Some of our favorite pictures...

As Chris, Betsy and I are gathering our thoughts we thought we'd might like to share some of our favorite pictures of the children with you....
I'm not quite sure how to do this but here goes...

So much more...

Saturday morning, March 27,2010
Thank you to those who are following our journey...We hope you have enjoyed this blog and the pictures and that you have learned a little something about the people and life in Bangladesh...

Betsy, Chris and I will each share our thoughts with you after we've had some time to let it all settle in. Stay tuned...there is much more to come...

Salley

Saying goodbye...

Shopping at last...

Hadi and Kahn drew the short straws and took the two of us and Chris shopping. Our first stop was to a cooperative where all the goods- crafts, jewelry and clothes were made by women in Bangladesh. We shopped till they dropped... Actually we didn't buy that much but we did have fun.

Our formal goodbyes started in Rubel's office of Design Bangladesh for a planning meeting. First, we were each presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. We then shared our dreams and desire for the future partnership between You Are Never Alone Foundation and Design Bangladesh for You Are Never Alone Bangladesh. It was exciting to hear Rubel talk about continuing the work he had started when he was 16 years old. We talked about how we would connect our students in America with the students in Bangladesh utilizing Skype, email and videos. We had seen how effective the video we had made with the students in Manchester was when we showed it to the students here.

Another hope is to join with Design Bangladesh in providing food for the homeless children living in the park as well as the children in the "slum school" and the orphanages. Rubel's desire to play our Caring Coinsforward along with the response from the people of Bangladesh has reaffirmed our belief in the power of the Caring Coins as a reminder of a caring connection. We shall continue to brain storm together further via email. We are very excited about sharing all of this with our You Are Never Alone Foundation Board.

There is much we can do. One thing we know for sure is that this is just the beginning for You Are Never Alone Bangladesh.

Would you beleive that Betsy, Chris and I are now TV personalities in Bangladesh? Rubel brought us to a TV set to film a TV interview that will be on Bangladesh TV about our You Are Never ALone Bangladesh Program. This set is also a movie set. It is a beautiful apartment, quite different from my set on GNAT-TV in Manchester, Vermont. Rubel is a natural as a TV host which is no surpeise considering all of the events he does for Design Bangladesh. Our entourage also appeared on the show. It was a very professional production with a professional crew. And it was directed by our own Royal, the director of the upcoming movie "My friend...My enemy".

The filming took a little longer than had been anticipated so time was of the essence to get to the airport, especially since we had left our luggage at the hotel. And we still had to pack our goodies from shopping. Remember what we have said about traffic in Dhaka. Now it was rush hour. Although we love Bangladesh, we did not want to miss our plane. We stopped at the hotel, picked up the luggage. Hadi made a dash to the store for some of their wonderful tea for Chris and Betsy. Then off we went to the airport with everyone except Kader in the van. He would meet us at the airport.

Surprise, surprise, traffic jams all over. Once again our wonderful driver was a real pro, threading us in and out of the cars, buses, rickshaws, and people. Although it was sketchy at times, he did get us there...

Then the goodbyes...we didn't have much time but we did all get hugs...We shall dearly miss our new friends...we are like family now...

The first leg of our trip was without incident. We did almost make it through the intensive security in Dubai when I was pulled aside and ordered to empty my carry on bag. Bob, you almost lost your souvenir. The ore on the little replica of an old Bangladesh fishing boat was mistaken for a sharp weapon. After much discussion, I was not detained and allowed thru with your gift. I don't know what is is about me, but I have never taken an airplane trip when I haven't been pulled over.

Betsy and I are writing this blog as we sit on the plane with 13 1/2 more hours to New Youk then, 5 hrs north to Manchester, Vermont. Then to Poultney to bring Chris back to Green Mountain College. And we will all be home...

We will certainly be glad to be home but we will miss each other.

As we said before, this is just the beginning...
More to follow...
Salley, Betsy and Chris

Chocolates and ice cream...

Gana Unnayan Kendra, a local NGO was our home for our last night in the district of Gaibandha. This NGO is involved in many social issues including: the environment, poverty reduction, human rights and promoting accountable governance. We were able to speak with two of the women involved with the NGO who gave us information about their work. They were also very interested in what we are doing. Perhaps we shall connect in the future.

After breakfast in the village, where I had the most delicious cup of coffee, Rubel and his crew cleaned out all of the premium ice cream and chocolates in town to bring to the orphan children as he had promised the day before. Rubel and Design Bangladesh give food to the children in the park, at the slum school, the orphanages and at the Disabled School on a regular basis as just one of the many things they do for the people of Bangladesh.

As we entered the gates of the boys orphanage, swarms of excited little boys ran to our van,saying "Hello and Welcome". Many were wearing their Caring Coins. The Superintendent ushered us all upstairs for the handing over ceremony. We placed the ice cream and the chocolates on the table and I told the boys "Tumi kokohono eke nao" which means "You are never alone". I'm sorry to say my pronunciation is nowhere near Betsy and Chris' pronunciation but I do try. Betsy is really good and Chris is unbelievable. He has picked up a fair amount of the language and also seems to understand a fair amount of what is being said. We are lucky that Rubel and his staff are able to understand and speak English. We left the orphanage with the sound of cheers with the little boys following us to the van again wanting to shake our hands. And with each handshake came a smile.

Next, for the girls, who also came pouring out of "their home", dressed in their uniforms, each wearing their Caring Coin , smiling and saying "Welcome". I wish you could see their smiling faces. I am going to try to post some pictures so you can see them for yourselves. After the presentation of the ice cream and the chocolates, I told the girls to keep their Caring Coins as reminders of our visit. Many of the girls gave us drawings that they had made for us the night before. We were deeply moved that several of the drawings included words like "Today I know I am not alone". This has reinforced our belief that our message really does make a difference. When it was time to go, the girls followed us to the van saying "Thank you" and shaking our hands. Their smiles will remain in our hearts forever. It's a wonder that Betsy and I are not taking some of these children home with us.

One more stop before returning to Dhaka. Rubel wanted us to see the earliest historical site in Bangladesh which goes back to at least 3rd century BC. It is called Mahasthan, the archaeological excavations at Mahasthangarb, the ruins of ancient Pundranagar. It is set in a beautiful park with flowers and greenery. A museum houses the artifacts that have been uncovered such a statues of Buddish and Hindu gods, coins, terracotta plaques, stone objects and pottery. Hoards of other people were waiting with us in the heat until the gates opened. (I don't think I have mentioned how hot it was...) Many wanted to shake our hand and have their picture taken with us. Some were taking pictures with their mobile phones. Mehedi told us they would print these pictures, frame them and hang them on their walls at home. We are such celebrities!

It was now time to start back to Dhaka. Back into the van we went for the 9 hour ride. At one of our many stops for gas, a young disabled man with a beautiful smile came up to my window and asked gently for some money. When I gave him something, he gave me the most beautiful smile and then said a prayer for me. I was so touched. We had read that there would be many people asking for money. We were surprised that this did not happen often, partially because we were with our entourage and partially because it is not as part of life in Bangladesh as it may be in other places.

About the ride back to Dhaka...I guess all that we can say is that we are so grateful that we had a fantastic driver. As Rubel said, "Thank Ala that we got back safely". He hadn't mentioned anything like that before we started.

Exhausted but exhilarated, we finally crawled into bed at our hotel room in Dhaka. Tomorrow we would meet with Rubel and his staff in the office of Design Bangladesh for a wrap-up meeting. And perhaps, some shopping...

Then, for our 30 hour journey back to Vermont...
Salley, Betsy and Chris

An unbelieveable day...

March 21st, 2010
Our first stop of the day was a visit to the Governmental Children Home for Girls in Suknaghar, Gainbandha. There are about 100 girls between the ages of 5 and 18 years old who are orphaned or have only one parent who is unable to take care of them. They are adorable, all with short hair, clean uniforms and big smiles. The Deputy Superintendent, Jahangir Arif lives on the grounds. The staff is very warm and welcoming. Mr Arif explained how children participate in the cooking, housekeeping, musical activities and education. You get a sense that this is a family.



The girls were a wonderful audience. They seemed eager to hear about our dream to connect them with the students in America and how the Caring Coin is a reminder of that connection. Each girl smiled broadly as we placed the Caring Coins around their necks and shook their hands. Betsy, Chris and I were brought to tears when they all sang "We Shall Overcome" in both English and Bangla. It was incredibly moving to look into the faces of these little girls as they sang this song so powerfully. Two of the students then danced traditional Bangla dances, one being the Dance for the Freedom Fighter who fought for the independence of Bangladesh. Rubel asked me to tell the girls that we would return tomorrow with ice cream and candy which made them very happy. It made us very happy too, as we would see them again.

Our next stop was the Society for the Welfare of the Intellectually Disabled, a school for children with multiple special needs including children with autism, Downs Syndrome and multiple disabilities. There were about 60 children separated by their age into different classes. The younger children were drawing pictures which they gave to us. The older children were making paper bags which they sell to raise money for the needs of the school. All of the children were happy to receive the Caring Coins and our smiles and to shake our hands.
Once again, we were entertained by the children accompanied by drums and an interesting instrument which is a bit like an accordion in a box. The children also danced for us. One of the boys was especially talented and thrilled to show us his skills. Once again, we heard their national song followed by "We Shall Overcome" Once again, Betsy, Chris and I were deeply touched. The staff was eager to tell us about their program. The Principal wrote a description of the program for us in Balgla which will have to have translated by one of our crew. As we left, the children came around us all wanting to shake our hands as we said goodbye. We all couldn't help but feel for all that we have. Betsy and I felt especially grateful for having healthy children and grandchildren.

Lunch was at the home of one of Hadi's brothers. Hadi's is Rubel's Project Planner and second in command. He coordinated each of our events. Hadi grew up in this town and has a very large extended family living here. We were treated to a very delicious Bangla lunch prepared by Hadi's sister-in-law who also happens to be a Biology Professor at the University. Betsy, Chris and I are thoroughly enjoying the Bangla food and are amazed at how proficient we've become eating with our right hand.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we were escorted to each of our visits today by twelve motorcycles, each with one or two riders. They are all friends of Rubel's who wanted us to know how much they appreciated our visit. We felt like celebrities.


The AMM High School in Giabandha was our next stop. A crowd had already gathered in the open courtyard of the school where there was a huge tent made of welcome banners. We were first introduced to the students in each classroom where Betsy, Chris and I each shared why we had come to Bangladesh. By this time, we were down to the very last 60 of the 1300 Caring Coins we had brought. I promised the students that we would send each of them a Caring Coinwhen we returned to Vermont. This means of course that we will have to have more cards signed by students at home. Our very last Caring Coins were for the boys at an orphanage which was to be our next stop.

This AMM School Event turned into an extravaganza. There were close to 1000 people in the audience, sitting, standing wherever there was room. This included students and people from the town. Two of the Freedom Fighters there made it a point to tell us that they had come just to see us. This was indeed a cultural happening thanks to Rubel, Hadis and the entire Design Bangladesh staff. Before we spoke, Betsy, Chris and I were presented with beautiful lais made of marigolds and roses which by the way perfectly matched my outfit. Numerous dignitaries sat with us on the floor of the stage which was erected for this event. They each gave what appeared to be rousing speeches in Bangla. (Oh how we wish we understood the language!) Chris, Betsy and I once again shared the purpose of our visit and how we hoped this would be the beginning of a connection between the students and people here and the students and people in America.

The real entertainment began with 4 girls in bright saris singing traditional Bangla songs, again accompanied by drums and that same accordion-like instrument. Next came an amazing group of 10 young men could be on "America's Got Talent". Their charismatic director MC'd the whole event. They performed an amazing synchronized Bangla dance. It was really great. One of the boys from the School for Children with Special Needs who had entertained us there came up on the stage and joined the group. He was terrific.

Our next surprise happened when the MC (who is a good friend of Rubel's)insisted that Chris come on stage as the audience chanted "Chris, Chris". Chris being the good sport that he is joined in and proceeded to follow each of the MC's very professional dance moves. He was absolutely mind boggling and brought the house down. What an Ambassador for the You Are Never Alone Foundation and for America Chris is! At the end of the "Happening" the audience yelled "Hello America" which Alam videotaped for us. We can'r wait to see this video and to share it with the students back home who have participated in You Are Never Alone Bangladesh. Many children and adults followed us saying "Hello, Hello" and wanting to shake our hands as our entourage escorted us to the van.

We weren't done yet...Following the motorcycles, we entered the Boys Orphanage. This was in a park like setting where the boys were anxiously awaiting our arrival as the previous event had run overtime. As we looked into the faces of these amazing little boys, we were so glad that we had saved our last Caring Coins for them. Once again, we shared our story and then placed a Caring Coinaround each neck and shook each hand. Once again, the coins brought a smile to each face. We told the boys that we would be back tomorrow with ice cream and candy from Design Bangladesh. As with the girls, we were so glad that we would see them again.

Dinner was at the home of another one of Hadi's brothers where his sister-in-law prepared dinner for us. We were so thrilled to be able to visit with her and also with Hadi's 3 nieces. They are beautiful, bright young women who were so anxious to hear about the students in America. They had questions about our culture, food, school and what our kids do for fun. These are the same questions our students had about them. Our Bangla dinner we delicious. How these women do it, I don't know. We would love to have the recipes but they cook intuitively. And,we wouldn't be able to translate anyway..

Tired but with a feeling I can't quite put into words Betsy, Chris and I got back into the van to go to the hotel. The rest of the guys remained to have their dinner. I think I mentioned before that it is the custom in Bangladesh for the guests to be fed first, followed by the men of the house and then the women who prepared the meal.

More tomorrow...
Salley, Betsy and Chris

Hundreds of smiling faces...

Rubel's school in Badarganj, a mulitlevel level high school was our first stop of the day. We drove through the countryside with beautiful rice paddies, tobacco fields and banana trees. It is easy to see why they call this Green Bangladesh. Along the way, we pass markets filled with all kinds of fruits, vegetables and spices and shops with everything you can imagine. There are neat stacks of bricks lining the road. Lots of people, goats and dogs stream in and out of the markets.

We were welcomed at the Badarganj Multilevel High School by the Principal, Rubel's uncle, his Administrative staff, the Religious teacher, and other teachers, all of whom were very proud of their students and the education the students are receiving. This is what they call a high school and college, comparable to our middle and senior high school. After graduating from here some students go on to university.

We were ushered onto the stage of the auditorium with a huge colorful banner hanging in the background with:
You Are Never Alone Bangladesh
Share That You Care, Caring Coins
Youths for Nature.

The auditorium was jam packed. Although this was a vacation day the students and staff came just for this event. We couldn't help but wonder how many students and staff would come to an event on a vacation day at home. We distributed over 600 Caring Coins there.

Rubel opened the event, describing his dream for a better Bangladesh, our mission for the You Are Never Alone Foundation and why he had asked us to come to Bangladesh. Other speakers included the District Supervisor, a close friend of the Prime Minister's (who said he would like to meet with us in Dhaka); the Principal, a famous newspaper reporter, the Religious Teacher and of course Betsy, Chris and I.

Chris spoke about being a college student; the steps being taken by Green Mountain College to improve the environment and also about his dream of possibly creating a student exchange for a Bangladesh student at his college.


Betsy spoke about the purpose of our visit to learn more about Bangladesh and it's people. She shared our hope to open a dialog that can lead to a better understanding of each other, an understanding that can lead to good will and world peace.

I told the story of the Caring Coins and how Rubel of Design Bangladesh had emailed me last May asking me to bring Caring Coins with their message You are never alone to Bangladesh. I then shared our dream to connect the students of the world starting with the students of America and the students of Bangladesh because they, our students of the world, are the hope for our future.

Rubel showed the video we made of the elementary, middle and high school students in Manchester, Vermont, USA asking questions and saying "Hello Bangladesh" to the auditorium filled with students and faculty. The whole audience loved it and answered "Hello America" as a loud and enthusiastic response. We are thrilled that along the way, Alam, one of Rubel's Design Bangladesh staff who is a professional camerman has been our cameraman. He has been videoing our every move...We cannot wait to see these videos which Rubel has said he will send to us. It was such a gift to have Alam taping these wonderful moments for us. Thank you Alam...

Each student and staff member received a Caring Coin as a reminder of the connection that had now been made between them and the students in America. Once again, we very much felt the power of this little wooden coin. The students followed us to the vans and gave us a warm farewell as we left.

Rubel then brought us to his grandmother's house, where he was born. It is a beautiful little house with high ceilings made our of mud which keeps the house very cool in the warm weather and warm in the cooler weather. The walls were hand painted with a soft design which gives it a very welcoming feeling. It seemed like the whole town came to welcome us. We may have been the first foreigners to visit the town. We gave Caring Coins to the children and many of their parents and took lots and lots of pictures...Rubel's entire family came to welcome us. They have been so gracious to us.



Now for the "Event of the Week". Chris, our star football (soccer) player, Rubel and the entire Design Bangladesh crew joined with some other local football players to challenge the local team in their weekly match. The entire town turned out. I was asked to open the match and then Betsy and I presented a Caring Coin to each player on both teams. It was a fast and furious professional-like game. The Design Bangladesh team won 3-1 with Chris scoring 2 goals. Following the game the players surrounded and congratulated Chris. There were a few aches and pains on our team as it had been several years since some of them had played football. Of course, none of then wanted to admit that.


Betsy and I totally enjoyed the event, sitting in the seats of honor surrounded by children and adults all wanting to shake our hands and have their pictures taken with us.



We were then once again invited to Rubel's mother's home for a wonderful typical Bangla dinner. How this lovely lady prepared such a delicious meal for 14 people, 11 of them hungry men after she attended the late football game is beyond us.

Tired but happy after another amazing day, we went to the hotel, where we noticed that there were no screens on the bathroom windows. Thank goodness we brought mosquito spray.

Salley, Betsy and Chris

We are home...

We are home...and filled with gratitude and affection for Rubel and his staff at Design Bangladesh.

It's 2am, Thursday moring...I had to get a little sleep before starting to blog or I wouldn't make any sense as we were traveling for 30 hours.

Thank you to all of our family and friends for following us. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them in the comments section. I'll answer them later.

So much to tell you...
Salley, Betsy and Chris

Whew! We made it!...

Early this morning, Betsy, Chris and I and our entourage of 10 plus Tuna, Rubel's sister, jumped into the two vans and headed off to Rangur, a 7 hour trip North of Dhaka. We stopped at the Memorial of the Martyrs of the 71 War of Independence, the Birth of the nation of Bangaldesh. The Prime Minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation is buried there. What touched all of us is that Bangladesh has only been independent since 1971. The respect and reverence for these martyrs was visible in all the people there. It is a beautiful, stark memorial set in a park with reflecting pools, lakes, flowers and trees. Every year the school children are brought to the Memorial Park to pay their respects and to learn the history of their country.




Back into the vans and the "highway" to Rangpur. We thought the traffic in Dhaka was hectic but it doesn't hold a candle to the people,goats, buses, rickshaws, trucks, tractors all vying for the same piece of road. We had read about Bangladesh's large population, but today the people were crowded along the sides of the roads which were lined with shops, bazaars selling fruits, vegetables and meats of all kinds neatly piled or hung from the frames of the structures. Big stacks of brick also lined portions of the highway. The smokestacks from the brick oven, with smoke pouring out of their tops dotted the countryside. Hugh mahogany logs lined the roads in various towns. Many of these logs are turned by hand into magnificent headboards and other furniture. As we passed the log piles the scent of the wood filled the air.

Hundreds of workers were pouring out of the garment factories at the end of their shifts. The garment industry is by far the largest industry in Bangladesh. The workers earn $25 a month, not enough to feed their families.

We stopped for tea at a local hangout where Betsy, Tuna and I were the only women. I'd like to think the men were staring at Betsy and I, but I'm sure they were much more interested in Tuna. Once again we felt well taken care of by our entourage from Design Bangladesh.

As we reached the outskirts of Rangpur there was a wonderful surprise awaiting us. Rubel's mother had invited all 14 of us for dinner at her home. It was a delicious, traditional Bangladesh dinner consisting of rice, chicken curry, beef and two kinds of fish and a fabulous custard like desert. In accordance with Bangladesh custom, Betsy, Chris and I were fed first, then all the other men and finally, the women who prepared the meal. We are becoming experts at eating with our right hand only. We marveled at what goes into preparing these wonderful Bangladesh dishes. Betsy and I would like to learn how to cook Bangla. Perhaps we'll become the Julie and Julia of Bangladesh.

Off to bed. Big day planned for tomorrow...

Salley, Betsy and Chris