It's Learn About Faraway Countries Day

[duchez]

fourcoffees has this for Austria over on his journal, and it seemed like an interesting move. It's tiny and most people have never heard of it, but if you have any questions about Bangladesh, comment, and I will try to answer it!

Comments

[duchez]

I've never lived there, so theoretically, there is nothing for me to miss, and when I visit, we're too busy with family to *see* the country (although I will never forget the trip to the crocodile / alligator farm in the middle of the night).

But I miss people. That's one of the reasons my nanabhai's death is so hard to accept: he's always been there, and now he's gone. I love being with cousins, and I like the illusion of being part of things.

I miss food, the junk food. I miss the *dhal muri* ("spicy puffed rice") from the street peddler on the ferry or in the bazaar. We joke the diesel fumes and dirt provide flavor. But it's *good*! I miss *takpati* ("sour stuff") from street stands. We make them at home, but it's not the same. I miss Polar - not quite ice cream like the States - more like Japan's (which is better!).

I miss dancing in the garden in the rain, knowing that enough people do it all over the country, so no one thinks I'm crazy. It's the *atmosphere* that's different. I feel it the second I step off the airplane, (not *on*), and I insist on not boarding until the last possible moment (yay VIP privileges) to continue breathing in that polluted air just for that undescribable entity.