Down and Out in Dhaka

Well, I've left my apartment for the first time in days.

John and I got back from Thailand on Wednesday morning, spent some time together in Dhaka, then he left on the late flight Friday night. I'm distraught. I've medicated myself with DVDs and chocolate-covered Michigan cherries (which I brought to Bangladesh as gifts for other people) since then. It's so pathetic. I have watched so much TV that I think my brain is actually sore.

Our trip to Thailand and Cambodia was fantastic. Much-need quality time together for Mr. John and I. When we came back, all of my friends seemed to be sick. Clara flew back to Canada with mild dysentery, Jen has been down for the count for three days now, and Paula has been diagnosed with para-typhoid. This is day 8 of her high fevers, which have been hitting 104 F every day. It's really scary. In the midst of it all, I've convinced myself I contracted malaria on our trip. I forgot to take meds in Cambodia. Come to think of it, I do have a mild headache...maybe its just the four hours of West Wing I watched today.

Sigh. I have definitely reached the mid-point slump of my Fulbright, though. I feel incredibly homesick, and would happily trade in sunny February days for a little fresh air. I miss my family, my friends, and an underground sewer system. I'm getting sick of wearing baggy modest clothes and an "orna" (long scarf for modesty) and STILL getting ogled by every shady man on the street. It's particularly painful after having been in Thailand, where--at least wardrobe-ically speaking--anything goes. I wore a swimsuit top and shorts everywhere I went in Koh Pangan, and no one batted an eyelash.

Well, hopefully I can shake it off and get pumped up for my final months here. I'm feeling quite anxious about having enough time to finish (Hell...start, really) my research so I've applied for a one-month extension. It sounds nuts giving the aforementioned complaints, but time is flying by for me. I can't BELIEVE its already MARCH.

Take it easy. Enjoy the snow for me.

TKP