Wrapping up.

This past weekend was "Orientation Day" for new "fresher" students at IUBAT.  Each semester there is an event where the faculty and the new students are each introduced individually. 

This was the 51st orientation and there were over 350 new students.  In a break with tradition, the event was help at the local amusement park which was a very big hit with the students. 

Here is a picture of Alex  (the special guest speaker at the event), myself, Dr. Miyan - the founder of the school , and Tanvir Dewan- the organizer of the event. 

On Sunday, nursing students Bimala & Saphalta braved the crowds in a local shopping area to escort me through the streets as I searched out my last crucial presents that i needed before returning home.

One picture shows the store and salesman who assisted me with finding a griddle to cook roti - as well as the rolling pin and board for making them! 

I am catching the plane in a couple of days - what an amazing trip this has been. 

The generosity of the school, staff and students at IUBAT  has made this a very rewarding experience.   

Rain in earnest...

June 3^rd

Most days I begin with a bowl of fruit & yogurt followed by a brisk hot walk to the university.  It is not a long walk but it has afforded me many great photo opportunities.  Here is a little collection of some of the children I often say good morning to every day. 

The rain has begun in earnest so I have switched my foot apparel to the jungle gum boots. I get a lot of attention with these boots – I don’t think it is the umbrella. (My apartment is the building on the right in the picture with the little boy dragging a branch). 

Old Dhaka.

On Saturday May 31st, we had a tour of old Dhaka. One of the nursing students arranged a taxi for us for the day, and guided Alex & I to many of the essential tourist sites.  We began with a visit to the outside of the Bangladesh legislature buildings, followed by a trip to the Lalbagh Fort – constructed in 1677 in the “Bangla-Mughal style. We found the Star Mosque after a few attempts of winding through some very narrow congested streets, and we checked out the Buriganga River. I decided to pass on the boat trip! The only thing missing in old Dhaka were the elephants…. Apparently they aren’t allowed in the city anymore.