Since Bangladesh is a predominately Muslim country, you don't see many (if any) Christmas decorations around, and you definitely don't see your typical Christmas trees. There are a few nurseries on the road near our apartment, so I stopped there to see if I could find a tree that would suffice. Turns out they had trees that looked just like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, and therefore I just had to buy one! When I got home with my tree, Shanti (our housekeeper) oohed and ahhed and asked me how much I paid for it. I'm always reluctant to tell her how much I pay for things as she always tuk tuks at me and says I paid waaaay too much. This was no exception. Except this time she actually screeched when I told her, and she said 'Oh, no. These people see you white and charge you way, way, way too much!'. It's funny because I actually thought I did a good job talking them down on their price. Oh well. In the US we pay double or triple the amount for a tree that will die in a few weeks. At least our tree is potted and alive!
Our tree! I was happy to find 220 voltage Christmas lights at a handicraft shop catered to westerners.
It's been quite chilly in Bangladesh
the past week. At night and in the morning it's in the 50's, and during
the day it's in the mid to upper 60's. The Bangladeshi's wear extremely
thick parkas, earmuffs, hats, scarves, and thick sweaters to keep warm (at
night and during the day) while we come in from playing tennis in our
shorts and t-shirts drenched in sweat. Quite the contrast!
The other day when Shanti arrived at
our house, she pointed at a bag on the floor (that she brought with her) and
said I should take a look in it. Inside were two wrapped presents that
she said came from 'Sandman'. I smiled and asked, 'Santa?' and she nodded
with a big smile on her face. So that night we exchanged gifts while
listening to Christmas music. Shanti bought me a beautiful sari, and she
bought him a lungi and cloth. Lungis are skirts that the locals wear
- they are quite versatile in that they can be worn as a skirt or tied and
wrapped up as shorts. Everyone wears them (except for the men
going to an office). The construction workers, the rickshaw drivers, and
all the other guys you see on the streets. The cloth can be worn around
the head or over their shoulders. He was extremely excited about this
gift.
I know
you're wondering why he is posing like this, and I promise you it's for a
reason. The Bangladeshi's always bend down like this instead of bending
at the back. A lot of the locals prepare their meals on the ground, and
they all work in this position instead of sitting on the floor or sitting on
chairs.
We leave for India tomorrow morning for
10 days. We'll be riding camels in the desert overnight on Christmas Eve
- it'll be my first time in a desert! Then we'll head to a couple other
cities and visit the Taj Mahal. It'll be a very different Christmas for
us this year! We're sad to be away from family and friends, but excited
for such a unique experience.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year!
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