Such big hearts for such a small country

Wednesday, 01 February 2012

- Katie McGill @ JAAGO

The first phrase I learned when I went to Bangladesh was ami khabo na! It means, “Please, don’t give me any more food or I’ll burst!” Those of you who are considering paying a visit, learn it now. Bengalis are very generous to their guests, and in Bangladesh, food is equal to love. During my 15 months in Bangladesh, I had a lot of delicious food and fell in love with the country and its people. Often, overwhelming amounts of both food and love left me feeling very filled.

The JAAGO Kids

If I had never joined JAAGO Foundation, I wouldn’t have dreamed that this generosity extended far beyond the wealthy people in Bangladesh into the heart of the slums. The children who study at JAAGO have very hard lives outside the classroom, but they smile, hug, kiss and draw pictures for the volunteers and teachers who help give them an education. These children understand what a gift they have been given through their education, but they don’t understand what a greater gift they are to us than we could ever repay.

Even though I couldn’t yet speak their native language, the children were so excited to practice their impressive English skills with me, create magnificent works of art together and teach me choice phrases of Bengali. They didn’t understand that I had to start small, so many of them tried to teach me the names of fruit I had never seen before I learned how to say “My name is Katie.” It has only been a couple months since I left, and I already miss the way they very sweetly mispronounced my name. The truth is, you can’t enter the school without smiling.

Volunteers for Bangladesh

The children are a huge part of what makes the school so amazing. But none of it would be possible without the help of the dedicated volunteers. Some of them rush from their University classes to assist a teacher in a class full of wild toddlers. Others work all night every night for weeks before a big event. All of them get to be a part of Bangladesh’s history as they participate in the development of their country. Many of them became my colleagues and good friends.

I was very fortunate to travel with some of the volunteers to help Volunteer for Bangladesh, the volunteer wing of JAAGO Foundation, grow. We worked together to help more young people like themselves know what it is like to do positive things for their nation. Whether they saw volunteering as a way to meet interesting people; add to their C.V.; or get away from drugs, crime or other destructive behavior, all of the volunteers that I met along the way had a sense of how important the work was for their nation. Many NGOs from all around the world have helped Bangladesh, but VBD empowers Bangladeshis to help each other.

Volunteering is pretty serious stuff, but I’m pretty sure I had the most fun of my life while I was living in Bangladesh. The mix of people from every age, class, nation, orientation and creed working together in one office made for some wild and crazy times. However, instead of giving away all the details of my exploits at JAAGO, I would encourage anyone who is reading this to create their own stories. It’s much more enjoyable that way. Let me just say that I would be very happy living on a rooftop in Bangladesh for the rest of my life.

The Work

Oh yes, we worked. And trust me, anyone who is wanting to work hard can find a place for themselves in JAAGO Foundation. The second day I spent in Bangladesh I was part of an assembly line delivering food to the children for an Iftar party. Soon after that I was designing FaceBook banners. A few months later, we were creating new websites together. I was able to design a sticker one week and the next week watch volunteers cover the country with my work. Not only did I feel extremely prolific, but I also had the satisfaction of knowing that what I did contributed in some small way to the education of the children who have changed my life.

The teachers and administrators could be making much larger salaries working almost anywhere else, but they have chosen to work at a free-of-cost English Medium school. No, it’s not because they are crazy (though we all probably are). It’s because whatever you do for JAAGO Foundation is not only incredibly rewarding but also extremely interesting. Though I brought my graphic design skills to JAAGO, I left knowing a lot more about designing for a completely different culture. I even learned how to design in Bengali. Plus, Korvi taught me everything I know about social networking. The staff at JAAGO challenged me every day to be better at what I do so that I could keep up with them. I was very lucky to be a part of that group.

The Life

When I first sat on top of a rickshaw in Bangladesh, I couldn’t stop laughing. “What’s so funny,” asked my friend. I replied, “every person I look at is staring back at me.”

It isn’t very common for foreigners to visit Bangladesh. And when they do, they rarely visit the slums. I was one of the few who felt like a celebrity just because of the color of my skin. Though it made me uncomfortable at first, I soon found it funny to see how big of a crowd we could gather when we went out for tea. Many people would ask to make friendship with me. Though I didn’t accept every offer for reasons of safety, I found it very welcoming to know that most Bangladeshis were not only curious about me but intensely welcoming.

This welcomeness made traveling very interesting. People approached us without fear, invited us into their homes and offered us home-cooked meals. Because I was a foreigner, they wanted me to see how wonderful their corner of Bangladesh truly was.

From the beaches of Saint Martin to the marshes of the Sundarbon, and even within the city of Dhaka, there is so much that Bangladesh can offer. But you can see the tourism sites for that. And trust me, tourism in Bangladesh is more of an adventure than you might imagine.

Though I could go on for hours about my experience with JAAGO and in Bangladesh, I know that I can never encompass my experience in words. All I can say is amar mon theke JAAGO jabe na. There will always be a place in my heart for JAAGO, Bangladesh and its people.