So one of the Bangla Save The Children (STC) people is a psycologist. I asked her if there is a high suicide rate in Bangla, and she looked at me weird and shook her head "WHY?". "Maybe if there are dowry problems and the girl is mistreated, other than that no"
Ladies and Gentlemen:Bangldesh is one of the poorest, hottest, overpopulated, congested, dirtiest, polluted destinations that I think averages about 3 feet over sea level (and sinking thanks to global warming) . If I had to live here I'm not sure I could keep it together. But take a guess who has the highest suicide rates (if you can find it):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate
WHY?
The people here as a whole are the most genuine, honest, community oriented, happy, giving,
family oriented, simple people I've have ever met. And you know what? not a single person ever came up to me to complain about their life. Some might say it is 'hard' but that was about it.
I never had kids, but I feel that every USA high school kid would have their best class ever with a 1 year exchange program living in a village with one of my kids. Its hard to understand bird flu, arsenic drinking water, bathing in sewage, unprounouncable diseases, etc until you live in it....but the lesson will hit home. Your family and community is what keeps you in the game and you can't let them down. I could go on but I think you get the picture. Most of the developing world lives like my kids do and they are overall pretty happy BECAUSE they have each other and their community. I guess when you are this poor there is a feeling of "we are all in it together" so life is good.
Preach Preach Preach Blah Blah Blah.
Summary: I'm humbled by these people. I have so much and still complain. When will I learn my lesson?
I've created a posting of photos and stories that I'd like to share:
Gas: $4/gallon just raised from $3/gallon (LPG is a LOT cheaper, can't convert)
Hotel: $50/night outrageous! I paid $15 in Vietnam
Lunch: rice and fish .50 cents
Coffee: 10 cents really good with really good cream
SoftwareEngineer Salary good one: $25K/year
Gas rickshaw: $1 for couple miles
Pizza Hut Large Super Supreme Veggie: $13
Sew 2 zippers into pant pockets: $2
30 minutes cyber cafe: 20 cents
REALLY good 40 minute haircut with massage: 25 cents
Story: Rickshaw pullers (bicycle types) can work 14 hours sometimes. They work in the most polluted, dangerours environments not only exhaust, dust, asbestos, rain, potholes, cold, accidents. I asked how many people die in accidents a year and they said about 500 but that is their culture so no big deal. My guide hired one rickshaw puller 8 years old ( i was just dying inside) career man. We asked him why he wasn't in school and he said "my dad pulls rickshaws". Obvious to me anyways. They are paid about 10 cents to pull you 1/2 to 1 mile depending on how hard you want to weezle them. There are so many of them that the economic reality of the capitalist world ensures they stay slim and wanting more business. So my guide Mazin accidently leaves his bags in a rickshaw and the rickshaw takes off into the swirling mass of humanity with all his clothes and semi-valuables. Guess what happened? Bags showed up when we returned 2 days later but the evil rickshaw driver asked for a $1.50 tip the greedy son of a gun.
Life is actually not too bad if A) head of family has a job B) weather allows crops to grow. However those that are disabled, widowed, orphaned, generally wrong-side-of-tracks are more or less walking dead sooner or later. Options include a really cool Adidas sweatshop factory complete with teen-and-under staff:
These kids thought they won the lottery because I was taking their pictures they were pretty happy.
OR....if the sweatshop factory doesn't fit your lifestyle how about a more rural outside setting. See these piles of stones? They use to be bricks. Women LOVE working construction with their little ones hammering these bricks into tiny little stones for potholes and roadwork. Looks great on the resume (Name: Haj AGE 15 working construction 10 years, family oriented)
Hard to choose between all those bottled water brands? In Bangla they have a special brand called Arsenic-ola. Many of the wells turned out to deliver a great source of arsenic, and many people didn't find out until it was too late. Here they are drilling a 200 foot well for more better water...all pounding by hand. I hear some wells have to go to 800 feet.
This is a rickshaw bicycle school bus. They crate up about 10 kids and ship them off into monster rush hour traffic.
This is my friends apartment. This is one of two rooms probably 12x12. They are all software engineers. There are 4 people in these two rooms, that's it. They sleep together because they have to.
These are two highly skilled electrical workers (one standing next to capacitor). The electicity was on while these guys were having a party hooking something up. I was waiting for the sizzling smell....
This is a school room, probably 10x10. This is my new kid Salma in yellow. They jam about 30 people into here to read books together. And they continue to smile and so do I! I have every reason in the world to because I've been to Bangladesh got to be with people living at the next level in life!!!
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