See more pictures here.

First off, it’s been far too long since I’ve managed to write you all, and for that I must sincerely apologize. I have been extraordinarily busy with work as I’ve finally managed to find my footing as an IT volunteer in development and work is going well. I’m honestly enjoying myself more than I could have imagined I would have in Bangladesh, although the tropical heat is tiring me out a lot.

The main reason for my glee: Today I’m writing from Khagrachari, one of the most remote places in Bangladesh—if you judge by the lack of coverage in Lonely Planet’s outdated Bangladesh edition. It absolutely amazes me that this gorgeous town has yet to be researched by any guidebook writer, yet it is one of central gathering places of indigenous hill tribes people, many Bengalis and three other VSO volunteers living and working here. Finally, the scenery is fantastic and such a wonderful change from the disgusting conditions of Dhaka. Undulating hills fold and bend, making you wonder what is over the next rise and fall—definitely an explorer’s delight.

Since my arrival on April 13, I have been treated to the best Khagrachari has to offer. Biju Festival coincides with the Buddhist new year and is marked by families gathering to celebrate, eat traditional foods and drink copious amounts of homemade rice wine—Buddhist people are not so bothered with avoiding alcohol and pork (although I can tell you that many Bengalis I know enjoy their drink even more than I, which is no small feat!) The traditional task during the festival is to eat and drink your way around the neighbourhood visiting friends, work colleagues and contacts. Within the three-day holiday, I visited well over 15 houses, getting successively more full and definitely less coordinated along the way—that rice wine is strong stuff I tell you! Some of my VSO colleagues even made it to 12 houses in one day. How they made it home was another matter..

My visit wasn’t purely for pleasure, although I did choose a good time to visit. My work here has been fascinating: I’m helping to improve the capacity of two local NGOs whose work is to improve the livelihoods and education of the indigenous communities they represent. I’ve been training on basic topics like virus protection and file management, and more entertaining subjects like photography as well. My best moment so far, work wise, was conducting a workshop where the NGO workers were to decide a topic of their choice and take the photos themselves communicating their thoughts. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the learning and then the creativity expressed, and some of the photos are gorgeous. I’m not a great facilitator, but I now find myself learning the art of presentation and public speaking while teaching local photographers to express their creative photographic vision. What more could I ask for in terms of rewarding work?

See the rest of the assignment pictures here.

On the other hand, doing IT work here is extremely challenging. The availability of electricity is the sorest problem of them all, as I’m currently typing this entry by laptop light and sweating in the dark. Power stutters on and off, with total irregularity. That also means the ceiling fans are off. Imagine the feeling of hot and sweaty frustration, and you know how I feel. People are equipped with generators here, for use when they especially need it, but fuel is costly, and the dial-up internet (yes, that’s right, 56kbps dial-up) sometimes drops out with the electricity as well (meaning that internet work on laptops is out too). For all the IT training I might throw at these NGOs, it’s all rendered useless when they don’t even have the electricity to power their computers and networks. Forget trying to get any work done on the computer. Why is the situation so bad?

First, it is the region’s remoteness that is the root cause. Unfortunately, Khagrachari also holds some of the poorest communities Bangladesh has to offer, and the indigenous communities here have already suffered great injustices at the hands of Bengali settlers. That much is common knowledge. In a remote region of the nation with already poor infrastructure, the Khag falls far down on the list of priorities. Meanwhile, the hill tracts are slowly becoming something like Tibet inside China. Things aren’t that bad yet, but because of the current political environment in Bangladesh, things are getting worse for people here.

Under the declared “state of emergency,” the government and army have been instilled with more power and authority to uproot terrorism, corruption and anything that can be classed as “being against the people’s well being.” Many civil liberties have been curtailed and media freedoms restricted, and that is hitting especially hard in a region where the human rights questions keep popping up again and again. While most of Bangladesh is quite pleased with the army’s presence, people in the hill tracts have many reasons not to feel the same way.

During my visit here, the authoritative presence has been palpable: there have been a lot of questions being asked about what we’re up to and why but since I’m a VSO volunteer the answer is easy. Most of the time, the questions are just natural curiosity, but if I return here as a guidebook writer, maybe I will be working rather quietly while I research… but thankfully I look like a local because of my Asian features and I definitely do NOT stand out as much. That’s a plus.

So.. that’s why the lack of updating. It’s the lack of electricity! When I’m back in Dhaka you’ll definitely be hearing from me again, along with the results from my photo classes!