An "Initial Impression" Overview of the Group

I’ve spend the last 24 hours meeting the other people who I’ll be spending the summer with. Here’s the list of names, universities, and “status” of each individual – along with my some extra info I’ve learned about each of them:

Naheed Ahmed - James Madison University (Recent *under*graduate - Anthropology)
Naheed grew up in Fairfax county and her parents are Bangladeshi, though they’ve lived here the majority of their lives. Her primary focus is on her cultural heritage – as well as the fact that her undergraduate degree focused on South Asian Studies.

Samantha Christiansen - Northeastern University (Graduate - History)
Sam lives in Boston, is married, and has a four year old son named Atticus (after Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”). She is a PhD student who is writing her dissertation about student involvement in the 1971 Bangladeshi Liberation war.

Megan Cohen - Brown University (Recent *under*graduate - Anthropology)
After the summer program, Megan is staying in Bangladesh until January – doing an unpaid internship with BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee).

Alex Dodson - University of Texas at Austin (Graduate - Anthropology)
Alex showed up to orientation with his wife and very literally newborn baby. He also has a 7-year-old son. He was previously in the Peace Corp in Bangladesh, and is writing his thesis on the disenfranchisement of tribal Bangladeshis living in the Chittagong Hill Tract region.

Anne Friedman - Brown University (Recent *under*graduate - Sociology)
Anne plans to get her Master’s in social work, but her primary interest in Bangladesh is feminist outreach and microcredit in developing countries.

Karen Frost - Mount Holyoke College (Undergraduate - Asian Studies)
Karen did the beginner program last year, and is returning this year for the intermediate program.

Diana Hochner - Temple University (Recent *under*graduate - Anthropology)
Wants to study microcredit in the place where it began.

Kira Krown - University of Wisconsin, Madison (Undergraduate - Asian Studies)
Kira did the beginner program last year, and is returning this year for the intermediate program.

Jennifer McFadden - Georgetown University (Graduate - Linguistics)
Jennifer did the beginner program last year, and is returning this year for the intermediate program.

Katherine Meck - American University (Recent *under*graduate - International Affairs/Relations)
Kate wants to study microcredit in the place where it began.

Noelle Miller - University of Southern California (Undergraduate - Anthropology)
Noelle is majoring in anthropology and film, and plans to make a movie about her experience in Bangladesh.

Luke Murphy - Yale University (Undergraduate – Humanities)
No details available.

Thomas Neal - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Undergraduate - Linguistics)
No details available.

Sabrina Rahman - Columbia University (Graduate - International Affairs/Relations)
Sabrina’s parents are both Bangladeshi, and in addition to its relevance to her major, she wants to learn about her parents language and culture.

Ann Marie Spencer - George Washington University (Recent Graduate - Economics)
Annie is another one interested in microcredit.

Christiana Thanos - Columbia University (Graduate - Social work)
Christiana worked in an orphanage in a Bengali speaking area of India last year, and plans to return there throughout her life, which is why she wants to know the language.

Out of 10,400 applicants, I still wonder how I made it into this group… as I don’t have a similar background to any of these people. They’re all very “academic,” which makes me a little uncomfortable. They’re all talking about their next degree or their Fullbright applications… Meanwhile, I’m all, “Yeah, I’ll finish my Master’s when I get around to it…” Fortunately, my self-confidence is pretty unshakable, so I’m sure I’ll survive – even if they all think I’m a slacker :-)

The Bengali Alphabet/Script

Bengali is written in a script called the Bengali script. The letters in the Bengali script are grouped together based on the way they are pronounced. The first 11 letters are all vowels. Then follows the consonants and finally the semi vowels.

The consonants are grouped based on how they are pronounced. First comes the velar consonants, then the palatal, the retroflex, the dental, and the labial consonants. Each group contains five consonants.

All the vowels come in two versions in the script: full vowel and vowel sign. The vowel sign is much simpler than the full vowel. It is used when a vowel follows a consonant. If a vowel follows another vowel, or if a words starts with a vowel, the full vowel is used. The is no pronunciation differences between full vowels and vowel signs.

The vowel signs are written next to the preceding consonant. Some vowel signs are written before, some after, some below, and some above the consonant. And one vowel sign is simply not written at all: the absense of a sign is the sign itself! This vowel is called the inherent vowel.

If two or more consonants are following each other, then the consonants are not written in full. Instead they "melt together" and form a new symbol. Some of these symbols are easy to recognize. However, some are very different from the full versions of the consonants.

Bengali uses the same punctuation marks as English, except for the full stop which is represented by a vertical line.

Source: http://www.it-c.dk/people/pfw/bengali/index.html

Flight Itinerary

I received my flight itinerary today. According to the information below, I'll be in the air a total of about 17 hours on the way to Bangladesh, and about 21 hours on the return trip (slightly longer because I am re-routing to visit family in upstate NY). Both flights have a layover in London.

The time difference between D.C. and Dhaka is +11 hours.

09 Jun 07 - Saturday

Air United Airlines Flt:924 Economy Multi Meals
Lv Washington Dulles 947p Eqp: Boeing 777
07hr 13min

10 Jun 07 - Sunday
Ar London Heathrow 1000a Non-Stop
Arrive: Terminal 3

Air British Airways Flt:145 Economy Meals
Lv London Heathrow 325p Eqp: Boeing 777
Depart: Terminal 4 09hr 45min

11 Jun 07 - Monday
Ar Dhaka 610a Non-Stop

Return flight:

11 Aug 07 - Saturday

Air British Airways Flt:144 Economy Meals
Lv Dhaka 825a Eqp: Boeing 777
10hr 40min
Ar London Heathrow 205p Non-Stop
Arrive: Terminal 4

Air United Airlines Flt:925 Economy Multi Meals
Lv London Heathrow 420p Eqp: Boeing 777
Depart: Terminal 3 08hr 12min
Ar Washington Dulles 732p Non-Stop

Air United Airlines Flt:8331 Economy
Washington Dulles-Ottawa On Operated By Air Canada
Lv Washington Dulles 920p Eqp: Canadair Reg Jet
01hr 30min
Ar Ottawa On 1050p Non-Stop

In the News: "Give Bangladesh Priority: US Team Urges Bush"

By Nazrul Islam, Dhaka, May 13:

A high-powered US delegation that made a brief visit to Bangladesh has suggested the Bush administration to give Dhaka high priority as a strategic partner in the US's efforts on war on terror, especially against the Islamic extremists.

The delegation headed by a Congressman, in a letter to US President, also praised the role of the Bangladesh's military forces, which is now backing the interim government to fight corruption and bring transparency in political process, according to a media report.

"The US has rare opportunity now to help shape the future of an important nation. Bangladesh is potentially a crucial player in the struggle against Islamic extremism, and this is a crucial period for that country," the Daily Star newspaper quoted the letter to have said.

The five-member delegation, headed by Congressman Curt Weldon, during the visit held a series of meetings with leaders in the interim administration, senior civil and military officials and businessmen.

Bangladesh is geo-politically important because of its three nuclear-capable neighbours - India, China and Pakistan - in the region.

The team also comprised the former deputy assistance secretary of defence W Bruce Weinrod, retired US Air Force Major General Ronald J Bath, retired US Army Colonel Timothy D Ringgold, and retired US Coast Guard commander Michael D Kearney.

They had discussions with various leaders and officials in Bangladesh keeping in mind the US foreign and national security policies against the backdrop of its exposure to Islamic extremism to develop the framework for a major conference on homeland security issues to be held in Bangladesh later this year.

The letter said the US could help ensure a democratic and pro-Western nation, and prevent the emergence of another highly unstable Islamic nation vulnerable to extremism by giving priority to Bangladesh.

The team termed Bangladesh as a generally moderate Islamic country although it is the third largest Muslim country, and it could be "a strong member of a moderate Islamic coalition that rejects fanaticism and terrorism".

The security team in its letter also recommended that the US take a pro-active role in assisting Bangladesh to improve its political and economic situation so that Bangladesh will not provide fertile ground for extremist fanaticism.

It noted that Bangladesh was passing through a "political and economic transition" when key leaders were seeking to strengthen and deepen the national democratic political system and also crack down on "endemic" corruption.

On increased defense ties, the letter pointed out that the Bangladeshi military plays a key role in the nation.

"The military leadership is at this time assuming a low-profile and positive role in encouraging needed changes in the Bangladeshi political system" and in the efforts to end rampant corruption there.

"The US should reinforce and in effect reward the Bangladeshi military for their role and restraint. Enhanced military-to-military and as appropriate, civilian-to-military programs and visits are very much in the US national interest," the delegation's letter said.