Back in Bangladesh

Hooray for 2010! A new year and a new decade! I got back to Dhaka on the 3rd of January. Before leaving Dhaka in December, Donna and I went on a Habitat for Humanity Open Build. While we had to force ourselves to wake up at 6:30 on a Saturday, we ended up having a really rewarding day. We went to a village about an hour outside of Dhaka and helped lay the foundation for house by smashing bricks to make concrete with, hauling sand on top of our heads, hauling buckets of water, and leveling out the area for the base of the structure. There were so many local people around watching us and the kids would run up and hold onto your hands and call you Auntie. The women tried to take Donna and I back to their homes and introduce us to our future husbands. After a few trips of hauling heavy basins filled with sand on top of my head, it was beginning to hurt. The local people showed me how to use my extra long sleeve shirt as a cushion on top of my head and rest the basin on top of this. It helped so much! My favorite job was smashing up bricks because it was so satisfying to see this deep red brick smash into a thousand small pieces when I hit it with the hammer. The owner of the house was building alongside us and he was so proud of the structure that was to become his home! Construction would take another two months to make the completed house. At one point an old lady started shouting a the owner of the house in Bangla. It turns out she thought his house was encroaching on her property by 2 inches. They screamed at each other in Bangla for 15 minutes and then things seemed to die down. I think people just get bored in these villages and start these stupid squabbles over nothing for entertainment value. That was the only hiccup of the day. We got to meet some really cool people living in Dhaka and everyone had a great attitude about the day.
Shortly after that, winter break began on the 16th of December. Two and half full weeks off from school! I flew to London on the 18th of December and my Aunt Sal picked me up from the airport. My mom, dad, sister, and her boyfriend flew in on Christmas morning. We went to pick them up, all arriving on separate flights from America, at 6:30 in the morning. They made the best Christmas presents ever! The time I spent with them was so incredibly nice; mostly cooking, eating, catching up, and playing family board games. It felt strange to be cold and see snow on the ground and to be part of the Western world. I appreciated being able to sit in a bar and order alcohol but I did not appreciate paying 4 pounds for it.
In Dhaka right now it is COLD! It's in the mid 50's at night and in the morning. It's not even that bad outside but all the buildings are designed to be very cool; cold tile floors, concrete walls, etc. for the heat the rest of the year. Our apartments all feel cold and damp and I sleep with 4 comforters over me! There are no heating systems and I did not bring very warm clothes with me. I think every night about all my warm sweaters and slippers hanging in my closets back in NOVA. No one told me it would get this cold here! Wahhh.
Sumera and Shaikat took Donna, Kristen, and I to an awesome restaurant last night in Banani (about 15 minutes from home) called Role Express. It's a really cute place with an inside area as well as a big patio area with a giant mosquito net around it. There are cute wicker chairs and couches to relax on. You can get phucka (god's gift to man) and dosas. Sumera recommended getting a role. I had a chicken, egg, and veggie role. It was so incredibly good-I have deemed it my new Bangladeshi Chipotle. We brought a bottle of wine with us but they wouldn't let us drink it. Too bad. We're definitely going back.