While the water boils...

Flowers for helping with the play, flowers
from my Secret Santa, and  Christmas
tree I bought at the Commissary!

I have a few minutes in my hectic last few days in Dhaka for a quick blog post update :) --I am currently waiting for the water to boil in the kettle so I can have an evening cup of coffee (care of Bree's friend who flew in to Dhaka for 24 hours and brought us some fresh ground beans)!

So, last week (as you may have seen from Savanna's recent blog post) was quite festive! I volunteered to help out with the High School Play (Rumors by Neil Simon) doing choreography, hair and makeup! Each day after school last week I dedicated about 2 hours to helping make all the students look like the true stars they were! The play was absolutely hilarious! I was so impressed with all of the hard work the students and teachers put into the production.  It one of my favorite memories from AIS/D so far!

My Godmother and I wrapped in our first saris!

Back to the festivities of last week: I decided to enter into the Secret Santa game at school! It was SO fabulous coming to my mailbox each week in the HS Office and finding a treat all wrapped up and Christmasy/Bangladeshi: just for me! One day, I even got a special letter all the way from the states from Mike that included a really red (even after weeks of being in the mail and traveling across oceans/continents) leaf! It was just the touch of fall Bangladesh needed before plunging into winter <3 It has been a cool, breezy 70 degrees every day recently! It is so funny because all of the locals are wrapped up in sweaters with scarves on their heads and really concerned about the change, but I am still rocking dresses and open toed shoes to school.  I am going to have a real shock when I experience Virginia winter in JUST THREE DAYS!

 Bree, Lauren, me, Nadine & Savanna
before the rooftop party

At the end of the week, a few of us decided to go to the Aussie for drinks in a "farewell" :( to Bree.  Per doctor's recommendations, she has to return to Australlia for good this Christmas holiday to regain health in a non-developing country! One thing I have learned from living all the way over here on the other side of the world, is that it really is a small world.  We find connections and relationships in ways that I never thought possible.  So, even though Bree is leaving and won't be in Dhaka anymore, I know that I will see her again, it is just a matter of time and location :) Perhaps Hawaii as a halfway meeting place between our homelands?

Stella and I are celebrating how successful
the play was!

After returning home from the Aussie, I checked my email and found a note with the subject line:  "Surprise! Laura in Dhaka" and I thought- hmm spam from someone reading my blog.  I double clicked, opened the email- and IT WAS TRUE! My Godmother came all the way to Dhaka without even telling me! I immediately emailed back and made plans for us for the rest of the weekend.

Looks a little different from the Oktoberfest, right?!
But it is the same rooftop! 

In the morning, I picked her up (her hotel is really close to my place and the ARA) and we had a yummy breakfast at the American Club.  Afterwards, she tagged along with me for the last performance of the HS Play.  She got to meet all the actors back stage and see the work that goes into applying makeup (making 16 year olds look like they were in their 50s isn't easy!) and up-do's!  We watched the play and held our sides as they split from laughing :D Next, we rushed home to meet Sav and Bree, where Wahid took us to the salon to get wrapped in our saris.  The AIS/D Christmas party was Friday night on Rich and Colleen's rooftop!  The ladies at the salon wrapped us up tight, we stuck on our bindis, and went to a pre-party at Rob and Nadine's.  I was totally in the Bideshi Christmas spirit by then (Bideshi is Bangla for foreigner) with eggnog, women in saris, and men in their traditional dress shirts, Christmas cookies and decorations! The rooftop party was delightful- all the faculty and staff was present- the Christmas tree was set up- the tunes were playing loud- and the food was DELISH! We hung for an hour or so before making an early departure to an AYAD party at Ally's house (Bree's friend who was a youth ambassador with her).  It was a mask party-- see photos :)!

Best flatmates I could ask for <3 

Because it was a late night, we didn't pick Aunt Laura up til around 11am the next morning, but made up for the late hour by making homemade pancakes!  Although the first one turned out yellow and spicy (the pan was not cleaned from the last batch of chicken curry- Miiiisti), the rest were yummy and gave us just enough energy to get through a day of running errands.  We went to DIT2 (a market across from the Westin) to get some last minute Christmas presents for everyone back home and to show Laura a bit of the local handicrafts!

It has been SUCH a treat having her here in Dhaka with me.  It has been the best Christmas already, and it hasn't even truly started yet! We had taco night last night (yay Misti!) and topped the night off with delicious chai tea from Nepal.  Tonight Sav and I are heading to Kazana's (our favorite Indian restaurant) with Aunt Laura for some liquid fire chicken and special naan!

Excited about our wreath purchased at the Commissary! 

Tomorrow I am taking a group of students to the International School Dhaka for a theater workshop. (First time chaperoning all by myself!) A performance group is in Dhaka for a few days doing Julius Caesar mixed with Jatra (traditional Shakespeare meets South Asian theater).  Should be an intriguing fusion of arts!

Dancing at the Masquerade Ball! 

I'll try to post one more time before returning home- but if you want to keep track of my travels- I am flying from Dhaka to Doha on the night of Dec. 16 (Dhaka time) and arriving in Dulles at 2:30 pm Dec. 17! Can't wait to touch base with everyone over the holiday!

Rickshawala stole my cell phone

I know everyone was talking about how cool my cell phone was....

insert: "ohhhh!!! ahhhh!!"

It was so awesome and valuable that I was having to use a stick to keep people from grabbing it right out of my hands when I was texting in public.

Ok, not exactly. But here is the real story:

I was walking to school on Sunday and last minute grabbed my phone off my bed because I had a voice inside my head that said, "you should never be without your cell phone in this country."  But, in my rush, I stuffed it into the side pocket of my backpack.  Walking briskly to school with the Sounds of Dhaka soundtrack blaring in our ears (yelling, construction noises and car horns), we didn't hear my phone drop out of my bag and into a pile of nearby rubbish (this is my guess).  When I got to school and went to silence my phone for the day: it was gone :(  I quickly retraced my steps all the way home- but realized after calling my phone, it was already turned off.  Probably in the hands of some lucky rickshawala who now has a sleek and posh new cell phone.

Maybe I'll upgrade to one with a color screen for the next purchase.

Since it is too expensive to fly to Scotland...

... we flew Scotland to us!

This weekend was the St. Andrew's Scottish Ball at the Westin! It was a fabulous affair! 22 of the teachers sat at 2 tables together (organized by the fabulous Kelly McKay).  We got all dolled up at La Femme a few hours before meeting the rest of the crew. I downloaded a few pictures of hairdos on my iTouch so that we could break the language barrier with the girls at the salon! It worked out great- Donna, Sav and I got up (or half-up) do's and Bree got her hair meticulously straightened.  These ladies have mad hair styling skills and patience! We started the night off at Kelly and Ed's to collect our tickets and socialize before the big event. It felt EXACTLY like Christmas! They had a few Christmas trees, lights, nativity scenes, holiday scented candles and Christmas carols on the iPod! Everyone looked so nice dressed in their best.

Donna and Savanna looking glam after their La Femme do's 

Bree and Ed at the bar pre-ball!

After arriving at the Westin, we enjoyed a few glasses of wine at the cocktail hour and were serenaded by a bagpiper brought in from Scotland for the ball (high rollers)! The night could not have gone any better (unless I had been one of the lucky ones to win round trip tickets to Europe or Kathmandu... ahem- TRACY!).  We had fabulous food, traditional Scottish dancing (Sav and I went to the BHC to learn 4 of the traditional routines, so we knew exactly what we were doing on the dance floor!), followed by typical late night dancing and then a flatmate hangout sesh upon returning home at 2am! (Poor Wahid was soooo tired).

Our table at the Westin! 

Sav and I with the authentic bagpiper 

Transported from Bangladesh to Scotland

Rocking our temporary tattoos! 

Dancing the night away

This morning we laid in my bed and re-dished about the previous night before dragging ourselves into jeans, t-shirts and scarves (the change in weather here is SO incredible). We headed to the Canadian Club for delicious eggs, bacon and lattes, then shopping and errands all around Gulshan! (We have Secret Santa at school this week, and I am still getting a few last minute presents for family and friends).  We were walking around Gulshan 2 circle looking for bindis when we happened upon a beautiful sari on display. 30 minutes later, we left the little hole-in-the-wall-shop with 4 incredible silk saris in our bags! We made it home just in time to meet the tailor (he has to make the blouses that go under the saris, so we can wear them to the staff Christmas party on Friday) and walk to the British High Commission for a Christmas Picnic! Dave got us tickets and had a delicious spread of finger foods and sparkling wine on blankets in the garden at the BHC! The bagpiper was there (same one from the previous night!), and then someone was singing Christmas carols up on a stage at the end of the garden.  It was so enjoyable to sit and relax in a cool Dhaka evening with new friends and scrummy treats.

Should we send this to the UVA magazine? 

Still rocking our Scottish tattoos...

While this weekend has been the best in Dhaka so far, I am still SO looking forward to coming home for a true Christmas feeling in just 12 DAYS!!!!! <3