I'm not sure where to start...so much has happened in the past week! I'll try to describe my two trips to Dhaka, succinctly but comprehensively.
On Wednesday evening, Jenine and I rushed the girls to the train station, and it seemed like that feeling of anxiousness and haste pervaded throughout the whole trip...we were constantly late or about to miss something or not make the bus home...everything in this country takes longer and doesn't show up on time. It takes a lot of getting used to for a Type A personality like me; probably this will be a good learning experience, but for now, it just irritates me a lot. We then had an extremely uncomfortable journey to Dhaka, arriving at 6:30am on Thursday. Then, we had such a full day! We grabbed coffee and breakfast at a little bakery called King's, which is really nice, and then went to wash up at the university's guesthouse in Dhaka.
We were then picked up around 9am, by Aarong's bus, and traveled for about two and a half hours to get to Manikganj. Although very dusty, hot, and uncomfortable, I really enjoyed the trip. I got some incredible photographs from the bus, because I don't usually feel protected enough to have my camera out to capture the roadside, so it provided me a wonderful photographic opportunity.
On the way, we stopped at the National Monument. National Martyrs' Memorial is situated at Savar, about 35 km north-west of Dhaka, and commemorates the sacrifice of all the people who died in the struggle for liberation of Bangladesh. Ironically enough, this is where my most negative experience of the trip occurred; some guy followed me around masturbating under his shirt. I thought at first he was targeting all the students, but then realized it was just me (apparently white skin is a very alluring thing here). I tried to hurry the girls away, but he followed us around. Thank god he just stared and imagined; he made no effort to come close or accost me, for which I am grateful. The most repugnant part was that, as soon as he saw that I had noticed him, he finished.
The rest of the day was mostly great though; we got to the Ayesha Abed Foundation center, and toured the plant. They focus on textiles there--including embroidery, stitching, block prints, and many processes of dyeing. I got some incredible photos here! The manager of the entire plant showed us around, and all of the workers seemed really happy at their jobs. There's almost no machinery, so as to create as many jobs as possible, and everyone seems very loyal and thankful for the fair trade benefits. I met one woman who has been working there for over 30 years! They also prepared a nice lunch for us. Unfortunately, I was feeling kind of sick at that point, so I didn't partake--I actually almost passed out from heat exhaustion and dehydration, but fortunately one of the employees noticed I had turned pale, and grabbed my arm just as I stumbled. They made me rest and get water (which was SO frustrating, because I knew I was missing great photo ops!), and I came through with only a slightly scraped knee.
Then, we returned to Dhaka, and went to the main management center. This place is the liaison between the front end (the retail stores) and the back end of craft centers and independent artisans. We were spoken to by the CEO, the head design consultant, and the woman is in charge of the entire business and foundation. I was extremely impressed by the level of organization, growth, and genuine-ness in their business acumen and ethics. They said all the right things but I also believe that they actually act upon them!
Then, I chaperoned the girls to the nearest Aarong outlet, while Jenine met with the Director about pursuing her own projects. She is well-connected in the British fashion industry, having worked at Top Shop for years, and is going to be introducing a fair trade line that links Aarong with the first-world market. All of the students seem to have such dreams as well, as this is a fair trade and ethical business class. It was exciting for me to see their enthusiasm, as well as visit the store with them and know I had just witnessed some of these things being made! As Jenine said, it is impossible to appreciate--either as designer or consumer--products until you see them actually made...then you know how painstaking the work of each piece is and all that goes into its production!
Then we all met up together again, and went to the only Mexican restaurant in Bangladesh. It was actually quite good! It's funny to see the girls trying such foreign food, I can empathize with them...the best part was when they kept complaining the food was too spicy (how ironic!). Jenine also invited one of her friends, Micky Diaz, who is an extremely successful CEO and managing director of a group of companies (including transportation, import/export, and a sweater factory). He's been to almost every country in the world, and was very gentlemanly and fatherly. He offered to send a car for me when I come back to Dhaka to take my flight home, and Jenine and I both agree he makes us feel much safer here! He also offered us cashmere sweaters from his factory, and paid for our entire dinner bill, which was both sweet and quite generous!
Then, we almost missed the buses back to Chittagong, but arrived just in time. There wasn't enough space on one bus for all of us, so I took seven girls while Jenine took the other seven. These buses were extremely nice (think of business class on an airplane), and it was the first mode of transportation I've actually felt safe on in this country. It seemed a little silly for me to chaperone these students, as they kept reassuring ME instead, telling us all where to go and how much longer it would be. Then, we got back safe and sound around 6:30am on Friday morning, and I got to rest up before leaving for Dhaka again at 9:30am on Saturday morning...
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