About Bangladesh:

Dhaka, Bangladesh:: Chris’ take on this place

Trying to explain Bangladesh in writing is an impossible task.  I have lived in Dhaka for almost four years and I am constantly surprised by people and places each and every day.  Since Dhaka does not represent the whole of Bangladesh, I will not try to generalize the entire country with my observations here in the city I call home.  

Living in Dhaka is extreme.  You have extreme poverty and extreme riches.  Dhaka is the most densely populated city in the world and I read recently that at certain times of the year it is also the most polluted.  In addition to being extreme, Dhaka is intense.  I have never lived in a place that is so in your face.  With anywhere between 15-20 million people living in Dhaka it is rare to find a place where people, goats, cows or chickens aren’t.  That is why I run.  I run to explore, I run to escape and I run to find myself.  Dhaka has a way of changing a person.  I have seen people literally go crazy here.  The extremes, the intense nature and a culture that is so foreign to westerners can make even a well-traveled man or woman shake their heads.

I am often deeply bothered by what I see on the streets.  It is impossible for me to become numb to the poverty and neglect I find each and every time I set foot outside the bubble I live in.  I can’t help but feel guilty for all that I have and all that they don’t.  It bothers me and it always will.  I return to the States to visit and I feel guilt and resentment simultaneously.  I have seen children with no arms, men with no limbs set out on the side of a busy road to beg while they bake in the sun and women who are scarred from acid thrown in their faces.  I will never be the same.

I will never be the same, because with each experience I gain perspective and insight into how the world works.  I am constantly touched by the kindness and generosity of those who have nothing yet would invite me in for a cup of tea or offer me a bottle of water when I am some random foreigner they don’t even know.  Life is busy and frustrating, but when I take a moment to look and listen I am able to see past the pollution and congestion.

It can be difficult for all who live here with conditions like this.  I am however, forever humbled by Bangladeshis.  In most cases, the life they live is one of struggle and survival.  Yet somehow they make it work and that’s impressive.  They have the entire deck stacked against them and still they find a way.

I think that for me, it’s the kids that make me want to run 291 kilometers with Marc and try to raise as much money as possible.  My heart breaks each time I see a child in the street.  I want to make a difference in the lives of the kids, I want to see them in schools not the streets. It may be naïve to feel this way, but as I stated earlier, I will never be the same and I have to do something.  What a place!?  There is no way Dhaka can be described, you simply have to experience it.