VHS

Rewind.

It is 5:30 in the morning and I am awaken to the first (Fajr) call to prayer. It's getting colder here and I realize, as I hear half a dozen or more azan (calls to prayer) bellowed out by muzazzins all over my neighborhood, I need to buy another blanket to keep me warm. My ears have now woken up just enough to hear an incessant low scratching noise coming from my dresser cabinet. It's been there since I first arrived to my new apartment. I don't know what it is. I don't know where it is within the depths of my cabinet either. But it's there and it's always making the same noise (scratch-scratch, scratch-scratch). I have, on multiple occasions dismantled my dresser to look at what it might be. Quite a funny site I promise you as it typically involves me wearing a headlamp. Only I can't see whatever it is that is making the noise. I've sprayed the inside of the cabinet with all types of over the counter insect repellents - all to no avail. I am sure that all the spraying will in fact lead to me growing a third eyeball. Either way, it's early, I am still very tired, and all I want to do is go back to bed.

Fast forward.

I have now been in Bangladesh for two months. Part of me knows that where I am, what I am experiencing, and seeing is in fact real. Other parts are convinced that the ones that know where I am have in fact gone off the deep end.

Pause.

Those that follow this blog know that I have been fortunate to see parts of Bangladesh that do not reach a tourist bureau employees in-box. For that I am eternally grateful. Most of what I see is so far off radar it would be hard to fully describe other than one coming here and seeing for themselves. Even then you will have your own brain telling you what is real and what is not.

I have been digging more and more into what I am experiencing here through the use of my camera. Out of this activity has come the idea to build a separate site away from my Flickr link. I hope, that through doing so, I can create a different type of opportunity for people to see a country, and greater world, that is both familiar and new to them. More on that later. You can check out some of the ones I am considering using for this project by clicking here.

Stop.

It's Christmas time here in the 'Desh. It will be quite a lot of fun to experience Christmas in my new city. Some how I envision Santa Claus having a difficult time winding his way through the sewer systems as I have never actually seen a chimney here in Dhaka. Perhaps as he is doing so he will be able to return to me my first cell phone.

With that I wish you all a happy holiday!