Western
A simple guide to affirmatives and negatives in Bangladesh:
Yes = Yes
No = No
Yes = No
No = Yes
Yes = I have no idea
Yes = I'd rather not say
Yes = What did he just say?
No = More rice please, I was only kidding when I said I was full.
No = Please reassure me that I should say yes.
Maybe = Absolutely not. Ever.
Maybe = Geez, will ya look at the time . .
(and in some cases:)No = Please follow me around until I say yes.
Once you get the hang of it, you still have no idea what they are saying, or what you are saying, for that matter. It's actually kind of fun at times. Seriously.
So about being Western: It's a little easier here because the only Westerners they've seen are in the movies--like Arnold Schwartzeneggar or Celine Dion--so about 2/3 of the people figure that I have several M-16's stuff down my trousers and have orgies on a regular basis, but I can't open a can of soda or operate a lock. It's a 24/7 task to slowly disabuse people, one by one, of their preconceived notions. I may be the only American some of them ever see--and sometimes only for 5 seconds, at that.
Coming here I've had this sort of guilty attitude, like the West is the root of all evil--Wal-Mart and McDonalds and Halliburton are killing babies, etc. In a sense they are, but as L. DeVries remarked awhile back, when you're outa the country you start to see a few things that weren't so bad. Though we're a pretty busy culture (in the USA) and the culture here (B'desh) is more about quality time, sometimes it's frustrating to sit around for hours on end, drinking tea, doing nothing more than conversing. While we're not exactly the hardest workers in the world, we get stuff done.
They have shrimp here that gets as long as 10 inches. And you can get a KG of snails for about 13 cents.
Nick VDK and Jess are getting married. They will make beautiful, outdoorsy type babies.
posted by Adam @ 4:53 AM
12 Comments:
Hey Adam, I don't have much to say except that I check your blog, but mainly for snail pricing purposes. 13 cents per kg is a pretty good deal. If you could get me a metric ton of snails, I'd spot you the 130 when you get back.
my dearest adam
Have I missed your birthday again? This time its even worse because you are across the world in a land where they've never even heard of cake and right now you really need your friends to be especially attentive. I love you, and I love Julie, but for some reason I can never remember either of your birthdays... Help me.
I am firing myself as your friend...miss you
Oh, birthday. Well, happy one. I can only remember one birthday, and that is mine. I still always forget whether the wife's is on April 3 or if that's Eric VW's. And I completely forgot about my grandmother's 94th. But at least I got quoted in your blog, so that makes me happy.
Messily quoted, sorry about that. But did you like the professional "L. DeVries" thing. Makes you sound like you have 8 degrees, I think.
Actually, as much as I'd love to hold this one over your heads (like any good friend would), you are just in time to tell me I'm pretty: My birthday is on the 19th. So in reality, you've done pretty well. And I can't really recall when your birthdays are, either. Lo, aren't you late August? I'm totally sure I missed that. Like the vaguely yellowish steaming turd that I am. But you know I love you. Just like Han knew it before Leia said it right before they froze his arse in carbonite.
Lar- Eric's b-day is the 4th of April. For some reason I CAN remember that one.
So in my last post I felt more like making jokes than catching up for 4 months of lost time.
I still feel that way.
Are you learning to love people yet? I see everybody is getting to know each others birthdays. And I suppose that is part of learning to love.
So as a volunteer you...drink tea?
If you are sick of not getting things done. I am sick of falling into a routine of cleaning my apartment to often and then feeling proud about it because I got stuff done. I need to sit back and have some tea.
So what are you going to volunteer to do in China?
It would be cool if you were around here right now. I would like to hang out. So when can you quit?
It sounds like you are getting the hang of things and enjoying yourself more. When do we hear more about the night you become a REAL volunteer and left your training behind.
Happy Birthday Assface! I think you're swell.
way to get older.
Thanks. It's been tough, but me and my people worked hard and I can confidently say that I have executed the getting older with zero margin of error. Thanks Hethr.
Yeah. Lotta tea gets drunk. Something about spending time together, not necessarily doing anything, has greater significance here. That's why there's a different word for every relative: male cousin on mother's side, aunt on father's side, etc.
I became a REAL man--er, volunteer in a completely civilized and sober fasion, thank you very much.
Wait. Lar, isn't your birthday in a couple days or something like that? Or do I have you mixed up with someone whose birthday I'm obviously going to forget?
I think Maria DB's is coming up too.
Birthdays are such a pain.
Yes, now I am 26 as well. It is awesome. I'm still a barista and still haven't finished my MA degree, so that whole L. De Vries thing can go out the window.
Yes, Maria DB's was coming up too. I have joined the 26 club now as well. I do like it better than 20. I was going to say something about your birthday before this, honestly. I didn't forget. Well, I sort of forgot what exact day it was, but I remembered that we made a big deal about you being a few days older than me and "dating" my "little" sister. So, happy belated birthday and thank you for remembering mine. I got a job for my birthday. I started working at the Austin Daily Herald on my birthday, and then shortly after, I started working at The Studio of Fine Photography (clever name . . . "The Studio" for short), and then shortly after, I got cast as Pam in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, with the same theatre company for which I recently stage managed Noises Off (which had been my only job until recently, besides three horrible days at the Austin Vet Clinic). So my life is back to busy.
Do the Bangladeshis have any cool birthday traditions? (I thought I should include something in this comment that had to do with your blog . . . but seriously, do they?) I hope you haven't already written extensively about that and I just haven't read it yet . . . Actually, I do read your blog much, much more often than I post comments (this being my second one, I think).
Maria
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