peace in the Sundarbans

Out of the chaos of Dhaka, and five days spent in heaven in Bagerhat and the Sundarbans. Traveling on a boat through the country. Reading, drinking tea, relaxing, and site seeing. Absolutely wonderful trip.
No real post today, but some pictures below.

Bagerhat: a city of mosques and cultivated gardens

Largest mosque in the city, with 240 columns and 60 domes

Future Husband and I walking through town, chatting up some local kids

Fisherman pulling up nets

Beach at the Bay of Bengal, where we swam, took mud bathes, and enjoyed the warm water and cool breeze

Relaxing on the boat, with a cup of tea and a good book

done! completed! finished!

Okay, full disclosure: I'm not actually done.
But I am almost done.
As you can see, my examination has been approved:

Fancy, signed, document -- saying "passed!"

And essentially that means: I'm done with my master's degree!
Sure, I still have some paper writing and revising to do -- but that's on the agenda for next week. For now I'm in a dead sprint to finish up some tables and revise a paper for submission to a journal -- but I should be done before too long!

It's been an exciting few days. My department threw my a little party, with some [apple juice] bubbly and tasty snacks. That night I went out for a beer with a friend -- and it was a great time.
Really, I haven't done as much work as I should have in the past few days -- but things will move along, soon enough!

Chalk congratulations!

Tomorrow I head out from here, to travel back to where my parents leave (plus kitty) until I fly out to Bangladesh on the 11th. So crazy how fast this semester (and really the past two years) have gone by.
Graduate school is hard. Things can be difficult -- but I guess in the end it all pays off. And I'm going to start again soon enough. Good thing that this is what I want to be doing.

news update -- and an excellent report

Yesterday I complained about the lack of coverage of the building collapse in Bangladesh. Today, my sentiments are largely the same -- save for an amazing report done by Democracy Now.
I just wanted to post an update so that people knew that there was reporting being done, and that there were places to go in order to get more information.

An already phenomenal news program (and my morning gym listening), had some truly excellent coverage of this story. Charles Kernaghan, director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights; Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity; and Sumi Abedin, a survivor the the factory fire in November, were all interviewed and were amazing. Hearing reports of what the conditions are like, how things have changed over time, and what still needs to be done, filled me with hope and inspiration. I highly encourage anyone reading this to listen to / watch the program. I found the two activists engaging, but Sumi Abedin, a factory worker, who survived another tragedy absolutely incredible. Her story was heart-wrenching, and infuriating. I don't want to rehash her story here, since I think that you should listen to it yourself -- but I will say this: no one should ever find a door at their workplace padlocked so that they cannot escape in a time of danger, and no one should ever jump out of a window, not expecting to survive, so that their family, at least, can identify their bodies. Ms. Abedin did both -- and that, is something we must ensure never happens again.

This story isn't being covered in the mainstream media as much as it deserves (which is outrageous), but there are some great stories, done by great reporters out there. And thank goodness for that. At least there is one place that people can go and hear things that are happening.
And I thank you all over at Democracy Now tremendously for all that you do, and encourage you to keep up the good work (as though you need my encouragement!).

And, as an aside, if anyone at the Institute for Global Labour and Human rights ever reads this -- you should drop me a line. I think I would be a great contributor to your organization -- in any way that I can help. I'm a development economist, and I know that these are things we need to fix -- and have some ideas on how to do it.
I figure putting this idea out in the universe is going to get me closer -- at least I've put words to my goals -- and now I'll work to make it happen. 

no news is good news

Lately, I've been paying a great deal of attention to the news. With the bombings in Boston, international travel on the horizon, and a Future Husband already abroad, I've been keeping a closer eye on the news than I might otherwise.
And it has been making me angry.

Bangladesh, where Future Husband is, is the best example of my anger, for the time being. Putting aside, for a minute, the protests, threats, and deaths caused by political strife that have been ignored for months -- there is news in that country which has gone wholly unnoticed. Yesterday, a building collapsed. A building full of people. Factory workers. It's honestly something out of the 1920s, before unionization and standards for working conditions here in the United States.
As of now, 238 people have died. Thousands more are trapped within the building.
And I haven't heard about it once. At I listen to NPR every morning, I listen to Democracy Now while I'm at the gym. I read the NYTimes -- but even there, which generally covers everything, the story was buried. I'm not saying that I'm the end all the be all resource on news, or that even what I think should be reported, should be reported -- but I think that the deaths of over 200 people begs some reporting, begs some mention on the front page of something.
Maybe as things develop then maybe there will be more reports. A fire which happened in a factory in December got lots of press. Maybe it'll just take time. But I suppose that's some of my objection -- there shouldn't be a delay.

Bangladesh is a tremendously poor country. They have some of the lowest wages in the entire world -- and as a result, they make a lot of our clothing. Have you ever bought anything at H+M? Because it was probably made in Bangladesh.
I don't have a big problem with this. I'm not a labor economist, it's not my job to make rules or suggestions about how a country should make economic policy or determine wage rules.
However, I am a human. I am a citizen of the world. And I am able to say: at the very least, these people should be able to go to work without fear of being crushed to death or dying in a fire. There should be working standards. Even if, for me, that means paying $10 instead of $5 for a shirt.
In fact, I'm saying that I would do so happily.
This is a separate issue, however. What I think about working standards is an issue for another day, and issue for another person, in all probability.

However, why is it that this story is buried? Why is it that the deaths of these people are worth less? Is it because Bangladesh is not a country which we, as Americans, often think about? [As an aside, someone asked me about a month ago, with not joking, if I was excited to visit South America...] I really don't understand it, and its just making me angry.
I understand that it's just news, and really just reporting on it has limited effects, but why is it that we can't even seem to do that? 

things I'm thankful

A few things that I'm feeling thankful for this week, as I rush through to the end of my master's degree! Counting down six days to my presentation and a few more than that to submitting my paper. Final push, and every blessing feels even bigger.
So lately I've been thankful for:

1. As usual, my beautiful, happy, cheerful kitty cat.
The other day she picked up both my shoes and moved them into "her" room, where she then cried for me to come. When I did, this is what I found -- plus some chewing on the shoes.
The whole situation made me laugh out loud, and looking back on this picture has cracked me up every time I look at it.

Can cats have bitch-face? I think she's got something like that going
on here!

2. Amazing concerts and amazing friends. I went and saw Amy LaVere at a local brewing company last week with two friends. She played for three hours (seriously), chatted, and was all around amazing. Check her out -- because she is seriously amazing.
It was probably the best concert that I've been to (with no dancing, but that's a whole different animal), and the great company and excellent beer didn't hurt a bit.
I know that the next few days after this one were rough -- but having these amazing memories to keep in my brain and keep on track made things a whole lot more amazing.

It blows my mind that I got to be so close, for so long, to such amazing
talent!

3. Blooming trees.

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes things are rough.

But then trees bloom, life is beautiful, and the rough things don't seem quite so rough. 

Blooming trees on campus -- and these are only a few! I have one in my
front yard, that I'm kind of obsessed with, too!

If a tree can summon the energy to bloom -- then I can do the same. 

my April book pile

I really admire blogs that are able to have reoccurring segments. It shows to me a devotion to a subject, not to mention some skill in remembering to repeat things!
I have tried (a couple times) to establish segments which repeat...but I haven't been able to get them off the ground. But, I think this one might just stick! Once a month (randomly in the month) I'm going to review the books which are in my pile. I have between one and six going at a time (or just on my to read list, and therefore living on my coffee table).
In this, I will refrain from mentioning any academic papers, New Yorkers, or Atlantics (or Vogue, if we're being honest) that I might be reading -- and just focus on the books.

So here it is: my book pile, April edition! 

Eight books! Let's be honest though, we all know I''m not really reading all of these!

From top to bottom:

     1. The Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Probably the most read book of the month. Future Husband and I are reading it together (albeit several thousand miles apart). I don't love it as much as I've loved Dostoevky's other books, but it is enjoyable. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough religous background (upbringing, perhaps) for this book, and to really understand it in a deeper way, but there are parts that make me laugh out loud, and parts that bring me close to tears. So, all around a good read, I'd say!

     2. Nepal, the Lonely Planet Guide

Upcoming planning for my trip! I've read it nearly cover to cover. Let me say this: Lonely Planet Guides are absolutely the best there is.That's right: I have a brand loyalty for a book!

     3. The End of Battle, by Evelyn Waugh

This is a bit of a start and stop for me. I began it at the beginning of the month, and am still going. It's the third book in a trilogy which I love tremendously, but things keep coming up, and I'm not progressive. Waugh is a phenomenal author, and this entire series paints a great (and often comical) portrait of war. Although painted with a humorous brush, the grim aspects are brought out, and despite the laughs, you leave with the understanding of a classic anti-war novel.

     4. Too Close to the Sun, by Sara Wheeler

This just came in the mail yesterday! Future Husband heard me bemoaning my lack of short, delicious, and digestable fiction. So this is for me! I haven't read a lot about it, but if you're read or seen Out of Africa, then you may be familiar with the characters -- since its a non-fiction story of those same events!

     5. Salt, by Mark Kurlansky

Another start and stop. I started it on the plane coming back earlier this week. I've read it before, but figured I could use a refresher. It's a great book -- and I love me some salt, so why not learn more about it!? 

     6. War, by Sebastian Junger

Given to me by my brother, during my trip. Another short non-fiction book, which I am all too excited to read. The author also wrote The Perfect Storm, so you know it's bound to be good!

     7. Second Sex, by Simone de Beauvoir

This is taking me forever to read! I began in French, although recently switched to an English translation. I'm oscillating back and forth (working on my simultaneous translation), but boy, is this book a bear! It almost seems that it was intended to be a textbook, but has been put into a pop-culture content due to the important of the topic. 

     8. The Cherry Blossom Festival, by Ann McClellan  

Purchased during my trip! And I met the author! A beautiful history of the cherry blossom festival. A great, easy, and enjoyable read for when I want to read something quick -- but something that doesn't require full focus.

So, what have you been reading?

Has anyone read any of these? What did you think?

I love talking about books, so hit me with your favorites!

Boston, you're still my home

I'm sure that by now most people have heard around the horrible incident today in Boston, by the finish line of the marathon.
I grew up outside of Boston, some of my fondest memories are centered around the city, traveling in, exploring, and discovering the love of a town bigger than my own. It is so hard to believe that something so awful could happen so close to home.
It was one of those things that you don't quite believe it at first, but then, everything flooded in, and you're stuck with fear and shock. Despite the phone lines being down throughout the city, was to get in touch with everyone that I knew that lives in the area, or was just up to run for the day -- and thankfully, everyone is safe and sound.

In the light of disasters like this, I think that often we want to give up on humanity. We want to find the cause of the attack, and make sure that that person (or persons) pays for what they've done, the harm they've done, and the fear they've caused.
But, even when we want to do this, we need to remember the people who were hurt. The people who are scared, are injured, or have passed on. These are the people we need to remember now, and keep in our prayers and thoughts.
And in addition to those people, it is also crucial to remember the people who run into the disaster. In every clip I've seen today, there are people running towards the explosions, toward the people who were hurt, to make sure that they could do everything that they could do. These brave people, the first responders, the national guard, everyone who was there to make sure that everyone was all right -- these are great people. It is so wonderful to see, that even in the horror of such a disaster, people are helping. Thank you to all of those who help. It feels appropriate to share this quote, which I've seen circulating recently, from Mister Rogers:

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" 

Thank you all those who help.
My thoughts and prayers are with all those in Boston.

And Boston, even though I'm far away, you're still my home: