Celebrate good times...c'mon!

Three interesting reasons I'm having a mini-celebration today:

1. My friend Safina (Indian-Canadian BRAC intern) announced this morning that she and her boyfriend were getting married tonight. He is a sweet and good-looking Bangladeshi guy who works for BRAC Bank, but since he's the eldest son of the family, his mother isn't too keen on him marrying a foreigner and moving off to Canada. Safina went to his village to try and reason with her, but to no avail. Since she's leaving this week for Canada, they've decided to grab some friends and elope at a government office tonight. I get to wear a sari and smear mehindi (henna paste) all over my hands in celebration! Woo-hoo!

2. The American Center, cultural wing of the embassy, is holding the grand opening of their library today. I use this small-but-resourceful library all the time, so I'm almost as thrilled as the AC staff. Plus, there's probably going to be refreshments at the 3:00 ceremony...woo-hoo!

3. My Bangladeshi Blood sister Jillian(former BRAC intern with me in 2003) is going back to Bengal! She's taken a job working in the microfinance sector in West Bengal next year. She's even trying to attend a Bengali language institute in Wisconsin this summer. She's such a badass---she kept up studying her Bangla language for years after she left Dhaka. Something about this place changes you, man. Anyway...woo-hoo!

Things are good. I think I'll treat myself to a Twix bar later. Twix bars...Woo-hoo!

TKP