1 week in Dhaka. I was expecting it to be different but I wasn't expecting it to be a slightly time-warped colonial experience! Here's some pros and cons to living as modern day British colonialists... (I'm assuming that the cons are temporary and will no longer be cons once we are used to them!)
Our house...
...is very big with air-conditioning, fans and ensuite bathrooms.
Pros: Obvious luxury when so many people in Dhaka are living on so little. It's also one of the last houses in the area as developers are knocking them all down for flats. Land is too valuable for 1 family houses.
Cons: Bars on all the windows (to stop theft) make is seem a bit prison-like.
The Cook...
When people said we'd have a cook, I thought that they meant that someone would come in the evenings and cook one meal, not be there all day and prepare 3 meals a day!
Pros: Excellent curries for lunch and dinner. No need to do anything in the kitchen. She is also teaching us Bangla.
Cons: I can't find any food! The food is locked away and the other night I couldn't sleep so I got up for a snack and couldn't find anything! There is apparently a problem with servants stealing. I eventually found some bread and some honey. Getting something to eat outside of mealtimes in the day is quite a challenge as well. You can't just wander to the kitchen and help yourself as the staff are so used to serving that it confuses everything. Two days ago it seemed too hard to get any food so I just waited for dinner, yesterday I managed to get more bread and honey - I'm learning! Maybe curries for lunch and dinner everyday will become a con?!
The Cleaner...
Who would have thought that there would be a cleaner who does EVERYTHING? Actually everything. We've been told to leave our clothes on the floor and she will wash them, don't need to make the bed, empty the bin, take your plate to the kitchen, answer the phone, anything.
Pros: While this sounds like everyone's dream, it's actually pretty hard to get used to. We feel like we're taking advantage of them, and feel very lazy. It's hard to remember that it is the cleaner's job. She is from the slums in Dhaka, has four children and a husband that she supports. At the moment we are sneakily doing things when no one is looking - like putting the icecream in the freezer or moving plates. Stealth clearing up - weird!
Cons: At the moment I would rate this as a con. Although the bed is very nicely made...We feel very strange not being expected to do anything. Also things keep disappearing and reappearing when you least expect it! I think we are moving things out of their accustomed space!
The Driver...
We can travel around in a big 4X4 and the driver will take you any distance
Pros: The 4X4 means our chances of survival on the road is pretty good (thankfully!). The driver knows where everything is so we can get oriented without too many problems.
Cons: The roads are completely full, often blocked and chaotic. It can take an hour to go 5 km. It looks like lots of expats drive everywhere even when walking would take you 10 mins and driving would take 45. I've been asking people why they drive and it seems that in the daytime it's safe to walk, but people don't like it as it's hot and white people attract a lot of attention. Well, if you don't want to be hot, you probably shouldn't have come to Dhaka, and a big 4X4 with white people in is a bit of a magnet for beggers anyway. Being driven everywhere really cuts you off from the real world so we're looking forward to walking.
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