Pizza Hut South Asian Style

Walking into the South Asian Pizza Hut was a very interesting experience. Pizza Hut is considered to be one of the most glamorous restaurants in South Asia. In fact the one in Bangladesh happens to be the largest one in South Asia. I remember at ten going to Pizza Hut in the states,. I'd simply order my food to go to eat at home. The Pizza Hut in Bangladesh however does not have that "fast food" pace to it.

Upon my entrance, a guard opened the door, and a flute player greeted us with his music. With the impacts of globalization, I expected the food to have a syncretic feel to it. I wanted to see "chicken masala pizza" or naan sticks, yet the impact of soft power has hit South Asia full force with Pizza Hut. In fact, the pizza tastes as same as the food in the states.

There were many formalities involved. I sat down with my family, and we discussed what we were going to eat. It was huge deal. The waiters were very well dressed with their pizza hut outfits, and I had my menu in hand. We ended up ordering a "vegetarian pizza."

The food was mediocre...I managed to try and enjoy it. I kept thinking about the power of homogenization. It’s striking to see the influence of the west in the East. The funniest part of this experience was listening to Snoop, and Justin Timberlake. There was this artificial bubble created for the foreigners to adjust to the chaotic environment. It was a place to hide. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to hide. I know I didn’t fit in. But I enjoyed not fitting in. I saw lots of white people there. There was also Pizza Etiquette there. We had to eat with a fork and knife, and the waiter continuously came to our tables to make sure everything was okay. My waiter in particular was very happy to wear his Pizza Hut outfit.

We sat, ate, listened to the commercialized hiphop and left. Upon leaving the flute player continued to play his music. The streets were the same, and I was out of "the bubble." **Sigh**

Ancient Garden of a Bengali King

Today was a peaceful day. The rickshaw ride was fairly smooth (minus the heavy bumps on the road). I visited an ancient garden of a former Raja (king). Walking through the garden was splendid. What I found most amazing about this experience was visiting his grave. I set a few flowers from the garden on his grave to pay my respects. There were significant factors that interested me about this particular garden. First, the king’s name was a mixture of Hindu/Christian roots. I was immediately able to notice the colonial history behind this location. The tomb stone stood erect with a cross unlike Islamic tomb stones which rest on the ground. The setting was beautiful. I saw all kinds of plants that were only seen in Bangladesh. The soil was a bright reddish colors, and there were little ponds with lotus leaves all over the garden.

Many couples were spotted sitting shyly next to their significant other. In Bengali culture it is forbidden to be seen in public as a couple, so the Garden is a secret get away where couples could somewhat display their affection. I walked past maybe six different couples in a row. Each couple was different. Some were religious Muslims in traditional garb, and there were others in Indian clothes. The interaction between men and women are very different here compared to the USA. There is a bad association with being affectionate in public. This includes holding hands, hugging, or any form of touching, unless you are clenching for your life on the Rickshaw. I wanted to take a few pictures of these couples. But this was forbidden for their aim was to maintain their relations very private. I saw a couple hiding behind a huge tree, kissing. It was so cute. I felt bad for them. I believe a large reason for the perversion among the males here gawking their eyes ate women, is because of the restrictive culture. I also marked students and teachers of Botany studying the variety of plants existing in the Garden. Many of these plants are very old. I was honored to be part of such an ancient site. I was saddened to hear that the garden were surrounded by palaces, which have all been broken down :( I wish I could have seen what the palaces looked like. Walking through the garden, I was sure that the palaces had to be magnificent.

The Evening Rickshaw Ride

This evening was quite interesting to say the least. (the picture btw above has nothing to do with this entry, I simply uploaded it so I can portray some more beautiful sceneries out in Dhaka).
Today I went for a Rickshaw Ride, at 6pm just to catch the evening breeze and pollution of course. At this time the sun was setting. My heart was with the city. I felt cold, aware, and calm. I almost got hit by a bus again. It’s okay J I have become well acquainted with the unpredictability of the metropolis.

As I rode through the city I noticed that only men were spotted outside. Very few women come out at night. In the midst of all the men, I noticed some surreal situations that caught my eye. First I saw Sufis who had locks in their hairs, walking with huge canes, and dressed only white cloth walk slowly. I heard later that these Sufi men had a lot in common with Rastafarian’s…hint hint Ganja =). Later the Rickshawallah had to take a peepee, so we stopped in a weird location, and I noticed something VERY disturbing. His bathroom was OUTSIDE, in the middle of the road. I was a bit uncomfortable, because he wasn’t the only one peeing. There were a few men squatting and peeing. Everything is starting to make sense to me now. One of the hugest reasons why this city stinks so badly is because these men like to defecate in the corners of the roads! As he was peeing, I sat with a hive of mosquitoes hovering over my head. At that point I didn’t know what to do…so I just sat there anxiously waiting for him to finish his peepee session. Without washing his hands, he hopped back on, and kept driving. I tried to act as normal as possible. The roads continued to crowd with men. Their eyes were like snakes. It was gross. I was covered in black yet they still persisted to look. I almost felt like they were undressing me with their eyes. Later, I saw a few women walking in front of a movie theatre and learned that this was a underground location for many prostitutes. What’s crazy is that they look like regular Bengali women, dressed in Salwar Kamis. The theatre is also a prime location for many of the lower class men (beggars, rickshawallahs, and street vendors). Everything has a price here. And I can feel the costs bearing on the women heavily. I see women doing a lot of sad work…I will explain more of that later. I think the bad condition of women is largely attributed to the illiteracy. 90% of Bangladeshi women are illiterate. Many men have the opportunity to ride rickshaws, or be drivers for the rich folks. But the women here resort to begging, banji, and prostitution. It’s a very grim reality here in the city. As I say on the Rickshaw many little kids stopped me in the middle of the road with massive buses passing by asking for money. One of the kids had a connection with a elder beggar and directed him on which people to talk to giving out money. I quickly learned that this was a type of business also. Like my mother says, money talks! Finally I reached home…and continued to think to myself about a lot of things, which I will later mention…

Love u ALL!!!

The Beauty of Peace

Hi everyone. I apologize for the delayed response...lately so much has been going on. The most mundane daily activities fascinate me. I am learning the value of patience, and living simply. LA has such a fast paced life. Some days here, I wake up in the morning, have some tea, watch CNN/BBC, spend time with my Grandma, explore the outside world, eat lunch, read, and later in evening write. I understand that sometimes, in life it’s okay to move slowly. I think more. I write more. I feel more this way. Each day I step outside I understand the value of life. I almost died the other day on the Rickshaw. In the middle of a crowded intersection a bus was coming full speed 50 miles unaware of my Rickshaw. I missed the bus by a fragment of a second. At that point I realized how important life was. I could have been gone that instant. Here in the city there are no street signs, or organized form of transport. Consequently When I leave outside to do my groceries, or just people watch I make sure that all my senses are wide awake. I am at peace. Here is a quick rundown of my trip so far:

November 29^th, 2007: My mother doesn’t realize the dangers of going out in the city. Bangladesh is currently in the state of emergency. Currently, a military government is in charge. So everywhere I go, I happen to an army officer. Certain areas are prohibited for traveling, especially in the night. But my mother likes to be “adventurous”, we visited a place called “The Stadium.” In this area stereos and electronic devices are sold. I had no idea about this place. This environment is surrounded by MEN. And there is a very ghostly atmosphere outside the stores. When I walked inside, I felt scared. My gut feeling told me this was a very dangerous place to be visiting. The men kept looking at me weird. I wore all black that day. These men reminded me I was a foreigner. I was constantly being stare at. I heard strange mumbles like “she’s a bidesh “(foreigner) or is this girl an “Arab?” I was REALLY happy to hear ARAB. Why? Because I knew if they smelled American, I was going to be an American roast cooked alive! Anyhow, I alerted my mother that I felt a bad energy in the stadium. We left. When I came home, I asked my family members about this stadium place. They were in shock that we even stepped foot there in the evening. I learned from my uncle that, many of these men are from Madarasas. For those of you who don’t know Madarassas are Islamic schools where often time’s extremist versions of Islam are taught. Many of the boys are orphans or of poorer backgrounds. They are brainwashed to die for Islam and kill anyone that looks suspect aka American. In essence, that night, our lives were in danger.

November 28^th, 2007: I spent time with my cousin. During her childhood, she suffered from epilepsy. She fears anything. People, school, getting her eye brows done all scare her. For whatever reason though, she enjoys my company. I can see through her. She has immense potential. Partial reasons for her fear includes the way our family treats her. Most of them think she is really stupid because she hates going to school. This girl has infinite potential. If she puts her mind into something that she is passionate about she will excel immediately. Thus far I have learned a lot from her. She is teaching me about college life. It’s so different here from America. Students aren’t allowed to wear make up to school, and they are beaten if they are social. School is only for studying, nothing else. Sometimes teachers threaten their students with violence. The system is very stern.

Check this website out everyone :)

http://www.thelisteningprojectfilm.com/

Dhaka City Life

Yesterday, I traveled throughout the city and I saw a lot. So much that I had to take pictures every opportunity I was presented with. My day started with riding the rickshaws (Fyi: Rickshaws: Bicycles with seats in the back, like bicycle taxi) . Due to the political situation in Bangladesh I was told not to wander the streets too much. (These days the caretaker government is organized by the military, so everywhere I go I see an army officer. I feel safe but then it’s scary because I was told that military tends to be very heartless.) But you know me, Ms. Adventurous. I had to get out of the house and explore! Sitting in the Rikshaw I felt bad because of the pain that the men experience riding people through the heat over and over again. I wanted to ask the Rikshawala his story. I heard from my uncle that certain mobs run the money situation of the beggars and drivers which include the Rikshawalas in Dhaka. That’s crazy to me because there is a business to all the madness and chaos over here.

The destination point today was Dhanmondi where I visited a few lakes and museum/house where one of the leading architects of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were murdered. It was kind of scary going in there because I could feel the homeliness of the museum. The murders were atrocious. His blood stains were saved, and there were a few pictures of his dead body in there also. Death is inevitable. Seeing that made me think wow…I really have to live the best I can. You never know what can happen…NOTHING is guaranteed. After that my I visited an astrologer. I didn’t feel like getting my future read so I just took a picture. He was adorable. He sat with a book, and his magnifying glass. It was too cute. Then I got my henna done by these two men. It was cheap henna by the way! By the time I made it home, it all rubbed off grr…

On my way back I stopped by Dhaka University and donated some money to the cyclone victims. I noticed that there is a strong sense student activism there. Or maybe it is my love for scholarly atmospheres. Though the streets were rampant with disorder, these students were demonstrating and collecting money for the many victims that died. That really touched my heart and gave me so much hope…

If I were to paint a picture of the streets I would say that it’s very chaotic. It feels like New York City turned upside down. There is people everywhere, beggars, Rikshawala’s, Mercedes, Highlanders, Scooter cars, broken limbs, Mc Donalds, piles of garbage, people squatting and taking their poopee in the middle of the streets, vegetables being sold outside from farms, slobs of meat hung at out door bazaars, Hijras (Transvestites)…Its just so overwhelming. Dhaka is a jungle. The whole time, I was told to keep all my senses clear because ANYTHING can happen.

My next stop is a few orphanages this week. My goal is to volunteer and build and alliance with the orphanages out here with America for my nonprofit cause I will be building J I will keep you all updated….Thanks so much for visiting my page. I love you all! SOOOOOO MUCH! Ps: I have internet hehe J I don’t mind squatting in the toilets, and taking the humbling bucket baths that make me FREEZE my ass off as long as I got my internet hahhaha…

Hello everyone

I am now in Bangladesh. I made it safe. Coming here is always a humbling experience for me. I am noticing that there is so much going on here in Dhaka. I am merely a fragment within all the realities. I haven't really been anywhere yet. I spoke to my uncle about visiting the cyclone site but it is highly toxic over there. Many dead bodies are still floating off shore. So for now I am planning to visit some orphanages, and temples/ancient sites.

Although I was home today, I suddeny became aware of so much in the house. I am staying at my aunts by the way. She lives in a lower middle class neighborhood, so I am exposed to all the slums around me. If I go outside into the balcony I am exposed to everything...literally. Inside the house there are maid servants. They are both very intelligent young girls who are iliterate. It breaks my heart to see this...so much potential, yet why is it not utilized?? I will be uploading pictures, and writing more...

please continue to check in as this blog becomes more and more interesting...I'm just a bit overwhelmed. So its taking me a minute to jot it all down!

Love you all. Peace and love.

Tania

Taipai to Singapore

So prior to this moment, I hopped on the plane with slight bits of apprehension on my shoulder, leaving nothing with me but my trust in God. Walking away form my sister at the airport almostt brought me to tears. And my fathers longings to be with his wife saddened me also.
Security checkpoint was blah. C'mon guys, I am a diva. I NEED my makeup, and hair products...:( They totally attacked me stating the following: "You have too much for one little person". I lied to them and told them that some of it belonged to my mother. My aunts mother is also traveling with us. She's so innocent and traditional.
I could not rememebr the 15 brutal hours of my plane ride. I drank some wine and that did it for me. Ironically, I sat with a very cute South Indian vegetarian couple. They were very kind and suprised to hear that a Bengali Islamically cultured woman like me was Buddhist and vegetarian. Yayy to weirdos like me. I was also questioned on marriage.
No people I am not going to my country to have my marriaged arranged to a FOB (Fresh off the boat). Yes, I said it, a FOB who wants to marry me for his double wammy (green card, and good looking wifey). Any how, we waited in Taipai only for a little. But I managed to take some pictures of the non-existant toilets. I swear, I am being initiated into the land of flat pans. Taking my number two squatting! great! Once you're in the Asian subcontinent prepare to squat! Unless you are in a heavily westernized area.
Now I am on the plan again. The sweet Indian couple offered me to go explore Singapore with them. We'll see what happens! I have my Deepak Chopra book to keep me grounded. Pray for me everyone!!!

Btw...where is my food...i am starving! :)

Bangladesh Trip This year 2007

Survivors grieve for cyclone dead

• Story Highlights
• Survivors of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh waiting for aid to arrive
  
• Red Crescent Society official says deaths could rise to 5,000-10,000
  
• Bangladeshi president distributes aid; angry survivors go empty-handed
  
• Thousands remain missing; estimated 280,000 homeless
  

PATUAKHALI, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Survivors of a storm that killed more than 3,000 people in the impoverished nation of Bangladesh grieved and buried their loved ones Monday as they waited for aid to arrive.

The number of dead killed from Cyclone Sidr -- now at 3,114 -- is expected to rise yet further as the South Asian nation continues to assess the damage.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent fears the death toll could be 5,000 -- perhaps even reaching as high as 10,000.

In the fishing village of Galachipa, in Patuakhali district, Dhalan Mridha was grieving for family members who died in the cyclone after ignoring an alert issued by authorities.

"Nothing is going to happen. That was our first thought and we went to bed. Just before midnight the winds came like hundreds of demons. Our small hut was swept away like a piece of paper, and we all ran for shelter," Mridha, a 45-year-old farm worker, told The Associated Press.

On the way to a shelter, Mridha lost contact with his wife, mother and two children. The next morning he found their bodies.

The Category 4 cyclone raked Bangladesh's southwest coast on Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 241 km/h (150 mph), destroying fishermen's hamlets and villages.

Thousands are still missing, while an estimated 280,000 others are unable to return to their homes which were wiped out by the storm. Many grieving families are now burying loved ones in single graves as no male members are available to dig them.

Most houses in the region are made of flimsy materials such as bamboo and corrugated iron, and had no chance of withstanding the storm's powerful winds.

In addition, the storm-struck area is criss-crossed by a huge river delta which surged as Sidr pushed through, wiping out many villages and littering the river's shores with debris. Watch as people are left to fend for themselves »

Low-lying Bangladesh is already prone to flooding which has wiped out the country's rice production -- a major food staple for the impoverished country.

Improved warning systems and shelters have kept the number of deaths far lower than the disastrous cyclones in the region of 1970 and 1991, when the tolls were in the hundreds of thousands.

Bangladesh President Iajuddin Ahmed visited the devastated region Sunday, handing out some aid to the crowds of people before members of the international media. It was seen largely a token effort as hundreds were left empty-handed and furious. Security officials struggled to hold back the crowd. See dramatic photos of storm survivors »

Sidr has already ruined Bangladesh's rice harvest, but the international community is rallying to make sure the country does not suffer as acutely as it has in the past. Nearly a million people died after massive floods wiped out the country's rice production in 1974.

International aid organizations promised initial packages of $25 million during a meeting with Bangladesh agencies Monday, the U.N.'s World Food Program said. The United States has offered more than $2 million as an initial contribution for emergency relief, and sent two U.S. Navy carriers to help in recovery operations.

In addition, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is airlifting in relief supplies and an 18-person Department of Defense medical team is in Bangladesh helping the estimated 15,000 injured by the storm.

Bangladesh's government held an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday to assess the disaster and discuss recovery issues, Bangladeshi government spokesman Fahim Munaim told CNN.

Officials fear the scope of the destruction may be much more extensive since there are remote areas where conditions cannot yet be determined.

Munaim said nearly a third of Bangladesh's 64 districts were affected by the cyclone, most of those along the southern coast. The Bangladeshi military is working to provide shelter for the many people who have been displaced.

International aid groups -- including Save the Children, World Vision, and the Red Crescent, which already have offices in Bangladesh -- are deploying resources to the cyclone-stricken region but -- like the government -- they have found it nearly impossible to reach the more remote areas to assess conditions.

Roads to remote areas are either blocked by massive trees fallen by the storm, or so severely damaged that it is impossible for vehicles to use.

Clearing could take weeks in the remote areas because it must be done by hand -- there are no chainsaws and modern machinery to speed up the process.

Along the broken road that leads into Kolapara, the body of an 8-year-old girl called Rummie was carefully carried away for burial.

Overwhelmed with sadness, her mother Khadija was steadied by a relative.

"I am feeling too much pain in my heart," she said. "I have lost my daughter, so I am a victim of the cyclone as well."