AVERAGE DAY IN DHAKA

Our team spends a few hours of hours each morning at our language school in Bangla class.

Most days after class, I find a cheap hole-in-the-wall place for a delicious fifty-cent lunch of vegetable curry. This is where I can practice speaking and listening with the guys who run the joint. It’s helpful to converse outside the classroom. Their talking speed and colloquialisms keep me on my toes, but sometimes it knocks me over. They help me with my pronunciation. I don’t know any jokes in Bangla yet, but it seems that my ridiculous accent and broken baby talk creates sufficient laughter for now.

I also try to listen and make conversation at little tea stalls that line the streets. Tea brings people together and it’s a good place to practice Bangla.
My afternoons are spent studying my flashcards and books, often at a nearby coffee shop or back at the apartment.

Our team is living together, kind of as a family. Each person has one night to cook, so this frees up our schedules a bit. The nearby wet market has most things we need… rice, vegetables, fruit, live chickens, spices, bread, jam and yes, definitely peanut butter.

We spend time some evenings in prayer together as a team, reflect on scripture, or share our experiences with one another. These are refreshing times for us. Sometimes we help each other with Bangla, tell stories and laugh. The other night we listened to Mitch Hedberg’s stand up. That was ridiculous…ly amazing.

We’ve all come from different places on unique journeys, and now we’re trying to support each other as a family as we find our way into Bangla and the slums of K-town.