Streets in Bangladesh

Now that we have a car and a driver, getting around in Dhaka is much more enjoyable.  By the simple task of rolling up our windows, we can avoid the nose-pinching smells, the beggars yelling, 'Baksheesh!', and a fraction of the stares.  Unfortunately we don't have tinted windows, so we can't avoid the stares completely, but I think I've gotten much more accustomed to it at this point.  Every now and then a beggar will tap on the window with his or her face against it while asking for money.  I've heard a few stories of foreigners giving the beggars money, and then no longer being able to drive away due to the mass of people surrounding the car.  I have not done this, and I intend to keep it that way.  We've decided to identify a few charities that we'd like to give money to - at least that way we know where the money is going.

The other day when I was in the car with our driver, I witnessed a man getting hit by a car.  The car was going quite fast, and the impact sent the man flying through the air.  The man was able to get up, pick up his suitcase and walk toward the car.  The scariest part was not the actual accident.  It was when dozens of men surrounded the car and started pulling on the driver's shirt collar to drag him out of the car.  At that point, I looked at our driver and yelled, 'go!'.  The last thing I wanted was to get mixed up in that mess.

Another common thing to see while driving around is men urinating in the streets.  The first time I noticed it I was completely shocked and didn't actually believe what I was seeing.  The men squat down and face away from the road (thank goodness), and just 'go' in the open.  On the streets, on the occasional sidewalk, in a field - wherever.  One day when we were driving past a grocery store, a boy about the age of 10 was urinating on the store's steps - it's quite common, and I can't help being surprised every time I see it.

Living in a developing country definitely has it's startling moments - these were just a few of them.  I'm sure I'll see many more things (shocking in both positive and negative ways) in the next couple years and I'm very excited to learn more!