Catching up

Saturday, January 10, 2009

The past two months have flown by at an amazing pace and some important changes have taken place to my life here in Dhaka. The most important, of course, is the arrival of my wife, Laura, in Bangladesh. She arrived four days ago and is now getting through that first challenging jet lag of flying to the opposite side of the globe in a 24-26 hour trip. It is really great to have her here and begin our true adventure of the next 12 years – together.

After the last blog entry I became very busy at work. Increased traffic in the clinic was noted as the cold and flu season arrives in Dhaka, as in the U.S. Administering flu shots to the American Embassy community and many of the locally employed Bangladeshi staff of the Embassy was a worthwhile project that kept my staff and me busy in October and November. Another trip to Kathmandu, Nepal was set up and taken. During this trip I was able to tour a number of the local clinics and small hospitals to assess our ability to use these facilities for American Embassy staff and families should specific needs arise.

Ambassador and Mrs. Moriarty hosted a friendly and inclusive Thanksgiving dinner at their home for all of us at the Embassy who are here in Dhaka without our families. Somehow they had managed to find all the ingredients for a fully traditional turkey dinner with “all the fixings” to make a bountiful feast. We surrounded our tables in a large ring, holding hands, while prayers of thanks were offered for the bountiful blessings we enjoy. I was grateful to be included in this family-like atmosphere, and am so thankful for the blessings of comfort, safety, freedom and love from others that God has granted me. Early on Friday morning, I could share Thanksgiving once again with my family as they had Skype audio and video set up with a laptop right in the dining room in Willmar, where Laura and the kids were hosting Laura’s family. It was a great Thanksgiving.

One thing not present in Bangladesh is all the commercial hustle and bustle of the pre-Christmas shopping season. But Christmas celebration still occurs – even in this largely Muslim country. Early December brought several concerts at the local American International School. There were also some nice fellowship events at the Dhaka International Christian Church that I attend. A particular fun afternoon was the Arts and Crafts Bazaar at the local school. A local charity sets up the bazaar where over a hundred local artists and craft producers assemble their wares in time for Christmas gift-buying. Although I had mailed gifts home to the family in November, I found some unique items I decided to bring back to the States, having decided on a trip home for Christmas several days earlier. More about that trip in the next entry…