The First 48 Hours

Well, relocating seems to be off to a good start thus far. However, I'm currently blocking out the culture-shock, being online in my bed at the Hotel de Castle (do check out the website if you get a chance) while watching BBC World on television. Not exactly an immersion experience, I know, but I'm sure that will happen shortly.

Upon waking (after 9 hours of comatose sleep) on Tuesday, I felt the beginnings of a cold, but I held out hope that it was really just a manifestation of jet-lag. When I woke today, however, I realized that it really is a full-fledged bug. So sleeping and fluid-pushing have been top on my agenda--hopefully I'll be right as rain tomorrow.

Today I managed to connect with Shawn--former ND graduate student and friend currently residing in Dhaka to work on an independent project. He's been doing some very pioneering work in terms of video-blogging. He VERY kindly agreed to help me acquire a few of the essentials--thus, I now have a reliable source of power for my computer, and a new mobile phone that would love to get some calls! I also had the opportunity to meet his grandmother, uncle, aunt, and cousins, who were all extremely welcoming!

In keeping with my tradition of losing all appetite when entering other countries, I have been extremely, uncharacteristically un-hungry for the last few days. Shawn tried his hardest to find an agreeable, easy-transition food for dinner, and we ended up at the Bangladeshi version of Pizza Hut. Unfortunately, even pasta could not persuade me, though it certainly makes for an interesting "first real meal in Bangladesh" selection...

All in all, today proved to be quite the sensory overload. The traffic astounds; I'm still trying to get used to all of the staring; the language barrier is very evident... but more on all of that later. Exhaustion is overtaking me now, and I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I move to the BRAC School of Public Health for the first phase of my stay. I'm looking forward to meeting all of my new classmates, and to adopting an established routine. I imagine I'll feel more at home when I have a day-to-day agenda. Stay tuned!

Horoscope

This is my horoscope for 2008, as projected by Bangladesh's primary English newspaper--it seemed highly apropos, so I decided to share!

From: The Daily Star, Jan 01, 2008

"As your new yearly cycle gets underway Saturn enters Virgo, heralding a major new period in your life. New foundations will be established revolving around career developments, bringing added responsibilities and duties, stirring your ambitions. It may take a while to adjust, but things should ease, and improve considerably when Jupiter enters Capricorn in December. Whether or not you're seeking it, a position of influence, leadership, or responsibility may come your way. Mercury governs your career zone, so when it turns retrograde, be careful with contracts, paperwork, and long-term commitments. The North Node enters Aquarius from December, indicating you'll get lots of satisfaction from immersing yourself in new working methods and being active and productive."

Project

Alright, I have to take this opportunity to share what my mother and I did last night--we've managed to stick with this tradition for about fifteen years now, and next December it will be sorely missed. In any event, I spent most of the day baking, and most of the evening decorating, and here are a few examples of the finished products. Granted, it's really more an exhibit of my mom's artistry than my own, but I'm quite proud of them nonetheless...

Mail

Just in case anybody wants to send me letters (or small packages not exceeding 2 lbs.), you can use the "diplomatic pouch"--it'll save you the international postage :)

Alicia Cooper, Fulbright
AmEmbassy Dhaka
Department of State
Washington, DC 20521-6120

And I will be mailing postcards--that almost goes without saying--so if I don't have your address, please pass it along!

Happy Holidays!

Nine-and-a-half feet of coniferous joy.

Happy Holidays to all!

Input Needed!

My impending departure (11 days!) has forced me to start thinking about packing. The prospect is a bit daunting, to say the least, so I've decided to ease myself into it by considering what sources of entertainment I can afford to pack. I'm trying to settle on two DVDs and one fun book (along with a few more serious selections).

So, my question:

If you could only have one fun book for a year, which would you choose? (Optional: Why?)

Snow Day?

When I went outside to take these pictures, I heard some very happy shouts and laughs coming from the house on the hill--I have a hunch that Hartland Elementary had its first snow day of the season.

I used today's snow as an excuse to have a giant cup of hot chocolate.