesh, has so much to offer. So much to see, every street has its uniqueness, so much happening everywhere and a lot of newness. For example, Lal Bagh Kella, an ancient fort built by the
Mughal in the 17th Century blew my mind away. It is huge, located at the heart of all the chaos in Old Dhaka, where you can feel relaxed and quite your mind.
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| Lal Bagh Kella, Dhaka |
Dhaka street is fun to walk around, eat, and shop for hand made cool stuff. The street food I love the most is Fuchka, It's made with chick peas, potato and other spices!
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| Fuchka, So Delicious! |
The culture at Dhaka University is really welcoming and fun place to be. Drinking tea at TSC, wearing Churi (bracelets) at Charukola (Art Institute) and experiencing the Bangaleshi Liberation war of 1971, through sculptures such as Aporajeyo Bangla, was really exciting.
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| Oparajeyo Bangla Statue | | | | |
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| Hot Tea at TSC, Dhaka University |
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| Wearing Churi at Charukola! |
The Population in Bangladesh is about 160 million in 2013, that means, it is really really really crowded, poverty can be noticed everywhere. However, most of the population is very young and waiting to be inspired. I decided to volunteer to teach kids at the slums of Dhaka. It was a profoundly rewarding experience. I wanted to connect with the people there, help them and teach what I have learned in America. Working with those kids made me realize that happiness does not depend on what you have or how privileged you are. Just by teaching the kids for few days, I was able to realize that so many things we take for granted in America are not present in their lives, but what they have is appreciation and happiness. The staff at Jaago foundation were very friendly and helpful, they made the volunteering process pretty easy for me! Here's their website: www.jaago.com.bd
Bangladesh is the land of festivals; people live there from different ethnic groups, religions and races. I was lucky to travel there in the month of October, fortunately two festivals started at the same time, Puja and Eid!
I traveled to Dinajpur, Bangladesh, to celebrate with fun, food, and friends!
Durga Puja is a huge celebration among the Hindu's in Bangladesh, it goes on for about a week. This festival celebrates the victory of Goddesss Durga over Mahishasura, a demon. During this time, you get to eat a lot, visit Puja pandals and hear band music.
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| Durja Puja festival at Dinajpur Rajbari (King's Palace) |
We also celebrated Kurbani Eid/ Eid al-Adha in Oct, 16, 2013. Its a Muslim holiday and a time to sacrifice your beloved ox for the sake of Allah. I really loved the ox my grandfather raised to sacrifice for this Eid. According to Islam, you must sacrifice your beloved domestic animal during this Eid. The moral is to let go of something you love so much since you love God the most.
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| Our beloved ox, ready to be sacrificed :( |
At my spare time in Dinajpur, I visited beautiful landmarks, the ancient King's home, the beautiful water ways, green rice fields and so on. Taking the Rickshaw everywhere in Dinajpur was real fun, you get loads of fresh air, just like riding the bike but even better, since you get to sit down and relax!
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| The Remains of Dinajpur Rajbari (King's Palace) | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| Shukh Shagor, The Happiness Lake in Dinajpur Bangladesh |
Traveling to Bangladesh to volunteer, visit family, attended Puja, and celebrate Eid was the best travel decision I made in fall 2013. I enjoyed every second of my time there: delicious food, amazingly friendly people and awesome experiences!
