For better or worse, I found a product that does exactly what the label says.
Before coming to Bangladesh, I bought several bottles of Deep Woods OFF! at Costco. It comes in handy because mosquitoes are a big problem here in Bangladesh. There is malaria in Bangladesh – but, much more common is the deadly Dengue Virus. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know my mother was infected by a Dengue-carrying mosquito and had to be hospitalized because of it. Dengue, unlike malaria, comes from daytime biting mosquitoes. Unless you plan on sleeping during the day, bed nets are going to be absolutely useless against these guys.
So, especially since moving to a mosquito-heavy part of Dhaka City, I’ve started using this stuff almost religiously. What makes this stuff work is its use of a chemical called DEET. Now, DEET is pretty strong stuff and the bottle comes with a clear warning label: it may damage plastics. And that’s exactly what it’s done. In just the few days I’ve been using this stuff on a regular basis I’ve noticed that the plastic near where my wrist rests on my MacBook Pro (the plastic trimming) has started to corrode. In fact, it’s almost a perfect 1:1 line-up to where I place my wrists and where the plastic is getting corroded.
Let this be a warning to campers and/or those traveling to the mosquito-infested areas. If your using bug repellent – don’t use your computer. Unless you don’t care for it to get eaten up.
[Full disclosure: As with all the other times I have mentioned some company or product on this website, I haven't been paid to do so.]
Ever since my mom got hospitalized (and flew back home) due to a deadly mosquito-transmitted virus, I’ve been paranoid about mosquitoes. So far, I’ve been pretty lucky. Either they didn’t like to bite me, or I was staying in places where there just weren’t many of them.
But I’ve recently moved to another relative’s home. This place is near a large pond and there are mosquitoes everywhere. Particularly worrisome is the fact that there are a lot of daytime mosquitoes. In Dhaka, daytime mosquitoes are particularly dangerous as they are the kind of mosquitoes that carry the deadly Dengue Virus which is prevalent in this city (and which my mother had contracted).
I’ve taken the basic precautions – I’ve worn long sleeve clothing and sleep in a mosquito net. But these little guys will bite on any exposed skin. I’ve found bites on my ankles and on my neck. I’ve tried to regularly apply bug spray (sprays with DEET are the most effective). But that’s a hard routine to fall into. You have to spray yourself every five to six hours and after you shower. That’s fine for a camping trip – but when you live here for a while, it can kind of get tedious.
Oddly enough, that’s actually the same excuse my mom used for not regularly spraying herself with bug spray. I criticized her for not protecting herself everyday – but I didn’t use the stuff myself since I rarely got bitten (she on the other hand got bitten a lot).
The fact that getting ill might serve some form of poetic justice only heightens my paranoia about mosquito bites.
When I first started this blog, I didn’t have much to show for this project. In fact, the day I wrote my first blog post I was stuck in a relatives’ home because all of Bangladesh was under military curfew.
Since then I have a lot to show: I’ve given away two cases of water during the summer flooding season. I’ve given over fifty mosquito nets (including one long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito net called PermaNet) to rural villagers. I’ve given wind-up flashlights to low-income students trying to study without electricity as well as one to a low-income disaster relief volunteer. I’ve helped to pay for a large group of poor children to have a balanced and healthy meal. And, recently, I’ve distributed 70 blankets (30 of which I did with Save the Children, another 30 with Muslim Aid UK, and 10 I gave out one-on-one) to victims of a Cyclone Sidr.
So it’s about time I tweak the look of the site a bit. Gone is the static photo of my Notre Dame hat and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs’ book. I’m still using that photo – but the main picture on my site now changes randomly every few minutes (you’ll have to reload manually) to shows some of the things I’ve done and interesting people I’ve met. This change also reflects a decision I’ve made.
When I first came to Bangladesh, I thought I would stay here for a couple of months and then go. But since coming here, I’ve kept changing my departure date. September departures became October departures – and so on. I don’t know when exactly I am going to fly home – but I know I will be here in Bangladesh Christmas and the New Year. For the first time in my life – I’ll be spending Christmas and New Years away from both my Mom and Dad.
It’s not easy staying here. There are bugs, germs, and it’s easy to get sick. I’m far from my friends and I am kind of getting homesick. This has also had a cost on my family (in particular my mother who had contracted Dengue Fever during the time she was accompanying me on this project). But, despite all this difficulty, I have a unique opportunity. I’m doing something no one has ever done before (at least in terms of how I’m sharing my experience and work online with others through Flickr, YouTube, and blogging). And I’m helping others while I do it. How many people can say that?
I also want to share a message and inspire others. It’s hard to do that if I’m just uploading old footage and photos from my home in Canada. Hopefully by staying this project can grow and perhaps inspire others.
