imagine sailing down one of the mighty rivers of Bangladesh, enter a small stream and sail through lazy villages and paddy fields for hours, then anchor and walk into a remote forgotten village – and greet the simple, friendly people in their own language…
you are no more a foreigner or stranger – you are their friend, their brother and their guest and you will be met with a hospitality, a curiosity and a warmth which is hard to find anywhere else.
why i wanted to learn bengali is not difficult to answer. I have lived here since 1994, and from the day I came I started practicing. If I am to live for some time in another country, I should learn as much of the language as possible.
Understanding and using the local language removes the “foreigner” label that sticks to you, it opens new doors into a new culture and it makes me so many more friends!
So when living here, loving here and staying here, knowing bengali has made my stay much richer and more fun than it would have if I hadn’t taken the challenge.
Jedisena what's with all the spiders, catching things and eating their insides
What brought you to Bengladesh? What is the religious and political climate like? Are there English-speaking communities?
How did you go about learning Bangla? I’m trying to learn it from a book, but the main disadvantage is that I’m never sure if I’m making the correct sounds (my wife used to speak Urdu, which is similar, but she is long out of practice). Any tips? I have been to Bangladesh once, and I’m very keen to go back, but I’d like to be able to speak Bangla fluently enough to converse before I do return.
Jedisena what's with all the spiders, catching things and eating their insides
What caused you to visit Bangladesh?
Micky wants to Read all the books on the BBC Big Read Top 100
find someone to spend the rest of my life with
be a vegetarian for a week
build furniture
spend less time online
be more positive
make brendon urie of panic! at the disco fall in love with me
get out of debt
meet panic! at the disco
Sing in front of a crowd
go on a road trip with no predetermined destination
buy a car
Lose 20 pounds
volunteer in India
raj_satan wants to find at least one thing each day that makes me happy and record it everyday for a year
Learn Lithuanian
Get more sleep
Make a beat
escape society
Read the Bible
learn german
appreciate what I have
paint my kitchen
be hot
look prettier
arrakis wants to visit every country in Europe
watch less tv
