Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Bangladeshi christmas eve


Christmas was a pretty interesting time in Bangas! Rather than starting sometime after Easter as it does in Australia, things started to pop up in the odd westernised shop or two about a week before Chrissie. On Victory day, late december, Shell and I decided that it was time... so we jumped on a rickshaw and headed down to old Dhaka to find a christmas tree! We got some funny looks coming back in the rickshaw with the tree, but everyone was pretty pleased to see us celebrating our holiday... including our rickshaw driver! Good conversation starter at the stop sign - we were chatted up by many a neighbouring rickshaw full of boys...

Although Bangladesh is predominantly Muslim, the acceptance of other religions is amazing here. Coming from a country in which Islam is barely tollerated by our political leaders, Bangladeshi people's open and sincere interest in Christianity and christian traditions is so refreshing, even if it causes some problems for me when I can't answer the questions about the difference between churches and chapels, why we have hot cross buns, who the christian prophets are, and so on!

My flatmates got given Christmas presents at work, but I got an even better present - the boys that I work with came over on Christmas eve to decorate our appartment in Christmas lights and streamers! They took their interior decoration job very seriously - measuring the width between
streamer ends and balloons, and even brought snow-in-a-can to make us feel even more Christmas-y, in a European kind of a way (or maybe in a Tasmanian kind of way - sounded cold this Christmas!)! Pretty good for a Christmas-eve away from home!

Bridge (left) and Sarah (right) got nicely snow-covered during our white-Bangladeshi Christmas eve!
Moni bhai, Rubes and Munna bhai decorating the flat...










The boys with their finished product!

Bangladeshi gig


A few weeks agoon a blockade day, Shell and I heard some cheering coming from the amphitheatre near the lake, so we jumped in a rickshaw and headed over to see what was happening. We stumbled into a Bangladeshi 'rock' concert, at which the 'original' LRB was playing. It was going off - there were thousands of sweaty guys (and about 4 girls) moshing and cheering for this little cover band, with the mosque just visible across the lake... just like a gig at home... well, almost!

UN Ball, December



At what other time in my life am I going to be able to go to a UN ball? This was the rationale behind our foray into the world of UN balls and fancy hotels.... It turned out well - the ball was pretty sedate in comparison to the Glitterball (ie. no pink cat outfits), but we made friends with a waiter, who was pleased with our mastering of Bangla, and who supplied us with wine for the rest of the night...And it gets better yet! I won (for the first time in my life) the door prize - tickets to Bangkok! So chaps, I'm off on a holiday with my flatmate Shell....
Photos: me and Erin; Bridge Erin and me!

Dhaka streetkids

These are some of my favourite streetkids who work on one of the corners on the way from Dhanmondi to Gulsan. We found them on the AIDS day rally, and were able to stop and chat. They are such lovely girls, and are happy with smiles and games instead of taka. The one in the pink dress and her little sister (in red, below) come and play every week when we drive past in CNGs...

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

World Aids Day, Dhaka

Daily Star, 2 December 2006
Bideshi Girls Star in World Aids Day Rally
1 December 2006, Lucy and Shelley, anonymous in their native Australia, were made famous througout Dhaka for their staring role on the nightly news. The two Bideshis were supporting sex workers, Hijras, people living with HIV and their advocates in Dhaka's 10 000 person strong World Aids Day Rally....
True story! Shell and I went on the world Aids Day Rally with two of my work colleagues, and about 10 000 other people, were treated like celebreties by the other marchers, and made the nightly news!




I had met lots of the sex workers and Hijra at an HIV self help meeting that I observed, and so they were all keen to claim me as their friend, and to show us off to their friends and the media.



A friend's cook recently told us that he recognised us from television, and one of the kids that I work with told his whole family that he knew me... so we really are famous here!

It was amazing to be amongst so many people who are passionate about their cause, and so many people who are usually so marginalised within Bangladeshi society being so vocal about their rights. Such a good day!



Photos: My colleagues Munna bhai and Moni bhai with me(left), and with Shell (above); participants in the rally...