My Bangladesh Quiz

For those of you who got a look at my Bangladesh Quiz and for those of you who sent back your guesses thank you. For those of you who didn't see the quiz, it was a fun way to show people the random things I had experienced in my first two months in Bangladesh. I will give the questions with the proper answer indicated. I will then provide a brief description. Hope you all enjoy!

1. Which of the following buses have I not seen while in Bangladesh?
a) A bus with a large hole in the floor
b) A bus with no working meters (speedometer, odometer, etc.)
>c) A bus with no roof<
d) A bus with no front windshield or grate with a visible motor
I have been on a bus with a large hole in the floor, watched the ground rush by underneath, I have never been in a bus with working meters (they are always broken) and I have in fact seen a bus with the entire front of the bus missing. I could see the driver's foot on the gas pedal moving up and down. The only kind of bus I haven't seen is one with no roof because people are always sitting on the roof.

2. Which of the following animals have I not seen on some type of rickshaw?
a) Cows
>b) Dogs<
c) Goats
d) Chickens
I have never seen a dog on a rickshaw because dogs here are generally not pets. I often see chickens and goats on rickshaws and cows do appear on flatbed rickshaws fairly regularly although the sight of a cow on a rickshaw does still catch me off guard.

3. What is my average living cost per day without any large purchases (including lodging, meals, tea, transportation and internet)? (Approximate US Dollars)
a) $0.80
>b) $1.30<
c) $1.90
d) $2.80
e) $5.00
This was calculated before the US Dollar plunged, so now it would be a little higher. Two months ago the average was $1.30 per day. That is actually under the UN basis for living in poverty which I am definitely not doing! So that goes to say that numbers need to be looked at carefully!

4. Which animal have I not seen inside a bus?
a) Chicken
b) Goat
>c) Pig<
d) Duck
I have not seen a pig inside a bus. Pigs and hogs are only raised by indigenous groups and are not eaten by either the muslim majority of the hindu minority. Only Christian and animist tribal groups eat pork, so I have never seen a pig inside a bus. Everything else I have seen, often flapping around and causing a rucus.

5. The famous Chinese motor is not used for which of these?
a) Boat motors
>b) Tempo motors<
c) Tube well motors
d) Fan belt motors
e) Tractor motors
The answer is a little stumper because many people do not know what a tempo is (oops) A tempo is a small taxi with two bench seats in the back. They generally stink and are not very comfortable. I in fact had the front wheel of one of my tempos fall off while driving once (not a nice experience). All the other items use chinese motors. Chinese motors are very basic and very noisy, you seem them almost everywhere you go.

6. The best quality goods in Bangladesh come from which country?
a) The United States of America
b) Bangladesh
c) Japan
>d) China<
e) Korea
The best quality goods in Bangladesh come from China (copies of Japanese or quality goods) The following is often heard in order to convince you to buy something, "Made in China, best quality!"

7. What type of house or building have I not stayed in while in Bangladesh?
>a) Wood<
b) Brick
c) Concrete
d) Mud
I have never stayed in a building made out of wood in Bangladesh. There may have been wood for the bed and dresser, but not the frame. Concrete and brick frames are most common in the cities, and mud houses are common in villages. I in fact stayed for a week in a friend's house on the second floor of their mud home.

8. What is the name of Bangladesh's version of the Kit-Kat bar?
a) Lic-Lac bar
b) Tit-Tat bar
>c) Nic-Nac bar<
d) Chit-Chat bar
The Nic-Nac bar is looks indentical to the Kit-Kat bar and is always placed next to the imported real version. The packaging is indistinguishable except for the name "Nic-Nac". Recently I was looking at cell phones and noticed the following "name-brands" all made to look official. "NOKLA", "NCKIA", "Suny Ericssun", "Suny Erikssun", and a fake iPOD.

9. Cow feces is not found in which of the following ways in Bangladesh?
a) Formed into paddies and thrown against a wall
b) In cooking fires as fuel
>c) Sold as fertilizer<
d) Formed into kebabs on sticks
I am always fascinated at the many uses of cow feces. The only way I have not seen cow feces is sold as fertilizer. In the winter it is often formed by hand around sticks to be dried on the roof. Another common drying technique is formed into paddies and thrown against a wall, telephone pole, etc. These are all then used as fuel for cooking fires once they are dried.

10. Which is most likely to be found in a home?
>a) Cell phone<
b) Television
c) Radio
d) Computer
The cell phone has taken off in Bangladesh. It is not out of the question to see a poor rickshaw wallah chatting away on his cell phone. Minutes here are cheap and the phone is not particularly expensive. Even if people don't own a phone, many own a SIM Card which they borrow other people's phones to use.

11. Which animal are you least likely to see on the streets of Mymensingh?
a) Goat
>b) Cat<
c) Cow
d) Dog
e) Chicken
Cats are the least common animal I have seen in Bangladesh. There are a few at Taize, but outside Taize there are almost no cats. Lots of stray dogs and cows wandering the streets. Chickens are mostly being carried on bikes and rickshaws and goats are wandering around grazing all over.

12. What is the most common thickness of mattress in Bangladesh?
>a) 2-inches<
b) 5-inches
c) 7-inches
d) 10-inches
In this I was considering people who actually have mattresses, not the people who sleep on burlap sacks and on the concrete. Of people with beds and mattresses the average is no more than 2-inches. My mattress is less than 2 inches thick and I rarely see people with mattresses thicker than that unless I am at a guest house.

13. How many different styles of cycle-rickshaw in Bangladesh have I ridden on?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
>d) 4<
e) 5
All rickshaws are cycle-rickshaws, some are the type you normally think of, some are flatbed normally used for carrying goods, some have two bench seats for carrying large numbers of people and some are like little boxes on bicycles. I have ridden on them all!

14. What is the most common question I am asked on the streets in Bangladesh?
>a) Your country please?<
b) Your name please?
c) Your brothers and sisters how many?
d) Your age please?
The first question, and only thing people tend to care about is what country you are from. Your name often does not appear in a conversation, nor does your age. Whether you are married or not is common as is how many siblings you have. Your enjoyment of the sport of cricket is another common question. The list of questions would be easily compiled into about 6 sentences.

15. Which animal have I not had in my room?
a) Large spider
b) Large frog
c) Stray cat
>d) Bird<
e) Rat
The answer to this question changed the day I wrote the quiz. It was going to be a large frog, until the morning after I wrote the quiz and I saw a large frog hop across the floor of my room and into my shoe. So I had to come up with something else. I figured monkey would be too obvious, so I went with bird. I have a family of mice living in my room at the moment, and I had a large cockroach crawling up my leg on my first week in Bangladesh. Large spiders are not common but they definitely show up on occasion.

16. What is the average number of cups of "cha" (tea) that I drink in a day here in Bangladesh?
a) 2
b) 3
>c) 4<
d) 5
e) 6
Some people think I drink tonnes of tea! This is average folks! Yes some days I do drink as many as 7 or 8 cups of cha, but on a normal day it is 4 cups and occasionally I only drink 1 or 2 cups.

17. Which type of famous individual have I not met in Bangladesh?
a) Musician
b) Artist
c) Model
>d) Athlete<
I have met a famous Artist and designer, a famous musician, and a famous model (at a party in a mud house!). I also met the author of the next Lonely Planet guide book. I have not however met a famous athlete in Bangladesh.

18. How many lunghis (tubes of fabric worn by men) do I own?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
>d) 4<
e) 5
The answer as of the time I wrote this quiz was 4. I do now own 5 lunghis, all different funky designs and very comfortable. I always wear them around my room and bring them places for swimming and changing purposes.

19. A typical Bangladeshi family eats dinner at what time?
a) 6:00 pm
b) 7:00 pm
c) 8:00 pm
>d) 9:00 pm<
>e) 10:00 pm<
The answer to this question is after 9pm, why I put 10pm I don't know. I have eaten dinner as late as 11:30pm, although that was at a party that didn't end until 6am. Most times, people eat their "rice" at around 9pm.

20. What is the greatest number of people I have seen on a 2-person rickshaw in Bangladesh?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
>d) 5<
e) 6
The greatest number of people I've seen on a normal cycle-rickshaw is 5. This is 5 full grown men. Two on top, two on the seat, and one on the one man's lap, hanging off the side of the rickshaw. Now that was a sight to behold!

That was my quiz, hope it gives a little insight into the exciting time I had on my first two months in Bangladesh!

Peace.
Steve.