The Uncultured Project

“So what did the doc say?” asked Rick as he put down his book and I re-entered his car. Rick had driven me to the doctor’s office so I could find out what the results were of my malaria test. “Well, I don’t have malaria” I said unsurprised. “So the doctor gave me some antibiotics to take for the next six days” I said as I held up the pack of 12 pills the doctor had given me.

I was happy to get this all sorted out and – hopefully – start to get better. But, I couldn’t also help but feel a bit sad. Literally, a five minute walk from the doctor’s office was my aunt’s apartment (the one that owns the European Standard School). Not only did this aunt not give me a place to stay while I sorted these medical issues out; but also, despite knowing how sick I was, they didn’t even bother to call to see how I’m doing.

My other aunt (the one who wistfully said “we’ll see” when I asked for a ride to the doctor’s office – but never got back to me) never even bothered to call back to see if I eventually did make it to the doctor. And my uncle who owns his own newspaper and his well-to-do children? Well, lets just say that I wouldn’t count on any of them to even bother showing up to my funeral.

I know this is all may come off as a bit melodramatic. Normally, I wouldn’t think about such issues. Normally, I’d be focusing on my project and my work here in Bangladesh. But, ever since I’ve been sick, I haven’t got much work done. And the lack of support I’ve been getting from most of my family here has kind of shaken me up. Fortunately, the kindness of strangers and the support I have back home means this project is in no danger anytime soon

Of all the diseases I thought the doctor might do a blood test on – typhoid, cholera, measles, or mumps – he decides to test me for malaria. I guess that’s because, given my symptoms, if its not malaria – whatever I have can probably treated with antibiotics.

Test results come in at 5 pm – I’ll let you guys know what happens. I’m not that worried…

… or how much of my family in Bangladesh doesn’t give a damn about me.

I try and avoid writing about negative family issues because it kind of feels like I’m airing dirty laundry. Although I’ve tried my best to minimize how much I talk about this issue, the fact is the single biggest emotional toll I have had on this trip is discovering that most of my family here simply doesn’t give a damn about how I’m doing here or if I need their help. That’s not universally true of course. My grandmother has completely blown me away with her endless compassion and generosity despite her unemployment and her limited fixed income. But, as she often points out, “big wallets don’t always mean big hearts”. This also connects to what I’ve been saying earlier about many wealthy Bengalis living in an “aristocratic dome” (something thicker than just a bubble).

This ended up being a much longer article (rant?) than I imagined. So the complete article is after the jump.

Continue reading ‘The Kindness of Strangers…’

Today was one of those days when I am kind of in awe at the international scope that this project seems to be taking.

Just hours ago, Matt boarded a plane to Uganda. Before heading out, Matt had informed me that a shipment of mosquito nets (PermaNets) donated by Vestergaard-Frandsen hadn’t arrived at his home in Florida. After touching base with a friend at the company, I found out that unfortunately the shipment had been delayed at customs in Geneva. So now I’m looking into having something donated to Matt from Vestergaard-Frandsen’s Kenyan office which could then be shipped to where Matt will be staying in Uganda.

Meanwhile, back here in Dhaka, I’m stuck with this cold, flu, or whatever it is that I have. It doesn’t seem to want to go away. That’s what has been making it hard for me to make new videos. I was, fortunately, able to keep my friend John Green up-to-date about what I’ve been doing though. He was able to make a video about it on his channel which he filmed in his backyard in Indianapolis. If you’ve seen that video than you already know that I’ve been able to spend the money donated by his brother Hank (who lives in Montana).

Those trying to visit uncultured.com earlier today might have noticed the site was dead. I noticed this as well but I wasn’t sure if the problem was on my end – the internet connection I have here in Bangladesh isn’t that great afterall. After checking with a cousin in Ottawa, I realized the site was actually down. So I had to fire off an email to the California-based company that hosts this website. Looks like everything is back to normal now though. Although, that wasn’t the only problem I’ve been having to deal with today.

I also was shocked to find that my savings account had been frozen by my bank back home. I know everything I’ve been doing with my work in Bangladesh (and my bank back home) is 100% legal – so why on Earth would it be frozen? Turns out there is a rule pertaining to how many times you can transfer money to/from your savings account in a given month. The limit seems to be six times. I had always sent any money from PayPal to my savings account before transferring it to checking before withdrawing it. So, unless, I create a different setup – I might bump into this problem again.

So, at the end of the day, my work with this project has in some way, shape, or form involved people or things happening in Geneva, California, Dhaka, Florida, Ottawa, Indianapolis, Kenya, Montana, and my family and bank back home. While that’s really amazing… it’s also a nightmare because Murphy’s Law is apparently internationally scalable.

“How far can this dreamin’ go?” is a question I’ve been asking myself everyday ever since I started this project. As of today, this dream is going a little bit further. I’d like to introduce everyone to my friend Matt. In less than 24 hours Matt will be on a plane heading for Uganda. Like me and my trip to Bangladesh, he’ll be taking his laptop, a camcorder, and the book that inspired him to want to help those less off. And, like me, he has no formal training or previous experience doing this kind of work. And, most importantly, he’ll be sharing his journey with the world through The Uncultured Project.

Don’t get me wrong – this is not going to be “Shawn Does Uganda”. Matt will have his own unique and distinct take to this project. Part of this has to do with our different backgrounds. While both he and I went to Notre Dame – our similarities end there. My background as a grad student at ND was focused on sociology; Matt, on the other hand, is an undergraduate at ND majoring in business. Matt’s interest in business is also reflected in his interest in the work of Dr. Muhammed Yunus and his pioneering work in the field of microfinance. So, while my work in Bangladesh has been very much inspired by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Matt’s work in Uganda will be guided by Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Yunus.

There is also another big difference between Matt and I – one that I’m both happy for… but also admittedly a bit jealous of I knew that, in order for this project to be successful, it would take time to build an audience and gain momentum. That’s why, for me, this project is open-ended. That is also one of the reasons behind my decision to voluntarily withdraw from Notre Dame (in good academic standing) before starting this project. Although Matt is going to be a part of this project, he doesn’t have to make a similar sacrifice. Matt will be in Uganda for a set two month trip and will then be returning to Notre Dame in August to resume his studies.

Even though neither Matt nor I know what waits for him when he lands in Uganda, I’m already confident that his contribution to this project will be invaluable. Since starting this project, there have been so many people who have contacted me telling me they want to do a similar project in the future. Some have written me asking for advice on how to start a project like this. It’s more likely that Matt’s experience in Uganda will offer some important insights for people wanting to travel abroad to do something like this. Unlike my trip to Bangladesh, Matt has never been to Uganda before. And unlike me, Matt will not be relying on family support in Uganda but rather will be seeking the assistance of local NGOs and host families.

But, that’s enough from me. Matt can speak for himself Let’s see how far this project – this dream – can go…

I wanted to make an announcement this week on YouTube. But, because I’ve been under the weather, that is looking less and less likely.

I’d like to think this is a pretty big announcement. Here’s a teaser.

More (well.. not tons more) after the jump, Continue reading ‘A Teaser…’

I’m a closet hypochondriac. Most of the time I can hide it or keep it inconspicuous (such as my religious use of hand sanitizer). However, since coming to Bangladesh, it’s been a lot harder to keep my inner-hypochondriac at bay. I win this battle most of the time… but not today

Today I found myself sitting across a large and prestigious looking desk. On the other side of this desk was a doctor – but not just any doctor. This was a doctor’s office just five minutes away from both the US Embassy and the American International School in Dhaka. I’ve been told that both the US and Canadian embassies refer their expats to this guy.

And part of the reason I decided to go see him is because I have been feeling ill lately. It all started after my return from the Chittagong Hill-Tracts. The coincidental timing was enough to exacerbate my hypochondria. You see, unlike other parts of Bangladesh that I’ve gone to, the Chittagong Hill-Tracts is a hot zone for many diseases (including malaria as mentioned in one of my previous videos).

Normally, I’d write off my symptoms as a cold. I’ve been really tired lately. Too tired, in fact, to even do some important videos I need to make for the YouTube channel. I’ve had a low grade fever, terrible cough, soar throat, and my voice seems to be failing me. But instead of just staying home, getting some rest, and drinking plenty of fluids – I marched off to this embassy-approved doctor.

Turns out, as I suspected, my symptoms are all consistent with a viral infection. Unfortunately, the doctor couldn’t rule out whether it’s something benign (like a cold) or something more serious. I’m going to have to wait and see if things improve. Given the questions the doctor was asking me, it sounded to me like he suspected that I might (at worst) have something mumps-related.