The world around

HEAD 1414. AASTAT!

2007-04-18T18:38:00.000+03:00

Oh, unustasin mainida, et eelmisel laupäeval - 14. aprillil tuli ju uus aasta. Nimelt algas bengali kalendri aasta esimene kuu (Boishak) ja aasta ise numbriga 1414.

Jaan tegi suurepärase kommentaari: Krissukas, sa elad alles KESKAJAS!
Mina vastu: Jaa,kujutad sa ette, milline imetabane kogemus!?
Mille peale tuli vastus: Hea uudis on see, et peagi algab sul piiranguteta, orgiaterohke renessanss... ja see renessanss saab olema veel imetabasem, usu mind :P

:)

Ühesõnaga, soovin ka kõigile teile: SHUBHO NOBOBORSHO ehk siis HEAD UUT AASTAT!

Märkus

2007-04-18T18:28:00.001+03:00

Muide, tulen üle pika aja Eestimaa suve kaema. Piletid ja puhkus juba olemas.
12. - 29. juuliks. Siis näeb! (Eeldusel, et pulmade, juubelite ja Eesti ringreisi vahepeal jõuab ka kõik kallid üle vaadata :)

Vahel tahaks..

2007-04-18T17:53:00.000+03:00

.. nii väga eesti keeles rääkida ja eesti nalja teha ja eesti asja ajada. Ja mida enam aeg edasi läheb, seda tihedamini selline tunne peale tuleb. Vahel on kõrini enese väljendamisest inglise (veel enam bengali!) keeles - asjad kohe ei kõla nii nagu peaks. Võib-olla peaks katsema blogi keelevahetust, kuigi see ka tundub naljakas.

Hmm.. keelejutuga seoses meenub mulle, et bengali keel on naljakas. Väga sirgjooneline ja ilustusteta. Ja see tekitab minu keeleruumiga inimesele olulisi raskusi. Näiteks ei tunne nad sõna "palun". Siinses kultuuris on igasugused pisitöödega seotud ametid väga levinud: bussijuhi abi (töökirjeldus: kõlkuda bussi uksel ja taguda bussi külje peale et anda bussijuhile märku, kas võib liikuda või peab pidurdama, kuulutada kõva häälega igas peatuses bussi sihtkohta ja kontrollida iga bussi siseneja piletit), teepoiss kontoris (töökirjeldus: valmistada ja tuua kaks korda päevas kõigile töötajatele teed, viia siseposti ühest osakonnast teise, paljudada dokumente, tuua töötajatele asju kätte (nt dokument printerist või uus pastakas kapist)), valvur (igas era või kortermajas vähemalt üks, tavaliselt rohkem), autojut (kui on auto, on üldjuhul ka juht), teenija-koristaja (ei ole majapidamist ilma teenijata) jne. Bangladeshlased räägivad lühidalt: Too teed! Vii prügi välja! Anna paber!, mina aga tahaks öelda: Palun too mulle teed! Ole hea vii prügi välja! Too mulle palun see paber sealt teise laua pealt! No ei ole lihtsalt võimalik, kui pooli sõnu ei eksisteeri.

Neil ei ole ka "Head isu!" ega "Tere" (viimase asemel on araabiakeelne väljend, mis tähendab Jumal õnnistagu sind! ja millele vastatakse Jumal õnnistagu sind ka!). Aga mul oli uskmatuna algul ennast väga ebamugav nii väljendada! Ja ei ole ka ega paljusid teisi viisakusväljendeid. Võib olla on asi selles, et sõnad kompenseeritakse lihtsalt avala naeratuse ja siirusega...

I am arrogant :S

2007-03-13T20:20:00.000+02:00

I think I am very arrogant. Let me explain.
So often I am sitting in my MBA class and listen to other students: “Sir, please don’t do this test in the next class! Sir, one week is such a short notice! Sir, what kind of questions you will ask in the exam? Oh, please ask short questions – no MCQs! (multiple choice questions) Sir, no, we cannot do presentations of our term papers! It is too much for us!” And so on.
I am thinking: “God, what’s wrong with these people!? I am working from 9 am to 6 pm, going to class from 6 to 9 pm. I reach home 9.30 and have to cook my dinner. Then I sit for studying for my exam. Still I don’t feel any need to bargain like this. I spend hardly three hours on average for studying for an exam, maximum a day if the subject is really tricky and I have a free Friday in my hand. All my grades during past 3 semesters have been A or A-. And I consider it very good! Big amount of other students are studying full time (no office), what are they doing all days and why such complaints all the time? Aren’t they not at university to develop themselves?“
I mean, I really deserve the scholarship, right!?
Then again I’m going to my scholarship interview just to get to know that there were 90 students applying for the expansion of their financial support from university and my merit position is 63!!! Well, it shows there are actually very many people who do much better than me.
So the conclusion – I’m really arrogant, right?

Moshari

2007-03-13T20:16:00.001+02:00

Hah, after one and half years in this tropical country full of dangerous mosquitos carrying all kinds of mad deseases, I am sleeping with the mosquito net! Uh!! Feels sooooo good! I can actually throw away my blanket or sheet when I’m hot without fearing the attack of blood eaters. I am sleeping like baby without waking up in the middle of the night to run to the bathroom for applying cold water on the bites. I sleep without even hearing the moquito „pinin“. I don’t have to be afraid of the fact that I’m living in one of the most common dengue areas in the town (well, it’s too late anyway, as I have already had dengue and besides it is sitting in me for the life now – at least that’s what they say. But at least I won’t have a chance to really find it out now as I have taken the measures to protect myself :) I am haappyyy! Thanks sweetheart, for setting the „moshari“ up for me!

Finally connected :)

2007-02-17T13:09:00.000+02:00

I have pleasure to announce that the days of me not being connected are over! Today I arranged internet to my room at home and therefore will start being online more often. Hopefully it will also be that my postings here will be more frequent.

In general, life is getting better and better every day. I'm happy!

And to all my friends - please accept my belated Valentine's Day greetings! I've been awful this year with passing on my good wishes to most of the people who are dear to me. Know that you are always in my heart and in my mind and bring a smile to my face every time my thought catches you.

Love,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2007-01-10T15:18:00.000+02:00

(Imagine it comes with the best bottle of champaigne :) *

I'm in my second home again. The flight back to Bangladesh was rather adventurous.
First, I had very little time inbetween connecting flights, so I had to hurry up most of the time.
Second, I forgot all my Christmas candies that didn't fit into my luggage and were in a separate bag in my hand, to the British security guards in London Airport. I do hope, they appreciate that!
Third, 10 minutes before departure, British Air told me that they had not recieved my luggage yet, so all the way I was wondering if I will see it in Dhaka or not.
Fourth, the plain turned back 30 minutes before landing in Dhaka and went to Chennai (India) instead as the fog in Dhaka was so thick it was not possible to land. We had to stay for about 14 hours. However, the hotel was very nice as well as breakfast and lunch and it was all paid by British Air! Besides I didn't mind sleeping in a soft bed after a long journey.
Lastly, when I did finally reach to Dhaka, I could not indeed find my luggage! BUT after haggling with different officials and managing to open a file about my lost bag, I did find it from totally different luggage belt on my way out from the airport. Hihi, sometimes people just are lucky, I must admit!

So, to conclude, I want to believe if the first journey of the year is so colourful, then the whole year will be very colourful too. I'm really enjoying time back in Bangladesh! It's been refreshing being back in the office after two weeks long holiday. And although the idea of 3 final exams, a term paper and presentation waiting for me in addition to tense work in the office where I'm still relatively new, frightened me a before, it seems I've got the energy to manage it all well. The presentation is already done and the first exam coming tomorrow.

Now gotta go to study! :)

Adieu, my friends, till the next time!

* Remark: In Estonia we believe that the last decent day to wish happy new year is the 6th of January and if anybody wants to do it after that day, s/he has to provide a bottle to the person s/he wishes happy new year.

Greeting from home

2006-12-31T18:59:00.000+02:00

On the last day of the year 2006, I'm making an attempt to start blogging again. There have been some technical challenges, some emotional challenges and some other challenges. Still, as my sweet abikaasa said: "No matter what, at least you should say that you are alive!"

So, please know: I indeed am very much alive :)

Remark - after a long time

2006-11-29T12:18:00.000+02:00

I may make mistakes, but I am good.
Now I have to pay for the mistake of my life and suffer from the actions of bad people.

One thing I still don't realise. When we were small, our parents and teachers and all those children's books always stressed - all evil you do to others, will come back to you one day very badly; all good you do will be remembered and you will live happy and peaceful life. If this is true, then why it is so, that innocent people are suffering from all those bad things that bad people do and those bad people are living very good life and don't get punished at all?

Another thing that I am amazed of. I never tended to divide people bad or good. I always believed that there is good side in everyone. I trust people. Unfortunately too much. And unfortunately I am mostly honest and straightforward and I don't know how to play games. It has really been very painful awakening experience.

Welcome to real world!
And still I want to believe in good...

Happy anniversary!

2006-07-24T11:07:00.000+03:00

Exactly yesterday 1 year ago I landed in Dhaka in Bangladesh knowing that this will be my home for at least next six months. I was prepared to stay up to one year though. I mean, I didn't want to stay for less than a year, cos the year for me was symbolising the full circle.. Just to give you an example: if a trainee comes to Estonia for 6 months starting from September, s/he would leave in March, miss all the beauty of Estonian summer and have always impression that Estonia is a really freezing, dark country with no smiling people. A person coming for 6 months starting from May would definitely argue that Estonia is the most pleasant, beautiful and warm country with too bright nights and full of lots of joy. So I didn't want to get into such kind of misperceptions about Bangladesh myself.

Today I'm not overwhelmingly excited about my work as I was in the beginning, but I'm not extremely frustrated about the challenges of everyday life as I was some months ago. I feel comfortable more or less anywhere I go, but I have realised that everything is not always as it seems. I do notice the negative sides of the environment and society here, but I do discover myself finding so many things I really like and enjoy. And some things I accept as they are, cos this is the way how things are handled here.

Today i'm here with some work permit and visa challenges (which hopefully get solved within couple of days), with a contract up to August 2007, in the middle of my MBA studies and with a plan to relate myself with this country for the rest of my life. Mmm... I'd say quite a development has happened. I believe the future is bright.

Glimpse on Bangladesh

2006-07-19T13:58:00.000+03:00

Rangamati_Budda_tempel3
Originally uploaded by kkadak.

Bangladesh is beautiful and contradictory. Mostly flat land and rice fields surrounded by palm trees and thousands of lakes here and there changes into high mountains (Hilltracts Rangamati, Bandarbans) in the eastern part of the country. One can find beautiful green teagardens from the north east (Sylhet, Srimongol) and quiet seabeach with romantic islands (Cox's Bazar) from south east. There is dzungle (mangrove forest Sundarbans) in the south west and countless amount of rivers all over the country. There are ancient Hindu temples next to Mosques, in addition lots of Buddist architecture in the Hills. There are Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddists living here peacefully. I like that so many differences exists friendly next to each other. Which is another contradiction itself considering the general political situation of the country... By the way, I have put quite some pictures on the web - click here - or any of the pictures on the blog and you'll find others easily.

Things can be different

2006-07-19T13:11:00.000+03:00

kolimine_Bangla_moodi
Originally uploaded by kkadak.

This is definitely one thing that is different in Bangladesh - moving from one apartment to another is done manually. Meaning that huge amount of stuff is loaded to a two-wheel-"vehicle", which is pulled by the person. And this is not the only thing carried that way. The same method is used when distributing products, carrying raw materials for building houses, deliverying furniture from the shop to the client etc. Sometimes you can see one guy pulling the "vehicle" and one or two others sitting on it, so that when the puller gets tired, another person can take over. The rate for such a service is negotiable as everything else in Bangladesh. Couple of kilometres long distance together with loading and unloading last time for us cost 250 Taka (50 EEK). If a local negotiates then it's obviously cheaper.

Trainees

2006-07-19T12:06:00.000+03:00

Kristel_feb06 002
Originally uploaded by kkadak.

Other trainees is definitely one of the best part of a traineeship. The truth is, it is so much easier to make friends among other foreigners than locals. And trainees having similar problems, similar joys and similar daily schedules do stick together. We go out for sightseeing, do shopping on the markets (includes huge loads of haggling which is much more fun, when there are more of us), gossip about our romantic relationships, complain about local behaviours we don't understand, have dinner in nice restaurant or cup of coffee and icecream in a cafe, party, often even live together. We build strong connections and friendships. The sad part is that few of us stay for longer (for example from that picture, only me, Nina and Fridde are still in Bangladesh) and those who do have to go through so many farewells and wave goodbye to so many friends. But even if the contacts later by e-mail are not really frequent, I'm sure, whenever the life for some reason brings us together again, we do remember each other and still feel connected.

Jaanipäev a'la Bangladesh

2006-06-24T07:43:00.000+03:00

Jaanipäev - St. John's Day or Estonian Midsummer - is The Most Awaited and Celebrated occasion in Estonia (together with Christmas). The celebrations for the festival start on the evening of 23rd of June when big bonfires are lit all over the country. Families, friends, relatives and huge crowds at different places gather together, enjoy the music programs, dancing in the open air, swinging on big traditional wooden wings, singing traditional songs, barbequing, making sauna and just having fun. This is considered the shortest night of the year and many legends are related to that. 23rd is also Estonian Victory Day (day when we won a battle in 1919 when fighting for our independence with Russians). Therefor bonfires are also symbolising the light of freedom. To be honest, nowadays very few young people really know where Jaanipäev comes from or how it links with Victory Day, the most important is that this is a festival to enjoy and celebrate together with friends as much as possible. Obviously, nobody wants to miss that and moreover, nobody sleeps at that night.

Jaanipäev a'la Bangladesh happened in Nordic Club in Dhaka in presence of Anti, Karina, me and Rajon. Anti and Karina are two other Estonians who moved to Bangladesh about a month ago to work here. (Juhuu!!! Some Estonian language around "ja ikkagi omad"!) Nordic Club itself is one of the traditional country clubs present in Dhaka. There are several other clubs like this here - e.g British, Dutch, German, American, International etc Clubs. Country clubs are meant for its members to spend their time. There are normally gym, pool, library, internet facilities, restaurant and bar. Quite often parties are arranged in clubs. Clubs are more or less the only places in Dhaka where it is officially allowed to drink and where people can sunbathe and swim in the pool having only bikini or swimming costume on. For many expatriates the clubs are the most frequently visited places to have dinner or just to chill out, because it's very western and totally opposite to general local environment. Club members can be only the citizens of the country to which the club belongs to and membership fees are not too cheap. Nordic Club members can be Danes, Swedes, Norwegians and Finnish, but well, Estonians too if to try really hard :) Every member can bring guests when coming to the club, so that's how I have been to these places though I'm not a member of any of them.

I have been to several clubs, but I do find the Nordic club the most homy. They even have sauna on the roof! And many attractions for children. And last night for St. John's Day there was even a bonfire lit in the children's pool! But unfortunately we missed it, cos it was burning just for 1 hour and we were late. Anyway, the evening itself was nothing special - just chit-chatting over a glass of beer and wine and some snacks by the pool and enjoying ourselves. But it was really nice, especially as it was for Midsummer celebration :) !

Birthday 2006

2006-06-12T08:22:00.000+03:00

synnipaev_2
Originally uploaded by kkadak.

Quarter of the century has passed, but still I feel like baby! I believe i never grow up - so childish can i be sometimes. And still i don't know who I am or what i want to be. At the same time, some people say that the most interesting people they have known were still looking for what they want when they were 50! So maybe there's nothing for me to worry about.
Anyway, the celebration started with romantic dinner in 5 star hotel in Sonargaon in teh evening of 7th with my sweetheart. It was really nice to share a cup of coffee and piece of cake with some of my friends in Coffee World on Thursday. Thanks for coming! And it was so heart-warming to get all those birthday greetings from so many friends and special video surprise from my parents made my day the most! Thank u a lot! You are always in my heart and I'm glad to know I'm in yours too!

Football madness

2006-06-12T08:04:00.000+03:00

"Which team you are supporting? Brazil? Argentina? Germany?"

This is the common start of the conversation nowadays.. All the newspaper main headlines on Saturday were about World Cup 2006 opening game between Germany and Costa Rica held on Friday. Already several weeks whole Bangladesh is full of flags - mainly Brazilian and Argentinan, inbetween some German, England and Japanese ones. They are everywhere: on the roofs, on the windows, on lamp posts, painted on the walls or fences. Obviously starting from last Friday TVs are running 24 hours and people are gathering in shops and behind shop windows to see the games. Hehe - and good news is, I'm not gonna miss it! Just on Saturday we got TV and cable connected, so we will be watching football closely! :D:D:D

Long live to football!

The one

2006-05-15T06:49:00.000+03:00

I am convinced that love is the most powerful thing in the world. It comes secretely and suddenly strikes you down from the feet on the moment you are not prepared at all. It fills you with energy to do anything and the world with thousand colours. Impossible situations find solutions. Challenges become fascinating. New horizons open at every moment. Love is when you put someone else before yourself. It may make you feel that you are so full of emotions and feelings that there is no space for more, but then you discover that this is just the beginning. Love has potential to grow endlessly. There more you love there more you are loved. And the more you express it there stronger it becomes. And overally it makes you convinced that your life is finally complete and you are the happiest person on the Earth. It is just so right!

Daily routines

2006-05-09T14:59:00.000+03:00

I have had no feeling to write anything over the past some time, as you may have noticed. The reason is partly that I don’t want to write about bad things and partly that I don’t know what to write. I guess things around me are not exciting any more, I'm in my daily routine. But then I came across the idea, that my current daily routines quite different from the ones in Estonia, so why not share....

-> wake up at 7 - 7.30 feeling extreme hot though the fan has been on all night
-> shower, breakfast (bread + chocolate and cup of tea), get out from home at 8
-> greet the guards downstairs who smilingly open the gate when I leave the house
-> say no at least to 3 or 4 rikshaw drivers who want to give me a ride
-> look for CNG, find one and start towards office
-> reach in front of the office at around 9, say "Subhu shokal!" (good morning) to a tea-man downstairs and buy two bananas from him for 6 Taka (1,2 EEK) in case I missed my breakfast at home. He normally starts cutting bananas from the bunch even before I open my mouth. He knows that if I already come to him, I want to buy. In case I don't have small money, he willingly gives me credit. And once my CNG-driver didn’t have change for my 100, so tea-man paid for me and I gave it back to him later that day.
-> arrive to office, say good morning to everybody and get very few answers. (People here do not have a habit to do that not because they are impolite, but they just don't. Sometimes some of my colleagues who didn't reply to my greeting come to me 5 minutes later to say "Good Morning!", which often is followed by compliments if I'm wearing local clothes)
-> take out my big scarf from the drawer and cover myself, cos the air conditioning is freezing like fridge. And it's not possible to make it less, doesn't matter whether the temperature measure is 23, 25 or 28 degrees, it is still same freezing
-> check mail (if I happen to have internet :) and start working
-> drink tea with milk and sugar served by our office assistants to everyone before 10
-> work or suffer from power-cut. Power-cut can last from 5 minutes two several hours. Normally people do nothing but chatting or reading newspapers, cos computers are off, light is very bad and internal phone network is not working. I'm lucky if I have work that I can do without computer, otherwise I just chill.
-> order lunch from office assistants or go out for lunch with a colleague
-> work or suffer from power-cut.
-> take tea again at 4 pm
-> leave office at 5 or later
-> on normal day, walk to bus station and take bus towards home
-> on exam day, look for CNG, negotiate about the price and take the ride to university
-> say no several times to beggars and street-businessmen wanting to sell me water, magazines, popcorn, towels, books, fruits, candies (which they call chocolate), tools, household stuff etc etc
-> have exam or attend the lecture from 6-9 in North South University
-> if don’t have school, go shopping or out for dinner or cafe or apartment hunting or meeting friends or spend time with my sweetheart or go home
-> if going home, then cook or look after the maid when she’s cleaning the apartment and washing clothes or do household activities or chat with my apartment mates or study or do whatever else
-> often suffer from power-cut, while the apartment gets extreme hot, cos no fan is working
-> finally go to sleep :)

Proud to be Estonian!

2006-02-18T06:36:00.000+02:00

Hurray! Yet once there is a proof that small can be strong! Estonia has won 3 golden medals at Winter Olympics 2006 in Torino, Italy. This indeed is an incredible achievement for a nation of 1,4 million people. Way to go Kristina Smigun (2 golds from women's skiing) and Andrus Veerpalu (men's skiing) !! Want to see some pictures? Click here!

To all my dearest

2006-02-14T05:43:00.000+02:00

Romance in Cox's Bazar
Originally uploaded by kkadak.

To my mom and dad in Estonia, to my dear sister in London, to all my friends, whichever part of the world you are at the moment. And especially to my love:

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY!!!

Back at home

2006-02-12T10:20:00.000+02:00

Minus 20 degrees
Originally uploaded by kkadak.

It's about 25 plus degrees here in Bangladesh. It was minus 25 degrees back home 2,5 weeks ago, but very little snow. And wery heartwarming was to spend two weeks by just roaming around with my family and friends from place to place all over Estonia. Made me feel how much I sometimes actually miss all which is "Estonian": watching TV, eating pork, drinking wine, sitting in cosy cafeterias (endless choice of them!), playing with snow, making childhood jokes, arranging dinners for friends etc etc. But still, it's also nice to be back in Dhaka.

Time for reflection

2006-01-23T01:18:00.000+02:00

There is one thing that I have been feeling missing during the past two weeks while being at home. This is time with myself. I love my friends and family very much, but I need the time to reflect on my life. Otherwise I lose myself. So I have decided to take that little moment now and think what was the year 2005 for me.

Already in the beginning of last January I knew: This is going to be the year of important endings and new beginnings. And so it has been indeed!

The endings:

1. Bachelor degree. 6 years as a student of Tartu University came to an end in June. And together with this the end of life in Tartu. It was very tough at times during the last 5 months, but it was worth every second of it. Although I never made it to "real student" (managed to fulfill only 3 criteria out of 4 during my university time: a) lived in a dormitory, b) failed an exam, c) walked over the arc of a certain bridge in Tartu city center. Did not have sex in library private study booth...) I look back to these years and consider it to be the best time full of important exercises for independent life.

2. Estonian National Youth Council. 2 years as a board member of ENL and 1 year as chairman of ENL came to an end also in June. This was extremely interesting and challenging time for me. I made a lot of friends and met with many people, learned about how public and NGO sectors work in Estonia, how policies and politics is done. I learned to fight and debate and work together with conditions where solution needs to be found with people who have totally different objectives. This was the time which challenged my values and taught me what is really important to me. I definitely improved in managing myself, my time, my decisions and the way I work with people. And I am very glad that I have made my impact to that organisation.

3. AIESEC. 6 years of active membership in AIESEC and the circle is completed: Newie -> LC EB member -> MCVP -> MCP -> LC oldie -> trainee. I tried out many of the options you can take: selling, matching, servicing both incoming and outgoing exchange, conference management (but I was never OCP), facilitating and chairing both national and international conferences, teamwork, team management, mentoring, advising, training, experiencing the traineeship abroad. I consider realising 8 outgoing and 1 incoming exchange as a good achievement. I have made the friends for life - friends who I can trust and count on in any possible situation. This organisation taught me, how to live my dreams. I know, without AIESEC I would not be the person I am today.

New starts:

1. Life abroad. In July I took off from Estonia to Bangladesh, which made the start to a totally new life in a totally new environment. Starting from everyday routines like speaking, eating with hands, wearing sari, salwar kameez or fotua, taking rikshaw to roam around, price negotiations in the market to questions of religion and social values - everything is different! It is exciting, it is facsinating, it is not always easy to cope with, it is unusual, it is eyes opening. It is survival: I have been thrown to unknown water and I am swimming. I am exploring how well I am able to adjust to the waves and wind coming to my way and learning to deal better with the new ones all the time. And at the same time I am enjoying the scenery I've never seen before.

2. Real work experience. Finally I can add a real work experience to my CV as someone who has been establishing an HR department in a private company! Ok, as a trainee initially, but this will change soon. It is great to learn how things are working out in "real world". And it is great to work for an organisation feeling that it really needs me. Extra spice is added by different cultural experience. I'm developing every day.

3. The love of my life. It happened very unexpectedly, but it has been so right! He is someone who I have been looking for without knowing that I am looking for anyone. He makes me feel so strongly as I have never felt before. He makes me very very happy. And the most important, he feels the same way!

So these where the main highlights of the year 2005. Looking at my blog post on January 10 2005, I can read as the expectation for the year: "I want the degree and freedom and traineeship and life!" I can smile and say: I got everything I wanted. I have a bachelor degree, my freedom to decide over my life, traineeship in an exotic country and I am living more than ever.

What to wish from the new year if I have all? I wish that :
- I would not forget all the learnings that I have got from the endings of 2005
- The new starts of 2005 would continue to be rewarding experiences in 2006
- I would always be there for my friends and family no matter how far I physically am from them
- I live up well to new challenges as HR Manager and MBA student in Bangladesh

Happy new year! :o)

Home, sweet home

2005-12-29T12:35:00.000+02:00

I'm coming home!!!!

For a short time, but still... The details are not 100% confirmed yet, but approximately inbetween 10th to 20th of January I will be available in Estonia.

Juhuuu!!

After that back to Bangladesh where I'll stay up to 2007 August.

Please let me know, where you are at that time! I want to see all of you! Need to plan my Estonian tour now... Tallinn-Tartu-Parnu-Lihula-Keila is definitely the route that I will cover.

Hugs and see you real soon!

Eid Mubarak!

2005-11-08T08:43:00.000+02:00

Oh! I had one of the nicest holidays ever!

On 31st of October I went to Dinaspur with one of my colleague, where I stayed for 2 days. Plus ten hours train journey there and nine hours bus journey back. 5 km long Jamuna Bridge full of lights in the darkness was definitely worth to be waken up at 3 am, Ram Sagor (park) and ancient hindu temple were very pleasant too. But the highlight of the journey for me was surely seeing how a marriage is actually being arranged. Starting from the moment when parents make a phone call to their son saying that they have found a girl for him, hearing and seeing how both families get to know each other thru several visits to each other’s houses, finally being there when the groom-to-be sees the pride-to-be for the first time in a sharee shop and listening to the discussions on the possibility of the marriage in the family. It was very exciting! And though I myself could never accept my parents’ choice without actually knowing my husband-to-be, I was truly glad when receiving a phone call saying that it has been decided that my colleague gets married. Cos when one believes that this is the way it works, it will really work! The time from the phone-call to the engagement was 1 month. Another month will pass in preparations before the wedding takes place. Hopefully I will be the witnessing this final stage - the wedding itself.

The second half of the holiday was all full of Eid. Along with that meeting many new people, visiting many homes, eating a lot of nice food, spending a very good time with friends etc. I’m thankful to Rajon who took me to his home and where I almost felt as a family member. In order to get a true Eid feeling being with a family is a must.

The day before Eid is crazy for everyone. This is because nobody knows exactly when the exact Eid day is. It depends on whether the moon is seen or not. As 3rd of November was cloudless and moon was seen at around 6 pm, it was sure that Eid-ul-Fitr will be the next day. What a busy night started! It’s normal to do shopping on the markets at 11 pm, face traffic jams at midnight, go to the tailor 2 am and of course do cooking all night long.

The first thing in the morning is a special prayer outside on the fields and mosques at 8 am. After that the day is full of visiting relatives and friends. Normally the eldest person in the family is the one where all the relatives are going. That explanation answered my question “How do people know that the people they want to visit are actually at home and not out to visit somebody else?” And I believe it is not only all the new clothes that people are wearing (men punjabis and women sharees) that make them look extremely handsome and beautiful, but the true festival feeling that goes on for several days in a row.

I myself spent half of the day staying in the family and the second half going to others’ houses. From time to time it can be a really challenging task, cos everywhere one goes, s/he is supposed to eat all good food. And there’s lots of it! Besides, it also requires quite a planning to be able to accept all the invitations. During two days I went to at least 7 homes. Plus two more two days later. And I’m sure I messed up with counting..

So that was my first ever Eid. Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid)! Thank you all who made so very special for me! Now can’t wait to see another Eid in January, when every family will be sacrificing a cow.

Ashulia

2005-10-20T14:04:00.000+03:00

Ashulia
Originally uploaded by kkadak.

This is Ashulia - one of the nicest and most romantic places nearby Dhaka. People love to go there with their friends and families. It's just extremely nice to sit on the bench by the water, observe fishermen in their activities, feel the breeze, which is pleasently cool, but still warm and just enjoy the wide view and open sky.