Sharna Bremner Outreach Blogger 11 June 2010
After being in Dhaka for almost a week and eating an unbelievable amount of food, it was bound to happen. One of us was going to get sick. But who would’ve thought it would be KFC that would be my undoing?
Now, before you judge us for eating western food that we can get anywhere, remember that our days here are long and tiring. KFC is one restaurant that is close to our hotel and has air-conditioning. This is always appreciated in the hot and sticky climate of Dhaka. And we thought it would be fairly safe to eat.
We were wrong. And I learnt the hard way. So I’ve spent much of the past 48 hours becoming well acquainted with the bathroom in my hotel room whilst giving my stomach muscles a work out that people usually pay a personal trainer a small fortune to get.
We spent an incredible afternoon at the 1 Goal football game on Wednesday, where I got a taste of what it’s like to be a celebrity. I had my very own posse of kids, following me from one end of the pitch to the other. When I would squat down to talk to them, they would squat down. When I stood up, they stood up.
After travelling through Southeast Asia last year, I thought I was used to people staring at me. I’m pale, with blue eyes and reddish hair, something of a rarity in these parts of the world. But this was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
Wearing my sunglasses was not appreciated and led to some kids practically begging me to take them off. They wanted to see my eyes. The whiteness of my arms was cause for much discussion and my watch proved to be more fascinating than I could ever imagine.
Despite living in conditions unimaginable to most of us, with houses made of a few sheets of corrugated iron, few items of clothing, and no shoes, I soon discovered that no matter where you are, kids will always be kids. Two little girls were laughing and pointing at a little boy, shouting things out to him and then giggling to themselves. Amir explained to me that they were teasing him because he was a little bit chubby. It seems that you can be at a playground in Australia, or a slum in Bangladesh, kids are pretty much the same the world over.
Meanwhile, I’m still feeling a little delicate. But on the bright side, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about putting on weight while I’m here.
I wonder if that means I can eat just a little bit more when I start feeling better...
There’s always a silver lining.
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