The main street of Painam Nagar looks haunted. Empty decaying old buildings, spooky beckoning doorways--the whole street looked like a horror movie set. Later, when I found my way into one of the buildings, the … [Continue reading]
Bangladesh: Painam Nagar, Part 1
February 6, 2014 by 3 Comments
According to the Lonely Planet guide to Bangladesh, Painam Nagar was [c]onstructed almost entirely between 1895 and 1905 on a small segment of the ancient capital city [of Sonargaon]. . . . [I]t now consists of a single street, lined with around … [Continue reading]
Bangladesh: The Brickyard
February 6, 2014 by 4 Comments
It wasn’t my idea to stop at a brickyard outside of Dhaka, but I'm glad I saw what I saw. Which was this: whole families of mothers, fathers, young children, and teenagers living and working together in what in the U.S. would be considered a … [Continue reading]
Bangladesh: Aboard the P.S. Mahsud
February 5, 2014 by 2 Comments
The P.S. Mahsud is old, stately, and steeped in British colonial charm. It's plied the Ganges River delta since it was built in Calcutta, India in 1928. Two paddle wheels located amidships, one to port and one to starboard, have propelled it upriver … [Continue reading]
Bangladesh: Barisal
February 5, 2014 by 1 Comment
I disembarked in total AM darkness. The folks who'd slept on the deck were now wrapped up in shawls, sweaters, scarves, hats, rugs, towels, and blankets of pinks, purples and oranges. They moved stiffly and slowly in the dark. I was here: View … [Continue reading]
Bangladesh: On the Ganges Delta
February 5, 2014 by 8 Comments
[I]t was only after a long silence, when he said, in a hesitating voice, 'I suppose you fellows remember I did once turn fresh-water sailor for a bit,' that we knew we were fated, before the ebb began to run, to hear about one of Marlow's … [Continue reading]
Happy Spring Vegetable!
January 26, 2014 by 4 Comments
It’s the start of Spring Festival here in China, a week-long holiday period that celebrates the lunar new year. It seems like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s all rolled into one. The streets of Yuxi were very busy this morning at 7:30 and … [Continue reading]
The Concept for Bangladesh
January 24, 2014 by 4 Comments
Most of my colleagues are heading off to Vietnam for our upcoming Spring Festival break. To my knowledge, no one has asked them why that’s their destination. Vietnam is chic, reportedly beautiful, and possessed of Buddhist cool. I’d like to go there … [Continue reading]
If my students won the lottery . . .
January 22, 2014 by 4 Comments
Last week's diary assignment for my twelve-year-olds at Shane English Yuxi was to write an essay about what they would do if they won the lottery. There were some sweet, some savage, and some surprising responses. From Kevin: If I won the … [Continue reading]
Cursed Without Knowing It?
January 21, 2014 by 4 Comments
I had a strange intercultural exchange recently with one of my Shane English Yuxi students and his father. At the end of every class, we do an "exit drill," which means that the students line up and have to ask or answer something before leaving … [Continue reading]
