Arrived.

Greetings from Bangladesh!
I want to let you know that I am here, safe and sound, and enjoying the experience of everything being so new and SO different. I departed from JFK airport on Monday evening and arrived here in Dhaka early Wednesday morning.

I regret I did not get a chance to send out one last update before departing from the US, but things were very busy at the end there with many goodbyes and packing. My dear friends and sister threw me a going away party for which I am so appreciative and will post photos soon. The goodbyes were sad, but I was anxious to get here and finally see this country I have been preparing and praying for.

It was a long journey, but everything went smoothly and once I got settled, I met some of my team members and toured the office. On Wednesday evening I went to a coworker's flat and she made me a spaghetti dinner. She explained that I am bound to have plenty of rice and traditional food while I am here so not to worry about the lack of cultural immersion for my first meal. Thursday was SHOPPING day. Here, women do not wear any sort of modern dress without standing out and giving off the perception that they are a "wild girl," so one of the first orders of business was getting some clothes. It was quite nice, actually, finally having the excuse to shop!

Friday is our first day of the weekend here and also our Sunday so I went to Church with some new friends and met even more friends there. After that, I had my first introduction to Bengali with my teacher, a woman named Smita. Conquering even a small bit of this difficult language will certainly be one of my biggest challenges, but I am fortunate to have this wonderful instructor. Finally, we concluded the day with watching the opening ceremonies and first World Cup game at a cafe. What else?!

So far, I am easing into all the changes and making many acquaintances and friends quickly. I am looking forward to updating more as internet access becomes more readily available to me. Thank you for your support in getting me here and I ask for your continued prayers as I adjust to life in Dhaka.

For more information on Bangladesh, here is an interesting and interactive web site I found:
http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/

I am HERE.
Bangladesh.