Made it to Dhaka!

So I officially made it! I've been here for about a week, and I've really enjoyed exploring the city. Dhaka is a happening place with lots to see, do, and experience. The people here are friendly, and I appreciate how willing they are to help me get around and how enthusiastic they are to share Bangladeshi culture with me!

view from my roof

park across the street from my building

I'm looking forward to eventually teaching English and also partnering with some NGOs and development organizations here who are doing some fascinating work in educational development, particularly in providing education for women.  But for the first two months of my time here, my primary focus will be my Bangla language classes. My classes are at a local university here, and we focus on reading, writing, and speaking. Learning a language in a different script is HARD, but I'm really enjoying it so far! Needless to say, I'll be studying a lot in the next couple of months!

my Bangla homework

I'm living in a neighborhood called Baridhara. It's close to my school, which is convenient, and it's in a nice part of town. All of the Fulbright language students live in my apartment building. It's a fun group, and it's nice to have some familiar faces around!

I've been having a great experience so far, and I'm really loving my time here. The first week has mostly just been getting settled, learning my way around Dhaka, orientations through the embassy, and the start of my language class. More pictures and details to come later, but I just wanted to give you a quick update on my first week!