Bangladesh, day two

I am human again…I slept for 8 straight hours horizontally, not in an airport waiting room or an airline seat really helped my cause.  I am still struggling as to which time zone I am in, but I think I am upright and functional at this point.

Plus I figured out hot water, and that is no small thing.  My prep yesterday for an interview with my supervisor and the campus forum was a bit rough, as I forgot about on-demand water heaters.  I remember them from England, but I did not make the connection.  I probably looked a little tattered as I showered and shaved in cold water.  I teased the search committee about setting up a series of challenges outside of the interview process to see how I did.  First there was getting here, and then there was the hot water and then…  Ahh, the simple pleasures of a warm shower!  It helped today.  My victory over water continued as I figured out how to make coffee.  It's instant but at some point coffee is coffee!  It is very black, strong, and there is enough sugar in it to make me wired for hours.

My early morning walk produced a few photos.  It was a short walk, I admit.  It isn't that I felt unsafe or anything like that, though watching for traffic is a bit challenging.  There is no look left or right before walking.  Instead it is a multi-dimensional chess game--look left, right, ahead, behind and then still walk confidently and fast.  And don't mind the horns--they aren't offensive weapons of road rage as they are in the US.  Here they are just like saying, "hey, best pay attention--I am a 20 ton truck (or rickshaw or CNG or bus) and I am approaching your blind spot at 30 kilometers an hour."  I also loved the sign.  There is no doubt that I am a bit a way from home, but it is good to know that I am not that far.

Things are going well--people have been extraordinarily kind and open.  No one threw anything at the open forum and actually it was really fun--it probably helped that the lights were out several times--they couldn't see me!  The dinner last night was tremendous.  I was taken to an Indian place that is, let's just say, a bit more traditional than the Star of India.  Fantastic food and four of us shared six dishes and walked away stuffed.  Total cost?  About $22.00.  I'll talk more about the economy and such, but being able to afford to eat out is not really a issue.

It starts again in 10 minutes so I am off.