Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Looking Past the Little Things

Colourful vegetables in the market...
A small crowd gathering to watch us buy coconuts...
The rainbow variety of cloth to choose from...
The varied and occasionally semi-musical honking...
The slightly yellowed tinge of curried fingers...
Children playing cricket in the field...
The every day...

This is Bangladesh. A country of colour, noise, smells, an assault on your senses. Watching people as they arrive and process the sights, sounds and smells of this new country is provides a chance to reflect and once again notice the little things I miss everyday. The things that have, despite the seemingly constant newness and incredibly unbelievable experiences, become routine and so often go unnoticed. The quickly approaching vehicle, the crowds that gather when foreigners have congregated around a store, these are routine and often go unnoticed or undernoticed in my everyday life. It is a privilege to have the opportunity not only to share my knowledge and experiences with this Shikka team, but also to see things more from the perspective provided by fresh eyes. To note once again the beauty in the mundane, the excitement in the routine, the beauty that is Bangladesh. The beauty that is sometimes hidden behind blinders but does exist outside of my occasionally jaded vision. This week I have had the opportunity to see the little things instead of looking past them.

Shanti.
Steve.

1 comment:

Phyl said...

Hi Steve! Enjoying your blog! Especially the story of keeping track of everyone in the rain on the rickshaws... You may remember me - I met you when we visited Fishers this past March. I came with Gayle's Sister Audrey and Niece Cherylyn. Your descriptions are really great and bring back wonderful surreal memories... Peace to you! Phyllis