accomplishments/complaints/and props

first of all, props to my dear steal trap and newly named "where there is no doctor handbook in the living flesh" friend, Melissa, proving with 100% accuracy that my self diagnosis is truly for the birds. i was taking almost a full round of parasite meds only to discover no progress. that tends to happen when there's no parasite hiding in there... i've come to see the light, that cipro was the answer to our bacteria needs. and as 85% sure as i thought i was about the parasite...well anyways i won't go into details about it all but things are much better on the explosive end. (thanks for your insights and research melissa!) though none of us seem to feel above par yet. and so the long haul of bangladesh really does feel quite long. but this is not just an entry on complaints, as seen from the above title...

i've come across a beautiful community of folks working here in the city. and gain hope and strength as i look ahead into the coming month for the stories and friendships i'll discover as the month wears on.
i also found directions to the A&W Rootbeer here. yes, its really really weird to walk into an all american diner here of all places, but boy did it taste good. although i'm ashamed to say we all felt so bad we couldn't stomache the burger yet...what kind of american am i anyways...
i also move in with my principal tomorrow. which i'm nothing but excited about. i'm ready to fry my brain with speaking bangla, though i'm not completely thrilled about watching bangla serials (like american soap operas) into the night, as she sheepishly admited the day i got the grand tour. i'm quite ready for a change of scenery and a different perspective on the dhaka life though. where we've been this past week is a guest house beneath our language school in one of the nicest and poshest areas of the city. i know its not a true picture of this city or this country and i see my heart growing restless and judgemental. probably because it emphasizes the things i see within myself already, and its never that fun to see the darkness of our own hearts reflected in the things around us. so i continue to process the poverty and wealth surrounding me here and where my role is found in being a word made flesh among them.

but a good thing about travel is the way it tends to draw my heart back home. and i see that mind keeps stretching towards Kolkata. missing sarah and kristin. missing my SB sisters. and the freedom and confidence that comes with knowing a place and her people.

so more to come. for now i'm trying the one moment at a time approach. and waiting to see all that i'm going to learn in this month. and sarah, i'm working hard on learning 1-100...hee hee...