Achieving The Mission - Shilpi and College

People ask me why I'm wasting my time in Bangladesh when there are so many poor people in the states. I sponsored Shilpi for 8 years or something and never wrote to her. Then I saw this Jack Nickelson movie where he wrote to his sponsor kid and immediately was hit with guilt. I called Save The Children to see how to write to her, and they said incrediously "YOU DIDN"T WRITE TO HER???MY GAWD!!!" guilt guilt guilt. I told myself I was going to make up for being an idiot and do something special and visit her. When I visited her last time it was a big love fest. My letters and pictures were all over her walls sun stained so I know they've been there a while. I knew then that people here want more than just money, they want hope. They want a future and are willing to work their asses off for it and sacrifice everything. The kids are fanatical about going to school and not having babies. I guess I feel the poverty here is a level beyond the poverty in the states, and the smallest of efforts has unbelievable rewards. In addition, I think that if we get white people talking to Muslim people that would be one less country we have to invade.

Anyways we hop on one of those busses that are all decked out with wild carpet on the ceiling and things hanging from the ceiling and careen down jammed roads trying to kill as many rickshaws as possible. It took 7 hours to get to the village. Rickshaw, bus, scooter, walk, scooter, rickshaw, boat, walk 1.5 miles across rice paddies. Shilpi kinda knew I was coming but not sure when. I walked into her front yard and we just stopped and stared at each other, deer in headlight. She ran to get her mom and everyone poured out of the house yelling. There are 7 sisters, 1 brother, 2 grandparents, mom and dad. Grandma loves me and came running to hug me all hunched over and crooked teeth, almost crying. It was pretty cool. Shilpi was stunned even as I left, she probably didn't think I'd show up. We told them we are going to have my 50th birthday party tommorrow and I'd bring presents.

I asked Shilpi if she still wanted to be a teacher and she said YES! I sat down with dad and we talked immediately about Shilpi and college. In Bangladesh the Grameen bank (the guy that won Noble prize for micro lending) funds every girl to go through grade 12 I think. Dad wanted to send Shilpi to a private advanced college prep where she can learn English, because she is really smart and has recieved all these scholarships to date. He said she was the smartest daughter. Dad said it costs $100/month room and board and tuition and so I agreed to fund it. I told him I want to see her grades every month just to keep the pressure up. They go to school 12 months a year. She is currently in grade 9, so I'm committing to 9-12 for now. Shilpi's dad said I can bring her to the states for English lessons and will get her a passport. So maybe in a couple years I can do that after she learns some English here.

We cold only stay an hour it was getting dark so we had some food to eat and took some pictures and left promising to return. There was a buzz in the air.

I was amazed by the progress in the last two years. This village is in the middle of NOWHERE rice paddy ville and they now have electricity and cell phone service. Unreal. Shilpi's dad is a farmer, rents land and is the town doctor/nurse practictioner (3 months of training). Things are going pretty well, so the son is in high school in the big city and they have a cell phone and electricity. So object poverty is a thing of the past as long as the floods don't wipe out their house and dad stays healthy.

Its two hours from our guesthouse to Shilpi village so we took the boat back. It was 10pm by the time we went to bed, been traveling since 8am long day.

Next day I got a haircut. I've paid for two haircuts in the last 20 years and both were in this town. 25 cents and the guy worked on me for 45 minutes. The detail was incredible and I got a head massage (don't go there). Use to be 16 cents, but I'll let it slide.

We got on the boat and headed for Shilpi's. The kids were waiting and we had a caravan as we walked to town. In her front yard they setup a colorfull tent and everyone in town was there so it seemed. All her teachers and town elders showed up. The kids are pretty shy of white people, but when I broke out the candy it was total bedlam. Shilpi and I went nuts handing out candy. We brought some birthday cake and handed that out too. We had one candle and everyone sang happy birthday in English - weird! Then the speeches started. All the town elders gave speeches using all 6 English words they knew "happy, Mr Mike, I am, thankfull, good health" One guy talked for 20 minutes just repeating those words over and over again. We kept clapping to shut him down, but he kept giving the speech.

Stayed for about 2 hours and we had to get going again, long drive home. Saying goodbye to Shilpi's grandma was tough. We both cried because we knew we'd never see each other again - she's pretty old now.

So needless to say the event was awesome, beyond my dreams. Kids were laughing, parents were happy and Shilpi was going to college. Win Win Win. My mission was complete. On the way home I have to admit I felt my trip was done. I told Laura that if she wanted me to come home, I'd come because I did everything I wanted to do. I'm thinking India is going to be just another Bengladesh and I'm really not into the tourist thing. BTW, its really cold over here getting down to high 30's in north Bangladesh and people are freezing to death. Same in New Delhi, there is a cold system that won't go away. I have been wearing a fleece for two days, its pretty chilly. I'm not sure how these people do it, they don't have a lot of clothes to keep warm.

So I guess I did touch upon my inner child. I think everyone should have a purpose in life and I got to do mine. I got Shilpi in college and have this idea for solving war, poverty, homelessness, hunger and the planet (OK, i'm exaggerating but you all know me). One problem I'm having is that I can't live in a polluted environment, my lungs are dying after a couple days in Dhaka. I'm starting to wheeze and gurgle. So I still think I want to retire in 5 years (assuming the stock market doesn't wipe out my wealth AGAIN! for the 3rd time), and maybe go around the world teaching English as second language part-time and saving the world part-time pursuing my business idea. Laura seems keen to it too, so maybe we can make that happen. But overall I'm getting an idea of how I want to shape my last 30-40 years on the planet, living my purpose. Very fulfilling and certain amount of freedom in it all. Loving it!

So today is Thursday and I have downtime forced upon me because my stomach and body died on something I ate. I slept until 5pm. I want to visit an orphange here so maybe tommorrow we can rig that.

Talked to Sunny and climbing is on for south India. I want to see Sunny but I'm actually ready to come home too. Maybe just sick today and want to lie in my own bed and watch my new big ass 32" LCD TV (completely at odds with my save the world talk talk talk). Laura said she is exicted about coming so Feb 15th I get to see her so I'm pretty excited about that. We are going to bike Thailand beaches and Nepal Buddhist temples.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.








As we head