Day 10: Chittagong Medical College and the Bay of Bengal

Monday: Our only meeting today was with a physician at Chittagong medical college. I thought the picture was worth posting because it is a good example of how every meeting has ended here--after we take tea, we have a photo shoot. I don't think the picture quite does justice to his office. Bars on the windows, ceilings supported by cracked plaster walls, two fans to tolerate the heat, and two green cabinets for storage. He does all his work without access to a library. He does have a computer, which didn't make it into the frame, but obviously no online academic resources to rely on. In fact, according to him, there are no academic journals (at least in medicine or public health) in Bangladesh (and hence, Bengla). They disseminate all their research findings through the media (like the newspaper).

Again, we packed up all our stuff from the hotel (I am getting to be a pro at this!!) and crammed into the microbus. Salim was kind enough to arrange for a brief detour so I could get a glimpse of the Bay of Bengal. I wanted to dip in my toe, but it was hard to get to the water's edge. Huge, square cement blocks were dumped all along the water's edge to prevent the high tide from washing out a little market and a road that leads to the private shipping docks. Plus, it was high tide, and the waves were crashing in unpredictable patterns. I decided today was not a good day to chance taking a swim in the brown bay water.

We drove most of the day--6 or 7 hours I guess it was. I read my book--The Inheritance of Loss--which helped the time pass. We are now back at the Dhaka Club settling in for the night. The next two days are planned to be low key as we prepare to head back home. We shall see.