The significance of the Bengali monsoon was evident to our Geographical Alliance of Iowa group as soon as our plane broke through the clouds to land Monday morning.
Water and land were interspersed as we viewed a part of the world very different from our own. Cooperative weather allowed us to see a considerable amount of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city, on Monday and Tuesday, July 9 and 10. The rains held off until the middle of Tuesday afternoon, at that point sending us back to the hotel to gather our thoughts, work on our projects, and do a little writing.
By any measure, Dhaka is a massive city. It has fully nine million people, three times the number of people who live in all of Iowa. And remember, the country as a whole crowds 150 million into an area almost exactly identical to Iowa’s.
Monday as we drove from the airport to the hotel each of us was struck with contrasts. Let us share a few of those observations with you as we have begun learning about this country that is both large (in population) and small (in area—and, to be frank, influence).
The most common vehicle is a bicycle rickshaw, really a tricycle with just one gear. The front is a bicycle. The passengers sit behind and higher than the driver.
The passengers can sit under cover. In fact, decorating the covers has become a cultural competition. As members of our group who know design explained to the rest of us, two styles predominate: paintings and appliqué.
These rickshaws of course have obvious advantages. They do not pollute; they are inexpensive, and they are flexible.
Just as obviously they have disadvantages, foremost being speed. We did see that this disadvantage hardly matters for several hours each morning and afternoon when traffic is very heavy and ponderously slow.
One could not get far with this mode of transportation under ideal traffic conditions, so one has to think that other modes of transportation will overtake the bicycle rickshaw in coming decades.
Motorized transportation in Dhaka ranges from “auto-rickshaws,” which differ considerably from the ones powered by cyclists.
This decade the Bangladesh government has forced these vehicles to switch from gas to “cooled natural gas” (CNG) with a dramatic improvement in air quality. The metropolis has few expressways, and many of the roads are choked with vehicles, so having small vehicles has its advantages.
The members of the group agreed to share their first impressions of Bangladesh.
Dan Walsh of Cedar Rapids: “It is always very easy to tell that you are “not in Iowa anymore” by looking at the traffic. When I say traffic I do not mean just the cars on the street. Traffic in Bangladesh is cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, taxis, buses and people on foot in all different directions. You see an organized chaos that is little understood unless you have witnessed it.
Luke Juran of Dyersville: Bangladesh, a country of contrast and juxtapositions. The most beautiful and unpleasant scenes can be caught in the glance of an eye or a single snap of a photograph. Poverty and technology, nature and pollution, and vivid color and dreariness all coexist in an unimaginable seamless harmony. A look out of the bus window overwhelms the senses and leaves one in awe. I look forward to understanding more of this vibrant and fascinating culture.
George Kuhter, Toledo: The people. The number of people everywhere. Bangladesh is one of the most densly populated places in the world. It seems that wherever you go there are millions of people. Even though the number of people is so massive, it seems so orderly. The sheer number of people is one of the most amazing first impressions of the country. You often hear of the sensory overload of large cities but until you hear it, see it, and experience it, you won’t believe it.
Linda Litterer, Fort Madison: Overwhelming. . . I think I will always remember crowded streets, blaring horns, rickshaws, cars and buses jostling for room on narrow winding streets, shops selling everything from fresh produce to car parts (but mostly fabric, fabric, and more fabric), and the surprising lack of disastrous accidents. In spite of endless near-misses, I saw only one man fall out of a rickshaw, and every naked child that ran alongside our bus seems to have emerged unscathed. The other image is that of people – women in beautiful traditional clothing, thin straining men pedaling rickshaws with huge loads or several people on the back, and the children playing on city streets in the rain. We seem to be the only Americans in Dhaka – not true I am sure, but we do always seem to be the center of attention. At the waterfront, we were surrounded about five deep by polite, silent men and boys who watched our every move and listened to every word we said.
Sarah Dorpinghaus, Iowa City: My first impressions tend to be visual, which is truly the case with Dhaka. I was immediately taken by the colors of Bangladesh’s capital city- greens, reds, pinks and yellows. One can not tire of watching the ornately painted rickshaws peddling by or the beautifully woven clothing of the Bangladeshi women. Yet before we were immersed with its beauty, we experienced our first taste of Bangladeshi hospitality. Since our arrival we have been lavished with kind greetings, friendly advice, and welcoming conversation not unlike that found in good ole small-town Iowa. It has been a fantastic first two days and the thrills will most definitely continue.
Dawn Brown, New Hampton: We have gracious hosts — our guides’ welcome with flowers in arms for each of us, hotel staff who salute us at the front door, restaurant wait staff standing tableside and catering to our every need, vendors who greet us in the markets, and the Bangladeshi people at-large who meet us, greet us, and enjoy posing for photos. Hospitality and service are rich values among an ambitious, hard-working entrepreneurial population. The city is a vibrant movement of people and goods. There is a lack of valuable infrastructure, however. Gee, what the people could benefit from is an improved waste disposal system and traffic control. I look forward to meeting more and more people!!!!!
Jane Watson, Hazleton: My first impression began during our 9-hour flight from London to our destination. My seat mates were both citizens of Bangladesh - a 32-year-old mother and her 5 month baby living in Canada where her husband is going to college and a gentleman who works at a financial institution in London. Both were very open in sharing their lives and their country. I asked individually, “What do you want our group of 15 USA teachers to share with our students about your country?” They both replied share about the generosity of their people for their families and each other. The children (including adult children like themselves) are well loved and cared for. As adult children going home they will be surrounded with loving attention. This love carries throughout all the people regardless of economic status. My seatmates told me to expect the people to do anything in their power that would make our stay nicer. We have been here 2 days and I have found their statements to be very true. While there are many many people in the city of Dhaka they are kind and considerate to each other and to us. They can not do enough for us. This seems true regardless of economic status. I look forward to meeting the people in other areas of this country of generous hearts.