UP | uncultured project

Where would I be if I wasn’t here? There is no where else I would want to be than right here, right now. Too often I’ve witnessed tragedies unfold over the TV screen. Witnessed people who are too poor to fend for themselves die and suffer. I would often curse myself under my breath – “if only” I would say. “If only” I had been there – I could have done something. “If only” I could save just one life – it would be worth it. No more do I have to say “if only”. Now I can say “finally”.

For better or worse I’ve been given a chance to make a difference. That difference starts today. Just minutes a ago a BRAC jeep (BRAC stands for the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee – the world’s largest Non-Government Organization) came and picked up 70 blankets to go to Bagarat (near or in Khulna). “How did you get so many blankets so quickly?” a BRAC director asked me. “I bought them to give away in the first place – I just never expected to have to give them like this” I explained.

70 blankets seems like a lot – but at the same time isn’t.

But, the way I see it – most poor families (even before the Cyclone hit) sleep in the same bed. So, 70 blankets translates to 70 families (and these blankets are big enough for that). So that translates to about 200 to 280 people. That means someone is going to be warm this winter and it cost me me less than a buck a person. Even the iPhone can’t compete for that kind of value (and I’m a huge mac geek).

Just how much 70 blankets actually is dawned upon me when BRAC came to pickup the blankets. They came with an empty jeep – but they still had to stuff them all inside…

Here’s a shot of after they managed to squeeze all the blankets in:

The round white tanks are the CNG tanks – the fuel alternative I told you about in an earlier post.

I’m just hours away to the worst affected region in Bangladesh. My aunt warned me that things are so bad there the smell of death is still there. Thanks auntie, that makes me real comfortable going now…

P.S. - For the life of me, I have no idea what magic it takes to make a popular YouTube video. I’m not asking for crying about Britney Spears with a towel on your head popular (that video almost at 13 million views now by the way), but I was hoping my latest video about Dhaka after the Cyclone had featured-on-YouTube-frontpage potential. But it is starting too look like this video will be my lowest viewed video yet. I’m not worried though – especially on a day like today. I now have 200 to 280 more reasons to be thankful I’m here.

Bangladesh is actually on the leading edge of alternative fuel sources. Unfortunately, this has also caused supply and demand problems after Cyclone Sidr.

Unlike America, Bangladesh has already taken drastic steps to reduce dependency on foreign fuel sources such as those in the Middle East. Many Bangladeshi motorists now use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) instead. CNG comes from natural resources within the country and is piped, processed, and distributed to Bangladeshis 100% locally. Unfortunately, Cyclone Sidr has resulted in supply and demand problems. After talking to family members with CNG retro-fitted vehicles, it appears that lineups at CNG stations are in the magnitude of several hours. Lineups have always been long – but this is at least twice or thrice as long as before.

CNG retro-fitted vehicles are basically just regular cars with the engine modified to be hybrid fuel vehicle (a vehicle that can alternate between petroleum and CNG fuel sources). This is a common choice for Bangladeshis wishing to save money from the ever increasing price of petroleum. My grandmother, for example, who still uses a diesel-only car has been hard hit in recent months by the ever increasing price of petroleum. The hardest hit by this CNG supply problem will, as with all tragedies in Bangladesh, be the poor. By law, all “baby taxis” (little 2 or 3 seater scooters also called “motor rickshaws”) have to run on CNG in Dhaka City. If Baby Taxis cannot fuel up, than their drivers can’t earn a living.

It seems the impact of Sidr will be felt for long after its faded from memory.

I am probably the last person in the world who should be trying to do a project in Bangladesh.

I realized this from talking to Mikey Leung – a fellow Canadian in Bangladesh. Like me, Mikey is here to try and make a difference in Bangladesh. He works for a charity, raises money for flood victims, and is working as an IT professional in Bangladesh. But, unlike me, he has no extended family in Bangladesh. For me, having family has made this project feasible – I don’t have to worry about spending money for a place to stay, I get great home cooked meals, and I can even bum a ride most of the time. But, more often than not – it means I’m restricted in where I can go and what I can do.

As a kid, I used to resent this overprotectiveness. As an adult, I now realize that this overprotectiveness comes from a family traumatized by their experience in Bangladesh…. Continue reading ‘A Family Traumatized By Bangladesh’