Happy Birthday Enzo!

Do you remember this little guy? Today he turns two.

He's pretty busy these days tackling his sister and throwing dinosaurs but, luckily for me he hasn't lost his snuggling skills. We're not marking the occasion very well since he's home alone with me and Lena. I tried to sing Happy Birthday to him but got shut down. He wanted "Twinkle Twinkle" instead. I did give him some brownies with banana. I think he appreciated that at least.

We also want to send birthday wishes to Enzo's special birthday buddy. Happy Birthday Chaka!

Keep Them Busy

Bryce, Titus and Maggie left yesterday afternoon for their big trip to the Sundarbans. Maggie was lucky to get to go despite last minute change of plans. So now it's just me and these little crazies for the next week or so. Here they are getting some energy out on the treadmills. Didn't last nearly long enough.

Terri Bazaar

Saturday night, right about when the babies go to bed, Summer decided we should go visit Terri Bazaar. It's a market about town with a reputation for amazing fabric, killer accessories, and cheap prices. Summer and I went with Carol, the most famous math mom in Chittagong, out into the dark and drizzling rain.

I'm constantly impressed with the dazzling bling on the clothes around here. I am a pebble among gems. Maria continues to be disappointed in my faded t-shirts (even though most of them were made in B-desh!). Once when I wore dangly earrings she told me shyly that they were very beautiful. The truth is that I would really like to wear irridescent colors, beaded bangles, embroidered mirrors, and rhinestone studded sandals. So, we went out to see what we could find.

The Bazaar didn't disappoint. We were dropped off down a long alleyway bordered by piles of soot and garbage that the rain had turned into black mud. The smell of stale urine drifted in and out on the breeze. In many ways it was a typical Chittagong side street. But the dark night sky was brilliantly illuminated by the shining fabrics and gold threaded ribbons displayed in the shops lining the street. Even when the power went out the street glowed, almost arrogantly, as if it knew just how beautiful it was.

I had a great time. I loved it all, including stepping in the mud and being grazed by passing rickshaws. The picture doesn't do it justice (of course) but hopefully the saris and ribbons I bought will be just as brilliant in the days to come.

Sightseeing

This last week we spent our mornings "sightseeing". Thanks to Summer we were able to go without Enzo and Lena! Next week Bryce and Titus are hoping to see some tigers in the wild when they visit The Sundarbans. Maggie is looking forward to her performance in the Elementary School Closing Program. The littleuns and I are looking forward to some cool rainy weather brought on by Laila. Here are some glimpses of last week:

Titus swimming with some kids in the Bay of Bengal. The water was warmer than than the oppressive muggy air. Titus was sweating when he came out.

Ladies at the garment factory making some shorts for K-Mart.

A peek into the Catholic School where the children from the orphanage attend. Such beautiful grounds and gardens. The staff were caring and attentive. It was painted cheerful bright colors. But, it was still hard to leave those little babies behind.

Bryce with a couple stacks of life rings recovered at the shipbreaking yards. We didn't get to see them in action but we did a bit of shopping. Bought an old spyglass.

Book Review

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof

My rating: 5 of 5 stars A very important message and call to action. I so appreciate the women who shared their stories and the authors' efforts to make a difference in a world needing change. There might have been some inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and I can't make a blanket statement agreeing with the book as a whole, but I'm so glad I read it and highly recommend it.

Garment Factory Tour

By Titus:

Today we visited a garment factory. It wasn't anything like I expected. I thought it was going to be by open street not an alleyway! I thought it would look fancy not beat up!

Inside was a different story. First, we walked up a flight and 1/4. Then, we got to the main floor. Accidentally, we went the wrong way. First we had to see the manager. So we went in his office and talked a while. Finally he agreed to give us a tour.

We went to the working area. I can't remember the name of the first area but I think it's where they put, store and check the clothes they make. The second area must have been really boring because I can't remember what it was. The third was a stitching and sewing and a little cutting. This was also the floor where the doctor was.

The next floor was about the same just no doctor. Then we had a snack and left.

By Maggie:

Today I visited a garment factory. When I was there I was really surprised to see so many sewing machines. All the sewing machines looked different. Some were big, others were small. But all women worked on them.

Today I also visited a beach. At the beginning I got a little wet. But even though there were people watching I played on the rocks and sat on the rocks.

Even the car ride was fun because I sat and sat and sat and it was fun because I was sleepy.

Coconut Harvester

We live on the third floor. Apartment 3D if you're ever in the neighborhood and feel like visiting.

It's actually the fourth floor since the ground floor doesn't count around here. That puts our view right at the frond level of a full grown coconut palm.

For the past few moths we have been watching some coconuts ripen on the trees outside our kitchen window. The other morning I heard some rustling outside the window. When I looked outside I saw this guy crouched in the tree. Just your friendly neighborhood coconut harvester and palm tree pruner. He climbed up and down with the help of a rope (and possibly some invisible limbs).

He was happy to let me take his picture because Enzo was with me, waving, and being uncharacteristically friendly. I think Enzo was very impressed. A new standard has been set for climbing skills.