The Good, The Bad, and The Fugly

groan.

I've had a very indequate amount of sleep, but I feel as though I must blog. As I've said in the past, living in a place like Dhaka is a series of emotional ups and downs. There's no shortage of things to be utterly depressed about (poverty, smog, bad TV), and there's plenty of great stuff (amazing people, great food, bad TV). Here are some things that have been lifting me up, and dragging me down...

Good:

There's a new post-Fulbright internship opportunity that opened up. UNESCO (the cultural/environmental wing of the UN) is taking 10 Fulbright grads to work at their offices in Paris for 6 months starting in September! I am applying for the heck of it, and hoping they'll say "Oui Oui" to me!

Bad:

I have a huge bruise on my bum from last weekend, when--in an utterly humiliating moment--I feel off the ship and into a small cruise boat in front of the whole group.

Sunny side:

Free dinner tonight at a fancy Middle Eastern restuarant. Some Embassy thing. They even have hookahs on the menu at this place.

Raincloud:

It's almost 100 degrees in our apartment at night. We're on the fifth floor, and our "air conditioning" does nothing but emit periodic puffs of warm air.

Happy:

I am going to the village a lot in March.

Sad:

I am so confused about where my research is headed. I got some advice from friends and colleagues, but the more I hear, the more I'm determined that I'm doing this all wrong! Its so incredibly stressful.

Muy Bien:

I am submitting my (to be written) paper to a cool conference on Sexual Rights and Development in England this fall.

Muy Mal:

I spent International Women's Day cooped up in an office instead of out on the streets seeing the cool speakers and rallying with the rallyers.

That's it for now.

TKP