Our strategy for getting over jetlag is to stay as busy as possible during the day. And we’re eager to see as much as we can, since there is a lot more to Dhaka than what we are exposed to in the diplomatic enclave.
So when we saw that the CLO (community liaison office at the embassy) had organized a trip scheduled for a few days after we arrived, we jumped on it.
Last weekend we visited Tarango and Basha, two organizations that basically focus on improving the lives of women in Bangladesh by teaching them how to make handicrafts which are then sold as fair-trade goods throughout the world.
I didn’t bring my iphone and made lots of photos with my D90, hoping to finally get some high-quality photos of what we’ve been up to. And then I realized about 5 minutes ago that I didn’t pack my camera cord. Oops. I think it’s in the sea freight shipment, so it’ll be here in about 45 days.
Anyways, at Tarango we met some of the women that benefit from Tarango’s services and visited the work areas. Then we got to shop! They produce a lot of jute products and things made out of recycled cement bags. It was tempting to buy all the things, but we haven’t gone to an ATM since we arrived… so our resources are a bit limited at this point.
After an amazing Bangladeshi lunch, we headed over to Basha, where the women produce blankets, pillow covers, table runners, and other beautiful things out of recycled saris. At this point I was so hot and tired, I didn’t really feel like shopping.
The weather the past few days has been truly awful. It rained overnight so now it’s not quite as bad, but there were a few days where I was really wondering how I can deal with this climate for two years. But the rainy season is starting, and people say the temperature usually drops, so here’s hoping that’s true!
According to Athena 