Tanja and the Malumghat holiday

Over the Eid holiday, a dear friend from my other life (the life with snow and lobster) visited me in Chittagong... no big deal, right? You should all come visit! Tanja did happen to be in the right hemisphere, which made this reunion a little easier - and what a sweet one it was! I had stayed with Tanja in Boston back in March while I interviewed for this job at AUW. At that time she was beginning to imagine this journey she'd take to South Asia to partner with anti-human-trafficking organizations that focus on income-generation projects for vulnerable women and girls (Int'l Princess Project, Made by Survivors... see under "links"). She's been in India and Bangladesh since August 1st and is headed next to Nepal and S.East Asia. It was incredible to sit here in my apartment together, remembering our conversations over the past year, now seeing her photos of what we'd only imagined back then. Besides that, we still reminisce about the fact that I was eleven years-old when we first met; Tanja used to take me out for ice-cream in Bath, Maine. A dozen years later I'm negotiating with a rickshaw-wallah to take us downtown for dinner. Several times we broke into spontaneous laughter over the fact that years ago we never would have guessed we'd be in Bangladesh together... very far from Woolwich.

Tanja's visit couldn't have been timed better, since she arrived a few days before my week-long holiday from teaching. On Monday before break she spoke to my smiling, captivated students about her experiences. One student asked her, "Ma'am, what is your greatest ambition?" The students were moved by Tanja's answer, which revealed her dedication to combatting injustices against women.

On Tuesday, we left for Malumghat, to spend four days at the guesthouse and campus of Memorial Christian Hospital. Apart from being close enough (3 hour bus ride) for us to avoid Eid traffic, Malumghat was for many reasons the best choice for a relaxing time away from the city. Also, I had been eager to revisit this place that is an important landmark in our family.

My first visit to Memorial Christian Hospital was in February 1988 to welcome the perfect gift of my brother David into our family. Above, my mother and I are just getting to know little bitty David. Because of that old photo, I was immediately able to recognize the picnic table during this recent visit (pictured below).

Malumghat was indeed the most peaceful place I have visited in my short time here so far, and I have a strong feeling (plus some hints from others who live here) that there are few places that compare.... unless you're a doctor, in which case it's not so quiet. Surrounded by rice paddies, and flowers, and everywhere green, the campus is a paradise after weeks spent in the deafening beats of city traffic and construction.

It felt like it had been years, rather than weeks, since I had locked my arms in streamline position above my head to dive into my favorite form of H2O. I miss swimming, so the pool at the hospital campus was one of my favorite spots. There I met some wonderful little playmates, Silas, Naomi and Seth (children of Dr. Stephen and Monika Welch) who shared my affinity for aqueous fun.

From Malumghat, we took a day trip down to Cox's Bazaar, where first we visited a Burmese market. I had an engaging conversation with an educated Burmese-Bangladeshi shop owner about the current political situation in that junta-run state across the border.

And finally, we saw what Cox's Bazaar is most known for: the longest natural sea beach in the world. My parents actually got engaged here, so again I found myself on sacred ground in my pilgrimage of family landmarks.

Alyssa and Tanja (below) and I enjoyed the late afternoon sun by splashing in the Bay of Bengal in our salwar kameezes. We were so fortunate to find an abandoned stretch of beach; apart from a few cows, we weren't accompanied by the usual crowds of curious onlookers.
The week of respite and adventures wrapped up last Sunday, when Tanja and I took our final CNG ride back to the airport at Patenga beach in Chittagong. On the breezy ride back to my home in Khulshi, already missing my friend, I watched the river boats float quietly in place - their captains away with families for the holiday.