Day 3

The nap yesterday was a bad idea. I went to bed after we returned home from the Dhaka Club, which was around midnight. I fell asleep right away, but woke up for good when the prayers started at the mosque next door early in the morning. I have no clock, but I think it was around 4 am because I read for a very long time before I finally called the front desk to see what time it was. It was 6 am. Even though I slept little, I managed to sleep wrong and have a crick in my neck. The good news is that our luggage comes today, and I will finally be able to change my clothes.

The Dhaka Club was quite the interesting experience. We had dinner with a Professor Haque, who is a popular abstract artist here. We also met a small group of men who are all former "somethings." Mostly former ministers or advisors to the government. So, on one hand, it felt impressive that we were meeting people with such influence. On the other hand, one must remember that this country is smaller than most states in the United States, so... One of the men, Mizanur Rahman Shelley, gave me a copy of his book The Windmills of your Mind. The man who sat next to me kept quizzing me on the major US and World finance leaders (he was the former minister of finance in Bangladesh). After I failed miserably, he wanted to move on to "modern" American cinema. The general consensus at the table was that their all time favorite American movie was "Witness." So, when they found out I was from Pennsylvania, they had a number of questions about the life and times of the Amish. Their second favorite American movie of all time? Thelma and Louise.

Supposedly, the club is quite exclusive. I met a woman from Quebec who has been living here for 20 years. She asked how long I had been in Dhaka, and I told her it was my first day. This bothered her, and said that in all her time here, yesterday was the first time she had been invited to the Dhaka club. She didn't want to talk to me after that.

We have a meeting today 10, and then I am not sure what else. Today is our last day in Dhaka. Tomorrow we will take the bus (a 5-6 hour ride) to Kulna. I wish my day was going to start with fresh coffee, hearts cereal, and anna spilling OJ on the counter :/


Dhaka Club: http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/D_0153.htm