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Practicum Blogs
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If you have any questions for Shivani please send an email to: shivani.murthy@gmail.com or phsa@gwu.edu
A Glimpse of what I've been up to...
Nov 8, 2009
Hi everyone,
As you have probably guessed, I have completely lost track of time since my last update - I can not believe I have only one month left! I have certainly had a chance to learn much and explore many areas of Bangladesh, including Barisol (pronounced "bor-ee-shal"), a very lush region of the country with plenty of waterways and delicious fruits/vegetables. I spent a weekend there at the house of a friend. As in any other part of the world, it was a nice opportunity to get out of the bustling city of Dhaka and see daily life at a slower pace in a quieter town. This past weekend, I visited Cox's Bazar, which is known to be the longest beach in the world. Going to the beach in Bangladesh is of course a different experience than doing the same in the US - few people venture far into the ocean to swim, and I don't think I saw anyone in a swimsuit. But it was absolutely beautiful, and pictures will be up soon :)
My experience at my internship has also been great - while the work in the office is generally providing assistance on various short-term projects, I have enjoyed my time participating in student activities and visiting the field the most. A few weeks ago, I was able to participate in a field visit to Kalikur, an area right outside Dhaka city. There, students questioned mothers, health workers, local council members, and school teachers on their perceptions of nutrition, whether the nutritional needs of children residing in the area were being met, and what was being done through schools, partnerships with NGOs, or other means to help meet these needs. It was encouraging to learn that schools made an effort to incorporate lessons on nutrition and healthy foods into the curriculum, particularly for young children. However, the barriers to accessing nutritional foods have little to do with awareness in the community, and more to do with political will and financial means to obtain appropriate foods. Next week, I will be able to participate in similar field activities for infectious diseases, which should be very interesting.
I have also learned of and visited the site for another smaller organization called The Dhaka Project. I strongly encourage you to visit their website: www.thedhakaproject.org and read up on the work they are doing. They were established in 2005 with the help of the Emirates Foundation (from the airlines), and have done amazing work. Their target population is small - only about 500 children residing in one particular area of Dhaka - but the impact they are making for the families in terms of health and education support is truly outstanding. If you are looking to volunteer at a worthwhile organization overseas, definitely look into this one.
Festival, politics and a visit to the countryside
Oct 1, 2009
Hello all,
Finally, I have pictures from the holiday break:
Delicious cuisine from a roadside stall. It tasted so good,
it was totally worth the risk! LOL ;)
This street is known as "Hindu Street", where all the Durga statues are displayed
A priest at a temple performing the ceremony
Best rotis I've ever tasted!!
Sketchiest carnival ride... Ever! It make a horrible shreiking noise
and the seating car looked like a death trap...
...And then I had a go
One of many memorials in Dhaka that we passed by
on the way to the river
Festival procession
Lots of dancing, clapping and singing
Beautiful landscape
We visited some truly beautiful spots around Dhaka and the outskirts of the city, and had the opportunity to participate in the Durga Puja, which is a Hindu festival that is very popular among the Bengali people. It definitely will remain one of the high points of the trip.
My Bangla is getting a little bit better - or at least, I'm in a better position to negotiate with rickshaw drivers :) I have also become a bit bolder about the food, and have tried some of the most delicious cuisine in hole-in-the-wall diners and roadside stalls. Perhaps it's not something a public health student should do, but it was certainly worth it!
One interesting thing to note about Bangladesh is the politics - the reason this country is often referred to as "unstable" or "turbulent" is because of the fragile nature of the political system. Like many other countries, corruption plays a big role in this, and no one trusts the government to take care of their needs. For example, the road in front of our dorm is terrible, and neighbors always laugh and say it has been like that for years, and will probably remain like that for many years. And this is considered the wealthier area of Dhaka. This kind of negligence and misuse of public funding extends to all sectors, including health and education.
Interestingly, young people, such as college students and young professionals - play a very large role in shaping political parties and campaigns - so large that in conversations with some doctors and other members of the community, I learned their opinion is that most universities and the higher education system have become as corrupt as the political system.
I'm not sure how much of that is true, and I think I would have to live here much longer to really understand, but it is intriguing. I am so used to, first of all, young people being generally apathetic about politics (until recent years), and, secondly, students affecting positive change, because they have not yet been corrupted by "the system."
I intend to research this a bit more in the coming weeks, and maybe ask some students about their opinion. Unfortunately I will not be here for any major election seasons.
Hope all is well, and stay tuned!
ODDS & ENDS Sept 18, 2009
Hi everyone,
It's around 6:20 pm on Friday September 18th, and I have finally figured out which computers in the dorm lab have the good internet connection :) My first few days here have been interesting as I've settled down and gotten my bearings.
For starters, my internship is with BRAC University's James P. Grant School of Public Health - specifically their Center for Gender, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS. While most of Dhaka appears conservative, downtrodden and chaotic, BRAC University really stands out in its staff, students and generally forward-thinking approach - not surprising for a university. My supervisor is Dr. Sabina Rashid, a woman raised in Australia (originally from Bangladesh) and trained as an anthropologist who has spent nearly 25 years researching gender health issues in Bangladesh. My co-workers have all had some experience working/studying out of the country in the US and India on issues of gender-based violence or HIV/AIDS.
At my dorm, called Gulshan TARC (Training and Resource Centre), there are roughly 30 other MPH students, of which around half are international. Most of them have their medical degree but do not intend to practice clinically - they plan to return to their original country and work on health infrastructure or programming for an NGO or the government. The Bangladeshi students are keen on working for the government in the health sector to improve services and outreach.
It's great to have a support network of welcoming students in the dorm and co-workers in the office - because frankly, the rest of the city is not welcoming towards foreigners and fairly hostile towards women. I seem to be bearing an unfortunate combination of the two - because I look Bengali, I get more catcalls and what is called "eve-teasing," and because I don't speak much of the language, once I open my mouth I get overcharged and asked for money all the time. Traveling after dark alone is highly dangerous, and even during daylight it took a little time to adjust to the open staring and jeering on the street. One thing the University does not provide is transportation to and from the office, so it was challenging at first trying to figure out how to get there. The options are: a rickshaw, which takes the longest but is the cheapest, and a CNG or a 3-wheeled taxi, which is hard to find in the TARC area, is costlier, but is faster. I worked out a system where I hitch a ride with the other students, who take a rented car to a research center where they have classes, then take a rickshaw ride for 10 minutes to my office. It works out much cheaper, and I deal with much less staring :)
The food at the dorm is great, and my only health issue was adjusting to the pollution in the city - my throat felt closed up and clogged for about 4 days. Otherwise, there hasn't been much rain, and the temperature is consistently in the high 80s or 90s - a humid day in Florida, really. We all have the next week off for Eid, the Muslim holiday, and Durga Puja, the Hindu holiday (Hindus make up a significant minority). We go back to the office on the 29th. During this time, I plan to tour Dhaka with some of the other students and visit some famous places - should be fun!
That's all for now - I've taken a few pictures, but I have not uploaded them yet - when I do, I will send around a link. Stay tuned for the next update in about a week :)
Eid Mubarak, and hope all is well!
OVER THE DHAKA HORIZON Sept 9, 2009
Hello all,
As some of you may already know, I will be spending September - December in Dhaka, Bangladesh for my field experience for my MPH degree. Exciting! At first I thought I would get a blog in place and update it with fun pictures and stories, but slow internet connection and misadventures in finding decent wireless are preventing that at the moment. I'll aim for weekly emails.
Right now, not a whole lot to report - the dorm is decent although showering is an adventure, traffic is horrendous, and I am battling the urge to sink into a deep sleep...at least until 8 pm tonight, Dhaka time. It's very much like India - the only difference is I see lots of fast food advertisements targeting Muslims fasting for Ramadan - "unlimited pizza," "bottomless KFC buckets," and so on, for certain limited hours in the evening.
Also, Qatar Airways is amazing - I highly recommend it, especially for long flights.
I'll have lots more in a week!
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