Don't you get lonely?

Dhaka is a sensory sensation. Hot, humid, dirty, bright, smelly, noisy, chaotic. It's a place that is ridiculusly overstimulating for the eyes. There is not a 1 metre space where action isn't happening: men drinking tea at the chai stand, business men on mobile phones, children playing with bottle caps in the street, fancy women shopping, rickshaw waller peddling, staring eyes out bus windows, men washing on the footpath. It's a people watchers paradise!

On Thursday I had my first 'eating-a-whole-meal-with-my-fingers' experience with a few other volunteer friends and two Bangladeshi friends. In between trying to figure out how to get the meat off a chicken bone using only my right hand, and Katie trying to stay upright due to a bout of the Bangla-belly, a new Bangladeshi friend was asking about Australia.

"What's the population of your city?" he asked, "about 200,000" I replied. Akramn then roared with laughter and said ....  "don't you get lonely?!?!"

Baring the belly

I wore a Sari!

And in case you were wondering, I felt pretty fabulous! 

Although after getting a cold last night, I've felt pretty un-fabulous since! I was so determined that if I was going to get sick, it had to be to something very exotic and developing world-esk. But as my travel nurse made sure that it was not possible to catch anything travel book worthy - I get stuck with a cold!

The Daily Stars!

I made it to Dhaka, Bangladesh! I'm spending this week with the other Aussie volunteers in Dhaka for a week of orientation before heading to Chittagong and starting work!

This morning I was enjoying my breakfast of dhal and an omletee, when I unassumingly opened the national newspaper "The Daily Star"  - and guess what I found on page 2?!?! 

That's right, Bangladeshi newspaper stars and it's only Day 3!! ;)

(You can read the article online here)

**I've now changed the blog settings so that you can comment! Thanks Anna!**

Tetris queen

I have long been singing the praises of the packing cube, they’re pretty much the Excel of the physical organizational world!

So here is my way of fitting all of this gear into a suitcase:

From this:

To this: 

I know right - Tetris packing queen!

(don't judge me for the hairdryer - I had space!)

PS. I made it to Singapore and am utilising the free internet! 

Goodbye Tasmania (and bacon!)

Hello internets, after a two year hiatus from Bridget's Adventures, I'm back! This is a new blog for a new adventure... in 11 hours I'm moving to Bangladesh!

I am heading to Chittagong, Bangladesh to work with World Vision Bangladesh, volunteering for a year as a Water and Sanitation Officer, you can view what I'll be up to here (Intake 33, Country: Bangladesh).

As well as madly running around packing and stocking up on gastro medication, I've spent my last day in Hobart enjoying wearing a short skirt, driving without the use of a horn, drinking tap water and walking the street in anonymity! Goodbye Hobart and western life!

Bangladesh is a majority Muslim country, which means the corner shop doesn't stock pork. So in 2012 I'm also saying goodbye to bacon! (I'll keep you updated as to the quality of the local "facon" substitutes!)

So goodbye personal space, goodbye homeland, goodbye lovely friends & family.

But tomorrow: hello Bangladesh!