I've been reading Nicholas Kristof's Half the Sky while attempting to pack for yet another year-long adventure away. And getting very, very excited. In under two weeks I'll be in Bangladesh preparing to work with some amazing women from all over Asia. I can't stop saying/thinking how lucky I feel to have been given this opportunity.
My time in Louisiana has been full of food, friends, family, and doctor's visits. I'm now vaccinated against rabies, Japanese encephalitis, and adult polio and will have 330 malaria pills in tow. Those skeeters love me, so I'm just hoping for the best with that one.
Packing this time around has me a bit more stressed out because this year, in a Muslim country, what I look like will be very important. I know that I will never fully blend in (not even close!) but I have to try.
In Bangladesh the customary dress for women is called a "shalwar kameez." It's a three-piece set consisting of loose pants, a long baggy tunic, and a scarf worn around the neck. I'll be able to have some made when I get to Chittagong, but I've also scoured NOLA thrift stores for appropo options to bring with. It's kind of been like costume shopping for real life. My sister: "I hate it...but I think it's the best you can do."
But of course really it's not what I'll be wearing but what I'll be doing that's going to make this year probably the most interesting of my 24 years. Oops, expectations much?! It's hard not to have any when I have consistently heard that the women at this university will be the brightest, most motivated, and hardest working students I will ever meet. They come from 13 countries, and many from underprivileged backgrounds, to converge there. And in 12 days I'll be there too :)
My time in Louisiana has been full of food, friends, family, and doctor's visits. I'm now vaccinated against rabies, Japanese encephalitis, and adult polio and will have 330 malaria pills in tow. Those skeeters love me, so I'm just hoping for the best with that one.
Packing this time around has me a bit more stressed out because this year, in a Muslim country, what I look like will be very important. I know that I will never fully blend in (not even close!) but I have to try.
In Bangladesh the customary dress for women is called a "shalwar kameez." It's a three-piece set consisting of loose pants, a long baggy tunic, and a scarf worn around the neck. I'll be able to have some made when I get to Chittagong, but I've also scoured NOLA thrift stores for appropo options to bring with. It's kind of been like costume shopping for real life. My sister: "I hate it...but I think it's the best you can do."
But of course really it's not what I'll be wearing but what I'll be doing that's going to make this year probably the most interesting of my 24 years. Oops, expectations much?! It's hard not to have any when I have consistently heard that the women at this university will be the brightest, most motivated, and hardest working students I will ever meet. They come from 13 countries, and many from underprivileged backgrounds, to converge there. And in 12 days I'll be there too :)
