A day in my life....

Life at the Mission is peaceful and slow moving. Yesterday, I woke up at 5:45am, naturally. (yes, for those of you who know me well, this is a small miracle, but I have been waking up cheerfully before 6am for the last couple of months and can't sleep anymore) I decided to go running around the convent. They have a small field area near the school. The whole convent is walled off and they have many different cement buildings built around the 1930s. It's a really beautiful campus with many flowers, palm trees and gardens.

I wear running pants (even though it is like 82 degrees in the mornings) and an old kameze top that comes to my knees, but no orna--the scarf that covers my chest for modesty's sake--because only women are in the convent. I also listen to my mp3 player while running. I don't really like using it b/c all the albums are mixed up. Somehow all the songs got loaded in alphabetical order. But if you think of it sort of like a music quiz show, and try to name the artist real fast, then it's alright. Anyways. I was running around in circles, listening to music, Alicia Keys at this point I believe, and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Two little girls from the orphanage were up, and were running 30 feet behind me, giggling to eachother. I motioned for them to come closer, and the three of us ran together. They took turns listening to my music as well. Once we all were sufficiently sweaty, I led some goofy stretching exercises....I guess I'll never be rid of my camp roger experience or recreation major. Then we walked back to the convent for breakfast.

I ate my normal breakfast of Chapati and egg. Drank good coffee from Thailand with my own special filtering system. The sisters always remark, "oh, I see you are cooking your coffee again." I was just finishing my 4th glass of water, when a priest walked in an announced, "this is my last coffee time with the sisters before leaving for America!" He had gotten a visa and was leaving for America, New Jersey, specifically, in four days. He was giddy with excitement. I sat down with him and chatted about what it was like to live in America. He had all sorts of questions about funerals, since he was going to be in charge of burying people, among other things at his parish. It was fun to chat with him about my own culture. I forgot just how many questions someone going there for the first time might have. He was concerned about being cold. I told him he would be cold, but just to bring a heavy jacket and he'd be fine. I don't know if he believed me.

I had my normal 9am class with the aspirant sisters. I have been teaching my students many songs this year. I did not really feel like doing work at this point, and they did not feel like doing work, so I taught them two new songs instead. I taught them the O bro where art thou? song, "I went down in the river to pray" as well as "Amazing Grace. " I've attempted to teach them some harmonies this year, but it is very hard to teach Western harmonies to people used to singing Eastern melodies. And since my guitar learning did not take off as I'd like it too, and since I don't have my violin to produce melodies and harmonies here....I have my voice, and my memory to teach with. I can hear the harmonies, but they of course, cannot.... We've really tried though. :)

After class, tea, of course. Lots of gossiping with the sisters who all gather together at 10am for tea. They also eat rice and vegetables at this time. They don't understand why I don't want to eat rice, but mostly, let me just sip my cha...while offering me rice a few times, (bangladeshi hospitality) which I continuously refuse.

Walk to my favorite internet cafe. On the way I buy my usual 7-UP from the same vendor, who sees me and knows what I will buy. Keep walking, wave hello to my tailor on the way.
It's super hot and humid, and for some reason, I decided to wear my long sleeved blue batik top with jeans. I am sweating in seconds. awesome. luckily (?) I can be a sweaty mess and do nothing to myself and everyone still marvels at my beauty and intelligence. I think I will be in for a wake up call once I come back to the States and not everyone thinks I am gorgeous and interesting.

I check email and facebook like a normal internet addict would.

Go back to the Mission for a lovely lunch of Rice and Vegetables. But yesterday we also were still eating my bannanna bread, which was a nice surprise. After lunch, I go upstairs to my room and begin the book "God of Small things." I read for a little while, take a little nap. Go downstairs after a while, and talk with Sister Francis for a bit about Geography. Sister Francis is awesome. She's in her 70s, I'd guess, is funny, smart, and loves learning. Especially about people and places and how to pronounce English words. I chat with her until it's time for my 3pm class.

My 3pm class is with the same students, so we practice our new songs, as well as some older ones. I am amazed at their memories. I give them time to study for the exam I am giving. I ask them some questions in English, to get them to talk a bit, and then to round out one of our last classes together we play "hangman." Not very Pacifist, I know. If you have any alternatives, I'm all ears.

4pm. More tea with all the sisters gathering around the table. They again are eating rice. I am again refusing. Not too politely though, or they will not take me seriously. Some of the sisters are also eating Corn on the Cob. Since I grew up on a vegetable farm, and know my corn on the cob pretty well, I was super excited to have my first ear of the season right then and there. I take my first bite. It tastes like field corn. It's terribly chewy, not sweet, and really hard to chew. (Why did I expect Wiers Farm Corn? I don't know) But of course, I must finish it. By the end, my jaw hurts from chewing it so much. I wish I could give them some actual good sweet soft corn. Uncle John, want to send some seeds over here? :)

After corn on the cob, Sister Francis and I watch some BBC news together. She tells me her nose has diarria and laughs. (She has a runny nose)

Much to my delight my friend Alana, who works for CRWRC calls me and tells me she is in Mymensingh and asks if I have dinner plans. I meet up with her and Reba at Rom III, Mymensingh's little greasy spoon, for some naan and vegetables and curried hard boiled egg. At one point, Alana gets this look of disgust on her face....and tells me a cockroach was just crawling up her leg. SICK. Soon we forget about it though, and continue on with our meal, remarking that it's unusual for 3 Americans to be together. (I forgot to mention that when we walked in the restaurant, they turned on the A/C for us, with out asking if we needed it.) I'm telling you, it's celebrity life over here.

After dinner and ice cream, we decide to go see Alana's flat (rather CRWRC's mymensingh flat), which is near the Mission, where I live. All three of us expertly climb onto the rickshaw. One person has to sit on the top of the seat. Once at her flat, we hear the doorbell ring. I see her neighbor trying to push her way inside, she saw 3 white girls walk in, and presumably wants to know whats up. I see Alana holding firm, saying that now is not a good time....(later after we leave, she tells me the lady stayed for like an hour) It's really hard to be gracious in this place sometimes when people are demanding your attention and friendship.

We chat for a bit until it's nearly 9pm and the current/electricity has gone off. I have to get going since the sisters will soon lock the gate at the top of the convent stairs and I will have to bang on it loudly and wake them all up, if I come back too late. Yes, it has happened a few times and it is embarassing. I use my mobile phone's flashlight to light the the way down Alana's stair well. Only in Bangladesh do mobile phones have little flashlights in them. Very handy-- I use mine all the time.

I take a rickshaw back to the mission, pay the rickshaw wallah 6 taka, which he seems happy about. I go inside, realize the current is off there as well, and so I get ready for bed by candle light. Outside is an impressive heat lightning storm that I watch from in my bed until I fall asleep.