8/4: Our anniversary! Jared had clinic… He got home in record time! I made a comment about how the traffic must have been remarkably less today. He said “No! I barely made it home. The police were blocking everything off again!” Sure enough… by evening everything was shut tight again. Trevors got into town at midnight last night. It’s a good thing they came then because I don’t think they would have made it in if they had tried to come in during the day. Us and Trevors went out for a supper at a place that’s just right down the road from here. It’s up on the 13th floor of a business building. It gave a tremendous view of Dhaka! Wish everyone at home could see that view. Miles and miles of apartment buildings so close they are literally touching! A different sort of beauty…. All different colors of buildings. Off in the distance we could see the black smoke from the protestors burning something. It was interesting to look down at the roads. It was curfew time and hardly a soul was out. The only reason we were out was because the building was a stones throw from our house. Had a good time with Trevor’s and lots of good laughs like usual. Brock came for a sleepover! Him and Layton made popcorn and chocolate milk for a late night snack. They were both in bed and asleep by 11pm.😂
August 5: Doyle’s left Golpaganj at 5 in the morning to come into town. If it wasn’t to be with Trevor’s before they leave they never would have dared to try. There was lots of barricades and checkpoints. Anytime they got stopped and asked where they were going Doyle said “can you tell me the way to the airport?” And they let them through. They made it here in 2.5 hours!! Everyone came here for lunch for sandwiches. Thankfully I had had this thought last week that I should stock up on groceries just in case we went into lockdown again. Good thing I did!!!! Because everything was closed. Herfeys, Pizza Hut, and all our usual haunts here are all closed. Even the pink city gates are closed. Jon messaged Jared and said “brother it is not safe to go out, please stay inside with doors closed.” Our friends here are keeping us quite updated and message us often with warnings. Between Jon and Nathon we feel quite taken care of. Spent the afternoon with everyone. The men checked the news frequently to keep up with the latest on all the protests. Mid afternoon, we saw that Sheik Hasina the prime minister had left the country and was flown to India. Her house and the parliament were totally ransacked! Like totally and completely. She resigned her position and her and her family all fled. She was hoping to seek asylum in the UK but it was denied. The airport shut down for the rest of day. Later evening the men went out driving. As soon as the news was made of Hasina resigning everyone was cheering and celebrating on the streets. The barricades were all thrown to the sides of the roads, motorcycles and CNGs and people were all going on the Expressway that’s been closed for 2.5 weeks, police boxes were getting burned. What really took the cake is that on the Purbachal Expressway there’s giant light up letters that say “Sheik Hasina Sarani” one bridge has it in English and the next has it in Bangla. Kids were there with long sticks and were hacking away at the letters to get them off the bridges. Statues of Hasina’s father (he was assassinated back in the 70s) were being knocked down with excavators. Postures of her were being ripped down or painted over. The men didn’t stay out long because they couldn’t go very far. Trevors guard Tulsi called him and was frightened because there was fighting in the village. Sounded like he was inside Trevors house for safety. Hasina is Awami League Party and a lot of Hindus and Christian’s support her because she is more lenient with minorities. During the day several times we all mentioned how thankful we were that we had moved here to pink city! Even though things were locked down, we could still go out and take walks here and the children spent the day playing soccer, riding bike, etc. At Siza court that wouldn’t have even been a possibility! The kids would have been all cooped up in our apartment or the guesthouse. Plus Siza Court is by Farmgate and there was a fair bit of protest action going on there. Josna and Sumita said they heard guns going off.
July 6: The men went out on a drive again! Everything was open and the roads were somewhat busy again. Lisa made breakfast for everyone. The men went to our house for a CSI meeting and us ladies and children went to the guesthouse. In the evening we all ventured out for supper. Nathon came with us. He showed us pictures of Hasina’s house. He went there to see the damage. People had went looting through her house and had taken out ACs, furniture, the vegetables out of her garden, her pets, and even her clothes and underwear. It was truly ridiculous and disgusting. Then they went to the parliament building and ransacked that place too. Any thing or place that has to do with Hasina has gotten burnt or demolished. Brock came for a sleepover again. Popcorn and Gatorade was the snack of choice🥰 I’m learning how to be the cool mom that has sleepovers. I must say I quite enjoy this new phase of mom life!
August 7: the students are all out directing traffic. They appeared to be doing a very good job too. They weren’t letting any motorcycles or CNGs on the expressway today. We got on like usual and the toll booth arm was up so everyone just drove through and didn’t have to pay anything! Are we ever glad that road is open again!!!!! There’s people fishing in the pond in Kuril. That pond is owned by the government and now that there is no government currently people are lining the banks fishing. Hundreds and hundreds of people all lined up… some with homemade bamboo poles and some with fancy fishing rods. Nathon says they will fish until there is nothing left in the pond. Everyone did their own thing this morning. Doyle’s were at the guesthouse, Trevor’s did some last minute shopping etc. I had Shania take a morning nap because her sleep schedule has been all out of wack and her behavior and mood show it. While she napped I cleaned the house, did laundry, (discovered Layton’s favorite shirt from Luci is covered in mold because I got behind on the laundry. Does anyone know how to get mold out? I have it soaking in vinegar to see if that will take it out. Update: it didn’t) Anyways it felt good to get things taken care of and abit under control. We all met at the clinic for lunch and I ran to the closest vegetable seller and bought a ton of vegetables, eggs, etc to get ready for round two of company that comes tomorrow. In the evening we had one last CSI meeting. An air and share. Couldn’t bear the thought of telling Trevor’s good bye so pushed it off until morning.
August 8: Got up at 5:20 am and trekked over to the guesthouse. Told Trevor’s bye. That never a pleasant experience. It looked quite interesting to see Lisa and Whitney wearing their American coverings! Layton had been adamant that he was going to ride to the airport with Jared but at the last minute he needed mom. after a Doyle and Jared left with Trevor’s and their luggage we went back to the house and sat on the couch and cried for a while. Shania went back to bed. An hour later Jared came back with Daniels and Shana! I was so glad to see Shana! I told her she came on the perfect day. Getting her settled kept my mind off of Trevor’s leaving which I was thankful for. Daniels napped for a while and then came for lunch. Used my grilled chicken that I had squirreled away in the freezer. They brought all the books that some friends from home had sent for the mission kids here. Layton promptly sat down and looked at them all for a long time. Since then we have read and read and read them so THANK YOU!!!! We were all shot and exhausted so after lunch we all slept for several hours. Shana was determined to be like her dad and stay awake until bedtime but she succumbed and commenced to sleep for the next 18 hours straight! The poor dear looked exhausted. The interim governor arrived in Dhaka late afternoon and was sworn into office.
August 8: Had church. Daniel had the message. I was so thankful Jared didn’t have to preach with the busy week 😊 Nathon literally squealed when he saw Daniel again!😂 We were going to stay for cha and then the airport called and said that Shanas suitcases were getting delivered so we hustled home and accepted them. For being in a different country over here I have been very surprised at how the luggage gets here every time even if it doesn’t come with the flight it always shows up a few days later!
We met up with Daniels later and had lunch in Gulsan. Shania has been obsessed with her new socks that granny sent her. It’s hilarious😂 She will not wear shoes but socks are ok. She wants them on all the time. She walks around stops looks down at her feet and walks some more. She is plum tickled!
August 11: The expressway is now collecting toll fares! Things are slowly slowly returning to normal. Hindu temples are getting vandalized and burnt. I’m not sure why exactly other than it’s kinda a known fact in this country that Hindus and Christian’s are Awami League supporters which is Hasina’s political party. The landlord at the clinic took down our CSI sign because it says “Christian Service International.” He was worried the word Christian would bring undue attention. Later Krystle messaged and said someone had taken down their CSI sign at their clinic too. Jared wonders if he should get one remade that says “CSI” instead of Christian Service International. Now that there are no police out and about guarding the streets people are very fearful of robbers. Every night in Pink City a group of men sit in a circle right inside the gate, half way down the Main Street and then again at the end of the street. They stay there all night. Often we hear a motorcycle patrolling the streets too and some night the men walk up and down each street checking for “boogie men.” Every night at 2 am they bring out their loudspeaker and go around saying something. No one can figure out what it is. A few times when we’ve gotten up in the night we’ve seen the guard chasing boys/men that have pipes and cricket bats. Who knows…. We aren’t fearful. We don’t have anything to hide so we sleep the sleep of the just. Paninna told me there is 25-50 men guarding the area where they live. She said they can hardly sleep for fear of what might happen. Sounds like the robberies are in the poor parts of Dhaka. In the richer parts people are hiring guards. It looks like some of the men that are helping watch at night are some of the men that live here in Pink City. Read on the news that the interim governor is going to drive on the roads like all normal people. He will still have an envoy for safety but he’s not requiring the roads to be stopped and cleared like Hasina did. It will be interesting to see how this affect “movement” in Dhaka now.
August 14: Jared dropped Shana Layton and I off at Farmgate, when we went to the clinic for lunch. That was so fun! I’ve always wanted to take my jolly ole time going through that place but Jared doesn’t appreciate that sort of shopping. So now that Shana is here I get my chance! She got three kameeze sets and I got a bunch of fabric. Made sure we took a rickshaw to the clinic after that so she could experience the rickshaw.🥰 Right outside of Shuktara there was a man making fresh samosas. (Veggie and potato filled pockets) We got some and they were so so good. Shana loves food so I told her she came to the right place!!!! She has won Josna and Sumita’s approval beside she takes seconds.😂
August 17: The trains are running again, also the intercity train is going as well. Saw it going today with people standing on top of it so business as usual. The jams are absolutely frightful these days. It’s been taking Jared an hour and a half to get to the clinic. He flys along on the expressway and then as soon as he is off the exit ramp at Farmgate everything comes to a halt. They closed off a shortcut road close by that area so now all traffic through there has to creep and crawl around a roundabout. He’s started leaving at 8:15 in the morning because at that hour it’s not jammed. Shana made us the most amazing Indian food for supper! I
told her she might wished she hadn’t cooked it for us cuz we might want more. 🫣😊
August 21: The children Shana and I took an Uber to the clinic. That’s my latest sense of adventure. If Jared has to go meet the auditor or attend to other business matters at the clinic on Wednesday the rest of this household gets an Uber. 😊 it makes me feel like I have an ounce of independence. Sometimes I have to run down to the gate and have the guard tell the Uber how to get here. We got off at Farmgate and behold a jam. I told the driver to drop us off on the side of the road. I think he thought I was crazy. So we bailed out, payed the guy, walked all through the jam up past the metro up to the intersection of old airport road then hailed a rickshaw and went the rest of the way to the clinic. Shana and I felt like raging feminist by the time we got there. We got our jollies because the clinic road is now paved and would you believe it they painted stripes on it just like a road at home!😂 it looks so out of place. The lanes are so narrow that at home they would be considered bicycle lanes. What a hoot. The students have been going around Dhaka painting huge murals on the walls and medians. They are beautiful and add color. Of course they are all about Hasina’s fall, the new freedom and very patriotic. some are graffiti and some have an astonishing amount of detail. The Bacha English School by the clinic has a lot along the wall. It’s kinda nice to see that instead of all the political posters that usually adorn any open area. Shana got her clothes from the tailor and they fit her perfectly!
August 23: Got to church like usual and what a pleasant surprise! A houseful of people! We got to church early so Shana and I went to the veggie wagon and got some vegetables. We were standing there deciding what to get and all of a sudden I hold “BRIANNA KHOKI!” (Auntie) I turned around and there was Hridoy and his friend Shurov. Shurov helped work here in Pink City when we were in the remodel phase. I said “ki?” Hridoy is in Dhaka now working at a textile factory. It’s about two hours commute to the clinic and he decided he wanted to come! We were thrilled. So church was Josna, Sumita, Miriam, Nathon, Hridoy, Shurov, us, one of Josna’s friends, one of Sumita’s nieces and then Abs wife Metali. It was FULL but so enjoyable. After church us ladies all sat and had cha in the kitchen and visited and Nathon and Jared discussed Lucifer or something like that. Hridoy and Shurov had to leave right after church to report back to the factory for duty. I said “next time you will stay for cha young man.” Hridoy told Jared that his factory has been working on sewing women’s jeans for a store in the US. He showed him a picture and they looked kinda gothic style. Supposedly they are selling for $180 a pair in the states. We asked Nathon and Hridoy if we could get a tour of a garment factory but he said they don’t let visitors in. After church we went to Jamuna. Uncle Trevor gave Layton his fish supplies so we needed some fish. Got just plain ole goldfish. Want to get some of the more fancy colorful fish but thought we’d start out easy first. The fish are cheaper than dirt here so if they die on us it’s not a huge loss. It’s so fun to watch those little boogers dart around.
August 25: Layton and Miss Shana’s first day of school! She turned the tract room into the cutest little classroom. Layton has been really excited to start school. She brought all kinds of fun things for school.😊 I made a banner that said “first day of school” and hung it up by the living room with a bunch of balloons and then made a “smart cookie.” A giant chocolate chip cookie with glasses and a big smiley face. (Thanks to Pinterest) wanted to do something special for the first day🥰 Layton and Shana came back from school saying they were starving so smart cookie didn’t last long. Layton told me “mom, I am pooped!” Later he said “if I have something interesting to say I have to wait until recess. But if I forget she’ll tell me.” Think it might take him a bit to remember that one. Shana said he did well with raising his hand. So ya we were all enthused at their enthusiasm🥰❤️ The metro has finally reopened. Curious to see if this will help the traffic jams? The metro workers were supposed to return to work quite awhile ago but they went on strike and demanded a higher wage. Finally an agreement was reached and they agreed to return to perform the safety tests needed to reopen. Two metro stations are still closed due to the vandalism they received July 18. But sounds like the remaining ones will be opened.
We have been getting lots and lots of rain this month!!! It’s been wonderful and the weather has been beautiful. Cooler. One day it was down to 80* and Layton was ready for socks and a sweater😂 The humidity is absolutely through the roof though. There have still been hot days (one was 96* and 90% humidity) but more cool days. Two more months and the heat should break for winter.
August 28: Layton told me after school that “I really like all that fun paperwork.”😂 This mom is trying to get used to her boy being gone in the mornings. Shania still takes a morning nap, so in the mornings I have two hours to myself where she sleeps. The house is really quiet and I do kind an enjoy it but I’m always glad when Layton and Shana come bursting through the doors hungry and happy about their school day. Layton is really enjoying school so far. Him and Shana did a science experiment where you put eggs in vinegar and food color and the shell gets eaten away and it leaves the egg all rubbery. This is right down Layton’s line.😊 Had lunch at the clinic today. Doyle’s came into town last night so they joined us. Josna made beef curry and shrimp curry. The beef curry was EXCEPTIONAL!
August 29: Doyle’s and Nathon came for
Supper. A really fun evening. Made enchiladas, Mexican rice and cabbage salad, then chocolate lava cake and icecream. I was glad for Shana’s help. Shania was in a rare mood and cried whenever anyone dared to look at her. Usually she loves when people come over for sure Nathon but she was not feeling it. 🫣
Thanks to everyone that has messaged and said they were praying for the situation in Bangladesh. We feel safe but it helps us sleep easy knowing all the prayers that are going up. For the most part all protests have stopped. Now there have been some “demonstrations” in the villages where Awami League was dominant but they seem to be more peaceful and less violent.
still committed….
Brianna and Co.
