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!

I am Thankful for the Commissary and the ARA

Without the Commissary and the ARA, Thanksgiving would have been missing some key ingredients.  We were able to go buy all the supplies we needed for our desserts on Tuesday evening at the Commissary.  Karo syrup, chocolate chips, ground gloves, ...etc. Thanksgiving here was perfect! I woke up, watched Love Actually without having to get out of bed, then had some cereal with Savanna as we made our plans for the day: roll out dough, bake pies, shower, eat a feast.

Rolling out her homemade pie crust! It was such nice baking process because every few minutes Misti was there cleaning up behind us. Baking pies today will be a different experience without her...

Pecan pie and chocolate pecan pie: our two favorite from our family traditions at home.  Catherine- I think it may have rivaled some of your best pies...

Bree volunteered to make the pumpkin pie! Even though she is Australian, she has pumpkin pies because her parents are Canadian! It worked out perfectly because she knows how to make a pumpkin pie from scratch (real pumpkin instead of the can) because they don't have the canned pumpkin pie mix in Australia! AND it was deeeelicous!!! Great job, Bree! 

After everything was baked and our apartment smelled just like 78 Angelo Drive after the pies come out of the oven, we went downstairs and Wahid took us to Tracy and Ian's.  He was almost as excited about Thanksgiving as we were! The set up at Tracy's was beautiful! How she managed to get all of us into her apartment comfortably and have enough dishes to make us happy, I'll never know! Must be her awesome hostessing skills at work.  If we'd had them over at the intern apt, half of the people would be on floor cushions and the other half would be eating with serving spoons and paper plates.

The dessert table courtesy of the AIS/D Interns!

Two of the tables! I was sitting at this front table on the right. The laundry basket is in the background because Kristen brought over so many treats she needed the hamper to help her carry them! 

Another table! Sav is setting the tables with a few of the staples: here she has delicious gravy.  Everyone else is enjoying  a glass of wine and socializing until it is time to sit down and FEAST! 

The meal itself was DELICIOUS! We had all the staples: turkey, ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, bread, and mac-n-cheese... along with a few new additions: yummy salad, cabbage rolls, sweet curried fruit, brussels sprouts, broccoli and parsnips! I tried almost everything, but the sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes were my favorites :)

My first serving... mmm!

Creepily perfect turkey. But so yummy doused in gravy!

After dinner it was time for the YUMMY desserts! Everyone tried a sampling of the sweetness, and our bellies were soooo full we could barely fit back into the car.  We gave Wahid big slices of all the desserts to take home, and he was STOKED!

Check out the treats! Bree also made sticky date pudding (the loaf with the homemade caramel sauce drizzled on top). I'm bringing the recipe home for a Christmas dessert this year! 

Samplings of heaven. (Note legit Cool Whip from commissary- woudn't be Tgiving Pie for Di without a huge dollop.) 

All in all it was a beautiful Thanksgiving! Not the same as at home, but so thankful to have friends here who are like a second family to me :) I came home last night and was able to skype with Mom, Dad, Catherine, and Katie (& Harper!) at their hotel room in DC as they got ready to head out for the big Thanksgiving dinner with some of the O'Brien clan.  I also had the special treat of skyping with Aunt Maureen, Sean and Kevin :) I am so thankful for SKYPE because it allows me to be closer to my family on special days like Thanksgiving. Miss and love everyone!

Dokhina sees her first guests

So, who honestly thought that Mama and Papa West could go a whole year without seeing Baby Di?

Yeah. Exactly! I am so lucky that my mom and dad were able to come all the way to the other side of the world! It worked out perfectly- Mom flew from London and arrived in Dhaka on a Thursday afternoon (halfway through the last day of my school week).  I had everything arranged for her to arrive at the airport, get ushered through the visa application process, and into a car with a driver to bring her home.  There, Misti showed her to my room and she was able to freshen up before Wahid drove her to school and Sav and I were waiting with open arms to greet her at the main gate! I gave her a tour of the school, and we went home for a power nap. Unfortunately, 15 minutes in- the call to prayer jolted her awake and we decided to go for some Starbucks brew at the new cafe in Baridhara- The Mermaid Cafe.  After an energy boost, we went to the BAGHA for a rooftop BBQ and some live tunes with a bunch of the other lady teachers.

The rest of the week's events in Dhaka and Chiang Mai are beautifully articulated in my Dad's post below... so I'll just give you my side notes...

Having my parents here was more than incredible.  At times I thought I was going to have one of my "I'm-so-stressed-out-I-am-going-to-faint" moments, but everything always seemed to work itself out.  Traffic jams, hartals, mosquitos, and accidental ingestions of tap water aside- the Dhaka journey was smooth.  I love that now my parents know who I am talking about when I tell stories, that they can picture me at school or driving around the Diplomatic Zone dodging rickshaws and flashing my lights (why? I still don't know what it means, but everyone else does it- so I just join in) and honking my horn. They see the kinds of things I experience everyday and can better understand why sometimes I am just too exhausted to tell them about my day... or why I suck at keeping up with my blog;) It is so hard to fully explain what Dhaka is like.  As my dad said, you really have to experience it to understand it.

Seeing Dhaka through my parents fresh eyes reopened my mind to what my life is like here.  It is pretty ridiculous at times.  I mean- livestock chilling in the street on my corner, eating to their hearts' desire without knowing it is only to fatten them up for the sacrifices on Eid- that is a unique environment.

The escape to Chiang Mai, Thailand couldn't have come at a better time. First of all, can you imagine me over this holiday? The girl who doesn't like to look at raw meet in Harris Teeter? I get the shivers just thinking about it. I think the talk and description of Eid from my students is enough of a cultural experience for me at this point in my life.

The trip to Chiang Mai was the best traveling I've had in my entire life.  I don't know if it is because I got to be the daughter again (didn't have to worry about carrying my plane ticket or organizing adventures) or if it was the peaceful aura the Thais exude: but something made this trip stand out among the rest.

Perhaps it was my life dream coming true: becoming BFFs with an elephant.  Since I don't know when, these massive beasts have been the subject of my investigation and devotion.  I love them! I have always been fascinated by them and jealous of the elephant trainers at zoos and frustrated that they got to feed them and pet them when I was so close and stuck on the other side of a fence.  At Baanchang there were no fences :) Just us with our hands feeding bushels of bananas right into elephants mouths! Big, pink, slobbery tongues sucking banana bunches from our hands and long sneaky trunks cleverly maneuvering themselves to stop us in our tracks to snatch bananas out of our grip! A whole morning with these massive but gentle beasts has only amplified my love for them.  Everything that dad explained about our experience there I second.  It was the total high of Chiang Mai- and probably the most memorable thing I've done in my life so far.

Pad thai will never be as good as it was at the Gecko Cafe we stumbled upon, but every time I eat it my mind will drift back to Thailand, and I will be happy :).

I miss my parents so much already! I hope they are sitting down for Thanksgiving tomorrow with all the O'Briens and are able to send my love to everyone and share with them some of the things they experienced here with us <3

Now some photos to further detail the best 10 days I've had on this side of the world!

My room :) Painted walls, decorations from around South Asia!

Mom looking fabulous even though she just flew for 20 hours!  Here we are standing just inside the main gate to school. 

Me and Bree in her awesome OT classroom! 

Our beautiful pink palace of an apartment building! Wahid explained that Dohkina means "West Winds" in Bangla! Same name as our sailboat! 

At Mermaid Cafe getting some coffee to wake mama up! It is such a nice escape- pretty decorations, swiss ice cream, coffee, fresh juice bar, and even an attached organic foods store! Also, check out my henna! It only costs about $2 to get done- so I'm going to make it a regular thing.

Mom and Dad treated me to brunch at the Westin. It was SO incredible! I am so lucky!

Walking home from school and into a large cow zone. 

Largest cow to ever exist. 

Mom cruising on the travelator in the Bangkok airport! Chiang Mai, here we come! 

Me and Daddy enjoying our first Chang (which means elephant in Thai) beer an hour after arriving in Chiang Mai.

Enjoying our first Thai food at Gecko Garden and Cafe.  We walked around 'til we found somewhere that smelled delicious.  The pad thai was 59 baht ($2) and the yummiest food I had the whole trip! 

Posing in front of Le Meridian- the most heavenly hotel experience! Everything was top notch- the lobby smelled incredible, there was a menu for the kind of pillows we wanted, our room overlooked the Night Market and the pool that overlooked the mountains got full sunshine in the afternoon!

Poolside treat for today: mini smoothies! 

We explored t the Golden Temple on the top of a nearby mountain.  We were even randomly called upon by a monk to be blessed and given a bracelet of good luck! 

Family photo in front of one of the many massive golden displays at the temple.

Sawaadee kaaaaaaa

One of my favorite moments of the trip: the naughty baby elephant wraps his trunk around my neck and sucks in! Which results in a huge suction effect on my neck! It tickled and felt so cool! It is his little trick that he does for all the people who come to experience the elephants. 

Mom and Dad on their elephant.  We ventured off for an almost 2 hour hike up and down the mountain after having a lot of training in the elephant camp.

Whenever the elephants got hungry they paused and wrangled a bamboo tree to nibble on.

For the trip up the mountain, Savanna and Dad were the drivers and Mom and I were the passengers.  We stopped at the top of the mountain, let the elephants play and explore, and then switched drivers for the way down.

Peek-a-boo! 

Mom and I may have been sitting in the place of the person in charge of the elephant- but the Mahouts (elephant caretakers) who walked along with us really had all the control.  

We plunked right into the river and bathed these massive animals with little scrubby brushes.  It was a cool feeling being in the water with them- but MAN it smelled bad! 

Goochie goochie goo!

Photo op in front of the Airport Center Plaza! The elephant fountain was dressed up in Santa hats!

We got tickets for Harry Potter on opening night! Loved every minute of it! I had forgotten how nice it was to go to a movie. There were plenty of times I completely forgot I was in Asia.

Standing amongst a sea of lanterns that decorated the moat and ancient wall that surrounded the original city of Chiang Mai. 

The day we left was a Thai holiday: Loy Krathong.  It is a time to give thanks to the water and rivers.  People send lanterns up in to the air by lighting them like a hot air balloon. 

On our last night, we enjoyed a truly authentic Thai dining experience.  Our waitress couldn't speak English and the performances ranged from a 3 person band, to a large group of people playing drums to men breathing fire and dancing with fire batons! 

Thanks Mom and Dad for coming all the way to Dhaka and then exploring Thailand for me. It means more than you'll ever know that you understand this experience I'm having! Love you <3

Savanna's Bangladeshi Birthday

Jello shots at one of the houses!

Weekend of September 2nd-4th
Savanna's birthday weekend started off by all the newbie teachers getting to go on a house tour! We met in the main rotunda at school at 3:45, boarded a bus and set off to journey from Baridhara to Gulshan in hopes of finding some inspiration for our empty (but painted- yay!) walls.  Everyone's houses looked so good and ready for entertaining! I guess that is one of the many benefits of having bearers- your house is nearly always presentable. We got some good decorating ideas (and good treats- drinks/apps) from our lovely hosts!

Squeezed in our first (and Bree's millionth) rickshaw!

We had to skip out of the last house in the tour to make it back to Wendy's boot camp class! Working out on a "Friday" burns twice the calories, I hear. Thursday night was pretty chill.  We headed to the ARA and there was some awesome karaoke on the roof.  And by awesome, I mean really weird Asian videos playing in the background of 80s/90s American classic song lyrics + Bangladeshi Americans singing their hearts out.  We were quite entertained for a few hours and then realized that the entire work week was catching up to us and we wanted to head home for a movie night in our pjs.  After piling in the car, we decided to first hit up Movenpick since we haven't stopped talking about ice cream for the past 40something days.  However, the large crowd of young local men reminded us we were not appropriately dressed to be out in public, and we were forced to turn around and head home sans ice cream.  Movie night failed when Bree and I both passed out from exhausted shortly after returning home.

Our view from the rickshaw

On Friday morning, we got up at a decent hour and donned some of Bree's shalwar kameezes! We had opted to have our first rickshaw experience in the comfort of Baridhara and to make it legit- wore the traditional clothing for Bangladesh.  We headed to the gate and Bree taught us the fine art of getting a rickshaw.  She yelled "HEY RICKSHAW" really loud down the street and one excited young man came peddling up full speed and stopped right at the gate of Dokhina.   He tried to charge us 50 taka for our 10 street journey and Bree laughed in his face.  We ended up settling on 30 taka which is still a rip-off for the short distance.  Since there were 3 of us, and we are bigger than the average Bangladeshi woman, we decided we would settle on this price.  We shoved ourselves in to the little carriage and off we went! It was quite fun and felt a lot like being pulled in a horse drawn carriage, except the horse is replaced with the skinniest man you can imagine.  Once we got to Avera, we were pampered with mani/pedis and feeling like local royalty with our brightly colored SKs on.

Sav and our awesome new friend!

Post salon treatment, we picked up Melissa and went to the ARA to pick up our long awaited club cards.  Over a month in Dhaka and they finally let us in to the fine establishment as true members.  It felt great to scribble my member number on the tab and know I wouldn't have to think about the cost until the end of the month.  I think that feeling will quickly disappear after my first bill, so I am cherishing it while it lasts.

To continue with our princess treatment day- we set up appointments for Ronjon to come to our house for massages in the evening.  Everyone at school highly recommended him.  He showed up at the door with a big smile on and a small bottle of massage oil.  We moved a spare mattress into the living room, plugged the ipod into some speakers with calm music, and dimmed the lights to set the mood.  Sav and I each got Swedish hot oil massages for over 1 hour and a half each! And it cost a whopping 700 taka (10 dollars!) It was a much needed stress/anxiety releaser for me.  I was tempted to go ahead and set up a weekly appointment with Ronjon, but with the holiday coming up, decided to put it off for the time being.

Our server and his mosquito net

I made a quick batch of mac-n-cheese for dinner (so yummy!!!!) and then got ready quickly before our friends came over to help celebrate Savanna's birthday.  After hanging out at home for a bit, we went to our standard stomping grounds- the ARA to bring in Sav's 23rd at midnight.  There was a decent crowd of young people there and it was nice to see that there are people besides teachers who live in Dhaka.  They were really fun and perhaps a little too fun, seeing as I didn't feel back to my normal self until a few hours before dinner the next day!

Dinner was a total success.  Tracy and I made reservations at a Korean restaurant- Sura for 7 o'clock.  We had a back room reserved and about 20 teachers came! Sav had a really good time, and it is just so great to get together with everyone in a non-work environment.  The people at AIS/D are all so unique and have such incredible life experiences to share.  I feel like I should walk around with a tape recorder most of the time so that I can make sure I remember all the specific details that people share with me about other parts of the worlds and things adventures have had. The food was yummy and made me think of Aunt Jina :) After dinner, we had cake (Bree and I made it!) and cupcakes and then opened presents at home.

The crew at dinner!

Weekend, success! Nepalese adventures up next...