Thirsty to death: I want to learn everything about Bangladeshi People! in-between my hotel room and Grameen Bank’s Head Office.

My hotel in Dhaka city was in close proximity to Grameen Bank’s Head Office, which is located in Mirpur-2. Dhaka city is divided by sections. Mirpur section goes from on to 12, I think. Hard to count the numbers. This, however, makes finding your way easy in the city. Just tell the driver the number and he takes you there. From the hotel to the head office, it takes only 15 min on foot. The humid makes it hard to walk. The dirt, dust another thing. A faster transportation is all you need to get to the place quickly. In Bangladesh, the cheapest and most eco-friendly means of transportation is of course Rickshaw. In a country like Bangladesh, the country of informal economy, everything has to be bargained. Even the fare, 10 taka, 15 taka for a 15 min drive. One US dollar is equivalent to 70 taka. All that effort is just to earn a couple of cents!

I had never seen a rickshaw before and honestly I loved it. It is one of the most eco-friendly, man powered three-wheeled bicycle. However, the reason why rickshaws are so popular in the city is a bit different. It is very popular because it is cheap. It is popular because people save time when they travel short distance on them. Bangladesh is so ahead of the west in eco-friendly transportation. It is so ironic.

Everywhere I looked, every person I talked to, I saw amazing things in Dhaka city. From rickshaw puller waiting for a customer to the man selling fruits right under the bridge, from the man who charges cell phones to the person who cuts hair on the left sidewalk whose store is just a chair and a broken mirror and a piece of cloth to block the burning sun, I have so many questions. I want to know all the stories. I just want to listen, listen and listen. I want to understand the people, their culture, everything. Bangladesh is such as rich country. One lives and experiences many things at a time. It has literally a dazzling mystique. Once, in an exhibition, one photo title was ‘City that Never Stops’. This describes the city of Dhaka the best, Nothing else. Once you blend in the city life, everything stops and a new life starts. So, Bangladesh is such a dazzling country. It is hard to adjust to the rush and too hard to leave when the time nears.

First Impressions about the City of Dhaka

CIDA on its website states “Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated countries. With more than 164 million individuals (2010) in a country about twice the size of New Brunswick, the resulting population pressures are huge.” In another comparison, although Bangladesh’s total area is one seventh of the province of Ontario, its population is 12 times the population of Ontario. So, you can imagine the situation. Hard to be not confused. The huge number of people flowing on the streets is the first thing you see when you arrive Zia International Airport in Dhaka city. In the city, no matter where you are and no matter what time your watch is kicking, you are never, ever alone. You always see people rushing somewhere on the streets. This is such a city where life never stops. On my way to hotel, where I stayed throughout my internship at Grameen Bank, the other thing that I noticed was the level of poverty . I saw a lot of people, most of them are children sleeping on the sidewalks.

Can't forget the traffic. One really has to have some athletic skills to survive as a commuter. The noise, pollution and lack of traffic signs and drivers’ attitudes at wheel were the first signs of the lack of infrastructure in just 30 min drive from airport to hotel. No infrastructure, no, nothing! Later, I was so glad that it was not just me who complained about the traffic, almost all the people I met often complained about the traffic, even some of my hard-die driver friends!

The weather after October until the end of January is fairly good in Dhaka. I was lucky. My initial plan was to go to Dhaka earlier. But, thanks to health reasons, I had to postpone my trip. I am glad that I did. It is not that I got issues with the rain or anything It is the lack of infrastructure that gives everyone a trouble; infrastructure that the Bangladeshi government has to invest more and more on. Mid October, when I got there, was still hot enough for the whole city to smell with all the garbage and dirt scattered all over the city. Can’t imagine the real summer time a couple of months before. But, I heard it was quite something. Speaking of infrastructure, the country is also having problems producing enough and steady electricity for everyone especially people living in rural areas. In many rural areas, there is literally no electricity, where there is available, it is actually available mostly in the evenings just for 4-5 hours, maybe a little bit more. Candles and lanterns are the basic survival kit if villagers can afford it. The urban areas in Dhaka city also suffer from power outages, which severely affects the production cycle. All these problems with infrastructure are the main pushing factors for foreign investors to come to this country. The investors need not only reliable energy but also reliable transportation. In Bangladesh, the main port is Chittagong. Most of the shipping, importing and exporting are done through this port. However, there are only two lanes that connect the port with Dhaka city. On top of everything about the traffic, with only two lanes, let alone shipping, traveling on a bus is a huge inconvenience. When I say inconvenience I really mean it. Despite all these, I was ready for the job, ready to discover the mystique behind Bangla(desh), country of language of the world.