After a wonderful weekend of relaxation in Matlab, it was time to get back to some hard work in Dhaka. On Monday morning we started our Windshield Assessments of the local community. They are called windshield assessments because they are usually done in cars by just observing. However, we're taking it a step further and interviewing some of the locals. We are interested in finding out the health of our surrounding community, their access to health, and any other social issues that can hinder/impede access to health. It was a really fun activity and nice to get out into the community and chat with the locals. We had a few students with us in our groups to help with translation. It was so fun to get out and learn about where the closest hospital is, what the pharmacies are like (usually in a shack), what types of jobs people hold, and where the kids go to school. That afternoon we had a lecture on Tropical medicine from a nurse who works with Doctors Without Borders. It was very interesting and got me excited for doing some travel nursing, especially international travel nursing.
On Tuesday we traveled north of the city to GK which is an NGO hospital. The hospital has so many good things going for it: they have trade teachings for women, their own publishing room to publish health books in Bangla, a med school, a pharmaceutical factory, and they are building a huge cancer institute and a new med school. There are plans to also start a nursing school. It all seems like such a wonderful program, and is benefiting the poor and the general public.
This morning we finished our windshield surveys... we went around asking more questions and finding out more information than we had the day before. It was also refreshing to find out more about the daily lives of those around us. For so much of this trip we have been making excursions to various hospitals and facilities, which has been nice. But there seemed to be a connection with the general public that was lacking. This activity has provided us with that connection, and it has been so wonderful. The Bangladeshi people are so strong-willed and good-natured, that this assignment has been a piece of cake.
Ok, that has been our goings on for the last few days, but here are some things in my daily life here that deserve being told.
The roads here are incredibly crazy. I am pretty sure I have talked about this before, but it may need reinforcing. The roads here, for some unknown reason, all have lines painted on them. Now, I have no idea why there are lines painted on the roads because no one follows them. It is one giant mess of cars, busses, rickshaws, and motorcycles. Everyone drives where they wish to gain the biggest advantage in the constant traffic jam that is Dhaka. While driving around you can switch “lanes” upwards of 50 times in a minute. Now, at peak traffic volume, the roads usually become one-way streets. A 2 lane highway can become a 4 lane highway (by use of the shoulders) and usually only goes in the direction that the majority of the traffic is going in. This is all well and good… if you are going with the traffic. If you are going against traffic (which means you are driving in the shoulder, or further away from the road) you have to forge your way against the hoard and make a path for yourself. This can be pretty harrowing at 40mph. Usually, a path is established and there is enough room for you to go against the grain. But there is that idiot that thinks it’s okay to pass two busses on a bridge with a curve before it. The only solution? Close your eyes. Luckily I haven’t died yet.
Public transport is my next topic. The busses here are insane. I have yet to take one, and probably won’t, but here is what I know of them. First of all, they are all scarred up and down the sides from constant bumping and scraping with other vehicles. Second, they are always full. So full in fact, that some people ride on top of the bus. I saw one bus with around 10 people riding on the top. Now, maybe this is because they can’t afford to pay the fare, but I have a feeling they did pay the fare and there just wasn’t any room for them on the inside. The plus side of this is that it would be much cooler for those times when you will get stuck in traffic. Lastly, none of the buses have any signage signifying where they are headed. You have to wait at a designated stop (where these are, I have no clue) and yell your desired destination at the bus helper when the bus comes rolling by. I say rolling because the busses rarely stop. God forbid they lose their spot in the traffic. The bus helper is a guy who hangs out of the doors and yells back and forth from to the prospective passengers where the bus is going. He is also in charge of collecting fares, because clearly the driver is putting all of his energy into cutting off other members of traffic.
That seems like a good update for now, I’ll hopefully add some more in the next day or two.
Hope all is well at home!
Love and miss you all!
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